Nausicaus
Nausicaus is a land of raw, untamed splendor, where sprawling plains meet towering coastal cliffs, shielding the land from the sea's wrath. Beyond the cliffs lie endless fields of swaying tall grass and ancient sequoia forests. This is the domain of the Nausilythe, an anthropomorphic avian race whose vibrant plumage and keen eyes embody their pride and unyielding resilience. Once sovereigns of the skies, they now stand as steadfast protectors of their homeland, distrustful of outsiders. Among them dwell Chayatiem fugitives, escaped slaves from Christemis.
But upon Nausicaa's death, peace unraveled. The Nausilythes, once united in their struggle, fractured. The peacocks, proud and fierce, sought to honor Nausicaa’s legacy of grandeur, while the swans, calm and wise, believed in preserving balance through unity, not conquest. This rift divided the people, corrupting the very essence of their freedom. The Vultures, once allies, turned against them, forging an alliance with the Leoharix to enslave the Nausilythes once more. This treachery shattered their fragile peace. War erupted, and the Nausilythes fought not only foreign invaders but each other. The peacocks waged bloody campaigns against the swans, accusing them of weakness. Meanwhile, the Chrystemis Empire seized the opportunity to conquer Tyrinthius, a land where the oppressed sought refuge. The Nausilythes fought on, not only for their own freedom but for all enslaved peoples.
History
For nearly two millennia, the Nausilythes were enslaved by humans, suffocating under their masters’ yoke. Yet, from the depths of their despair, a hope emerged: Nausicaa. A radiant Nausilythe peacock, soared through the Twilight Skies, leading her people to freedom. This journey, known as The Great Migration, carried them through wild lands . Under Nausicaa’s guidance, Nausicaus was born, a sanctuary where the songs of the Nausilythes could ring free. Her name became a symbol of resistance.
Though the conflict was long and bloody, the flame of Nausicaa’s vision endured. After the Pact of Tyrinthius, Nausicaus lost land, but the Nausilythes triumphed over slavery, their struggle forever etched into the winds of history.
Territory
The lands of Nausicaus extend beyond the jungles of Tyrinthius. There are forests of centuries-old trees, with giant roots winding through deep valleys and steep hills. The verdant plains, shrouded in an eternal mist, conceal cities built high into the sky, in harmony with nature. To the north-east, the Dawnbreeze Cliffs stand like silent sentinels, forming an impassable natural rampart. Their summit, battered by constant winds, watches over the rough sea below, preventing any human invasion by boat. The raging, mist-laden sea acts as an implacable barrier, keeping Nausicaus safe from distant kingdoms.
The Eyriem estuary, at the heart of Nausicaus, is the cradle of the Nausilythe civilisation. The water within it is said to be sacred, and no outsider has the right to enter. The only place where outsiders can enter is Loroth, on the border between Nausicaus and Tyrinthius. This is where the Nausyliths go to trade their goods and acquire new treasures.
Nausilythes
The Nausilythes have always organised themselves according to their tribes: swans, owls, ravens, vultures and, of course, peacocks. Each of these tribes has its own traditions, secrets and customs, but when it comes to making decisions crucial to the fate of Nausicaus, they come together, putting aside their differences, to deliberate and debate in a great assembly. Their mentality is shaped by an immutable principle: the interests of the group take precedence over those of the individual, an ideal engraved in the heart of every Nausilythe. But this same ideal, forged in the trials of past wars, could not prevent the tragedy that befell the peacocks after the wars for control of Tyrinthius.
Their magnificence, once a symbol of Nausicaa's freedom, attracted the greed of the Chrystemis Empire. In the courts of Chrystemis, it became a macabre fashion to dress in cloaks made of Nausilythe peacock feathers, as a way of destroying the legacy of their matriarch and asserting the empire's domination over free peoples. This insult, added to the treachery of the vultures, melted the splendour of the peacocks, setting them on a course for extinction, their beauty reduced to memories erased by wind and iron. The flight or extinction of the peacocks was not just the loss of a people, but the crumbling of the very soul of Nausicaus.
Economy
In the wild lands of Nausicaus, the economy is based on an ancient and rudimentary system of barter and exchange. The most prized goods as golden feathers, jewels woven from wild silk and precious stones circulate between the clans, each offering the best they have to obtain what they need. However, beyond the ancient customs, a strange currency has emerged, forged in the suffering and memory of the elders. Human teeth, salvaged from the distant lands of Leonidas, are now used as a standard in trade with this ferocious empire.
Terrifying in their origin, these teeth are engraved with ancient symbols, marked by the smell of blood. The Nausilythes trade them with a mixture of caution and disdain, but the temptation of their value and power is too great. And so, in the shadows of the markets, where the skies set ablaze with each sunset, human teeth glitter amidst treasures and promises, reminding everyone that freedom has no price, but trade does.
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