Jade Geon

Jade Geon are a once-insular group of Geon native to the Shardscape realm of Orochtha. They are one of the ethnic groups who most suffered during the Orochthan Wealth Wars, during which time they suffered a cultural blow so devastating and irrevocable that they have never recovered—and will likely never recover.   Geon are four-armed, bipedal, pseudo-arachnoid earth elementals who are born in and reside in the vicinity of large geodes or similar mineral veins. Their bodies are typically at least partially comprised of the mineral with which they are associated, and the most numerous of them are the Quartz and Amethyst Geon. The Jade Geon, as their name suggests, are an insular subpopulation that lived in a large subterranean deposit of near-pure jadeite.   Although they were known about by other Geon, they were undiscovered by the wider world until, by chance, one of the mining companies that flocked to Orochtha in the lead-up to the Wealth Wars stumbled upon a related nearby deposit of jadeite. While the original company had little interest in securing the jadeite themselves, they were more than happy to parcel out the part of their claim that contained the deposit to the Golden Wall Merchantry, a merchant group associated with the Quelan Immortal Sect from the realm of Lankhar.   Despite their affiliation with an orthodox sect known to espouse balance and harmony between the inner world and the outer world, the Golden Wall Merchantry saw an opportunity for historic profits. Jade of the quality that they could harvest from the deposit that they had bought was near-priceless in their home realm. Consequently, and with the prospect of even greater profits, they explored the area hoping to expand their holdings. Inevitably, they encountered the home deposit of the Jade Geon and wasted no time building a mine.   The Jade Geon tried to stop the destruction of their home, but as the Wealth Wars were underway by the time that the Golden Wall merchants breached into their habitat, their attempts were met with hostility. For a time, the Jade Geon tried to fight back, but to no avail. Unfamiliar with violence altogether, their resistance was token at best, and most attempts to obstruct or reason with the miners ended in injury or worse.   Eventually, Golden Wall merchants conspired to frame the Jade Geon as violent saboteurs and convinced the Quelan Immortal Sect to send martial experts to drive them out. Unaware of the reality of the situation, and unable to communicate with the Jade Geon due to the language barrier, the Quelan experts drove the Jade Geon from their home.   The Jade Geon scattered, many dying in the ensuing scramble. Some made their way to more sympathetic parts of the realm, and have remained there since. Given the remoteness of their corner of Orochtha, the war did not reach the home of the Jade Geon until much later, and by the time that the Golden Wall merchants were expelled, little remained of the Jade Geon's home. Few returned to witness the devastation, and as news spread across the diaspora, the despair kept most others away.   In modern times, Jade Geon remain widely scattered across Orochtha. They long for home, but cannot bring themselves to return in fear of the despair that might swallow them at the sight. Some few have taken to searching for a new place to call home, but the quest has so far been fruitless. Most make do with their present lot, resigned to the loss of the home they once knew.