Mussuba (ˈmʌs.ʊ.bə/ ᴍᴜss-oo-buh)

Known History

Beginnings

Natives of Etzli Cuauhtla and long steeped in mysticism and fable, the mussuba are a serpentine people at home in the rivers, seas, and lakes found throughout the tropical jungles of the continent. Graceful beyond compare and considered supernaturally beautiful by most who’ve encountered them, their captivating visages belie their incredible magical power and cunning minds. With no end of resources available and constant enemies to hone their craft upon, the mussuba became mistresses of magical arts—from calamitous destruction to Heavens-defying creation, turning into veritable powerhouses few willfully ever crossed.   The exact origins of the mussuba aren't entirely clear, but their oldest coherent records paint them having built sophisticated city-states along the rivers and seas of central-eastern Etzli Cuauhtla some 5,000 years ago, during the era of the tokyau's Pasha Commongood. While not initially joining due to cultural reasons, these mussuba civilizations would eventually forge strong political and cultural bonds with the Commongood, ultimately assimilating and becoming a significant member species.   Unlike the more ethically and philosophically motivated tokyau, the mussuba as a whole are characterized as being hedonistic by nature.They’re easily satisfied by material comforts such as safety, prosperity, and luxuries to indulge in, and historically haven’t exhibited any extreme drive for expansion or interference in foreign politics. Despite how these two differing natures clashed as much as helped one another, both species regarded each other fondly.   The Commongood's later downfall during the Pasha Abduction Event—where a supermassive Ouroboros Uplifter vacuumed nearly half of Etzli Cuauhtla’s people, animals, buildings, and some natural features into itself before vanishing—was a calamitous disruption to the status quo of that era. While all the surviving members of the Commongood were left in disarray, their national enemies of the time sensed weakness and soon invaded. The mussuba, less reliant on technology compared to the highly-engineered tokyau and others, fought bravely and heroically, buying precious time for their fellows to escape the invaders aiming at subjugating former Commongood territories. It is at this point three fates befell the Commongood's survivors: those who escaped to Jerhegn, those who fled to the surviving realms of Etzli Cuauhtla or even further beyond, and those captured and pressed into slavery by the invaders.   The record keeping of such an ancient period being generally unreliable, there is only scant archaeological evidence, the testimonies of immortals, and mythological or cultural oral traditions. The mussuba of Jerhegn possessed the clearest historical record keeping of this time, as their ancestors were survivors of the Commongood and expended great effort to maintain an impressive level of cultural cohesion throughout the centuries. The other populations of the mussuba, being far more scattered and in some cases deliberately split apart at the hands of slave-owners, have only patchwork evidence to illuminate their history.   It would be the latter group of displaced mussuba that most of Veltrona would come to know, especially as the mussuba were forcefully brought or migrated to lands farther beyond, most notably southern Lophern, Aerthen, and even far away Nerzin. Some mussuba purportedly migrated northward toward Immensio and Nemma after the downfall of the Pasha Commongood, and it is from these migratory groups which the smaller tribes of mussuba found there in the modern day draw their lineages from.   Across all of the mussuban cultures, the Pasha Commongood became a fabled queendom of old, a paradiso their people flourished within, devoid of war, suffering, and disease. A story that is scoffed at as much as believed in by the modern mussuba, and it is an eternal reminder of the heights of their once-great civilizations. For the less cynical, it is a constant inspiration to the following generations that their horrific fate was not ordained by the Heavens, but was rather the fault of others taking advantage of a wounded people. They simply needed strength yet to overcome it and survive.    

Mistresses of Magic and Flesh

Perhaps as famous, or infamous, as their predilection towards incredible magical prowess is the near-universal emphasis on sensuality and passion in the majority of mussuban cultures. As they are a somewhat symbiotic species by nature, similar to the vampyr, the mussuba also generate too much mana through their natural physiological processes. Unlike the vampyr, who require blood as a catalyst to metabolize their own mana, the mussuba instead must expel excess mana from their bodies entirely. While magical arts are a common way of doing so, the mussuba’s primary method comes from their Heartfire Venom. A gift as much as a weapon, it takes the form of a potent and incredibly mana-rich liquid, teetering between being a poison and a potion in equal measure, dictated solely by how it is employed by the mussuba.   As a gift, Heartfire Venom suffuses mana into a person, giving them immense fuel to draw upon for their own magic (or even simply their natural biological needs, as in the case of dragonkind). As a poison, the venom instead tears a person apart, sending their body’s metabolic processes into overdrive as the overflowing mana rapidly triggers lethal forms of manaesia—most commonly resulting in their heart or brain exploding within minutes, depending on the dose delivered. To the mussuba, Heartfire Venom is a way of giving part of themselves to others and forging a natural connection. Such rich liquid mana is used in magical arts of all kinds, hunting one’s own prey, or bonding with a partner; particularly for reproduction, as mana richness is a vital component for proper conception. Yet, such a wondrous thing drew the eyes of the greedy, covetous, and worse.   Mages, cultivators, and anyone with an interest in using mana eyed the mussuba with all sorts of intent. The mussuba were seen almost like living crysium after a fashion, representing a potential resource stream ideal for mana exploitation. That thinking would become the driving force behind the enslavement of the mussuba and the many wars fought for ‘ownership’ of them—or simply access to their heartfire venom. Especially as, in the eras after the downfall of the Commongood and themselves the latter days of the Wild Times, most civilizations were not at highly developed states and mana was a premium resource for their magics. Even civilizations with more developed capabilities often warred with each other over it, and those who failed were torn apart by the Relentless Herds and Packs and the Forsaken.   From this perspective, the mussuba and their Heartfire Venom were considered one among many other strategic assets deemed 'necessary' for these queendoms’ survival. Similar fates befell Veltrona’s other naturally mana-rich or ‘economically important’ species, such as the lauraume and their natural plant/fungi growths. The horrors of slavery, war, and conquest became a norm for them, who found that between the hoards of Relentless or the banal cruelty of people, the latter was far worse.    

One's Own Freedom

It was through their forced spread across Veltrona that the mussuba would come into greater contact with species like themselves—ones long familiar with the evils of exploitation and oppression. Among these species were the aforementioned vampyr, the rambunctious karsoru, the predatory rachtoh, the elusive helunae, and so on. In them the naturally gregarious mussuba found allies, and through the bond of common suffering, devised means by which to free their peoples and protect themselves from their enemies. By the time that these populations of displaced mussuba were able to coordinate their own rebellions and striking down their slavers, some centuries had passed already since the downfall of the Pasha Commongood, and different futures awaited the mussuba as a whole far beyond the borders of their ancestral homelands in Etzli.   The mussuba populations who remained in Etzli Cuauhtla, in the meanwhile, were largely successful in either reclaiming or rebuilding their ancient city-states, becoming the precursors to the Dresxi Enclaves. Those of Aerthen and Nerzin, however, had become greatly intermixed with other cultures and civilizations. These mussuba largely overturned the existing power structures as they won independence, or simply carved out new corners of the untamed wildlands for themselves. With many other allies to call upon, these multicultural micro-nations became bastions for oppressed species to finally unshackle themselves. Their histories, and development thereof, became closely intertwined with such locales.   This multicultural arrangement would become the norm for most mussuban cultures, for better or worse. In many ways, the democratic ideals of the Pasha Commongood had carried down throughout their generations. While time and circumstance forced inevitable changes to such ideals, the fundamental value of equality and equity among all peoples, ever remained in the collective mussuba mythos. The horrors of slavery inflicted on so many of their people only reinforced these truths, and made it all the more necessary in their minds that they must fight for, and protect, them. It created an impetus for the mussuba to take up the banner of freedom as their ancestors once did, for they could not—would not, accept any other outcome.   In nearly every mussuban society the axiom that the slavery of one meant the enslavement of them all, regardless of species or creed, took a firm root in their collective consciousness. Rather than adopt systems of slavery for their own gain once they earned their own freedom, the mussuba instead came to hate it with every fiber of their being. It hence forth set them on a bloody path of liberation, one that has followed them for every generation ever since. Despite all the mysticism and fantasies of the mussuba perpetuated by other peoples, one truth became cemented in every civilization that encountered them: slavers beware, for the serpents would strike with furious vengeance.   While the history of slavery across Veltrona is a contentious matter at the best of times, scholars do note that wherever the mussuba lived in significant populations, their mere presence exerted such massive downward pressure on its economic viability (or the life expectancy of slavers) that it practically eliminated such practices in those, and neighboring, regions.    

Realms of Might and Magic

The exact history of the mussuba species takes on curious colors as the centuries pass and the world at large begins to change as the Wild Times come to an end. Straddling the line between isolationism and diplomacy, the mussuba clans and tribes from Etzli Cuauhtla to Nerzin coalesced around their micronations. In doing so, many of their allies, those seeking their protection, or otherwise, came underneath their umbrella, and established stable societies that offered equanimity between the different classes and species rarely seen in other multicultural nations of the time. As the case may be, these other species invariably came to desire positions of power or authority to exercise political agency within these societies, which changed the political landscape around the mussuban nations. In this way did more democratic institutions arise as a means by which all such peoples could find equitable governance.   The mussuba, enjoying a position of prestige, tended more to themselves and their immediate interests. It is only in the cases of something truly important rousing them that their slitted eyes turned outward, scrutinizing such matters with predatory intent. In this respect, they do not appear on the surface to be that active at the national stage as a species. Given their discreet mannerisms and holistic approach to most problems, however, it's long been accepted by both historians and politicians that the influence of the mussuba—even those of seemingly nominal power or prestige—extends far more than most may give them credit for. A common adage among strategists and diplomats is 'let sleeping snakes dream', as to rouse such people is to invite a danger one cannot handle easily.   The mussuba populations in Etzli Cuauhtla are the most notably reclusive of the entire species, having a more pressing need to contend with the dangers of their homeland and other nearby civilizations than participating in international politics. Though relatively unscarred by slavery, by necessity or practical reality, these mussuba tribes ended up very isolated, interacting regularly only with the likes of neighboring vampyr, harpies, small tokyau clans, and so forth. Those closer to the border of Dorvar and southern Lophern, however, would have to regularly contend with foreign nations encroaching into their lands. At the same time, refugees fleeing from said nations flocked to them, creating a dynamic and varied cultural situation.   Nerzin, curiously, saw a different fate for the mussuba. A continent already steeped in magical cultures and ways, the naturally powerful mussuba earned just as much interest from the ruling powers as they were subjected to in other lands. At the same time, however, the mussuba’s natural magical might earned them great respect among these powers, and so just as many were interested in allying with them rather than simply subjugating them outright. Although Nerzin was a land generally consumed by war in such an era, it also offered ample opportunities for the mussuba to carve out their own queendoms and territories. In the grand view of Nerzin’s history, the mussuba were ‘newcomers’ with less than a few thousand years to them. While mortal peoples could easily forget such a fact, it remained a point of curiosity or irritation for cultivators and immortals who have longer memories and more inclination to care about cultural seniority.   In the end, the mussuba spread across Veltrona and brought their curious magics, love of life and its pleasures, and their staunch beliefs in the inalienable rights of all sapient beings with them.    

Age of the Imperium

Though in time most of their nations earned both great prestige and a fearsome reputation, the mussuba as a whole ever preferred to quietly take care of problems. The less attention one received, the easier life was, after all. It can be no surprise, then, that the mussuba of Aerthen were particularly sensitive to the emergence of Imperious. Tyrannical dragons were nothing new to anyone, least of all the mussuba, but Imperious' sudden appearance and even greater devastation everywhere she went merited immediate and special attention. Mussuba mages and warriors slithered forth from their city-states, seeking to end the problem before it began, but none of them prevailed. It wasn't until the death of Awomda Sunscales at Imperious’ claws, however, that the mussuba from every nation in the central continents collectively paid attention.   A legendary mage in her own right, Awomda commanded some of the most powerful destructive magics of her era. She supposedly could destroy an entire island from Prak from the surface alone. In other times, she was said to have reshaped a hundred miles of land in a single, massive veltron spell. Her mere existence leashed nations and kept armies in line, for everyone feared being the one stomped under the end of her tail. Awomda's sudden death startled everyone and, in most regards, became the first signifier of Imperious' true danger.   As the years ground on, the mussuba and everyone else would soon learn of Imperious' insane ambitions, and even more unbelievable might. Virtually unstoppable in battle and constantly drawn toward worthy foes, Imperious devastated everyone and everything before her. When the greatest of the lands fell to her and left her wanting still, Imperious turned to other ideas; ones that would eventually birth the infamous and hated Imperium. Joined by the likes of the Nyum lineage traitors and Ra lineage exiles, these imperial dragons became Imperious' servants and tools alike, drawn in by her sick and twisted views of draconic supremacy and incited to wage total war in her name.   The mussuba nations of Aerthen, knowing all-too-well of Imperious' escalating threat, began mobilizing themselves. Sadly, as they and everyone else would soon learn, even full-scale preparations from all of their leaders and warriors would be nowhere near enough to stop Imperious. As the dreaded Imperium gained momentum and spread from its heart in western Aerthen (or eastern Lophern), great warriors, mages, and heroines alike fell in battle against its vile imperial dragons. The mussuba, perhaps among the few able to truly wrestle with dragons in the realms of magic, played pivotal roles in stymieing and slaying them. Unfortunately, the mussuba simply hadn’t the numbers to compete with imperial dragons at the increasing scale of warfare they waged, and so mussuba leaders sharing their more secretive magical arts with their allies, and took on the role of educators in order to aid the mages of other species to stand up taller.   Yet, for as revolutionary as their contributions to improving the state of magical education were, everything they struggled to build with their allies was ground beneath the Imperium's slow, yet relentless, march over the centuries to come.   Despite all their myriad attempts over the decades, the mussuba directly combating the Imperium were no closer to securing a meaningful victory. Yet, their expertise in magic and broad social connections that spanned across the continent drew the attention of someone unexpected: Hau-joren, then Principle Supreme of the Imperium; a figure of authority second only to Imperious herself. Long seeking to find a way to rid herself and the world of Imperious for reasons only known to her, Hau-joren conspired with her allies to form an audacious plan. One that the surviving mussuba, among few others, would become vital aid within.   Imperious' most precious toy, and the ultimate symbol of her authority over Veltrona, was the World Gate: a massive, ancient superstructure capable of generating teleportation portals from its location to anywhere on the surface of Veltrona. Through it, Imperious and her lackeys struck anywhere they desired, savaging entire nations without warning before just as quickly disappearing. Hau-joren conspired to turn the World Gate itself into a trap; something that would send Imperious to some other world or plane, if not destroy her outright.   While the idea of weaponizing such a little-understood and irreplaceable world wonder was equal parts audacious and scandalous, it was an extreme measure that most agreed might be necessary for someone like Imperious. The mussuba, as known enemies of the Imperium, would be able to do the work Hau-joren required without drawing Imperious’ attention towards herself and her allies. So, the mussuba labored in great secrecy, devising the trap that might bring the victory the world needed, though scarcely anything of what they did is known at all.   Yet, before that plan could be put into motion, Imperious vanished.   Seemingly disappearing in a fateful confrontation against the infamous human Aerintor herself, the world at large puzzled for days over whether or not Imperious still lived. Hau-joren, for reasons still unknown, began her second secretive plan she'd kept from everyone else, including her allies: she was going to destroy the World Gate outright. By doing so, and hoping to channel the massive mana reserves that would be unmoored after its destruction, Hau-joren would then cast a continent-spanning spell to shield and isolate her homeland, Nerzin, from the rest of the world. The 'great gate' of this shield would be in the Rolling Plains, or the expanse of borderlands between eastern Aerthen and western Nerzin itself. The mussuba, ignorant of this scheme, were none the wiser.   Yet, Hau-joren's secret plan would spell doom for the rest of the world instead.    

The Great Darkness

Even at the height of the Imperium's power, no one truly understood the World Gate: how it was made, who made it, or why it worked the way it did, and so on. It ebbed and flowed throughout history, some forgotten monument of ages long past that, for some reason, only Imperious knew how to activate and operate. Hau-joren, tasked with uncovering its other secrets by Imperious, had grown arrogant beyond measure and thought herself the pre-eminent mistress of such enigmatic technology. Yet, as the World Gate began crumbling, the power it released soon grew to magnitudes beyond even her wildest imagination.   In defiance of reason itself, the World Gate detonated in a surge of power so immense it instantly destroyed southern Lophern, far western Aerthen, northern Dorvar, and a quarter of northwestern Votyoger. Hau-joren's vast array, and what would become the ‘gate’ of her continent-spanning shield, exploded as well. Thus formed the Tyrant's Sea where the World Gate once stood and the smaller Barrier Sea sundered the land between Aerhen and Nerzin, and a debris cloud of immense proportions bloomed before plunging Veltrona into global darkness.   With a huge portion of the mussuba who were fighting the Imperium suddenly dead, the remainder in Aerthen were thrown into disarray. As sunlight disappeared and terrible storms followed, the war with what remained of the Imperium went on hold as everyone was forced to shelter in place against the disaster. Those farther away and/or uninvolved in the war had only the planet-thundering explosion and incoming debris clouds as their forewarning to the encroaching Great Darkness. The unexpected nightmare caught many by surprise, but the mussuba were not unprepared for such a thing. To any of the peoples from Etzli Cuauhtla, the cultural memory of hardship and disaster ever present in the truth such things are but a split second away; thus preparing for them is as second nature as breathing itself.   The mussuba’s meticulous preparations would be tested by the greatest disaster of all, and something beyond their wildest nightmares. An investment that would pay for itself countless times as the Great Darkness dragged on, bringing with it ever stranger calamities and hardships. Entire lands became distorted by unknown powers, realms shifting in or out of existence, strangely vicious creatures never before seen, and many more bizarre and/or nightmarish occurrences became the norm of such an era.   The mussuba, with their great mana and greater magics alike, weathered the storms that came their way better than most. In doing so, their bastions of civilization became beacons to the less fortunate who'd lost everything. Old enemies became unexpected refugees under their care just as often as once-allies became pillagers and bandits in their time of need. Everyone sought to survive, no matter what it took. The mussuba weren't cruel nor callous, and to those who obeyed the rules and honored their covenants, their coils offered safety and succor. The rest, however, would find a miserable death waiting for them.    

The Baarham Dominion

After centuries spent under its shroud, the debris-strewn skies of the Great Darkness gradually cleared, and Veltrona returned to some semblance of normalcy. Yet, on the cusp of the returning sunlight, the mussuba of Aerthen and Lophern wouldn't find any reprieve. In the domain of western Aerthen, a humble people once oppressed by the Imperium rose to great power and prominence beneath the darkness. Led by their hate-filled Sorcerer King, Ghown, they sought the creation of a kingdom of their own, one where they alone reigned supreme and no other could threaten them as the Imperium once had. They were called the baarham, and they would become a great and terrible evil.   While not as geographically expansive as the Imperium, the Dominion reached just as far, if not further. Baarham anktorlas—mage-seers—directed their armies across the veltron, scouring bastion settlements, enslaving the survivors, and stripping their lands of anything valuable. With their natural advantage from preparing during the Great Darkness itself, few managed any effective resistance. The mussuba of Aerthen and Lophern were among those that did, and having seen these evils before, found themselves once more called to war in the name of freedom. Worse, they recognized their own magical arts within the baarham arsenal, staining their honor.   In the following years, the Aerthen and Lophern mussuba and baarham went head-to-head on numerous occasions, earning themselves recognition as great foes of the baarham. The Dominion spared no effort in directing its armies after these mussuba, slaughtering them where possible and scouring their arcane strongholds from the veltron directly. The mussuba, with centuries of allies in many other peoples, found both aid and arms alike flocking to their side. The opening years of war against the Dominion saw even more peoples from surrounding nations joining in, themselves as much allies of convenience as enemies sometimes.   This era of war would continue on until the Dominion's own mysterious disappearance one day. Great and terrible storms coalesced into a tempest of never-before-seen proportions and demeanor, ravaging the lands of the Dominion. Its strangely-targeted behavior, however, scoured both the baarham cities and the baarham themselves from Veltrona entirely, along with anyone unfortunate enough to be close by. The tempest ended as suddenly as it began, leaving an eerie silence behind in its wake where the Dominion once stood. While many, many peoples celebrated what seemed like divine intervention against a hated foe, the mussuba were deeply horrified.   Although thousands of years had since passed since its golden age, the tales of the Pasha Commongood nonetheless remained in some form or another—more importantly, the tales of its Heavenly destruction.    

For Peace, if Nothing Else

As word of the Dominion's disappearance spread among the mussuba cultures, a sort of collective anxiety began accumulating. Not only had Veltrona herself gone through three rapid, significantly destructive events, the hallmarks of the last one bore signs that proved terrifyingly familiar to the peoples descended from the Commongood. As both debate and contemplation ensued, the mussuba across Veltrona were drawn into very different directions. Something had to be done to protect themselves from such ephemeral evil; how to do it, though, divided them.   Those of Aerthen and Etzli Cuauhtla—greatest in size and power among the mussuba—sought some measure of a united alliance of their long-disconnected communities; a pan-national organization that pooled resources, garnered stability, and united their martial might together. Sadly, even among themselves, the mussuba weren't entirely certain what form such an alliance should take; or if it was even possible. Veltrona had changed greatly since the era of the Pasha Commongood, and innumerable interests divided the lands up in petty games of war, politics, and creed. Some historians, however, believe these machinations are what helped to lay the groundwork that eventually led to the emergence of great national powers like the Aerthen Imperial Federation. This theory is hotly contested for a number of reasons, but it does like to persist for some reason.   The mussuba of Jerhegn and Nerzin, however, chose a very different approach. Drawn by the potential of Cultivation Arts, and viewing the Heavens themselves as an antagonistic force, they prized personal power and aptitude as the path to security and safety. In doing so, their leaders and great heroines would become the great sword and shield of their peoples, able to block any evil and cut down any foe.   Though it rankled their easy-going sentiments, in the end, these mussuba found that only one's personal strength could truly protect them and their loved ones. After all, the Pasha Commongood had been the greatest alliance of peoples that Veltrona had ever known—and it was helpless against the wrath of the Heavens. Thus, rather than invest in collective outreach, the mussuba of Jerhegn and Nerzin adopted more stringent hierarchies based on personal power and filial responsibility. In their minds, others may follow in their wake, should they choose to, but any who stood in their way would be crushed underscale.   The mussuba people as a whole, ultimately, wanted a safe and prosperous world, one that could be lived in easily and happily. How to get there, unfortunately, ever continued to elude them, even to the present day.      

Biology

Anatomy and Physiology

A sexually dimorphic jointed-humanoid species, the mussuba have an upper humanoid body from the waist-up and a snake-like body from the waist-down. Their humanoid half has a head, a torso with two arms that end in five fingered hands, and their pelvic region fuses together into the singular length of their snake-like lower body and tail. Upon their lower body, the ventral scales are somewhat broad, yet thin, and cover the expanse of the underbelly but not the edges. The dorsal scales are thin and interlaced, coming together in a smooth, sheet-like appearance reminiscent of fish scales. Generally speaking, while both sexes are mostly the same overall length from head to tail, female mussuba are larger than males, have pronounced breasts, and a wider pelvic structure.   The mussuba head is very human-like overall, with minor scales on the harder regions (jawline, nose, cheek bones, etc) similar to other scale-bearing species. Their eye shapes are normally angular-to-upturned, juxtaposed by the round expressiveness of their eyes, giving them a range of either fierce or soft looks depending on one's ancestry. This can be complimented by their noses, which trend toward straight or flat and rounded. Their head hair grows in much the same pattern and textures as is found among humans. Their ears are long and pointed, extending multiple inches outward horizontally-to-vertically, and have very small and fine scales covering the exterior portion. The ears can articulate on their own to enhance directional hearing, or just for social expression purposes.   The mouth is a complex structure: there are the exterior human-like lips, but also a thin, recessed line that stretches from the corners of their mouths up to the underside of their cheekbones, following the hinge of their jawbone. When their mouth is fully opened, the mussuba can unhinge their jaw, expanding their biting volume up to three times while unfurling their piercing, knife-like fangs. The tongue itself is much longer than most other species, capable of extending up to around a foot outside their mouths and boasting a forked tip.   Their torso follows human-like conventions in sculpt and shape. Additionally, as with other scale-bearing species, mussuba scales largely grow on the exterior portions of the body and terminate as they reach inward. This correlates to fat distribution, or hot/cold regions, with fatter/hotter regions having less scales, and colder/leaner regions gaining scales. E.g, the upper shoulders and sides of the torso possess great scale volumes, but the inner chest and belly have very minimal to none at all. This essentially prevents the typical issue of scale growth interfering in motion or body kinetics, and is a common adaptation on Veltrona's sapient populations. Mussuba torso scales in particular are even finer than their lower body, seamlessly blending in with their skin in colorful, distinctive trails.   The snake-like lower body of the mussuba is itself entirely covered in scales and is essentially their most durable body part. Contrary to the convention of normal snake anatomy, only the upper third of their total body (i.e. the humanoid torso and a portion of the lower snake-like half) contains their vital organs. The remaining two thirds of their snake-like body is essentially all chevron bones and muscle, making it an incredibly powerful 'limb', as well as allowing them to distribute their weight over a wider distance, allowing easier gliding over unstable terrain. It is for this reason that strikes on this part of the mussuba’s body aren't nearly as immediately lethal as it would be otherwise. The partial or complete loss of the tail or major portions of the lower body is still, nonetheless, a life-threatening disability, analogous to a human losing both their legs.   Like other jointed-humanoids, the genitals and buttocks are found at the humanoid pelvic region, which acts as the so-called 'joint' between the upper and lower halves of the body. Given their physical size and shape, the usage of either for biological reasons is an involved affair that poses unique challenges. While ostensibly part of the reptilian family, the mussuba nonetheless retain nipples, are warm-blooded, a navel on their humanoid half, and breasts—all mirroring human-like functionality.    

Appearance

Sensual, graceful, otherworldly; there are many ways the people of Veltrona describe the seemingly nigh-supernatural beauty of the mussuba and the mystique their presence radiates. Though somewhat imposing in size, they're not as physically prominent or aggressive in disposition as most other monsterkind. Still, even the most starstruck person might feel their hackles rise when a mussuba's eyes turn upon them, as the snakelike nature of the mussuba causes the primitive parts of many brains to see them as dangerous. Oddly enough, for some people this serves only to heighten the mussuba’s famous allure, with many poetic accounts of the mussuba going into great detail about their ‘aura of deadly promise’. Others would simply describe the mussuba as dangerous vipers that masquerade as indolent beauties.   As a species, the mussuba commonly have lead blue-to-black and purple-adjacent skin tones, and their scales are typically either the same or analogous colors thereof. Between the two, the skin is 'lighter' in tone and the scales 'darker', creating consistent contrast among the majority of individuals. Their scales are particularly glossy and possess an almost iridescent sheen to them, or similarly colorful-yet-complimentary effect for other scale colors, making them quite spectacular when moving or in good lighting. The ventral scales in particular are lighter in color than the dorsal ones, but are generally not seen given their diminutive stature unless one sees the front of a mussuba.   The internal flesh coloration of the mussuba is notably unique, as rather than red or pink it is instead a pale, sea-green color with darker hues toward black (e.g, a hot/cold gradient), and is most visibly noticeable when they open their mouth or show their slightly darker forked tongue. It’s believed to be a result of the high concentrations of purer mana within their bodies, as they’re still an iron-blood based species.   Mussuba hair is widely regarded for its beauty, exemplifying ideal healthiness, texture, form, and other qualities. Its natural state is of a quality that, for nearly every other species, would require extensive hair care routines, highly nutritious diets, and simple genetic luck to achieve. Individual mussuba hair fibers also possess a type of 'two tone' color behavior, where the exterior and interior sides possess different colors. This can manifest in a ‘shot-silk’ look for mussuba with straighter hair textures, or a sun-lightened look for mussuba with afro hair textures.   Their eyes have pupils that alternate between very wide and rounded to narrow and slitted. While they do constrict or dilate based on ambient light levels, intense emotions can also cause them to change independently of that. To those who know their visual language, a mussuba's eyes can speak more plainly than any words. The iris itself is evocative of stained glass, having spectacular color and structure, often melting them together in a dazzling display. While superficially similar, they're considered distinctively different from the eyes of dragonkind as they lack the gem-like quality and ‘internal fire’ flash to their irises. The mussuba sclera itself is universally black, but the size of the irises and pupils can take up so much space it's barely noticeable at the best of times.    

Natural Abilities

Mana Wellspring — Mussuba naturally generate incredible amounts of mana from birth, and the amount that an individual can generate will only increase with age, training, and usage. Unlike the vampyr, who also generate incredible mana and have adopted behaviors to help their bodies metabolize it properly, the mussuba simply generate too much for their biology to naturally handle in any way. Thus, consuming and/or expelling this excess mana is vital to their survival, and is typically done either through practicing magical arts or by producing their Heartfire Venom.   Olfactory Adaptation — Mussuba principally smell through their tongue, 'tasting' the air for scents and other information, like temperature. Though highly detailed, it lags behind the legendary renown of the nebusian nose. While a mussuba's nose can still detect some smells, it is at lower levels of recognition, being worse than a human's sense of smell. Consequently, injuries to a mussuba’s tongue may lose much of their sense of smell and taste.   Heartfire Venom — A supercharged 'venom' that acts as the primary sink for excess mana within the mussuba. By controlling how much is injected by their fangs, a mussuba can potentially infuse something or someone with more mana as a boosting supplement, or overload them with mana and cause a violent manaesia reaction. As a gift, it offers tremendous power; as a poison, it kills with a deadly viciousness. It's believed to have mild aphrodisiac properties, but it's unclear if that is due to chemical composition, placebo, or the overcharging mana within the body—or all together. For better or worse, it's often refined into Heartfire Potions, a sophisticated alchemical concoction.   Purifying Saliva — The saliva of the mussuba is uniquely antiseptic, purifying without necessarily being totally destructive. It is a major reason why bites from mussuba themselves do not necessarily cause infectious injuries. Incidentally, it also means their mouths are environmentally sanitary, and so do not suffer from gum-disease causing bacteria or similar issues. This cleanliness is also believed to help ensure their tongue can smell 'accurately'. Regardless, mussuba saliva is a valuable substance to any healer or scientist.    

Diet

Omnivores by nature, the mussuba prefer a balanced diet of many different food groups. Their historic homeland in the biodiverse jungles of Etzli Cuauhtla carries on in most modern mussuban cultures as a fondness for fish, crustacean, fruits, eggs, starchy tubers like potatoes and cassava, and quinoa. These preferences center on highly accessible and abundant foods found in and along the rivers and coasts of the central continent, favoring foods which they didn’t have to engage in as much dangerous competition with other monsterkind to obtain. The likes of complex meats (red, white, etc), referred to as churrasco, are delicacies to them both because of their richness and the difficulty in obtaining them in the jungle. In particular, duck and cattle meat rank as very desirable to most mussuban cultures. The mussuba distinctly do not like eating smaller forms of land meat, such as bushmeat or insects, which was, and remains, a constant cultural friction point with the tokyau. They do, however, enjoy nearly all kinds of fish and aquatic life, including semi-aquatic snakes.   One of the defining culinary quirks that characterizes most mussuban food cultures is their extreme neatness. It is common to find a great emphasis on balanced meals that provide succinct bites, neither too extreme in flavor nor lacking in character. As their tongues are as much tasting as smelling organs, they experience far more sensory impact from what they consume than most other species. This, in turn, affects their eating habit as they strive to enjoy a depth of flavor and texture that, simultaneously, isn't overpowering. Ritualism and decorum, by extension, are common companions that heighten mussuba dining etiquette into an involved affair, even when done casually. That said, the complexity of mussuba-made meals can be lost on species with less capable tongues, where the flavors homogenize into more polarizing or bland taste profiles, and the finely-portioned bites of food may be seen as an extremely fussy way to eat.   While flatbreads and stoneground flours cooked into porridges are the historical way for the mussuba to consume grain, outside influence from other peoples eventually introduced novelties like leavened breads, cheeses, milks, miso, etc. Animal ranching, up until such a point, had largely been something the mussuba avoided or treated as a burdensome labor due to how offensively odorous it can be. Other species, unbothered by this concern, made for great trading partners by providing the animal-sourced products which the mussuba avoid gathering themselves. As such, many of their cultures tend to view such items as desserts or luxury goods, and so reserve them for special occasions or as signs of opulence. The gathering of wild bird eggs remains a traditional practice among jungle-dwelling mussuba, though, usually done for weddings or other important feasts.    

Life Cycle

Infancy & Childhood

Due to the general size of their offspring, mussuba pregnancies usually only have one child, if rarely two; anything more than that may be considered life-threatening if measures aren't taken. While somewhat physically mobile following birth, mussuba infants are rather frail, squirmy, and difficult to wrangle. They're exceptionally shy at such a point in their life, preferring to cling to their parents (particularly the mother) and hide on her somehow, someway. Traditional mussuba maternity wear, thusly, includes infant-sized pouches that allows their child to 'nest' while still being in physical contact.   For the first year or so of life, the mussuba infant will spend nearly every moment with their parents and only curiously eye the outside world. Once their first full physical shedding of scales occurs, their body will toughen up as it begins to properly grow. At such a time, interest and curiosity become the norm of mussuba infants who slither bravely away from their parents to explore the world. They can be somewhat of a hassle to entertain and indulge, so it is around this time that playgroups and communal rearing become the norm.   Childhood can be precarious for the mussuba due to most cultures living on the edges of rivers, great inland seas, or simply dangerous locales with predators in the jungle and water. As such, parents and their communities invest tremendous effort into protecting and nurturing their children, especially as parents try to determine what interests or desires their child(ren) have. Education is particularly important, especially to prepare children for their first forms of magical arts that will follow them the rest of their lives. The innate mana wellspring nature of the mussuba hasn't fully awoken yet, so children themselves do not really have anything to worry about immediately. The wellspring’s awakening coincides with the maturation of their venom glands, which usually happens at the onset of puberty. It is then that the growing mussuba must contend with a fairly turbulent period of growth.    

Adolescence

Adolescence begins at around 10-to-12 years of age, marked by great physical growth, the awakening of the mana wellspring, and a general period of upheaval and change. It can be a difficult period for mussuba as they learn to grapple with their changing bodies as much as overflowing mana, which must be rapidly taken care of in one form or another lest it cause illness or death. At the least, they will learn how to extract their own venom on the regular, which nearly every mussuba has a method of turning into potions or decoctions of some manner. This excess Heartfire Venom is then recycled into a number of uses where high-concentrations of mana are desirable: alchemy, farming, metallurgy, etc. Simply discarding the venom is not only seen as wasteful, it’s also extremely dangerous as it can both lead to mutations in the environment and the attraction of manavorous creatures.   Coinciding with this, mussuba families will begin serious education and training of adolescents in their magical crafts, who now have the physique and raw mana needed. The exact crafts practiced varies between families and even cultures, but what they have in common is providing both an outlet for youthful flare-ups of mana, as well as a means for families to help nurture their development as they grow into an adult. A family's methods will have lifelong impacts on how a mussuba grows as magic, being fundamentally shaped by one’s views and perspectives, can be as limiting as freeing sometimes. One of the most valuable items a family can possess is a specific training method, especially a well-developed one with as few downsides or limitations as possible. Knowledge is, after all, power, and the knowledge to shape one's natural abilities into useful tools is powerful indeed.   A family's status, social connections, and raw aptitude all have dramatic impacts on a mussuba's possible future given the insular and communal nature of the species. For many cultures, arranged marriages are a norm, especially among groups of families that are coordinating together. For others, the parents will simply try to obtain the best education possible for their children, either hiring special tutors, sending them to respected schools, or apprenticing them to a mistress of her craft. It can be difficult for other species to grasp the social classes between the mussuba, especially as, from outside perspectives most cultures live in relative comfort, whether due to their mistressy of their homelands or their ability to secure positions of wealth and influence. Yet for the mussuba themselves, most maintain the view that material wealth does not necessarily become knowledge, or further one's own magical arts if they lack the insight or know-how on doing so.   In this respect, if one views mussuba social classes as a divide of knowledge itself, then the formulation of their social structure and power becomes that much clearer.    

Adulthood

Mussuba are considered physically mature around 20-to-25 years of age, coinciding with the last great shedding of scales that they experience. From there on, bi-annual sheds become more the norm coinciding with the start and end of the wet season, unless a mussuba sustains and recovers from great physical injury, in which case a shed will be triggered as part of their healing process.   In their physical prime and hopefully armed with a respectable arsenal of magical arts, practical knowledge, and social clout, the adult mussuba’s exact track in life will vary based on circumstances, but generally divides between continuing the family business, seeking higher education/knowledge, and/or pursuing their own specific interests. First born daughters and sons are the ones expected to carry on the family business in particular. Daughters will typically inherit their mother's work in some form, while sons will be married out to form ties to other families. As such, daughters generally remain in their family’s household with their future spouses and children, and are more involved in the transferral of ancestral knowledge through the generations.    

Old Age & Death

On average, mussuba will start experiencing physical decline around the last fifth of their lifespan and will slowly degrade thereon. This can be further complicated by the usage of things like life extending magics, elixirs, or other items capable of such feats, which the mussuba tend to gather or make themselves. How much additional life span they gain varies wildly, but it's not uncommon to encounter wealthy mussuba with a lifespan in the hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Such practices are not considered immortality in themselves, hence the emphasis of 'life extending', and the when / how such practices are undertaken can produce wildly different results.   As old age continues to set in, their ability to handle their overflowing mana will continually degrade; principally, their venom production slows and magical arts can put strain on their bodies. Much like fire slowly consuming wood, the overflowing mana will accelerate their deterioration, and mild-to-severe manaesia symptoms will also begin emerging. The available medical care, magical arts, enchanted artifacts, and otherwise have a massive impact on a mussuba's quality of life at this stage. All of which is to, essentially, handle the mana overflow as their physical and mental faculties continue declining. Those less fortunate, or simply unlucky, will experience much worse symptoms and a much shorter overall time in old age.   Final death can result in a number of ways, depending on cultural norms. Those who pass the precipice and succumb to their overflowing mana essentially undergo physical self-destruction, resulting in anything from a violent explosion to crumbling into veltron, melting into water, gasifying into the atmosphere, or otherwise rapidly converting into primal mana, and essentially leaves no body behind. Those with the means may instead continue to control their mana through items like mana-regulating artifacts until their metabolism’s collapse begins and they experience dying as most other species do. In this case, the mana wellspring dries up as metabolism fails, leaving behind a mundane mussuba corpse. Others may choose instead to embark on a final journey or hunt, achieving personal goals or contributing one last time to their family and community. These ones typically die in pursuit of such goals, sacrificing themselves in a final, glorious struggle. In a similar manner, ritualistic suicide may be done, particularly if the mussuba wishes to leave a body behind for the family tomb or shrine.    

Anaxials, Hybrids, and Variants

Anaxials

As with other anaxials descending from jointed-humanoid species, mussuba anaxials can experience extreme physiological changes. First and foremost, there seems to be a random chance when determining whether such offspring will have either a human-like lower body with two legs, or a snake-like one the same as the mussuba sire. In the case of the latter, unexpected pregnancy difficulties can ensue due to the much greater size of the infant within the human mother. Nonetheless, such a child is usually physically smaller than a single-blooded mussuba proper even when fully grown, though they are still motile from birth.   Inheriting the seemingly supernatural beauty of their mussuba bloodline, mussuba anaxials are some of the most famous among anaxials as a whole. In fact, the association of pointy-eared, beautiful humanoids who are magically gifted is believed to entirely originate from them in specific. A mussuba anaxial’s distinctive traits may be as simple as having pointed ears and tiny scales, to much heavier, pervasive scale growth and long ears, though it takes a trained eye to distinguish such traits from those of other scale-bearing anaxials, particularly nuhara or dragon ones.   A less visible but important characteristic is the harmonious integration of the mana wellspring within themselves. Unlike the mussuba proper, their anaxials have a 'less aggressive' form of mana generation, which makes it much easier to naturally harmonize with their bodies. By many regards, it is essentially a natural talent that results in mussuba anaxials having an easy time becoming mistresses of magic. As a consequence, however, they are quite famous for their predispositions towards being magical prodigies, often resulting in them being targeted by various individuals and factions for one reason or another.    

Hybrids

Mussuba hybrids are a common occurrence in their species, and to some extent, are nearly as common as single-blooded mussuba proper. Given they're a widespread people, the mussuba have traits from all sorts of other species appearing within their bloodlines. This usually affects things such as eye color, hair texture and color, scale color and texture (e.g, smooth, angular, sharp, etc), and so on. More complex physiological features, such as helunae or dragonkind horns, pronounced spinal protrusions resembling shermadi fins, and so on, can also appear in mussuba hybrids, albeit only expressing themselves somewhat rarely. Their diversity is so great that, at least initially, most scholars confused the different hybrid mussuba for variants proper.   There is, however, special concern around hybrid mussuba who result from extremely mana-rich species, such as dragons or ilansu. As the mussuba themselves already naturally encounter problems from their own abundant mana, such hybrids may inherit even more from their non-musuban parent, often leading to lifelong complications. Conversely, they may be able to harness this incredible excess for even greater magical potential, albeit at greater strain to themselves usually.    

Variants

The mussuba have no known of any kind. There was, at one point, historical consideration for their species being a variant of the nuhara, however, as it became clear that not only did they share no cultural connections at all, there have never been any evidence of any shared history or common ancestry either. Some particularly ancient or bigoted texts may conflate the two together nonetheless, but modern historians have since discounted their validity.      

Sociology

Cultural Universals

Excessive Mana

No matter where in the universe a mussuba may be, they must deal with the fact their bodies produce self-destructive amounts of mana. How they choose to address this issue, of course, varies, but the most common methods are their Heartfire Venom, magical arts, sheer physical exertion, and various kinds of mana siphoning artifacts. This excess mana is often put to uses beneficial to the mussuba, those around them, as well as the environs they live in and steward. In many ways, their mere presence heightens the ambient mana levels given their continual need to expel excess. It's similar to draconic radiance, though markedly less controlled and precise in most cases.    

Shifting Power

Usually due to their excess mana and how well it plays with learning magical arts, the mussuba themselves are as close to 'innately magical' a species can get. Across Veltrona, easy magical arts begets easy power and influence, which the mussuba wield as naturally as they breathe. Though never particularly numerous as a species, their presence can cast a tall and imposing shadow upon whatever place they find themselves in, especially with their penchant for diplomacy and statecraft. The most common use of this influence is to nip potential problems in the bud before they can escalate, all for the purposes of preserving the peace needed to support their preferred lifestyle of recreation and leisure.   Some do compare them to dragons after a fashion, albeit much smaller in scope and scale. Regardless, many mussuba are raised with refined social skills and are encouraged to develop diplomatic and charismatic natures so as to best leverage the influence that their command of magic grants them in many societies. This is seen more among mussuba in highly developed civilizations, whereas more far-flung or wilderness dwelling may emphasize martial prowess instead. Either way, the mussuba become skilled at the most effective means of attaining survival and peace, however that may look, wherever their home may be.    

Sacred Hedonism

A love of pleasure, sensation, novelties, and many other delights are hallmarks of mussuba of all stripes. One of their greatest driving forces in life is the enjoyment of life itself, and they take such a view quite seriously. After all, for what reason, then, is virtuous sacrifice and dutiful honor for? Their answer to this question is what usually results in their many different approaches. No one can argue that the mussuba are ever a boring people, though some might deride them as self-indulgent narcissists.   Perhaps their most (in)famous quality is their exploration and expertise of sensuality and the erotic arts. The mussuba are not a shy people about romantic and sexual intimacy or connection, to the point of being a strong competitor to humanity's throne in the arena. Whether due to natural inclination towards such things, a genuine love of people, or simply recognizing the impressive social clout to be wielded through intimate connections, the mussuba are legendary for their romantic prowess, for better or for worse.   On the flip side, however, there is often great prejudice wielded against the mussuba as a result of such a reputation from more conservative societies or people, who generally scorn the mussuba unfairly as being nothing more than sex gluttons and deviants of a terrible kind. The over-sexualization of the mussuba is a common social narrative wielded against them, particularly by those trying to dislodge the mussuba’s presence entirely from a settlement or to cut down their political or social influence. When the mussuba’s historical allies in the form of the vampyr, karsoru, and similar are brought up, they’ll usually be painted by the xenophobic brushes.    

Lingual Characteristics

Mussuba lingual behavior usually falls within human average ranges, but the presence of their forked tongue can change pronunciation slightly. While not as severe as the nuhara and their 'hissing' accent, the mussuba themselves can still have minor hissing for dental consonants. Because many of their cultures consider it a bit 'inappropriate for public with other species' accent inclination, they'll usually train themselves to speak without it. But, when surprised, overly excited, or in private company, it can still slip out on occasion.    

Arts and Beauty

It can be difficult to ascertain the exact qualities that the majority of mussuba cultures enjoy in arts or beauty because individuals can have such diverse opinions and ideas about it. Popular trends, however, come and go, spreading from one culture to another, where they ebb and flow like the tides. There are, of course, certain proclivities that do arise, even if they're difficult to state as 'strictly mussuba' in nature.   Emotionally-rich works of art are the ones that grab the majority of mussuba the best, particularly ones emphasizing clear and certain tropes, such as gaining and losing love, valor against evil, dramatic upheavals against tyrannical families, political thrillers, historical reenactments, and similar. Music echoes these sentiments in their most common choice of instrumentation, typically string-based instruments that are bowed or plucked, whose sharp and clear sounds can convey a great deal of depth of emotion to a mussuba's ear. Those who’ve mistressed the art of Conveyance of Meaning itself become pivotal, popular figures as their works can touch the soul itself with profound experience, but it is a difficult method to achieve. Draconic works, which naturally embody conveyance, tend to be popular, but it can be hard finding one that resonates with their species the exact same way.   Regardless of the exact artform, the mussuba will push their themes to great heights in capturing the essence of what they seek to portray—emotional truth, and the feeling of being their subject or being immersed in their subject. In this respect, they'll search far and wide seeking new methods to achieve that pure, empathic portrayal, driven by the desire to capture and experience life at its splendorous height. Some of the most widely acclaimed dramas and musical arrangements were crafted by these mussuba artisans, such as Always Here by Yurren Tusi, and No More Stars by Aikken Munnua, which were banned by a number of dragon lineages as being 'irreconcilably depressing'.   This focus on expressing a unified higher ‘theme’ in their art blends in with mussuba aesthetic ideals for fashions that are as much costumes as they are clothing, meant to reflect a particular idiom or archetype popular in a given culture. Fashion, for the mussuba, is equal parts clothing and how you comport yourself: 'clothes fit for a queen', as the saying goes, only matter when worn upon someone who carries herself as a queen would. Thus, discovering one's natural strengths, or what one wants to be seen as, and emphasizing these qualities of what kind of person they are is an important part of ‘proper’ attire and social interactions.   People are complex creatures who wear all kinds of faces, so the one they show is that much more important. A mussuba will usually adopt a singular persona and play into it for most of their lives, with any deviations from this persona being visible ways to mark major events and changes in their lives and relationship to their community. This makes the clothing, the materials of said clothing, its richness, and all the qualities otherwise a critical component of both general aesthetic composition, but also the persona that the mussuba is trying to portray. The adage 'beauty is as naked as it is rich' envelops the complexity of mussuba desirability, presentation, and connection with one another. Others, however, deride it as an overt form of greed and consumerist insanity.    

Magic and Technology

Dragons, mighty and powerful as they are, are also a people who are generally reclusive from the rest of the world. While many other peoples would—on technicality if nothing else—rank dragons as the foremost mistresses standing at the pinnacle of magic and technology, most will also still concede that the mussuba are never far behind. Such is their titanic presence in the magical world.   With an overabundance of mana always ready to spill over, the mussuba's need to expend that mana has naturally encouraged great development of their own magical arts, no matter where they are. Techniques that other species might consider exorbitant or wasteful due to their costs in mana, such as purely magically-driven air circulation, the freezing or boiling of water, vibrating one's bed or other objects, and many other demure applications, are as natural to the mussuba as breathing.   It's worth noting that the mussuba themselves are not necessarily somehow born 'talented' for the crafts of magic, only that they are born with an abundance of mana. Given this, they can start safely learning and performing acts of magic much earlier than most other species, and their head-start in said practice can make them appear ‘naturally gifted’. There are some arguments still, but the myth that the mussuba are natural mistresses of magic is also a very convenient one for them, so they don't exactly dissuade it, either.   Consequently, their concept of technology has ended up becoming somewhat lopsided as a result. Technology, at its core, enables people by changing the nature of work they seek to do, and so is shaped by their desires or needs. The mussuba, therefore, have made their technology in combination with the magical arts that have been passed down by their mothers since time immemorial, resulting in an extreme hybrid approach far beyond what is found in many other societies of monsterkind. Such creations, amplifying or operating entirely off the mussuba’s magics, took on bizarre shapes and forms, such as the corkscrew sword, self-replicating walls, and the clothing churner.   When it came time for most mussuba cultures to begin dealing with other species as trading partners or neighbors, the foreign sentiments of these other people often ran face-first into the strangeness and intense mana-demands of mussuba crafts. Which, in turn, created friction between the item’s intended application and the capacity of the potential user to even provide adequate amounts of mana to power them in the first place. The mussuba usually got around the tedium of reinventing things themselves by simply adopting the use of technologies derived from the designs of those with less mana, but then were forced to learn how support the maintenance of those designs.   Ironically, by trying to avoid a relatively simple problem, they made more for themselves instead.    

Religion and Philosophy

Historically, the mussuba of Etzli Cuauhtla regarded divinities and heavenlies as very external beings to their cultures, and entirely separate from their species. This fundamental underpinning turned into views of cohabitation or ecological neighbors, with the likes of certain goddesses in charge of otherworldly or metaphysical domains. While some among their numbers coveted the power or position of such beings, such people were quickly dealt with, and so the mussuba learned respect for these divinities. For better or worse, a sort of productive yet transactional relationships grew into the mussuba's norm across their various cultures in ancient times.   The later rise of the Pasha Commongood, and the mussuba's subsequent joining, recontextualized their approaches to the divine. Since the mussuba already possessed great familiarity with the divinities and heavenlies, they ended up working alongside (if not becoming) priestesses of various faiths. The fundamental nature of religion from other species puzzled them somewhat, as the mussuba found far too many people willing to take 'bad deals' in order to garner favor or faith. Conversely, their unwillingness to do the same garnered bad blood with the so-called 'faithful', which led to contention throughout the life of the Commongood.   The Commongood's later calamitous downfall, much as it did with the tokyau, left the mussuba scarred and wary of the Heavens. They, however, directed their scorn more at those responsible than as a blanket response. It became a philosophical point of contention between the two that soured their relations for many centuries, especially as bigoted tokyau argued the mussuba were 'tainted' by heavenly favor. The mussuba themselves argued internally for just as long, and still do in some cases, over the true nature of the Heavens and if they should do business with it at all.   These considerations, thousands of years later, eventually resulted in the incredibly arcane rituals, contracts, and other binding methods. The root purpose to which was ultimately safeguarding the invoker in whatever divine dealings they may wish to undertake. This practice, coupled with a persistent wariness, became an attractive point for many others seeking to do uncertain business with the Heavens. Still, in the end, the mussuba of the modern era remain deeply uncertain about such business even with safety measures in place.    

Science and Spirituality

Knowledge is power, especially where magical arts is concerned, where such an adage becomes very literal. The mussuba, understanding this truth intimately, developed their sciences under great secrecy and careful protection. To share any knowledge—big or small— had to be done in ways that wouldn’t empower their own rivals or enemies. On the other hand it was only through mutual cooperation were some truly important breakthroughs even possible. It wouldn't be until the time of the Pasha Commongood that the mussuba were dragged out from their obsessively self-destructive methods of secrecy as a whole.   That is, the tokyau and others of the Commongood placed great pressure on the sharing of knowledge that 'benefited everyone'. More dangerous forms, such as militarized magic, were sequestered to certain groups such as the central military command. In the end, while some families maintained very secretive artforms exclusively made by their own hands, the Commongood demonstrated the value of proper sharing and care of knowledge. This perspective carried on even after its downfall, fundamentally changing the mussuba's evaluation of knowledge as a whole.   The careful study and selection of what to share, and what to keep, would ever become a defining hallmark of their intellectual pursuits. For example, techniques focused on water purification, disease remediation, architectural structuring via veltronic design, and similarly useful, widely applicable magics were easily shared by the mussuba. They were also taught in such a way that sideways, lateral development of said magics wouldn’t allow for easy weaponization: water source poisoning, biological warfare, magically accelerated veltron projectiles, and so on. While a par-for-the-course behavior among those pursuing magic, the mussuba's insistence and consistency on safety are particularly notable.   This extended into their spiritual matters just as much, where logic and knowing are luxuries one doesn't always have. In a sense, the matters of spiritual concern are how one contends with the unknown, and that which dwells within it. Even if that unknown is simply imagination or benign ignorance, it can lead one down all sorts of paths of perilous danger and mental harm. The mussuba, long used to dealing with dangers from the unknown, fear going out into such without any sort of security or preparation. At the same time, however, sometimes braving that danger was all they had left, for better or worse. It lends to them being quite skeptical, especially of those who are trying to offer a path or solution for ulterior reasons.      

Psychology

Rest and Sleep

Because of how much they can exert themselves, the mussuba care that much more about resting. The constant mana generation, expenditure, generation, etc, takes a physical toll no different than overwork or exhaustion. Individual mussuba have differing rhythms of rest and wakefulness, which can vary anywhere from handfuls of oscillating hours up to two or three weeks of sleep at a time. On the whole, though, mussuba are diurnal, sleeping during the night and waking during the day. Mussuba build their schedules and try to plan out when their usual resting and sleeping periods are, both for safety as well for social obligations. With the aid of mana-siphoning devices, most mussuba can easily obtain a regular schedule that, on the surface, isn't that different from other diurnal species. Those less-fortunate, or perhaps overly blessed with even more mana, may struggle even then obtaining stability.   Given that finding this balance is always difficult thanks to their mana wellspring, proper rest and sleep are deeply respected by the mussuba. Accommodations for different sleep schedules is just a fact of life in their cultures, which can often manifest in entire settlements going quiet in the afternoon as the residents take a nap. Most cultures find the concept of ideas like 'attacking the enemy while they sleep' so dishonorable it'd incense anyone who heard of it being done. Only trusted people should dare disturb a mussuba who's sleeping, or they may find great misfortune coming their way.   Given all these concerns, mussuba rest within specialized dens that emphasize insulation, homeliness, and security. These dens may take up the space of entire houses or bigger, effectively making them miniature fortresses if they invest enough into them. Within these places, they will begin to wind down, enjoy luxuries (principally food and drink), and generally shut themselves off from the affairs of the outside world. The mussuba themselves enjoy lounging on large, semi-firm platforms with a variety of pillows that can be adjusted to their specific tastes. There is a delicate balance that must be struck as the mussuba's upper and lower halves have different tolerances, with the upper half enjoying softer, but the lower requiring firmer.    

Consciousness and Thought

It's generally believed that the mussuba's cognition falls within human-like averages, though they have a stronger sense of smell and a much better awareness of mana as a whole. The last of which is particularly curious as the mussuba's mana sense allows them to detect its density, quality, fluctuations, etc, in their ambient environment. This means they can easily find particular concentrations of mana, such as manarium deposits, or even detect spellcraft as done by mages, cultivators, or otherwise. It is one of the contributing reasons as to why magical combat against mussuba can be supremely challenging, as they often have a better sense of their opponent's magic than they themselves do. Conversely, this instinctual understanding of mana makes it much easier for the mussuba to take on challenging work, such as doctoring/healing, enchanting, and micro-assembly engineering.    

Motivation and Emotion

The greatest driving force of the mussuba, as described by one of their scholars, is their idealization of tranquility. In their ancestral homeland of Etzli Cuauhtla, peace is one of the most difficult—and greatly cherished—things a person could have. Disease, Relentless, political infighting, famine, tempestuous weather; there are no end of disasters one must prepare for. The ancient mussuba, thusly, found veltronic pleasures and peace as the height of luxury itself over mere trinkets and power plays. In many ways, this was the pinnacle they aspired toward, such that they could enjoy the essence of life without the constant dangers it ever entailed. The likes of personal power, political affluence, and military might were simply means to that end.   One must imagine, thusly, that despite the airs they may put on to the contrary, the mussuba are a people long used to being under great forms of stress and pressure. Their very biology conspires to create a problem—as much as bounty—that they must handle on top of everything else. When juggling all these various issues, there is very little room for error. It is in the farther realms beyond the Bloody Jungles, where less dangers await, that the mussuba's high-strung anxiety becomes that much more apparent. In adapting to confront routine danger, its sudden absence can play havoc with their sensibilities. It's unclear if this is a natural in-born physiological response, as it is in the baarham, or a sort of culturally-induced trauma that yet reverberates through the generations.   When their many layers of performance, anxiety, and hedonism are stripped away, the vibrant hearts of the mussuba becomes that much more apparent. Their awareness of both themselves and others confers a great degree of learned empathy, and their interests in ensuring everyone's mutual happiness makes them quite attentive. In this, their tendency to fixate on pre-emptive problem solving, as well as social clinginess, become increasingly evident. For some, a mussuba's attentions squarely places them at the center of the world; for others, it’s an obsession not easily dissuaded in the slightest.    

Sexuality and Love

At the surface level, the mussuba can be described as having average sexual inclinations, being principally bisexual across most cultures. However, as a species, they're also quite particular with those they fancy, as well as their own tastes in who they're attracted toward. It's unclear how much of this is exactly cultural in nature, but most scholars agree the mussuba are highly selective about their partners. When they do find someone, they'll pour great effort into courtship rituals, and embrace a willingness to rebuild their whole lives around their newfound partner(s). It is a behavior that has led many to ruin as much as joy, and so is the source of many stories, fables, and cautionary tales.   One of the greatest pressures that faces them, however, is that of reproduction. The need for offspring to continue the family line(s) is paramount to the mussuba who live within the jungles of Etzli Cuauhtla. Their particular cultures trend toward pushing for children—ideally with spouses bound by marriage—as a vital necessity. This focus on parenthood is not strictly restrained to only having children of your own, as adoption is considered equally desirable, especially to adopt the children of related and recently deceased family members. Likely this acceptance of adoption is another result of the high mortality rate of mussuba living within the jungles.   For those mussuba who refuse to become parents in either case, it can result in great scorn and ostracization from the rest of their family and society. On the other hand, cultures from less hostile environs conversely exhibit much greater reproductive freedom with less shame being employed against those who choose to remain childless. It can pose a thorny problem to the mussuba, especially given the great depth of love they're willing to bring forth.   Perhaps the best representation of this deep love is the Heartfire Venom itself. To the mussuba, their overflowing mana can be as much a gift as a curse or weapon. A proper bite, thusly, can infuse a loved one with strength, affection, and a tiny bit of stinging pain. It is an act of utmost intimacy and trust, as well as a form of social bonding where one's essence is literally shared.      

Society

Social Mannerisms

Haughty, confidence bordering on arrogance, playful and bawdy, mysterious; where the mussuba are concerned, a very specific image is ever conjured in the minds of others, accurate or not. Born from a mixture of natural inclination and social contrivance, they are people of refined class and mannerism, beholden to the greatest heights of social etiquette that can be imagined. At the same time, they're insidiously playful, conniving mistressminds who enjoy social games of all sorts, and love to indulge in the worldly pleasures life can bring. To some, they're no different than dragons; to others, dangerous hedonists to which few things can stop. No matter where on Veltrona, someone has an opinion about them, and not everyone is honest about why.   Because social etiquette is as important as it is to the mussuba, they're very particular about mannerisms, decorum, and concepts like honor and propriety. It can sound unbelievable when set against their infamous reputation, but one shouldn't imagine the mussuba as wild or uncontrollable thrill seekers. They're meticulous in their own ways, covering their bases as much as seeing every written letter straight and curved as it should be. By the point a mussuba has taken action, they've usually made sure such action is not only proper, but insured. It can be difficult to catch them offguard as a result and perhaps overbearingly insufferable in conversation, particularly if the mussuba is an expert in a topic.   What should especially be kept in mind is the different personas and social masks the mussuba wear. Becoming a particular type of person means conducting business in that fashion, and those who undermine that business are, at best, insulting the mussuba, or at worst actively interfering. It is an open invitation for them to retaliate, and in the social intrigue they love to engage with, tantamount to going to war sometimes. It can seem quite asinine, or downright strange, especially to those unfamiliar with them, but the mussuba do somewhat modulate their personas to their audience. There is little point in doing theatrics to someone who has never seen theater, after all.  

Gender

Traditionally matriarchal, the mussuba are closer toward gender equality than actual bias for one side over the other. While women are larger and more physically powerful, magic itself is a great equalizer that cares more about personal aptitude than many other concerns. Thus, while men aren't perhaps fighting in the melee frontline as women might, they have nonetheless contributed just as much through magical arts.   Given the physical burdens of pregnancy and childbearing, the common sense idea of 'let women run the family's affairs' took root in most mussuba cultures, with men taking supporting roles or responsibilities delegated to them by their wives or matriarchs. The matrilineal line also provided the most stable form of inheritance between generations, though there are forms of patrilineal succession as well. The mussuba's ambivalence toward gender identity otherwise makes them fairly accommodating. In their minds, as they're a people who so proudly distinguish themselves and develop their own tastes in the world, one's means of expression is no different.   The iron nail problem remains 'how are children made/acquired', so regardless of one's identity, that is a quandary that must be resolved (or not). In some cases, the mussuba love encountering gender adventurous or queer individuals, as they're bound to have a uniqueness unlike many others.    

Kinship and Ethnicities

The typical mussuba family is defined by its principle matriarch and/or patriarch, their spouses, and then their corresponding children. These are considered the core bloodline of the family, and any children born or brought in out of wedlock are usually considered branches. As long as legitimate core members survive, inheritances and succession will proceed through them first, and the branches act as collateral backup in case something happens. The exact dynamics can vary, but branches are not treated badly nor seen as lesser necessarily, and will have responsibilities for expanding the family's overall business themselves. Successful ones regularly turn into new core families of the bloodline, thus propagating the great social connectivity of the mussuba.   This rather stable arrangement is what led to the original formation of the mussuba tribes, who then came together within valuable territories for mutual survival. The concept of ethnic group was tied to location very heavily for thousands of years among Etzli Cuauhtla mussuba, and this perspective carried on within migrants who left the continent. Thus, those who belonged to a particular ethnic group were usually born from members descended from that particular location. In turn, these groups considered their ancestral homelands as relatively holy locales, and would pilgrimage to them to earn proper recognition as descendants thereof.   The main ethnic groups inside Etzli Cuauhtla that survive to this day can thus be broken down into supergroups based on the particular region that they’ve inhabited since antiquity. The basins and coasts of interior rivers, lakes, and inland seas are the traditional homelands of these mussuba, with very few braving life in the highlands or on the tempestuous coastlines. As such, the relatedness of these ethnic groups is often determined by whether or not the major rivers connect them to one another.   The mussuba of eastern Etzli Cuauhtla, being nearly entirely disconnected from the others by a north-south ridge of highlands, are consequently the most culturally distinct. Their proximity to Lophern and Immensio, however, meant that they were further away from the heart of the Pasha Commongood, and were thus able to survive the calamity that befell it. They were also the first to be invaded, and their people forcibly dispersed throughout central Veltrona.    

Governments and Politics

The mussuba are a people that seek peaceful leisure, yet understand the paradoxical need for hardship to ensure that leisure. Leadership is, thusly, considered one of the greatest hardships to undertake, and an unenviable task in the burden it brings. Who deserves, or obtains, such authority can be an interesting topic for there are numerous ways in which they might do so.   The mussuba do not wholly ascribe to any particular form of governance, but rather view them in their differing pros and cons. By and large, most mussuba cultures take into account the given circumstances of a specific time and place they live in, and perform various rites, rituals, and studies among the most respected of their population to inform how their people should be led at that time. This flexibility demands that they recognize not only when an age starts, but when it ends, and when things must be evaluated once more for change. Unfortunately, people are often not so malleable in practice as they are in theory, and so the formation of hardliners comes to dictate the actual political landscape such inquiries take place in, each jockeying for what they believe is the way forward.   Democracy, after a fashion, became the commonplace solution in most mussuba cultures, as it allowed the powerful factions to engage in diplomacy in an organized fashion without immediate open conflict or stalemates causing everyone to suffer. At the same time, it wasn't uncommon for singular families or powerful persons to command singular influence, effectively turning into a soft dictatorship. This back-and-forth jousting between the ruling families and powerful political blocks form the norm for mussuba government machinations. Someone may even try assuming leadership power for a brief period, usually to enact some kind of change and prove they can enforce it meaningfully before 'resigning'.   ‘Mercurial’ perhaps best describes most peoples' perception of mussuba governance, especially given its deeply interwoven social relations and politics. To those expecting strong centralized leadership, such as the nebusah, it is an aggravating affair that is 'close but not quite' to what it could possibly be. Muurun find it hilarious yet familiar, while humans get stuck in the thick of it without any problem at all. The rachtoh, most frighteningly of all, are very good at beating the mussuba at their own political games.    

Trade and Economics

The mussuba as a whole are quite happy to engage in trade with other species and civilizations, usually finding little issue with doing so. It does, after all, get them what they want and secure leverage for the future. At the same time, the regularly magical nature of their wares means they're in a powerful bargaining position, so few people have much choice if they want to gain such goods. This usually results in the mussuba dictating trading terms as they wish, and garners them a tyrannical reputation if one isn’t in their good graces.   Mussuban economic models usually fall into the realms of capitalist-socialist, where strong social programs ensure the health and fitness of the many, but opportunities for individual greatness are maintained. Much like their political landscape, economic behavior correlates to circumstance and opportunity; personal greed has no place when a Relentless tide is coming, after all. This pragmatic balance can fall apart in less dangerous territories where group survival is less imminently needed. Without external pressures pushing them together, the social jousting and jockeying can cause their notorious behaviors to come to the fore.    

Interspecies Relations

Of all peoples, the tokyau are the ones with the greatest historical ties with the mussuba, and so the two are used to living in proximity to one another. As the tokyau themselves love to do the work mussuba regard as tedious, it also means the mussuba don't necessarily need to work as hard, either. This results in the lopsided situation of the tokyau dragging the mussuba along with, but in matters of great import (e.g, national defense), the mussuba aren't slouches, either. With the tokyau came the harpies as well, and though friction with the mussuba was commonplace as they both wanted social/political dominance, both sides recognized each others' values.   In later times, the harshness of slavery and common cause found unlikely allies within the vampyr, rachtoh, karsoru, and other, similarly exploited peoples. These deeper bonds followed the mussuba who migrated east and north, principally into Aerthen or Lophern. The mussuba's natural mana generation and often corresponding magic made them a powerhouse and a critical security ally. Despite the circumstances, these different species and their sentiments meshed quite well, though the karsoru's rambunctious behavior was the hardest to deal with. For a people naturally motivated to do whatever they pleased at the drop of a hat, their driven natures made the mussuba sweat in keeping up.   On the other hand, historical conflicts over territory, religion, and otherwise saw them make enemies with the keshlaen. This is particularly prominent in western Aerthen, where migrating mussuba first met the keshlaen. The two have slammed heads constantly, and the mussuba's hedonistic ways constantly rankled the purpose-driven keshlaen. On the surface one might imagine that if the mussuba got on with the tokyau so well, what caused issues with the keshlaen? Historians still aren't sure, but the almost instinctual animosity between the two species is well-known enough.      

Associated Articles

Notable Civilizations

     

Notable Characters

Xipilli, the Wandering Savior

   

Design Notes