Tumblr

I realize not many people want to follow a text-heavy blogspot blog which rarely gets updated, and so I've created a tumblr for more artistic postings, since that's what I've been working on the most anyway.

Follow the art (and perhaps some writings) of the Empire at http://juvuempire.tumblr.com/

Yikes!

I just realized I haven't updated this in nearly two months!

I apologize for going so long without an update. July was an extremely busy month at work and August has been so much more hot and muggy than usual that it has sapped my energy and motivation. I'm starting to get back into the swing of things, though, and am back to working on Juvunese language as well as some offcial writing.

Warriors of the Northeast Provinces

      Craghopper armour is known for not only being hard to get through, but also for its uncommon lightness and mobility. Due in part to the size of the Craghoppers themselves, and also due to the especially light alloy of metals they use to craft it, their plate armours rarely exceed twenty pounds (9 kg), allowing even heavily armoured soldiers to remain quick and mobile in the front lines. All Craghopper soldiers, especially the heavy infantry who serve as the army's vanguard, are drilled extensively in disarming their enemies as quickly as possible because any weapon in the hands of an enemy puts them at even more of a disadvantage beyond just their size. The heavy infantry are armed with axes whose design allows not only devastating blows to be made quickly and accurately using nearly any part of the weapon, but also for quick and effective disarming of enemies.

     The Greenrocks, in contrast, wear no armour, often going into battle entirely nude due to their native homeland's boggy landscape making training, let alone doing battle with such things far more dangerous than any sword or axe. They paint their faces and bodies to make themselves even more intimidating and bellow loud, gutteral battle cries as they charge toward their enemy. Their attacks are fast and aggressive, raining down constant blows on their enemies with their bone-smashing clubs and armor-crushing maces. Some warriors choose to wield twin clubs made from dense bogwood, colloquially known as "Soft Hangers" due to their appearance. These clubs weigh little more than two pounds, but in the hands of a trained fighter, they can be used with terrifying effectiveness, both offensively and defensively.

     Despite the Craghopper heavy infantryman's defensive advantage, a charging Greenrock maceman makes for a dangerous adversary who could make short work of a soldier in plate armour. Rarely do these two meet in battle, but when they do, it is most often the first blow that decides the victor.

On Imun

     Imun are small, humanoid goat peoples who live across a large portion of the peninsula, from the central mountain range, to the edge of the delta in the south, from the bogs and fens and marshes of the central east, to the massive sand dunes of the western desert. Within the Juvu Empire there are six major Imunese nations:

DAMUNI

     The inhabitants of Damun mountain, an ancient, extinct volcano. Damuni were largely responsible for the founding of the Juvu Empire and are known for being intensely diplomatic. They are average height among Imun standing between 4'9" (144 cm) to 5'1" (155 cm), possessing thick, snowy white coats of hair, and horns which curl back, forming a distinctive crescent shape. Damun city is their capitol, built inside the cavern of the volcano. Their primary exports are Iron, Red Beryl, Gold, Molybdenum, and "Damunite" which is a type of crystal which refracts light to such an extreme that it glows brightly for many hours after being exposed to a light source.

CRAGHOPPER

     By far the most expansive nation, their villages span from one end of the mountain range to the other. Craghoppers have grey-white coats and are easily recognized as the smallest of the Imun at 4'4" (132 cm) to 4'6" (137 cm). Their horns are small and wavy, curving upward at their tips. Two states make up the Craghopper nation. The Western half of the mountain range flies a dark grey flag with a three peaked emblem whose central peak spirals clockwise. The Eastern range flies a white flag with an identical, but anti-clockwise emblem. The nation as a whole is officially the United Craghopper Alliance, and has a grey and white flag, split diagonally, with an emblem whose central peak is split in the center and each half spirals respectively. Craghopper villages are known for their mines, which reach deep into the mountains, extracting silver, copper, molybdenum, chromium, coal, and much iron. More than their mines, Craghoppers are known for their metalwork, producing nigh impregnable armours and deadly weapons with a steel that seems to neither tarnish nor rust, but is light and durable. Due to their border with the Black Forest, the UCA has the largest martial force of any individual nation in order to guard the borders and watch for Oaqgi.

GREENROCK

     In stark contrast to the tiny Craghoppers, the Greenrocks tower above most other Imun at 5'3" (160 cm) to 5'7" (170 cm). Their horns form a tall Y shape, curving over and outward at their peak. Their coats range from white, to grey, to brown and buff. Greenrock cities are built atop high crags which jut from the marshes, bogs, and fens which form at the easternmost foot of the mountains. The cities are connected by long plank bridges which form a kind of road spanning from the foothills in the northwest of the territory, to the edge of the forest in the southeast. A few villages are built off of the rocks, most of them around particularly rich iron deposits in the boggy area of the wetlands. While not so revered for their ironworking as the Craghoppers, the Greenrocks are not untalented with metalcrafts.

BARGERIDER

     The primary center of agriculture and foreign trade within the Empire, Bargeriders are riverfolk. There are no roads between villages as the river provides a means of transport while the invasive bamboo forest hides and protects them. They are on average between 4'9" (144 cm) and 5'0" (152 cm), and their colours range from white and brown to black, grey, ruddy, and every colour in between. Their horns are similar to those of the Craghoppers, though much more stout. The river provides an important trade line from the mountains to the sea, shipping spices, iron, cashmere-like textiles and other goods south, in exchange for salt, hides, pearl, and greenstone from the south sea.

LONGJOURNEY

     If the Bargeriders are the lifeblood of the Empire from North to South, then Longjourney are the bloodline East to West. A mainly nomadic steppe people, their trade caravans carry goods from the river west to the desert oases of the Dunewalkers. Square faced, with prominent cheekbones and long horns which curve sharply outward and upward. Their colours tend towards grey, buff, brown, and black. During the summer months, they trim their long coats and produce textiles and yarn favoured for being warm, light, and soft. Longjourney are notable for being the nation to have domesticated the most animals among the Empire states. They have trained large elephant-like "Earthshakers" to pull their loaded warehouse wagons, as well as various species of birds as mounts. While the Earthshakers are used universally by the Longjourney people, the training of birds is kept secret within just three families. Birds are used for various purposes, such as sending messages, or in rare cases for battle, but mostly they are used to carry scouts high above the caravans so they can warn of raiders and bandits or other hazards that would threaten the heavily loaded moving warehouses and the families which travel alongside them.

DUNEWALKER

     The most far removed of the nations, the Dunewalkers live in the shadows of the Great Booming Dunes - four hundred foot mountains of sand which produce a loud, deep hum as the wind blows over them. The silica rich sand around the dunes makes glass making an occupation of choice for many Dunerwalkers. All of the glass throughout the Empire comes from Dunewalker kilns. At 5'3" (160 cm) to  5'5" (165 cm) they are the second tallest of the Imun. Their horns grow gently curled, but broad and sweeping, carrying a line with their unmistakable strong profiles. Their ears are extrenely large compared to most Imun and hang down beside their face, creating shade and venting heat from their bodies. Their colouration is almost exclusively white, with brown faces, though other variations are known to exist. Dunewalker have tamed flightless birds to carry them across the shifting sands of the desert quickly, making them the only nation other than Longjourney to have domesticated animals. Due to the general stoutness and fieriness of the race as a whole, the Dunewalkers are generally more accepting of females in the military than most other nations, and it comes in handy against the regular raids by desert tribes to get at the Dunewalkers' precious water sources.

Introduction to the peculiarities of the World

   For the most part, the stories focus primarily on and around a peninsula which spans approximately 567 miles East-to-West and (Including the North Island) spans North-South roughly the same distance as from Leeds in England to Lyon in France, existing at roughly the equivalent latitudes. The planet itself exists in the same area in space as our Earth, however it exists in a different dimension altogether.

     The worlds, while otherwise completely oblivious of each other's existence, contain areas where they come close to crossing the dimensional rift. These areas tend to be areas of perceived spiritual significance to locals as they provide a tenuous link to the supposed "spirit world", which both worlds have in many cases mistaken the other for. Places in our world which have a common assortment of animal-like spirits, tend to have just the opposite in their otherworldly counterpart.

     Typically, it is rare to even see faint shadows of the other world through these rifts, but occasionally ghostly figures can be made out, and even more rarely - usually during particularly violent solar storms - individuals may pass between the dimensions. The rifts occur in areas where land matches up almost indistinguishably, and in areas of high solar activity, such as around the Auroras, or where the atmosphere is thin such as at very high altitudes, and thus these areas tend to have the highest crossover rate, though it does happen in other areas, however less frequently.

     While the Juvu Peninsula doesn't contain a vast many of these "portals", compared to other areas of the world, during the peak of the Solar cycle, the Aurora Borealis extends very near to, if not over the peninsula entirely, so it's not unheard of for Greeks, Romans, Celts, or other European sailors to wind up one minute sailing to or from the Mediterranean, and the next finding themselves crashing into a peninsula which appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Likewise, do the beastfolk of the other world, while walking through familiar woods occasionally  find themselves suddenly in a decidedly unfamilar land, and stumbling upon hairless creatures who are equally distraught by the foreigner's sudden appearance. Well known examples of this include the Imun who became known to the Greeks as Pan and, in a similar case, Faunus with the Romans, and the Tsavani who inspired Celtic Cernunnos and spawned the myth of Herne the Hunter in England.

Found my scanner, so I'm dumping a few sketches I've done here

So happy to finally have a decent scan of this one.
Less happy that the scanner is too small for the page.

Helmet with bevor

Helmet without bevor;
Juvunese mace and warhammer

Found my sketchbook, all is well. Hope to have new art posted soon!

Timeline

A timeline of major events within the Empire which I will update over time.

10 CE* - Damun city founded.
12 CE - Empire founded as alliance between Damuni and Craghopper tribes; Greenrock tribe joins Empire.
13 CE - Bargerider tribe joins Empire.
14 CE - Longjourney tribe joins Empire.
16 CE - Dunewalker tribe joins Empire.

25 CE - Council of state leaders established to maintain balance of power within the Empire.

347 CE - Veil  is breached; Greek sailors marooned on North Island. Tsavani scout killed in Black Forest by Greek hunting party; Council is called by the Tsavani, demanding assistance from the Empire. Igli of the Craghopper tribe leads a group to investigate Greek settlement.
347-349 CE - Igli learns Greek; Diplomatic agreements are made. In exchange for food and supplies, Greeks agree no further settlements are to be founded and all hunting is to be ceased.
351 CE - Juvu-Hestr War. Igli is killed in battle; no longer able to communicate, diplomatic agreements with Greeks dissolve. Hestr and Craghopper tribe form permanent alliance.
352 CE - Chavu of Dunewalker is named Emperor; declares war on Greeks.
354 CE - Greeks eradicated; Chavu becomes known as "Chavu the Merciless" for his extermination policy and excessive force.
356 CE - Chavu creates laws stripping State leaders of power and abolishing The Council of leaders, giving himself ultimate say in the Empire's affairs.
357 CE - Chavu assassinated during riots in Damun City.
359 CE - Without an heir, and the Council outlawed by Imperial law, the Empire dissolves. Damuni and Craghopper remain allied.

372 CE - Gatorfolk declare war on Bargerider; capture and occupy Southernmost BR village, Imun taken as slaves.
373 CE - Two villages besieged and razed.
374 CE - Second village occupied
375 CE - Battle at the River Fork; Battle at the Steppe
376 CE - 377 CE - Battle of Vorga; Mar'xichavorga besieged and taken; BR king executed; much of city population enslaved.
377-378 CE - Repeated seiges to retake city prove futile; Bargerider retreat and surrender the lands South of The Bend.
377-380 CE - Kocaren of Damuni  unofficially re-establishes Empire and United Imperial Army to retake Bargerider lands.
380 CE - Imperial Army attacks Mar'xichavorga from land and via river; overwhelms garrison and retakes city in a fortnight.
380-382 CE - UIA pushes Gator forces South
383 CE - Second Battle at River Fork; Gator army retreats to the delta; UIA pushes Gators into the bayou and establishes control over the Eastern Delta.
384 CE - Gatorfolk surrender.

385 CE - Kocaren officially establishes Second Empire; Reinstates Council; Institutes dynastic rule to prevent dissolution.

399 CE - Longtooth Boars declare plans to invade Hestr kingdom, rumours spread that the Empire would be targeted as well.
400 CE - Hestr form military alliance with Empire against Longtooth Boars.
405 CE - 75% Boar lands conquered.
406 CE - Longtooth Boar surrender, and their lands are split between the Empire and Hestr kingdom. Boars submit to and are absorbed into the Empire.




*Common Era - Equivalent to AD

Juvunese Religion and Spiritualism

The religion of the Juvu people is polytheistic and superstitious.

     While the number of gods and their responsibilities varies from country to country, generally speaking they believe in a creator, an "Allfather" who created the world of clay from the banks of the River of Time, but the world's bareness drove the Allmother to breathe life into it.

      The life however, was simple and stupid, and so the Blacksmith forged knowledge. As he did so, one of the embers of his forge flew up into the dark sky and became the sun.

     The Blacksmith gave the newly created knowledge to the creatures of the earth; However, with this newfound knowledge, came Want, and Greed, and so started unending wars between all creatures of the earth. The Great Warrior, seeing this, created Peace, so that something would exist between the wars.

Other Gods and Spirits

    In many Imunese religions, there exists a trickster god, who acts as a sort of guardian to the afterlife. Those seeking to enter the land of the dead before their time are lead astray by his tricks. He is mischievous, but wise and is often sought for advice in matters of minor consequence. Those who beseech him for much more important matters and who don't understand his ways, often wind up harmed bodily. He is believed to be responsible for the lights which are sometimes said to be seen weaving in and out of the Black Forest and over the Greenrock fen. Children are warned not to follow them, because while he leads those who are not ready to enter the land of the dead back to safety, he also occasionally leads those unaware of his tricks to an early demise. Some minor religions are dedicated primarily, if not wholly to the Trickster.

     Fáirō - Name translates to Breath of Door - Spirit which is believed to hang about doorways and whisper the perfect retort into the ear of one who was just embarassingly outwitted, though often far too late for the remark to have any bite.

     Fáirá  - Name translates to Noise of Window - Twin brother to Fáirō, this mischievous spirit is responsible for rattling window shutters and rapping on panes in the middle of the night, as well as unlocking windows repeatedly and allowing them to blow open.

    Funeral Rites

     When the males die, their bodies are believed to replenish the earth, and make it fit for life, and when the females die, they are believed to replenish life on the earth. When an Imun dies, any important parts which cannot afford to be lost, such as the skull, are taken and cleaned and placed on altars, around which the grieving lament and sing to the deceased's honour. The bodies of the dead are then laid to rest in the open where they may return to the earth. Once the flesh is gone, the bones are collected and placed into family tombs. In the case of the Craghopper nations, warriors who have proven themselves in battle have the skin from their face removed and used to skin a ceremonial two stringed, bowed instrument, on which lamentations and ballads of the warrior's life and battles are sung.