#therrera

[the-river-carrion]

The World of Hemaia

Welcome to Hemaia, the land of dyads.

I figured, what better way to start worldbuilding than to introduce the world in which I'm building! Briefly, about the map, I drew it in a tiny notebook at work so it's not the full world; primarily there's the rest of the main continent and the odd, small island missing, and the dotted lines indicating ocean borders are a work in progress, but this is my base.

So, Hemaia is made up of two primary land masses/land collections. You have Therrera, the biggest landmass, inspired by supercontinents like Pangea and Rodinia, and The Kosmene Isles, a collection of islands where the story of the Seafarers trilogy takes place. It has two moons, two primary Gods, and pairs and dyads are this land's bread and butter.

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Therrera ↴

Talking about this first because it's not the focus of Seafarers and is inherently less developed, most of its details right now come from wanting it to feel real, especially in relation to TKI.

Anyway, literally named 'the land of beasts', Therrera is the birthplace of the mountains and the thirchainum. It spans across the better part of Hemaia and is split into dozens of regions with a deeply diverse array of people but rigid and unyielding Kingdom lines.

While those at the coast often worship both Gods, the closer you travel to the centre of the land, the more faith skews towards the sky god Caelumann. Every set of mountains has a shrine and/or monastery as they're considered deeply holy places, and those who wish to climb the mountains must receive a blessing first.

It's very common for the lower class in more landlocked areas to have never seen the ocean before, some outright even considering it a myth or not knowing it exists at all.

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The Kosmene Isles ↴

The woman of the hour. The icon herself. The girl I could talk about for hours. Our setting for the Seafarers Trilogy.

The Kosmene Isles was named as such for the way the moons reflect on the ocean, appearing as though made of crystal; it's made up of six primary islands with a handful of small pieces of land dotted amongst them (usually inhabited by smaller trade villages but a few providing a home for the less accepted folk). While the populace of the Isles come from many different backgrounds and mingle quite easily, the overarching culture of this region is affected by The Murex Crown, who reside on the smallest island in the archipelago but whose influence has morphed into an empire.

While the Kosmenians live on the land, they share their oceans with the merfolk, Cayotia's children, creatures of the water who are said to eat the hearts of those that slip beneath their waves. While a handful of thirchainum species have been brought over to the Isles by Therreran traders, the main source of magic in this region is the merfolk; humans are not born with magic unless there is some ocean in their bloodline.

The Kosmene Isles fear magic. They fear the sea and her people, and they hunt them under the guise of protection. They can hide in plain sight, growing legs, teaching themselves to speak, and choosing names any normal person might use; a hint of magic, a slip in their step, or not quite fitting the binary, and a pyre is where they'll find themselves.

King Nicolas is the only human capable of using magic unscathed.

The Murex Crown, while building their empire, have perpetuated this need to hunt and kill, and never has a greater divide been created. Hunters are employed by the royals, paid a handsome sum for tails or heads they must get before these creatures die, and use ships made of trees only born underwater that have long been driven to extinction.

Where there are Hunters, there are always Pirates; outcasts, rebels, and self-proclaimed free-thinkers. They cause trouble where they can, disrupting trade routes or hunts, and some say every pirate ship must come with a mermaid, a blessing from Cayotia herself. Pirate ships are not made of long-lost, unsinkable trees, they are made up of every place a crew has been, and the lives they've left behind; the bottom of the ocean is lined with ships like theirs because Pirates do not fear what lives in the sea quite as much as Hunters do.

Cayotia, the Goddess of the sea, is as worshipped as she is feared. The myths say she gave the Kosmenians their land, and they thank her for that; they thank her for water, coastal air, and all the beauty the sea has to offer. But she is still the mother of the creatures they fear, and they do not think themselves loved enough to pray for them to disappear into foam.

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Miscellaneous ↴

I've mentioned Gods and faith briefly here, but there is a much longer rant I could go on regarding the High vs Low faith in Hemaia because there is very much a difference. Cayotia and Calumann are deities whose existence is reliant on a person's belief, their myths are bizarre and contradicting, they differ based on culture and location, and I enjoy them a lot, but they are beings a lot less tangible than some other god-like entities we actually meet.

Thirchainum is my world-specific word for dinosaurs lmao. Much like the merfolk (who they may or may not be connected to depending on what you believe), they are creatures of magic; each species has its own name determined primarily by either appearance or magic type, and they have different values to people depending on which culture you find yourself in as some locations view them as dangerous beasts while others integrate them into working life.

I plan to go on slightly extensive talks regarding my magic systems, and different elements of the merfolk in the future, but if you do have any burning questions about anything, feel free to ask them!

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Taglist ↴

@outpost51, @writernopal

Requests to be added are welcome in the tags, replies or inbox ♡