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Salu Sailors By Sholari James A proud seafaring people and expert shipwrights live along many of Jorune’s ocean shores, and on many remote islands. At first glance they might seem much like any human seafaring culture, but when studied closer the differences are obvious. These are not true humans, they are the salu - humans adapted to the sea - the greatest sailors and shipwrights ever to have plied the oceans of Jorune. History Originally, the bio-engineered humans were the result of illegal tampering with human genes by unscrupulous nations who in secrecy created highly efficient mining and farming stations in Earth’s oceans. By operating fluid filled vessels, these bio- engineered humans could survive and operate under greater water pressures than normal humans. They could explore and mine the last unknown regions of Earth. When discovered by Terran authorities, the altered humans were granted refugee status and in some instances, were allowed to create their own cities out of the bases that once had been their work facilities. They were officially referred to as Homo Aquatus and soon proved their worth to the Terran Colony Council. As more than 70% of Jorune’s biomass could be found in the oceans, it was only natural to include a contingent of Homo Aquatus to explore this unknown and often hostile territory. Three main research stations were created for the Homo Aquatus on Jorune. NorthSea Station outside the coast of Burdoth (now known as the mysterious Salu city of Petubah), SouthSea Station in the Kitcharka Sea in south-eastern Drail and Knossos Station in the great inland sea called Lake Dau-Uh-Dey. The stations were equipped with both air- and fluid filled submarines and a multitude of other research equipment necessary to catalogue the underwater marvels of Jorune. Most of the work was led by the Homo Aquatus scientist and self proclaimed leader Salo Martinez. The educated and charismatic Homo Aquatus was already a legend on Earth for his leadership during the first hard years of freedom from slavery. He was an example to mundane humans and homo Aquatus alike with his wisdom and leadership. To his own people he symbolised everything a Homo Aquatus could become and the respect they could earn among humans. Both human and Homo Aquatus worked in these research facilities in harmony – until the shanta attacked. When the Knossos Station was attacked its inhabitants managed to flee into the great lake. Descendants of these colonists would return in the coming years, but now as the mentally estranged acubon of Lake Dau-Uh-Dey, as the Manon had changed them. [ See the Acubon Secrets essay for more details ] The SouthSea Station was a combined surface station which was entirely destroyed by the shanta during the initial attacks upon the human colonists. The NorthSea Station was smaller and only had few surface access tunnels, which were blocked by the colonists after they received the first news of shantic attack. Because of this, the NorthSea station remained operational long after the other outposts had been attacked and destroyed. The survivors of the SouthSea and NorthSea Stations would learn more about the great oceans around them over the years to come. Slowly they would become the salu people of Jorune. Salu of the northern hemisphere During the first years of the human-shantic war the NorthSea Station struggled to stay operational. The survivors were both mundane humans and Homo Aquatus who cooperated well when organising their defences. The great Salo Martinez led them and structured their survivor culture to best suit the new conditions. However, the lack of resources was acute and a lot of time was spent foraging for food in the surrounding area while avoiding shantic warriors. As all equipment was intact the SLAV’s (Submerged Liquid Atmosphere Vessels) were frequently used. While the humans of the NorthSea Station were unaware of the Leesh-Ebeeca they did find that shantic hostilities quickly dwindled. More time was therefore spent trying to make contact with other colonies. Binding human and Homo Aquatus survivors together again was ever the prime objective of Salo Martinez. But all nearby coastal colonies the SLAV’s could reach were found destroyed and abandoned. From the brief messages and missing persons notes left behind by fleeing colonists, the refugees of NorthSea Station understood that some human survivors had ventured further inland to avoid the shantic warriors. Unwilling to leave the safe haven of NorthSea Station the humans and Homo Aquatus stayed in hiding, living off their dwindling resources. While the station had a near endless supply of fusion power and sufficient food could be found, other important necessities were impossible to manufacture, most importantly, the fuel for the SLAV’s. When suddenly one of the two fusion reactors malfunctioned, half of the station lost its climate control. The climate control purified the air and was crucial to human survival underground. A great council was held but no unanimous decision could be made. Most refugees, Salo among them, meant it was time to leave NorthSea Station and try to join survivors of the larger colonies further south. The last complete survivor transmission received by NorthSea Station had come from what was to become Anasan and fragments of transmission from the Thanterian colonies could sometimes be intercepted. Salo and a large number of the refugees of NorthSea Station therefore decided to try and reach these larger colonies by means of the SLAV’s. Others disagreed and meant that it was wiser to risk the shorter inland trip to the survivors of the smaller and closer Gauss colony. This was the first crack in Salos wise leadership, as he allowed the survivors to split into smaller groups. Two expeditions set out, one by sea and the other by land. However, a large number of Homo Aquatus were reluctant to leave their safe haven and source of food and stayed behind to guard NorthSea Station. History does not reveal what happened to the expedition headed for Gauss. As Iscin legends do not speak of these humans it must be assumed that they were killed by shantic warriors or settled elsewhere. The expedition headed for Anasan reached its destination and there abandoned the SLAV’s, which had run out of fuel. Among the hostile, but fertile tropical waters, the Homo Aquatus were forced to found their new homes. History is vague about the destiny of the mundane humans, but bronth historians claim that they simply joined the Anasan survivors that would evolve into the Reigos Culture. The Homo Aquatus found an abundance of food and shelter among the many coves, cliffs and caves of the West Trinnu Jungle Lands and hid themselves from the shanta. Over the years they would forget their origins and forced to evolve into a very primitive society in the dangerous tropical waters. Their culture became bent upon survival. Legend among these wild southern salu speak of a great chieftain Saluu who gave them their name - Salus. Thus, even though Salo Martinez final faith is unknown, his name would be forever honoured in his people. Over time they became the tribal salu of today and would spread over the entire region encompassing the Kymay, Roray, Ash-Shen, Kativi and Sillipean Seas. They would not come into contact with their cousins from the south or the north until more than 1000 years later. They would however share one thing; their name. They were all Salu – Salos people. The Civilised Salu The now small number of inhabitants that had remained at NorthSea Station found that they could no longer keep it operational. The Homo Aquatus chose instead to settle on other islands and along Doben-al’s eastern coast. Soon the station became an eerie, silent, dead town, only visited during holy days of remembrance when the Homo Aquatus would wait for their lost brethren during a symbolic day and night. The Homo Aquatus along Doben-al and Burdoth’s northwestern shores evolved into a more civilised people than their cousins of the Trinnu Coast. Their culture evolved to become the stereotype of salu seafarers and mariners in the eyes of the realms of the crescent moon of civilisations. They early changed their name to Salos, after their popular legendary leader and cultural founder. As the salu relied on the sea for sustenance and protection they early began the development of unpowered sea vessels. Boats and ships not only aided them when fishing or hunting, they also gave the salu some protection from Jorune’s larger marine predators. Over centuries to come the NorthSea salu developed and honed their shipbuilding techniques to perfection. Thanks to their connection to the sea and their nearly natural ability to understand the mechanics and physics of water bodies, currents and winds, their ships soon outshone those of the ancient mariners of lost Earth. With their ships, the salu began exploring the Assydre, Vosule and Jaspian Seas, as well as the coasts of northern Burdoth and the Doben-al. They early encountered the suspicious Delmerans in their coastal cliff forts and a sparse trade began. The Delmerans did not entirely trust the “seafolk” and had no need to cross the waters. Despite this, fish were exchanged for agricultural crops at secure trading locations. The Homo Aquatus desperately asked for any news or rumours about the inland settlements, but the Delmerans were as isolated as they were. Shortly thereafter, the salu encountered the bronth and tologra who were migrating along the coasts of Ros Crendor during The Great Wanderings of the Iscin tribes. These creatures were at first shunned for their fearsome visage. But along the northeastern coast of Ros Crendor, a bronth and salu chieftain met for the first time in peace among the sand dunes. They shared a meal of tender dothobider meat and swapped experiences. This was the beginning of a friendship that has lasted nearly three millennia. Over the years the contact between the bronth and the salu increased. Inland goods were traded for fish and superior fishing vessels made by the salu. Knowledge of how to build ships was exchanged for wisdom and lore that otherwise had been lost to the salu. Much of the cultural refinement of the civilised salu society has its origins in bronth lore and ethics. It was through the voyages of the salu, that word for the first time reached the bronth and tologra of the empty and virgin lands to the northeast. Vast forests and fields ruled neither by shanta or man. During their long exploratory journeys, the salu were the first to come in contact with the expanding ramian influence. Contrary from the Delmerans and bronth, the ramian were not interested in establishing contact with the salu and often attempted to destroy or steal their ships. At the end of the fifth century after the Great Destruction, increasing shantic violence against the bronth and tologra, combined with droughts and plagues created a religious exodus to the eastern coasts of Ros Crendor. Bronth explorers and some colonists began venturing with the salu sailors to the new lands in the east. With the arrival of the tologra who had fled from their inland domains, the religious exodus escalated into frenzy. Over-confident in their own ship building skills, the bronth hurriedly constructed many of the ships themselves for their great armada. Only the tolograns put their entire faith in the salu and their ships. During the legendary stormy crossing of the Assydre Sea, it was the tologran ships that managed to ride out the storm and be carried away to faraway Sharden, while the bronth ships sunk or were cast upon the shores of Crendor. In the lands to become Burdoth, the salu had only sparse trading contact with the growing Delmeran culture. However, during the 12 th century the rise of the Essanja culture to the east began posing a threat to the salu. The marine culture of the Essajeans saw the salu as competitors and the priests of Sajjanis saw them as suitable sacrifices to their terrible god. Also the rise of the powerful Vucian Empire caused salu estrangement from their human cousins, as salu began being hunted as exotic slaves. Because of the competition with the humans, the salu settled the coasts further to the west, in the lands to become Northern Khodre. The salu also settled the coasts of the peaceful lands of newly founded Dobre and Crendor. Here their skills were appreciated and their people had a haven. When the fast growing bronth culture in Dobre came in contact with their lost cousins the woffen to the east, the salu followed and settled the sheltered bays of Hooth and Barooth between Dobre and Lundere. To this day, the Two Bays have ever been the salu’s best sheltered havens and one of their most populous regions. Neither has there ever been any wars with their bronth and woffen neighbours in Lundere and Dobre. Maybe because of their estrangement from mundane humans, the salu suffered few of the great plagues that ravaged the human survivor cultures in 600-800 PC. Instead the civilised salu continued to spread and flourish as a people. Soon three main kingdoms existed in the Two Bays, Assydre Sea and Jaspian Sea. Around 1000 PC these three kingdoms were peacefully united under one king, who ruled his loosely knit kingdom from Hilukka in Barooth Bay Around 1200 PC word reached the salu of Hooth Bay that woffen sailors from eastern Lundere searching for their lost cousins in the south (Anasan) had encountered other salu in the warm Kymay Sea. Instead of daring an overland journey to Lundere’s eastern seaports, an expedition of salu ships, led by King Salique’s son, passed through the Sychill strait into the Kymay Sea. After some weeks of searching they found their long lost salu cousins - their separated kin who had ventured east into the unknown with their legendary leader Salo. However, their meeting ended in anything but peace, as the savage salu of the Kymay Sea refused to recognise the northern salu as their kin. Incited by their dread Salume priests, the Kymay Salu instead attacked and killed most of the Civilised Salu expedition, including King Salique’s son. The few survivors were pushed eastward and hunted all the way to the new colony ports of eastern Lundere, where they received sanctuary from the woffen. Taking the inland route back to Hooth Bay, thus loosing their ability to return to the sea, the hapless salibes provided warning to the salu of their savage kin in the south and brought word of the death of King Salique’s son. This was the beginning of the mostly unknown Salu Wars that lasted from 1189 PC to 1312 PC. Driven by a thirst for revenge King Salique launched fleets of warriors to punish the Kymay Salu. The salu ships passed mostly unnoticed by the human realms of Burdoth and Heridoth, who were establishing their inland realms and began attacking Kymay Salu towns and villages. The Salu Wars began in favour to the Civilised Salu who subdued many of the Kymay Salu. However, word of the attacks reached the Salume priests of the Roray, Ash-Shen, and Kativi salu, who joined their brethren in Kymay in a great religious crusade. Soon, the Kymay and Kativi Seas were coloured red by the blood of the salu. After the death of King Salique, his successor, King Virikit Deepdive, continued the war in an attempt to reform and civilise their more savage cousins. In 1300 PC, terrible rot plagues began sweeping over the world and the salu were early afflicted. Especially the Civilised Salu who were in contact with both humans and Iscin Folk were severely decimated. King Virikit died of the plagues and his successor, Queen Suqqiti, withdrew the fleets of the Civilised Salu from the Kymay Sea in 1312 PC, thus ending the Salu Wars. The Salu Wars were the first, but not the last tragic milestone in salu history. After two centuries of isolation to save themselves from the rot plagues, the salu ventured out again in 1500 PC. The Civilised Salu now encountered the fast growing influence of the Jaspian traders. Intrigued by their stories of the north, the salu began exploring northeastern Temauntro and Jasp during the warmer mullin periods. The salu were accepted as humans in Jasp and allowed to build ports, but could hold no other trade than that of sailors, pilots and shipwrights. The salu also aided the Jaspians to dare the wind-torn, icy cliff coasts of northern Temauntro and passed down along Temauntro’s western coast. Some salu-Jaspian expeditions even reached the warm Sharharras Sea far to the south. The Sharharras Sea became a Shangri-la for the salu with its warm waters, abundance of food and lack of competition from humans and savage salu. A myth began evolving around the Sharharras Sea and it was seen as paradise by the Heki worshippers. More and more salu explorers and settlers began sailing down along [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |