Inlihtan

Inlihtan

Cities-

SW Quadrant- Grovetown, Junction, Cape Salmon,
NW Quadrant- Temple of the Talents, Vinifera, Lions, Botan
NE Quadrant- Newton, Unitus, Aurillac
SE Quadrant- Shakespeare, Monet, Mozart

Institutions- Academy for the Cooperation of Science and Magic, Newton
Inlihtan University, Unitus
Shakesperean School of Acting and Writing, Shakespeare
Craftsman School of Trade and Production, Junction


Dimensions- 60 by 90 miles, roughly in the shape of a book
Water- Crescent Lake, Stratford River, Avon River
Mountains- On the western side: Oracle Mountain Range, running parallel to the Avon river until trailing north east about half way up the center of the island. Northern side: The Phrygian Cap, 8 miles east of Merlin.
Forest- known simply as The Forest, a deep wild full of hermits, and wild creatures that were either failed experiments or aggressive rescues.

Demographic-
Grovetown- Midwestern American Farmers, freed slaves cir. 1870
Junction- Displaced craftsmen from large cities, freed slaves cir 1870
Cape Salmon- Coastal Native American tribe, Native Hawaiians
Mer Soleil- Sea Explorers,
Odinaire Temple- Free Radical thinkers from various trips. Japanese, Indian, Native American and American academics and spiritual leaders. Built originally as Odinaire’s home and laboratory in 1870.
Vinifera- post blight French winegrowers from California cir1870, factory workers escaping the harsh environments
Lions- rescued animals and circus performers, anthropomorphic oddities, biologists, mythical creatures.
Botan- flower growers, herbalists, cultivators, fruit growers, American, Korean, Chinese, freed slaves, dryads, nymphs and kodama, herb-specialist magicians and sorcerers.
Newton- Radical scientists and practical magicians
Unitus- Sorcerers, magicians, and academics of the occult
Capital City- Migrants and followers of magic and utopian believers from various explorations of Joseph Odinaire.
Shakespeare- Founded by Inlihtan’s first acting company and a group of idealists, writers
Monet- Chinese Calligraphers, visual artists.
Mozart- A collection of musicians and composers of various backgrounds.

Types of Magic
Hydriads- commonly known as “Water Witches”, this small class of people are the keepers of the weather control council. They can collect and deter humidity and ground water. There are three official hydriads at a time that make up the council, and they reside in the royal palace.
Sorcerers- In Inlihtan, a sorcerer is any human or anthropomorphic being with the born talent of manipulating energy. Joseph Odinaire was the most powerful sorcerer known, able to use his energy manipulation to create Inlihtan, its spiritual guardians and even create brain development in animals and plants to create hybrid social creatures and people. The island is populated with less powerful sorcerers who mostly live in Merlin or Capital City, though a few of them have attempted farms or orchards or crafting. It is estimated that 10% of children born in Inlihtan have natural magical gifts, about ¾ of those children come from a magical parent. Some sorcerers came with Odinaire, some migrated based on messages and clues Odinaire left around the United States.
Oddies- Creatures created by Joseph Odinaire, some with magical ability and some without. The two most prominent Oddies are Brumsickle, a drunken mousephant with a bowler hat and tweed suit who is the keeper of the history of the island, but is in a depressed daze after the death of Odinaire. The other is Julia, the second generation in a line of humanoid orchids designed to preserve and protect the forests and its less sociable inhabitants.
Mythical creatures- The spirits such as dryads, nymphs, kodama, as well as creatures like griffons and mermaids migrated here following energy veins left by Odinaire’s travels. Others were rescued or recruited during travels, most importantly two dragons and the legendary Zakura bird.
Magicians- Any human or anthropomorphic creature that studies or practices the use of magical artifacts, ceremonies, rituals and spells. Typically magicians do not have natural ability but instead use knowledge and practice to perfect their chosen skill. These typically include the herbalists in Nectar Gardens, The shape-shifters in Lions, the spell-casters and keepers of magical items in Merlin, and the holy men that reside in Odinaire Temple. Random Magicians, particularly spell casters and item users reside throughout the island, with the exception of Grovetown, where magic used by individuals is banned in favor of preserving the simple lifestyle and hard working virtues of farming. Naturally the farmers ignore the fact that Inlihtan is a magical country, right down to its soil and weather patterns.


Government- Inlihtan is a Monarchy, beginning with Queen Rachel of Savannah, a civil war widow with a pure white aura, a sign of a just and virtuous soul. She proved to be just such a queen, appointing a diverse advising council to keep the country in balance and making sure that everyone in the kingdom wanted for nothing. She also helped build a palace large enough to accommodate nearly 1,000 guests and operated it as a free hotel. Taxes are based on fundraising for particular projects and virtually unnecessary as Inlihtan has very little disease, poverty, crime or bad weather. When a family is in need it is typically the policy of the monarchy to make sure the community pitches in to take care of them, and when times are better that family is expected to return the favor. Queen Rachel fostered a communal culture.
There are 9 advisors on the royal council. Three of them are the hydriads that create the agricultural calendars and schedule appropriate precipitation and air pressure. Two of them are market advisors that regulate the economy to oversee appropriate pricing of goods and balance a sustainable and localized economy. One is a sea port advisor, one is a forestry advisor, one is a security general and the council is finished by a sorcery representative to ensure any magical abilities are being used within reasonable boundaries. There is also a prime minister to act as liaison between the council, the head of state, and the people of Inlihtan. The council hosts an open meeting 5 days a week for three hours to hear any grievances, requests and reports from citizens. The government also has a team of assistants for each council member, carrying out various tasks relative to their departments. The royal palace has a staff of over 200 cooks, groundskeepers, housekeepers, ladies-in-waiting, teachers, hotel attendants, servers, butlers, accountants, guards and entertainers.
The royal council at the time of Avery’s story:
Hydriads- Erma, a 70 year old female human sorceress, Adina, a 35 year old voodoo priestess, Jonathan, a 65 year old academic magician.
Market- Tennysee, a middle aged centaur and Zafira, a 37 year old Junction merchant queen
Port- Bartholomew, an old retired swash buckling-type seafarer
Forestry- Reilly, a young androgynous forest nymph
Security- Claudio, tiger-human hybrid
Sorcery- Lucinda, an apprentice of Joseph Odinaire and communicator to the Seven Talents.
Prime Minister- Kayode, a strong late thirties man, dark and ominous but ultimately just and good.
Monarch- King Able, son of Gerard, third monarch of Inlihtan, wife estranged, only one child, Anaya, but she went missing at age 7 about 15 years prior. It is believed she lives on the peak of the Phrygian Cap with the legendary Zakura Bird overseeing justice and prosperity.

History- Joseph Odinaire began recruiting for his utopia at the end of the civil war. The age industrialism meant there would soon be little room for magic and mystery, combined with the decline of old fashioned agriculture and the people suffering in the aftermath of the civil war. American Indians and freed slaves were among the recruits, people who had suffered greatly but still dreamed of a good life, free of anger. He left clues for believers and befriended several groups of wanderers. He sailed to an island approximately 100 miles off the coast of central California. The island was very small to begin with and Odinaire used his energy powers to grow it to a large enough island to execute his vision. He also created reflective energy fields around the island to prevent it from being seen. Several years later he went to Japan and Korea to find more people to live his dream. Each town was founded on the common thread each group of people had in common and each place became a beacon of nurturing for their respective crafts. Capital City was founded to oversee broader education and government.

Mysticism- There is a conglomeration of spirituality on the island. Most inhabitants do not worship or follow religious tradition, but do occasionally pay homage to the island goddesses known as the Seven Talents. The monastery at Odinaire Temple is a combination of Buddhism, Christianity, Voodoo and other magical based belief systems. Experts confer and meditate side by side and allow each other to speak to the spiritual forces as they see fit. Tolerance is the number one rule.

Seven Talents-
Name Color Spirit Material Patron City Talent
Rosalind Red Fauna Oak Lions Song
Miranda Maroon Flora Willow Grovetown Weaving
Portia Purple Learning Copper Newton Glass Blowing
Beatrice Blue Laughter Amber Shakespeare Poetry
Luciana Lavender Life and Death Ivory The Forest Painting
Imogen Indigo Prosperity Silver Junction Orchestra
Viola Violet Food and Drink Chocolate Vinifera Drama


Glass Blowing- The Liquid Sands Guild out of Newton also adopts Portia as their patron goddess. There is a two acre area of the Forest made entirely of glass, built as an homage to Joseph Odinaire and the Talents.
The Goddesses resided with Odinaire for several years before ascending to divine beings and are said to manifest themselves throughout the island in different forms, revealing their true selves only in moments of necessary intervention. While each goddess has assigned city, capital city pays homage to all seven, and each goddess has a guild representing their respective talents. The Liquid Sands Guild is the most prominent guild. The Players is the acting guild in Shakespeare, Scriptors in Capital City is the poetry guild, Life Brush is the painting guild in Monet, Harmonious Sound is the music guild in Mozart, S.A.T.B is the choir guild in Mozart, and Old Spindlers is the weaving guild in Junction. The guilds are the best representation of pure Inlihtanese culture, generally worshipping their respective goddesses and building their organization on fostering artistic notions.

Timeline:
1841- Odinaire is born in Albany, NY. His family moves to the city to look for work when he is a teenager, and he joins the Union army at the start of the civil war.
1865- Dismayed by war, Odinaire leaves the army at the end of the war and begins wandering through the wreckage, looking for equally lost souls. He gets an idea to gather good people to start a new land of peace and acceptance.
1868- Odinaire lands with his first ship full of American emigrants. This includes a mix of Native Americans and Freed Slaves. Together they are a band of misfits, idealists and intellectuals with enough hope to believe in Odinaire’s vision. The island is erected at Sea, Queen Rachel is crowned first queen of Inlihtan.
1871- The constitution of Inlihtan is completed, the council is fully appointed and a full blown agriculture system is underway.
1875- Odinaire sails to Asia and returns with another group of emigrants. Over the last five years the island is populated more with magical beings.
1877- Inlihtan Univesity is founded
1881- The goddesses are created, symbolic magical beings that serve as protectors. Known collectively as the Seven Talents
1880-1898- Known as the Laboratory years. Odinaire, the inhabitants of Newton and Merlin, and the guilds are building the new utopian culture. Education and Composition are in full swing.
1906- Queen Rachel dies at age 78. King Gerard is crowned. After the death of Rachel, Odinaire retreats to his temple and is rarely seen. It is rumored he spent it meditating and writing his grimoire. The grimoire was never seen, and no one is sure I f it even exists.
1921- King Gerard takes ill and names his eldest son Able as his successor.
1922- The Great Scandal. Queen Katherine has an affair with a court entertainer and moves with her lover to a secluded home in the mountains. Deidre, our protagonists' mother, leaves Capital City and marries Sten Daggit in Grovetown.
1926- Avery is born. Able’s only child, Anaya, disappears the same day. Avery feels some sort of connection with her because of this.
1932- Odinaire dies at age 91 after years of living as a recluse. The nation slips into 5 years of official mourning,
1937- Able makes a long public speech about rising up and moving forward. He commissions a series of festivals to celebrate the life Odinaire, as well as commissions major projects from each guild throughout the island. Many people of Inlihtan see the effort for revival weak, and some groups are not sure if life on Inlihtan should continue without their leader, especially since he did not train an apprentice or leave a will or a grimoire. Trust in King Able is low, and no clear successor brings tension to the climate. A small wave of citizens leave, but most continue on, believing in their hearts that life on Inlihtan is still paradise.
1941- Our story begins…


Characters:
Avery Daggit- Our hero. 15, dark brown curly hair and green eyes. Shy, skinny and the youngest of three boys, he is a misfit in his farming community. Has a reputation for being a day dreamer and too smart for his own good.
Jem Daggit- The middle brother and Avery's primary tormenter.
Orson Daggit- The eldest. Kind, responsible and ready to take the reigns of Daggit farm
Deidre Daggit- Avery's mother. Soft spoken and artistic, she left the capital city in desperation to find a husband and start a new life. Love Avery deeply but hasn't the courage to stick up for him.
Sten Daggit- Avery's father. Stern, headstrong farmer. A man of few words. Constantly disappointed in his physically weak son.
Claudio- A large man with fine tiger fur over his skin, and cat like facial features, caused form his mother falling into a worm hole on the island. Many people think his mother mated with an anthropomorphic tiger and often are uncomfortable around him, as interspecies mixing is taboo. While the culture is centered on tolerance, he is rarely attacked or spoken ill of, but the society is still not ready for human-animal mixed breeding. He was in love with Deidre for most of his life.
Brumsickle- mouse-elephant hybrid Oddie. (Oddie is a result of Odinaire's experiments with animals)
Julia- The forest guardian. Born from an orchid, she appears to be a small elf, but is actually made of plant matter. She is a fierce combatant of rougue forest creatures and watches over the balance of the land. She is Avery's first friend and teacher, and he falls madly in love with her. She of course, being a plant, is incapable of similar emotion.
Torvic- Convicted of theft at age 13 in 1928. King Able thought he could be rehabilitated by living in the home of the man he stole from. The Capital City merchant treated Torvic more like an indentured servant instead of giving him a family environment. The merchant also convinced Torvic that Abel was somehow responsible for the death of his parents. As soon as he could get away Torvic left Capital City and retreated to the forest to plot his revenge.
Xemeo- A forest nymph. He is a master of stealth and is known for his eavesdropping.
Freesia- An aspiring actress from Orchid Gardens.

Important Distances: Grovetown to Junction- about 50 miles, about 6 hours on a cart
Grovetown to Capital City- about 80 miles, 26 hours of walking
Grovetown to the Owl, 37 miles, 12.5 hours of walking
The Owl to Julia’s- 14 miles, 5 hours of walking