Mernac

Overview

It is rumored that the world of Mernac was created by a pair of newly created Gods who were placed on a dismal world by The One, and The Other. These Gods, Siberlee and Barak, were so in love that they wanted to create a world of beauty that was theirs and theirs alone.

As is the way with gods, this desire came to pass.

Geographic & Political Map

Mernac has 7 major land masses or continents:

Arden
Cathall
Brangin
Garren
Malroo
Ooloo
Tian Islands

Some also consider the oceans and seas as the 8^th continent, collectively called Oceania, as it is home to many Merfolk and Aquill cities and settlements

Depending on the Age and Period of history, different Races or factions founded various Kingdoms and countries. Of the 20 different races and countless factions that control different parts of Mernac’s Map have changed untold times throughout history. However, for the most part, Mernac’s political map is usually thought of as it was in the mid-2600s before the Sap Wars Period.

Creation

The first two Gods, created Mernac with the help of The One and The Other. Those creators, Siberlee and Barak, learned that even with a beautiful world, even with the love they had for each other, and even with their hopes and dreams of creating a paradise for two, they were lonely.

To ease their loneliness, The One and The Other gifted them with not one, but two moons in the evening sky. Hidden within these moons was the secret to easing loneliness.

Was the discovery of that secret a day? A century? Or a millennium?

We may never know, for Siberlee and Barak did not yet know of the passing of time. Eventually, however, the two fledgling Gods uncovered that secret.

The discovery of easing loneliness was on the rare occasion when both moons were full in the sky, a celestial event that would one day be called Chandralee. It was then that the two Gods discovered that if they dreamed of what was needed to create their world, the next day a new God would appear to help fulfill that need. These new Gods became companions who could help Siberlee and Barak. They were kindred souls to help ease loneliness, unique deities who would add diversity to the stories of the land.

Stories that would one day come to be known as: The Legends of Mernac.

The Mothers and the Fathers

Eventually, the two original Gods became 20. For thousands of seasons, they lived in peace and harmony, surrounded by the flora and fauna they fashioned as their home. It was these 20 Gods who eventually became known as The Mothers and The Fathers of Mernac.

As their world matured, they crafted and created every imaginable feature for Mernac: They made the mountains and the seas and instilled life into the creatures they created. From the bumblebee to the Three-tusked Mammoths to each blade of grass and each grain of sand was crafted with precision. Every ray of light and shadow to contrast that light was painted onto the world with the passion of a master artist. In those time, all the Gods were busy and all was Good.

However, after hundreds of volcanoes, after thousands of streams, and after millions of rocks, they became bored. The gods desired more to occupy their time and fancies.

As is the way with Gods, this desire came to pass.

One of the leaders of the twenty Gods and Goddesses decided that their world should be populated with other thinking creatures. Ones who would fill their homes with laughter, and their hearts with love. This Goddess was Siberlee and the concept was what she thought was “Good.”

The Mothers

The Mothers are known to be the leaders of the races of good, sometimes known as the Races of light or the Races of Man.

Siberlee – The Mother of Nature and all that is Good. The matriarch to the Race of Man and to this day the Leader of the Mothers.
Kanola – The Mother of Music and Dance and the Matriarch of the Faerie Race.
Sola – The Mother of Life and Light and the matriarch of the Elven Races.
Dulan – The Mother of Healing and Compassion and matriarch of The Fur Race.
Kala – The Mother of love and desire and matriarch of the Merfolk Race.
Witriss – The Mother of Virtue and Strength and Matriarch of the Dwarf Race.
Terees – Neutral Good- The Mother of Wisdom and Harmony. Matriarch of the Murmil Race.

The Fathers

The Fathers are known to be the leaders of the Races of Evil, sometimes known as the Races of the Dark or the Races of the Beast.

Barak – The Father of Darkness and all that is Evil. The patriarch of the Undead Race and to this day the leader of The Fathers.
Tellen – The Father or War. Patriarch of the Troll Race.
Bu – The Father of Death and Destruction. Patriarch of the Azeman Race.
Werk -The Father of Pain and Disease. Patriarch of the Sectis Race.
Tul -The Father of Anger. Patriarch of the Dabbit Race.
Elsen – The Father of the Ethereal Elements. Patriarch of the Dark Elf Race.
Linthur – The Father of Revenge. Patriarch of the Wookalar Race.
Quont – The God, then Goddess of Lust. Matriarch of the Dark Fae Race.
Trajen – The God of Jealousy. Matriarch of the Acquill Race.
Gorb – The God of Greed. Matriarch of the Ogre Race.
Abuba – The God of Indecision. Patriarch of the Orc Race.
Roadius – The God of Mischief and Humor. Patriarch of the Gnome Race.
Picu – The God of Excess. Patriarch of the Giant Race.

The Race of Man

Of the thinking creatures that would one day be created, the Scribes and Sages who know of such things say The Race of Man was the most important part of Siberlee’s “Good.”

Siberlee wanted to have a child, and this child and their descendants would populate the vast expanse of Mernac. This child, who became the Race of Man, was conceived by combining gifts from each of the other Gods. Those sacred gifts being a part of the Gods themselves, be it physical or part of their personality. Each gift was what the God found most precious about themselves. It is for this reason, now, then, and forever, the Race of Man is considered the most unpredictable of all the Races. They alone have in their essence a part of all the Gods.

The creation of these new thinking creatures marked the beginning of recorded history and is season one (1) in the Mernacian calendar. It also marks the beginning of the end of the peace and harmony the 20 Gods had enjoyed for so many millennia.

Above all, however, it was the beginning of the many Legends of Mernac.

The Divide

Even though the Race of Man was the embodiment of all the Gods, the fragile race was always considered the child of Siberlee. The remaining Gods desired to have their own race.

As is the way with Gods, this desire came to pass.

Soon, there were 20 distinct and unique races populating Mernac.

With the creation of each race, the peace the Gods once enjoyed began to wane. The downfall of accord and harmony among the Gods has been directly attributed to the diametrically opposed views Siberlee and The One had versus those held by Barak and The Other.

The One thought all these new creatures should be completely free to choose their own path in life and destiny and called this The Matter of Choice.

The Other felt that it was the God’s responsibility to guide and control these new creatures for their own protection.

With time, The Other’s views become even more radical, and he recruited Barak to implement them. As a consequence, evil began to spread among the Gods and throughout Mernac.

Distanced from her former lover, and driven by the desire to do good, Siberlee finally cast Barak and his followers out of the Heavens and thus drew the lines of battle which would rage for the next 10,000 seasons.

Geographic Landscape

The world of Mernac is extremely diverse, with terrain ranging from the driest of deserts to the wettest of jungles. Her elevations and contours are often drastically different, from the desert plains of Hob and rolling hills of Goldmont, to the craggy alpine mountains of Toberna. Her features and population extend not only on the ground, but also underground in the cave cities of Dwarfs and Gnomes, and the ocean domains of the Merfolk and Acquill.

The highest point in Mernac (over 19,000 paces above sea level), is Mount Solarus in Southern Brangrin. Mount Solarus is part of the Blue Shadows mountain range, and it is here that it is rumored that Mother Sola conducts all the training for her disciples. The Scribes and Sages who know of such things believe it is because Mount Solarus is the closest point on Mernac to the light from the sun and the stars. Thus, Mount Solarus is the only place on Mernac where the strongest magic of light can be cast or constructed. Many also believe that somewhere at the apex of Mount Solarus is a door or passageway which leads to Mirdoren and the other Heavens.

Conversely, the lowest point on Mernac is a sinkhole in the jungles of Arden known as Barak’s Navel. This large canyon progressively becomes narrower the deeper below ground it travels. None are quite sure how deep the crevice goes, but most agree it is over 12,000 paces below sea level. Various explorers have cited that the light ceases to penetrate the expanse of Barak’s Navel at about 6,000 paces. Beyond this point, no vegetation can be found except for certain rare mosses and fungi. This dark place is considered the largest of the many sinkholes that lead to the underworld, and the home of the Fathers.

The longest river in Mernac is the Lars River. The Lars starts in The Great Inland Sea in Hob and travels halfway across the continent of Cathall, before emptying into the Garden Strait, by the port of Lightmore in Quontas. Many notable adventures and legends have occurred on various parts of the Lars River.

Weather patterns are as diverse as the geographical features. These include rain, snow, hail, fog, and violent tropical or moderate temperate storms. Mernac’s is dominated by a single sun of a yellowish-orange color, which at sunrise and sunset seems to explode in the sky with gorgeous tints of almost every hue. The evening sky is dominated by two moons, the larger, bluish moon Araf being the namesake of goddess Siberlee’s surname when she was mortal, and the smaller reddish moon Jahannan, is named in honor of Barak’s surname when he was mortal.

The tides of Mernac follow the rising and setting of the moon Jahannan, with the effect of Araf, the second moon, having little to no effect. The magnitude of tides on Mernac varies greatly depending on the exact location of Mernac and the proximity to the closest sinkhole. The Larger the sinkhole, the higher and more violent the tides up to 20 paces high. However, generally tides differ between two and four paces from low tide to high tide in the Oceans and seas.

Half of Mernac’s waterways surface water comes in the form of large lakes and inland seas. Tides of these liquid bodies are also affected by the phases of the moon. As a rule of thumb, when the moon of Jahannan is full, the high tide on Mernac will typically be almost a two full paces higher than it is when Jahannan is completely waned.

Inhabitants

Soulless Creatures:

Mernac’s Lands, air, and seas are filled with every manner of creatures and beasts imaginable. As beasts and creatures, none of them possess souls.

From the tiny flying Fairy Dragons of the Tian Islands to the massive glowing squids in the Sea of Garuff. Sola, the Mother of Light and Life created every possible animal that she or the other gods and goddesses could conceive. Many of these creatures were those they remembered from their own world when the gods were still mortal. Traegen, the god of Strong emotion, who would one day become the Father of Jealousy, and Rodius, who would become the Father of Mischief, on a lark decided to enchant many of these creatures with the emotions of hate, fear, and revenge. Some even to think and speak. This explains the ever-present danger these creatures pose to most of the creations that process souls.

Races with Souls

Of thinking creatures with souls, there are 20 races in Mernac, one for each of the 20 gods. Each of the races often takes on the physical characteristics of the God who is their patron or matron. All the Gods were once mortal on different worlds before they became Gods. The physical appearance of their race when Mortal is the same as the Race they are patron to when they become Gods. Some heretics foolishly believe that Dragons are the 21^st race as they were given the ability to speak and think by Siberlee, the Mother of Nature.

The Seven Races of the Light are:

Human – The child of Siberlee.
Dwarf – The child of Witriss
Elf – The child of Sola
Faerie – The child of Kanola
Furs – The Child of Dulan
Merfolk – The Child of Kala
Murmil – The child of Terees

The Thirteen Races of the Dark are:

Acquill

Azeman – The child of BU
Dabbat – The child of Tul
Dark Elf – The child of Elsen
Dark Faerie – The Child of Quont
Giant – The Child of Picu
Gnome – The child of Rodius
Orc – The chil of Abuba
Ogre – The child of Gorb
Sectis – The child of Werk
Troll – The child of Tellen
Undead – The child of Barak
Wookalar – The child of Linthur

Astrology, Numerology, and the Keeping of Time.

Because of the astrological timeframes and the number of gods and Goddesses, the numbers 7, 13, and 20 hold great significance on Mernac to all races and deities.

The time it takes for Mernac to encircle her sun is referred to as a Season. The time it takes Araf, Mernac’s largest moon, to circle the world is known as a Moon. Most of Mernac is blessed with four different weather patterns: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Spring and Autumn both have three Moons, or months. Summer and Winter are both 4 Moons long. In most places, the harshest weather and most violent storms occur at the end of Winter. Once these storms have passed, Spring begins.

There are 20 Moons to each Season (the time for Mernac to circle her sun). Each moon (month) is made up of 20 days, each being approximately 20 hours long. The summer solstice is the 1st day of Teevil. In many places, this event is called Sola’s birthday. On this day, the sun will shine for 13 hours of the 20. The shortest day of the Season is Moroven, sometimes called BU’s birthday. During the winter solstice, there is often only 7 hours of light in many places on Mernac.

The History of Mernac can be divided into 21 segments or periods, and are usually referred to as Ages and The Age of Gods. The longest of these is Before Man. This is the time before Man or any of the Races were placed on Mernac. Many also call this period “The Age of Gods.”

Though it is not known for sure, it is generally accepted that the Before Man Age began 17,000 Seasons before the creation of the Race of Man (defined as Season one). It is also said to have continued until the last of the Races (Furs) was created – circa 200 AM (After Man). It is during the time of the Gods when The Mothers and The Fathers formed and created Mernac.

The remaining 20 Ages span 10,000 seasons and each Age is said each is dominated by one of The Mothers or The Fathers. For example, The Age of Elsen (200 AM to 666 AM) or the Age of Siberlee (2456-2999 AM).

History

Mernac history spans the 10,000 season man and the other races inhabited Mernac. it also covers the 17,000 seasons the gods inhabited Mernac before the advent of Man, though those times were before the Birth of Writing and are far less documented.

The world’s timeline is historically segmented into ages. Each Age if further segmented into “Periods.” There are 40 recorded periods in Mernac’s history. These typically center around a major event in history and are usually dominated by the influence of one of the 20 gods. For Example, the “Sap Wars” Period (2615 – 2649 AM) during The Age of Siberlee.

Often, a Period will start before and end after the actual event for which it is named. This is to include significant happenings which led up to the event or those which resulted from the event. The Sap Wars, for example, lasted only from 2646-2648 AM, however, the Period “The Sap Wars” is 32 Seasons longer and contains the stories and legends that made the Period so important, many of which happened before or after the actual war.

Each Period is well documented, and that documentation is usually under the supervision of a single Sage. The Sage and his writings are always considered the most preeminent authority on a Period. If Mernac were a series of books, not a living, breathing world, each Period could be considered an individual novel in a book series.

In the case of the previously cited, The Sap Wars, the Sage was Thadius Orville Grumbius III, who is more commonly known as Grumby. More often than not, a Sage’s collective works is often named after the Sage himself. In the case of Thadius Grumbius, his work on the Sap Wars is generally referred to as “The Book of Grumby”.