Prak - Civilization
Summary
The peoples of Prak themselves have no real cohesive, singular identity. Their only consistent and centralizing view comes from their home islands, of which often other islands 'orbit' around. Thus, where an island that supports life exists, there are people trying to survive upon it–principally harpies, wyverns, and dragons. Some non-flight capable people do exist, if only because they were brought up to Prak for one reason or another. Those with actual flight talent, like mages or cultivators, are both few in number and generally isolationist. By their own natures and that of Prak, development is a difficult prospect. Some resources are extremely finite, such as stone and dirt, while renewables like wood can be grown slowly over time. Magical arts become much, much more important as a result, as many forms of architecture realized are done through magic powered by Prak's abundant crysium deposits. The most powerful of inhabited islands command a lot of magically-capable talent. Life at large in Prak is, while constrained, generally pleasant. The harpies and wyverns have long since dominated their home islands, killing off problematic beasts and raising helpful ones in their stead. Farming took on an interesting role as it became a means of recycling all kinds of filth and trash, helping to bolster their very limited supplies. In time, their islands became shaped by elaborate farming systems, intermixing the idea of gardening and leisure along with it. Virtually all of them have some idea how to farm and work with plants, since they all depend upon them dearly. Those with time or ability helped spur on intellectual and magical art growth. The role of priestess, scholar, doctor, and other 'skilled' professions blended together into the singular identity of a 'mage'. Those who could do magic were smart and capable enough to do everything else, so the thinking went. Its hard to separate the ideas, although specific kinds of mages have their own names, functionally doing so anyway. It is from these beliefs the likes of Seralkono, the Divine Tempest are thought to have sprung from in more ancient times. In the times an inhabited island meets another, it is usually a period of intense trade, cultural exchange, and celebration. Marriages, especially, happen the most as exchanging bloodlines helps to keep the different islands stronger and healthier. While many of these islands usually meet again later, some have gone decades without contact, so it is a fairly serious proposition to consider. That being said, the ground below is always there, and times of desperation mean the tribes above might descend. While going down is relatively easy, coming up with anything is far more difficult. Good strength and powerful magic is often necessary, so weaker members live in fear of being unable to return if they fall. As they usually lack access to metals or other precious materials, the peoples of Prak spend their time refining magic and entertaining the arts. They have absurdly elaborate performances, arts, musics, social mannerisms, and games they've developed over the eons. These works are compounded by the sporadic additions of 'new material' from the world below. Hunting parties traditionally descend with the mightiest of warriors, finding prized kills to bring back. They also do some trading, especially for fanciful or fun things they can lift back up. Some rare forms of art and culture, lost on Veltrona below, have survived in the realm of Prak above as a result.Structure
The various tribes largely do not have vertical organization as much as they do lateral. While a singular leader, or various leaders (e.g, queens, and elders) can exist, a tribe as a whole works together as needs dictate than presumed social function. Elements of a meritocracy and magocracy can somewhat emerge, especially where great warriors or mages are concerned. Those with powerful talent and capability can do much more, and so the tribe supports them greatly as a result. The largest of islands have more stratified societies, supporting potentially thousands of inhabitants, and so more closely resemble sky queendoms.
Demography and Population
Military
While their home islands may not have dangerous predators living on them, they certainly do still live in the skies. The Prak tribal warriors exist largely to fight off and kill these dangerous aerial predators, blending the role of warrior and hunter together. The tribes themselves do not generally engage in open warfare–for one they're usually far apart, and for another open war would be devastating. Ritual combat, especially those overseen by priestesses and divinity at large, is the manner in which they often fight. Very specific rules and terms of engagement are drawn, so that even when beaten, lives are not necessarily taken.
Overall, while capable, each warrior in Prak is defined by their home island and how they've grown around it. Formalized education can be lopsided and specific, making certain tribes far more particular about one style of combat over another. Older, more veteran fighters are typically far more dangerous than their younger ones as a result. Practical experience is the root of Prak's military expertise at the end of the day.
The most unusual problems come in the form of outsiders, typically. Those with their own means of flight coming up to Prak and seeking conquest, in one form or another. Some are easier to deal with than others, the most daunting of which tend to be dragons or extremely powerful mages. Although they are armed with a home advantage most would envy, not all tribes have the size or ability to survive such invasions. Worse, the arrival of airship technology has made potential attackers far more numerous, and the many tribes are arming themselves for what they see as an existential threat.
Religion
The various faiths of Prak are as scattered and isolated as the tribes themselves. In general, themes of ancestor worship are common, particularly for family heads of past generations. As they descend all over the world and come back with all sorts of things, though, different faiths also followed them. They ended up changing greatly, being misunderstood, translated poorly, or heavily adapted to preexisting customs. Enough does remain some roots can be traced back, though, such as signs of Volapaws, Uatkara, kurshii, and more.
One singular presence that can be found throughout them, however, is Seralkono herself. The living goddess of the tempests and winds, she is the number one being they all pay respects to–if not worship directly. It is by her temper that the islands are kept aloft in the sky, and good days stay calm and clear. When she's angered, the storms follow to sweep away the offense and offenders. As she seemingly desires good food and entertainment the most, the many peoples sacrifice both in great quantities to appease her. How this is done varies anywhere from burning said sacrifices to throwing them to the winds. If they end up in Seralkono's palace or on Veltrona below, none of them can say and they aren't going to offend her by checking.
Incidentally, when various seeds fly off islands down below, they often survive and sprout successfully. It is thought of that Prak's flora sources are why quite a lot of otherwise different climates have similar plant families upon them.
Agriculture & Industry
Botany and farming have been the longest and greatest of professions in Prak since time immemorial. Coupled with their unique climate, each island can not only have distinct flora, but often totally unique and bizarre specimens. Mana-based mutations are as frequent as they are as controlled, making it a constant job figuring out what is better or what should be thrown out. Not all of it is people-consumable, for one reason or another, and it usually ends up as animal feed.
The concept of ranching holds a different meaning as space is a premium, so animals are allowed to range much more widely than normal. As there are definite ends to the sky islands, it is not as if they can wander off and disappear usually. For the most part raised for useful products or meat, ranching helps to round out diets and provide vitally useful materials. Their only, more notable purpose is completing the recycling paradigm that helps to keep the ecosystem sustainable. Some wilder concepts of ranching exist, such as tending to the free-flying animals who drop by on the occasion. Some of their large, airborne herds migrate across the entirety of Prak, often with letters and small goods attached to them for the next island to find.
Since they have next to zero metal or usable mineral wealth, and their inhabitants physiology in mind, Prak largely has no heavy industry of any kind. Anything metal that does exist started from somewhere else, and was either traded for or stolen and taken to Prak itself. They tend to be highly prized, even simple items like cookware, with many examples passing through entire generations as precious family heirlooms. That being said, more concentrated efforts have arisen to mine Veltrona below, then take the metal up to Prak. While expensive to do, the richest islands have their own metallurgy systems in place as a result. It is from them wholly unique ideas of metalwork and design arise, creating Prak's own genuine styles.
What they lack for in metals, their inventiveness with crysium and wood became a league of its own. Crystal wares from the mundane to the fantastic adorn their settlements, creating twinkling and captivating landscapes that please the eye. For want of stone, wood is hardened to a degree it becomes just as comparable, forming the ever expanding architectural webwork of their islands. Unique armors and weapons follow, each one carefully crafted with vast attention to detail that push frontiers people down below wouldn't even know are possible.
Magical research is a large industry unto itself, powered by the rampant crysium and mana abundance. Since the people of Prak can pick up magical knowledge from all over Veltrona, their arts are both varied and vast. While some of the more aggressive ideas may languish, their need for convenience and comfort has made a number of homekeeping magics that has turned living into Prak virtually paradisaical. Others endeavor toward resource creation, tapping into magic to fashion plants, dirt, stone, and more. If it can be thought of as a magic, it will exist somewhere in Prak, but perhaps not in a form almost anyone on the surface would recognize.
Education
Everyone learned from their family's ancestral knowledge, then whatever their friends and tribe taught them. As capability expanded, the concept of libraries took root first, usually with one or two massive, central repositories per island. Scribes would record the wisdom of elders and sort them, but as generations shifted, scribes became teachers who passed the knowledge on themselves. Large schools built around the libraries, becoming massive care facilities that tended to young as much as educated them in tribal history and other matters. To a groundwalker's eye, these places looked no different than palaces with how much care and attention-to-detail went into them.
Other research facilities cropped up in the form of magical laboratories and small crafts workshops. Specialists would tend to and keep large, inter-generational archives prior mistresses had left their best teachings and works within. They would also be the places where outsider knowledge-things would be stored, such as exotic books, scrolls, and even torzei. In time, the people working there would try to decipher and understand what they had, to see if anything at all was worth keeping or using. Reverse-engineering, being an inherently imperfect method to begin with, would explain some of the bizarre conclusions they often reached.
Type
Geopolitical, Tribe
Training Level
Untrained
Veterancy Level
Recruit
Government System
Tribalism
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Barter system
Controlled Territories
Comments