Onpa (On-pah)

Summary

Veltrona's many mountains range from the quaint to the supermassive, stretching high enough to pierce even into the Heavens above. It is the latter of these so-called 'divine mountains' all over Veltrona that the wind-aspected onpa live upon, from Sa-kemet to Nerzin. Physically powerful giants, the onpa tamed the wildly treacherous and exotic terrain, fashioning great cities upon cliffs, plateaus, secret valleys, and even into the veltron itself. The richness of the lands ever provided for them and others, thanks to the ridiculous abundance of mana in the divine mountains.   In fact, that same abundance is why many dragon lineages, and those deeply interested in magic like the baarham, often lived within or upon a divine mountain themselves. The reclusive onpa, who never had much reason to leave, invariably collided with these other peoples. Among them most of all were the dragons, who normally found anyone else on 'their' lands to be intrusive. The dragons and onpa, however, soon discovered outright conflict would be too destructive.   Both sides eventually agreed to disagree, and largely sequestered away from each other. The onpa's willingness to mine and lumber, however, made them appealing trade partners for dragons–who saw such work as too menial to do themselves. In the end, they formed a functional if extremely cordial balance of trade that neither side ever wanted to disrupt.   Though their mountains provided much, the onpa are crafty folk, wishing to reshape the world around them. They studied the lands as they were, then changed them into astonishingly expansive gardens and natural parks. Or, so they called them; for many others, despite how beautiful such landscapes were, they remained filled with danger. The onpa weren't particular about removing deadly beasts, poisonous plants, or worse, for such things also had a place in their designs.   That the onpa themselves are generally powerful enough to not regard such things as a problem may or may not play a part in that world view.   Not possessing wings nor an easy form of travel has ever been an isolating force for the onpa. Combined with their high dietary needs, particularly the sheer amount of rich food they must consume, means they cannot survive in less-rich environments for long. Small groups of onpa are often the only ones to make the trek from their mountain homes, becoming both explorers and traders. The unexpected appearance of such powerful giant people often startled other species, and inspired no end of curiosity.   Gigantism itself is an interesting and complex topic, one that has appeared throughout nature in varying degrees. For many cultures, animals of tremendous size have naturally great power, and often connotations of divinity in some form. The idea of giant people inherited much of these pre-existing superstitions, even if they rarely–if ever–appeared in their own species. Some even took toward magical means to make themselves gigantic, a very ancient tradition that largely faded in time.   The sudden discovery of the onpa proved irresistably curious for these same cultures. Even if the onpa themselves are not inherently divine, they were often believed to be descended from divinity. That itself became a contentious matter, as some faiths believed a given mountain to be the land of the dead, or an afterlife of some kind. It helped that the onpa themselves never ascribed themselves as divine, or goddess-like for the most part. However, given the onpa's general seclusion at large and rare appearances, any time they did appear it always became a notable event.   No end of powerful people were interested in the onpa, either for their crafts or bloodlines. For the onpa at large, this meant a lot of privileged trading status and enjoyment of luxury goods offered up to earn their favor. In return, the onpa often traded away their exotic mountain wealth, be it in raw materials or finished goods. The former of which usually had the highest demand, as the onpa made onpa-sized things, after all. Those who tried attacking the onpa in turn discovered how insanely powerful, and vengeful in their destruction, they could be.   For many historians, the onpa are a curious thread in a large tapestry that usually ignores them. The likes of the Imperium and the Dominion both came and went without much involvement on the onpa's behalf. They weathered through the Great Darkness with remarkable ease, save those who died in the immediate vicinity of the World Gate explosion.   Their mythological airs, combined with their general seclusion, made onpa who did appear much more notable. Among them, one who etched a place in history throughout Aerthen, Lophern, and western Nerzin was Marrallaya the Savior. A particularly studious magical healer, Marrallaya had been born shortly before the end of the Great Darkness. Having learned to tend the many animals, plants, and even people of his land, he journeyed abroad when the skies cleared.   Marrallaya's knowledge and skills were passed on to many different people as he ventured across the lands. For those who'd lost their own methods in the great calamity, Marrallaya's gifts proved vital in saving countless lives. He himself aided even more, and so many descendants of his arts or those helped by him immortalized his insignia. It became a ubiquitous symbol for healing arts, and those who would give aide under selfless pretenses.   Many similar tales surround the onpa, both benign and not, all of them coming to color their relations with Veltrona's other denizens. It can make separating truth from fiction a troublesome thing, as such individualized accounts easily distort over the centuries.   Some people are even confused for being onpa outright, or at least associated with them because of unrelated gigantism. Still, the onpa have ever had a steady presence where they've been. History may not turn much of an eye upon them, but that suits them just fine. The building of a better world and an easy, prosperous life suits them well enough.