The Lanifoel Council: a Rule by 16 Mester Circles

The Lanifoel Council Chamber in the Main Library, oil painting by Reten Jen Apshot

When I first founded Lanifoel and all of it's great libraries, I also founded the council of Lanifoel, a council of now 16 Mester Circles, each circle holding a supreme skilled Mester, some have served as Mester for only a few years and others for more than half a millennium, but they are all placed under my guidance as the Mester Dominae. Currently I am known as Mester Dominae Lurius I of the Academic Circle and The Lanifoel Council, I am the first Mester Dominae being the founder and longest member of the Council of Lanifoel. 

Since Lanifoel is the grand city library of knowledge this is much more, each Mester are usually called for the monthly meeting in the Grand Council Chamber of our Main Library. Here under divine inspiration each Mester would use all of their acquired life knowledge within each of their individual specialty to find the best ways to handle any possible situation, issue, strife, refilling a newly opened Mester position or the myriads of diplomatic relations and policies which Lanifoel assist with. The rule of the Lanifoel Mester Council reach far beyond its City Borders and even within the Elven Empire which is Govern, more often than not we are visited by emissaries from other land.  

Each Mester holds one vote in the council except for the Mester Dominae which both vote on behalf of the Mester circle one is Mester of and as Dominae of the Lanifoel council. Between meetings each individual Mester hold supreme authority within their circle. A Mester have to always act reasonable and are held to a higher standard as their acts would be reevaluated using the divine inspiration during the next Council meeting. This is in order to ensure the best and inspired way for governing all things.  

In many ways a Mester are only of Lanifoel during the council meeting, the rest of the time they are indeed The Mester of their circle, not on behalf of the city of Lanifoel or the Elven Empire which a Mester would dwell in, but a Mester is actually working for the greater good of all of Aragnantho. This is why divine inspiration is such an instrumental part of every decisions made by each individual circle Mester. As a Mester sometimes one have to travel to the end of the known civilization, in order to collect first hand information of a specific circle relevant issue. This is also why the council of the Elven capitol of Lanifoel is not only filled with elves but also has, gnomes, dragons, dwarves and humans as a circle Mester. In addition there are ambassadors there to ensure that those that do not have a Mester currently in the Lanifoel Council still can have their issues heard through the diplomatic channels of their Ambassador.

The age of the Mester council members vary from myself the Mester Dominae as you know I am the oldest elf, and yes I was only a few hundred years of age when i founded the city of Lanifoel back in year 1ES and later the Council. The youngest member of our council has now in the year of 1146ES been with us as a Mester since she was the age of 17, Mester Taria Ators a most impressive female, and her brilliance has already in these 3 years even when she is not using divine inspiration her ways of seeing new things not only within the circle of Alchemy but how all things connect. Now some might say argue that I am not the oldest member of the Lanifoel council thats very true, some of the dragons were practicing their ways in flight long before my parents even got their first child of I was their youngest. 

The current Lanifoel Council of Mester Circle Members is as follows; 

• The male Silver elf Scholar Mester Dominae Lurius I of The Academic Circle and the Lanifoel Council.
• The female human lifechymist Mester Taria Ators of The Alchemic Circle.
• The female gold pearl elf trader and explorer Mester Aqwu Aqzhnirea of the Circle of Trade, Values and Exploration.  
• The female gold elf Mester Flenri Ea of the Circle of Magical Enchantments  
• The male gnome Mester Glenk Whanderdlan* of the Circle of Magical Illusions 
• The female human Mester Jaliana Iusarusia* of the Circle of Magical Necromantics
• The male human Mester Abnnaj Hanan of the Circle of Magical Abjurations
• The male human Mester Mandsjab Nabrbanrah of the Circle of Magical Invocations
• The gold dragon Mester Vaknanrix Xchin of the Circle of Magical Summons and Conjurations
• The silver dragoness Mester Trishnankazchunabjanrueerlisz of the Circle of Magical Transmutations
• The male gold elf Mester Jhabnnan Roush of the Circle of Ancient Magic 
• The male copper elf Mester Hanngabus Yrabnar of the Circle of Nature
• The female copper elf Mester Nilifel Aeriliea of the Circle of Weaponry
• The male copper elf Mester Vuik Xiunklen of the Circle of Traditions
• The female silver elf Mester Cliunsar Nanaannaereullea of the Circle of Engineering
• The female silver elf Mester Ybah'llia Annranrui of the Circle of Spirituality

*These Mester Circle members are from the College of Magic which used to be a competing force of knowledge and influence before I invited to include them into the Council of Circles, rather than having them as a force of evil, and thus also have them see their ways through the divine inspirations.

The Sheheel Mountains, Psidium, Lytazi and The Lytazi Cromach Priests

The Sheheel Mountains 1997AD oil painting by Reten Jen Apshot

1145ES. Travel description of the Sheheel Mountains by Reten Jen Apshot, Metapsionic explorer of both the mind, body and the world.

Though many have heard about this most mysterious mountain chain located in the central parts of The Thalmariea Continent, few really know much about this most psionically tuned place on Aragnantho, among psionics this is their most holy site for pilgrimage as this is said to be the dwelling place for Lytazi, the God of all psionics. The second most important site for followers of Lytazi is the great temple dedicated to the god of psionics located in my own home city of Lanifoel. 

Some travel there bearing gifts hoping the god of psionics would grant them a talent in the arts of the mind. Others like psionic wild talents go there to bear their awe and reverence for their gifts from the great god of all mind powers. Some even go there in search for the most mysterious and legendary metal psidium, which is said to enhance the psionic talent of anyone using it, or even bring up dormant psionic wild talents within. All pilgrims are greeted equally regardless if they are there to bring thanks to the god, search for new ways of the mind or the mysterious psidium metal,  the Lytazi Cromach, Lytazi's specialist priests, are totally neutral.

I am myself a metapsionic researcher, explorer and have been to The Sheheel Mountains a many times, but even in the few hundred years of doing my best to honor the God Lytazi which all my talents of the mind comes from I have yet to actually meet Lytazi the great god, or Lytazi the Avatar. Being to my knowledge the only God to have chosen Aragnanto to be its place of Divine Dwelling. 

Home to the Most Marvelous God Lytazi, centered in the middle of the Sheheel Mountains

Illusionary illustration by Gneros Forgot, master illusionist.

The Sheheel Mountains (Pronounced Shje-heel) 
This most mysterious mountain chain has a number of peaks placed and if seen from above the Sheheel Mountains form a circle that covers an area of about one billion square yards. This is the smallest mountain chain on the continent of Thalmariea, and also its peaks are tiny compared to the Dragon Mountains of Jahnamanriajah in South Thalmariea, or The dry Ahnabanrhaksha Mountains of the Great East Thalmariea. Some say the Mountain chain of Sheheel were pulled out of the ground by Lytazi himself. Once a year the most holy event of Sheheel Mountain chain happens, this is the day when the great sun turns blood red, and for some still unknown reason this phenomena is only observable from the Sheheel Mountains. When this happens the sky turn deep red. And the deep black Sheheel Mountains is bathed in this eerie light. The Sheheel Mountains is also the home to the famous Seven Seers. The Sheheel Mountains is the only mountain chain visible from the Great Ganathor Swamp, which lays to the North West of the Mountains of Sheheel. 

Psidium Metal
The Psidium metal is said to be very special indeed, from what I could pull out the metal itself is supposed to be silver gray purplish in color, carry a wavy pattern within the metal itself, radiate immense psionic energy, warm to the touch, light to handle but at least as strong as the finest steel. What I know for sure is that the Metalchymists believe Psidium to be a real metal, there are too many of them that speak of how their masters teachers had at least once in their lifetime gotten to work with psidium and the unbelievable powers that the metal had on those, still it has remained illusive to me, but one day I am sure I will also use a psidium object.  


The God of all Psionics, Lytazi
Lytazi, is actually the very first part of this Gods name, the full name it 3 pages long, and it is said if you can speak out the full name of Lytazi you will be heard and in powered with Lytazi's chosen psionic talent, chosen specifically for you. Lytazi dwells in the deepest part in the very center of The Sheheel Mountains, and when one look how the Sheheel Mountains raise up in the middle of the Thalmariea Continent, in an area with no other mountain chains, one would think it has to be directly link to Lytazi himself. Lytazi is said to live within a cave of pure Psidium metal, hidden even from his most devoted Lytazi Cromach priests. Lytazi is a greater god, some think Lytazi is one of the great dragon gods, that watched and felt for not only the dragons but also all the new creatures of intelligence and ambition that started to populate the lands of the dragons. Other scholars again think Lytazi is transcendent being not a being in the way we would understand but the purest psionic energy itself able to manifest into a concrete form.  Lytazi himself neutral to any foreign race, creed, deed or even greed as he grant the gift to both man, elves, beast, dwarves, gnomes, halvings and even fungi, plants and some rare oozes.


The Lytazi Cromach Priests
These specialist priests live in a mostly solitary life, their heads covered with the Cromach helm, a helm made of thick fabric with no openings for visual inputs, the priests believe one have to isolate oneself from the visual inputs of the world around them and uses a full form of psychic sight to see, this gives them a 360 degree spherical vision field, this also makes the priests totally impossible to catch off guard. unless they are sleeping, which they rarely do choosing instead to do meditative rejuvenation rather than sleep. Other than the Cromach helm the Lytazi Cromach Priests wear a purple cloak and is usually totally unarmed preferring to use their minds as a weapon if they ever need to fight, the Lytazi Cromach.  Priests are all psionic and also have spells granted directly from their god Lytazi. The priests rarely leave the Sheheel mountains, and other than the Lytazi Cromach priests in the city of Lanifoel they are a fairly rare sight. 

The Gnomish Airsailship Trade: Chapter 6 "The Myrtica" by Mester Dominae Lurius I

"The Myrtica" Gnomish Airsailship

In Chapter 6 "The Myrtica" of my Book on Gnomish Airsailship Trade, I describe; The Druidic Forgnome Fot Family of the Ganathor Swamp and Above with Krystiffer Myrt Saltfot, Myrmida Myrteduft Luftfot and their child Myrtefot in a Airsailship they call "The Myrtica".

This is an excelent example of how a multi druidic family often are blending their different druic dogmas into one algamic family unit, this is especially more common in druidic gnomes than among any other race, which more often stay in a monodruic order rather than being blended. Now remember, I am myself not fond of Airsailship travel, which is much of a passion only gnomes have truly found to be their calling.

The forgnome household of The Fot family are as follows;
Krystiffer Myrt Saltfot, age 131, male forgnome salt druid.
a devout salt druid, vivid traveling salt trader, transporter and philosopher with an impressive Salt shrine placed in the family's own gnomish airsailship that flies routes into the deep salt fields of The Northern Ganathor Swamp. Krystiffer Myrt Saltfot is also the husband of Myrmida Myrteduft Luftfot and father of their only son Myrtefot. Krystiffer himself has these most piercing brown eyes and the common green hairs that we all are a costumed to for forgnomes, he also has the talent to cause objects to be used as a projectile, this type of skills are common among forgnomes and for gnomes, only the psnomes are known to have more potent skills of the mind.

Myrmida Myrteduft Luftfot, age 127, female forgnome air druid.
a most impressive gnome and one of only a handful of gnomish air druids, which all are forgnomes and close relatives of Myrmida herself. Myrmida is a druidic philosopher and traveler. Like all of her home clan she has beautiful blue eyes. Myrmida told me how she loves to travel by air, or by dreams as this keeps her the closest to her sanctuary of the Ganathor Swamp clouds, that she follows as part of the Salt trade travel up to the Rielsys Mountains in the South. While I was observing the Fot, Myrmida even showed me how she could use the Airsailship cloud sweepers and even do cloud farming by seeding and harvesting, using some sort of salt like grains that her husband Krystiffer, the salt druid referred to as cloud seeds.

Myrtefot, age 23 male forgnome child, in trained to join his choosing of druidic order when he comes of age. Little Myrtefot has the most beautiful green eyes, and according to fornome traditions this usually predestined him to becoming a true druid of the forest, swamp or there of, and even at this young age he seems to know locations as a second sense, though the order of druidism is not yet set in stone, Myrtefot is almost certain to become a traveling philosopher, within any of the common druidic orders and circles known to attract forgnomes, still to young to have found his focus, no one knows where the nose of this forgnome would bring him.

"The Myrtica" Gnomish Airsailship

The Fot Family Airsailship "The Myrtica":
Common Tracking routes,
Year round pick up of prepared salts from the Salt Druid run salt beds in the Deep, North, Northwest, Land of Ilix, The Ismake River Delta, and The Northeast Ganathor Swamp. Delivery of prepared salts to other salt druid areas South of the Great Ganathor Swamp and up to the Rielsys Mountains, picking up mined salts from the druids on the way, and delivering hard to get salts on the way.

In different parts of the year Myrmida's cloud farming, seeding and harvesting bring the Airsailship traveling routes to the Great Caliphate, picking up other types of salts from the Salt Druids of the Great Caliphate, in the early winter and sunchange months, the tracking of swamp clouds bring the Fot Airsailship to the Salt Druidic run wemic salt plains and deserts to East and North East of the Great Ganathor Swamp.

Followed by a tracking to the Far East Thalmariea outposts of the Salt Druids of the Sea, and then completing the circle of Salt for salt and other goods transport and cloud farming in the Upper Ganathor Swamps.

The Fot Airsailship in Numbers:
Gnomish Airsailship, clockwork mechanics, airchymical lift, metal cargo hull, and upper hull passenger, crew and living quarters with 3 masts, 4 wing sails and aerial radials for cloud farming, harvesting and seeding.

Size: 350 meter length, 60 meter width, 3 masts with sails, 4 wing sails and two 60 meter long Cloud Sweepers.

Transport Capacity of the Fot Family Airsailship 
cargo ball space 30 tons
Passenger capacity; 10 tons. 
The Fot Family accept traveling passengers, though hardly anyone chose to travel into the Ganathor swamp with them, but on the other hand they often pick up travelers in their in-between tracks between areas outside the Swamp.

Crew; flightfot gnomes, distant clan kin of Myrtmida, and gnomes skilled in the clockwork mechanics needed for operating a Gnomish Airsailship.

Cargo:

Other than salt which is the main cargo, the other common cargo from the swamp includes, swamp mud, peat, turf, soil, rare swamp jungle timber, bricks, jeupou soap, herbs, fungi, exotic animals, nafta, tar, pitch, oil, pelts, furs, pearls, urtica and other fabrics.

The Scientic Pyramide Cube of Divine, Arcane, Psionic and Weightchymical Technological Order for a Civilization By Mester Dominae Lurius I

Chapter Illustration on the Order of Civilization in one of the most complex works of how the world and multiverse is formed by The Oldest known Silver elf Mester Dominae Lurius I of the Academic Circle in the great Crystal City of Lanifoel.

Every civilization has an starting point on the floor of the pyramidal cube, and based on how it starts up it would be in the general vicinity of either a psionic start, a divine intervention start, a arcane magical start or a pure weightchymical observational sensential start. In addition there is a fifth starting point, the theoretical Zero, which is where a civilization start point is neither closer or more distant to any of the four corners of the pyramidal cube floor. 

Now lets follow a few examples of each of the individual civilization starting points as theoretical pure standpoint;

A Divine Intervention Started Civilization
The Theoretical of a divine intervention of dogma, technology or even full creation of the divine kind can be illustrated beautifully by the magical racial start up of the elves. The elves were created trough pure divine magic, a race of perfection and love for all things, with a longevity and abilities that none other has seen before. But even as one of the oldest elves currently known to live I am still no closer to knowing how it all started. Most civilizations including the gnomes, trace their origin back to a point of divine creation, which is the main criteria for a divine intervention start, to be directly created or guided by some of their gods and goddesses.

Arcane Started Civilization
Here you find the dragons, more ancient some say than even the gods, they are all innate magical beings, bred from the magical struggle fought between the elder ones, and this magical onslaught reaped the blood that gave rise to the dragons, which are superior to all I know of or at least as equal to some of the other most ancient beings of the Abominal Aboleth.

Psionically Started Civilization
Here you find the Abominations like the Aboleth, Beholders and other strange, bizarre and alien masters of the mind, most of these are very strange with abilities of the mind that can trifle anything given by arcane or divine magic.

Weighchymical Observational Sensential Started Civilization
I would say here you find the dynamic myriads of humans, which some seem to have risen to greater understanding of things trough no other means than their own ability to notice, smell, taste, explore, touch and work their ways into deeper growth without any outside guidance of any sorts. The currently most weightchymical race I must say is the different gnomes, compensating their lack of magic with the weitchymical wiz of their minds, the dwarves do pretty good in weightchymicals being very focused of the world they can see, touch and hammer into shape. 

The Perfect Zero Started Civilization
This would be an imagined civilization that start with totally equal amounts of all the four types of starting grounds, each in total balance. I have to say that only the clockwork world of Nirvana is in perfected harmony and equal distance to all theoretical starting points.

Now most civilization would have some glimpse at all the four influences, and even not in the start as they climb up the scientic pyramid cube they will all wander and wobble towards the different four corner philosophies that form their very essence of civilized development. 

There are so many examples we could look into. Everything from step one Stone age lizards, and fifteen step barbaric bullywugs to the super advanced dragons. However lets start our focus on those step 15th barbaric bullywugs, they are placed in the field closest to divine superstition with some arcane pressure and massive amounts of pure sense based technology, and the Bullywug seem to have no powers of the psionic, or such has so far been mentioned from anyone, of those that returned that I have sent to explore the Lesser Bullywugs to this date. 

However there are numerous other bullywug civilizations on Aragnantho, among these are The Advanced Bullywugs of Quagarbraag which already has reached the 55th step and even kept it fairly balanced in the scientic pyramid cube. This is naturally not as far as my own Silver elven Crystal Library City of Lanifoel at the 76th step with its strong psionic, divine, arcane and weightchymical shape. Or the 89nd step World of Eberon which has a far stronger shape towards divine, arcane and psionic with lessening strength from the logical order of the weighchymical corner, which my good friend Aquwa Aquwina has traveled.

Other interesting civilizations when placed in the pyramid cube like the fairly newly formed Land of Ilix along the Ismake River of the Ganathor Swamp has reached the 31st step with weak emphasis on both divine and arcane magic which still is governed by a more superstitious weightchymic sentential observational way. This make Ilix still ranked as fourth stage barbaric civilization with weak laws and a still vulnerable focus into feeble tribal elders and swift to anger chieftains.

The most divine shaped order of civilization must be the global orders of druids, each work as a separate collective and still as a unified but secretive system that makes them really hard to classify into the pyramid cube, I would assume them to be somewhere between the 61st and 73rd step.

The strongest psionic shaped civilizations are by far the Thor-kreen Empire a the 74th psionic step and the Lytazi Cromach Priests of The Sheheel Mountains, which no one still have quite managed to pyramid cube step shape to this date since their order are so secretive. Psnomes are the most psionically inclined of the gnomes they are also the least weightchymically inclined.

The dragons are also hard to pinpoint where they currently are in the scale of things, some would say they are at least at the 90th step, while other scholars say they have yet to reach 82nd, and the shape of their pyramidal cube differs greatly according to which chromatic, gematic or metallic creed they belong to.

The Drow or Dark Elves of Juanish are also highly advanced perhaps even at the 75th step with a very strong emphasis on psionic, arcane and divine magic and even still in some parts they seem to even be more weightchymical than Lanifoel they are lacking in other ways still condoning slavery of male Drow, and use of what they consider to be lesser races as their own playthings. Though who knows where the still oh so young Child-empress Loriofo I Xiltyn will bring the Dark Empire. 

Ilixic Swampdogs and Ilixic Duckdogs

Ilixic Swampdog, used for Hunting, Oil Painting by Reten Jen Apshot.

The Ilixic Swampdog; 

This dog has been bred for speed, stealth, stamina and intelligence,  able to assist in the hunt of many type of beasts of the swamp, and signal each type of prey back to the huntsmen, often they would let either one, two or even three Swampdogs run ahead of the hunters, and then follow their soft prints in the swamp mud, until the dogs then return to the hunters signaling direction and type of prey. To watch the silent communication between dog and hunters is actually amazing, even when observing the copper elves back in the Rielsys Forest one would rarely see such perfected order of hunt. 

Ilixic Duckdog, used for Duckherding, Oil Painting by Reten Jen Apshot.

The Ilixic Duckdog;

This dog is bred to function as both water borne and land borne guardians of the ducks, which the barbarians in the Land of Ilix are very dependent on. They unlike the silent and stealthy Swampdog the Duck dog are bred to be as noisy, loyal and as fearless as possible in its posture, is often trained to work with both the domesticated Graaval and the domesticated Jeupou, and could ward off large beasts like the Ganathor Swamp crocodile without any instructions from the trainer after they completed their two year duckherd training. I have seen it myself how a duck herd of 200 ducks were kept safe and collected even when approached by predatory birds, land predatory cats like the tiger and again as I mentioned before a school of fully grown crocodiles, which were quickly warded off when the Duckdog called on Domesticated Graavals to swim in a protective circle and keep the ducks safe and dandy. The Duckdog is also trained to assist with bringing in the ducks ashore for harvest.

Graaval: provider of Ivory, Graagriss and Graaval Beef

Graaval Ivory Lance

The Graaval is a most intelligent creature, not to similar to the unicorn of the forests and according to the most traveled pearl elves, the Graaval almost identical in appearance to the Narwhal of the distant oceans to the north. The greatest difference is that The Graaval dwell not in the oceans but in the great rivers of Ganathor, and I still recall how the Graaval at times got in close encounter with the Jeupou in the Ismake River. 

While the Jeupou where aggressive, ferocious and constantly out to drive us out of their watery swamp, the Graaval on the other hand would swim next to our raft, sometimes for hours at times, singing to us, and they especially seemed to have a deeper connection to our one pearl elf guide, Aqui Auqiwna I think her name was. More than once the Graaval would use their mouth lance to direct a school of Jeupou away from us, just long enough to get passed. I would myself never want to hunt or eat a Graaval based on the deep respect it showed us as travelers, in its land, though now a days the Barbaric tribes not only have tamed the Jeupou to be their beast of burden but also, both breed, eat and harvest many of the things they need from the Graaval of the Ismake River, The Graaval also interact in perfect harmony with the Ilixic Duckdog.     

Ivory, unlike the magical horn of the Unicorns, the Graaval lance, is not a horn but a tusk just like the ivory of elephants, where one tooth grow to a few yards in length, The barbarians sometimes have been reported to use this Graaval tusk as part of the war outfitting for their Jeupous, outfitted with a sharpened lance tusk a war trained Jeupou is even more dangerous. Other barbarians use the Gravaal tusk more like a lance shaped spear.

Graagriss, Graavals produce this is excessive amounts, and it is used by the tribes in many forms, herbal remedies, balms, soap and even as a pigment binder for their war paint. 

Mester Dominae Lurius I reminiscing his early travels up the Ismake River and how he encountered numerous Graavals there. 

The Jelidiba - Rhythmic Shamans

Jelidiba Silverbells and Duck Bone Pearl used for Decoration and Musical impressions during dance

An old saying of the Ganathor Swamps go as this "If you want trouble then trifle with a Jelidiba, but if you have trouble that needs to go away the Jelidiba can play, sing and dance for you a better tomorrow"

There are a few types of Jelidiba, of which most belong to the Bennieh caste. A Jelidiba uses the rhythm of dance, song and music to expel, rebuke, enforce, unleash, undo and redo spells of any kind, not bound to the spiritual, ancestral, magical, or clerical the Jelidiba can bring great change or great doom to those they perform their mystical music numbers for. 

A Jelidiba can perform alone or more often in a Troop of Jelidiba, one of the troop is then The Lead-Jelidiba, which always is a true Jelidiba of the Bennieh caste, and the others are referred to as Jelidiba Minor. A Jelidiba Minor may or may not be of the Bennieh caste, and sometimes the members of the troop performing as a Jelidiba Minor is not even a true Jelidiba at all but a Lay-Jelidiba that perform roles of the Troop as warrior dancers, clerical chanters, musical instrument players, full dancers or singers. 

Performers that are not of a artistic class like the warrior dancers count as half a Jelidiba minor when counting for combined troop magic, while full artistic performers count as a full Jelidiba minor regardless of their caste rank. Nevertheless if the Lead-Jelidiba is interrupted there is a high change of the spell to fizzle before the rest of the Troop complete it.

Example of a Typical Jelidiba Troop of Nine, with 4 counting as half the spell counter is as for a group of 7 Jelidiba is performing.  The Spells used is always governed by the level of the Lead-Jelidiba, if the Lead-Jelidiba is cut down, paralyzed or stunned, then one of the lesser Jelidiba take over, with a 25% chance of spell fizzle for each level difference between the lesser Jelidiba and the previous Lead-Jelidiba, if the Lead and lesser Jelidiba is of the same level then there is no chance of spell fizzle.  

Typical Nine Troop Jelidiba. 

Lead-Jelidiba Spell-singing, musical instrument/dance. Bennieh caste 1
Jelidiba Minor clerical chanter Bennieh caste (singing) 1 

Jelidiba Minor lesser Jelidiba Bennieh caste (drums/singing) 1 

Jelidiba Minor lesser Jelidiba Bennieh caste (drums/singing) 1 

Jelidiba Minor lesser Jelidiba Bennieh caste (dance/singing) 1 

Jelidiba Minor Dancing Warrior Messieh caste (Sword Dance) 1/2 

Jelidiba Minor Dancing Warrior Messieh caste (Fire Dance) 1/2 

Jelidiba Minor Dancing Warrior Messieh caste (Spear Dance) 1/2 

Jelidiba Minor Dancing Warrior Messieh caste (Kick Dance) 1/2

The Jelidiba wear an outfit of pearls, shells, small duck bones, white and colorful duck feathers, and numerous metal bells, where the Messieh wear 50 bronze bells and 100 duck bones, the Bennieh wear 200 duck bones combined with 50 silver bells and in the few cases of Treskeh Jelidiba troop members which wear no bones only 50 bells of silver and 100 shells. All troop members of a Jelidiba wear the feathers, and a headband made with numerous colorful pearls. The bones and bells are placed on the Jelidiba Troop members legs, and arms. (10 bells each arm, + 15 each leg, and all bones/shells placed in one double band around legs and hip.) 

The River Horses of The Ismake River

 The Great Ismake River Horse, Domesticated Jeupou, oil painting by Reten Jen Apshot

In my early years I traveled up the Ismake River, it already was filled with both Graavals and great numbers of River horses, this was more than one Millennia ago and back then the wild Jeupou river horses were just that wild, river loving beasts that constantly caused worry for those that wanted to pass their river into the North Mangroves of the Great Ganathor Swamp. 

If my memory serves me right about two hundred years ago the tribes of barbaric humans managed to tame the river dwelling Jeupou and turn it into a beast of burden, trained to pull river rafts, help them with transport and harvest, and also work as a ferocious beast in war, capsizing enemy rafts, canoes and snap their spears like they were little twigs in these beasts mouths. 

Few things is as fearsome than facing a geared up Jeupou with a Graaval lance running towards you or swimming in full speed as when in motion even its death would not prevent the sharpened lance to skewer you and probably another 3 - 4 other soldiers before this great beast comes to full rest in the waters.

The Jeupou, also serves as a great source of food, in my young years I remember how we enjoyed eating the fresh prepared meats from one most ferocious Jeupou which we luckily were not able to slay us first, but instead became a most delicious treat, and the meat when salted and prepared lasted us for the whole four month travels up the Ismake River.

I have never tasted the pink colored Jeupou milk myself, since back then the beasts were not willing to share their pink milk with others than their young, unlike the Jeupou of today's tribes in Ilix which use the pink milk an all forms, butter, cheese, fresh milk, Jeupou Soap and so much more. Perhaps I should even work on getting back to where my young years served me well one more time and try out the new meals of the land, it seems so much have changed since then.

Mester Dominae Lurius I of Lanifoel, reminiscing about his younger years of eating River Horse meat while exploring the Northern Mangroves and Ismake River in the Ganathor Swamp.

The Barbaric Class System by Explorer Reten Jen Apshot

A Greendragon Clan Ghrandraka amulet, worn and used to protect Dragon Rangers among the land of Ilix Clans. Oil Painting by Reten Jen Apshot, gold elf explorer and traveler.

The Barbaric tribes that I encountered around the Ismake River of the Ganathor Swamp, especially the barbaric tribes within the Land of Ilix follow numerous interesting traditions, they are strongly guided by superstitions, the belief that their ancestors interact in their daily life, following numerous taboos and a class system, divided into the following five barbaric classes; Stenniseh (stone class), Treskeh (wood class), Bennieh (bone class), Messieh (lesser metal class) and Jerneh (higher metal class).

Stenniseh, Stone Class
The stone class is those that has become outcasts, banned from living in the barbaric villages, they are no longer allowed to use any of the higher class tools or weapons, and can only use things of pearl, shell, stone and what the barbarians consider useless metals like silver and gold. They are allowed to use some items of wood but only the wood kinds that has been deemed unclean, or any item of the higher classes that has been jinxed by carrying great harm to those that owned them, meaning broken weapons can be mended and repaired by a Stenniseh and then used. A weapon that has ever shattered are deemed doomed and has to be given to the first Stenniseh in order to prevent further angering the ancestral spirits.  

Treskeh, Wood Class
The wood class are the barbarians that are considered to be hunters, gatherers, farmers, Jeupou herders, artisans, bards, makers and those that do trade. Foreigners are sometimes considered to be of equal class as the Treskeh, even if they rarely are.   

Bennieh, Bone Class
The bone class are those that are of the spiritual, shamans, druids, medicine men, witchdoctors, and even a few bards, these are usually the only ones seen using items of bone and Graaval ivory, since the barbarians believe that items of bone and ivory carry great danger only Bennieh's have what is needed to keep them safe. The Bennieh are also the ones that make Ruirnudrurish, which is considered a holy ingredient used to make Jeupou Soap.

Messieh, Lesser Metal Class
The lesser metal class are those of lower warrior birth, and are allowed to use lesser metals like bronze. Most Messieh warriors are the guards and fighters for those of Jerneh.

Jerneh, Higher Metal Class
The higher metal class are those of higher warrior birth, which are the only ones allowed to use higher metals like hammered iron, and also those of high elder status, tribal chieftains, and the elite wardens of Ilix are allowed to wear and use steel items, as well as hammered iron. 

Trade and crafting of stone, wood, bone, and lesser and higher metal items;
As I mentioned before, trade is done by the tradesmen members of the Treskeh class. This is handled by special talismans made for them by the those capable of crafting protective magic in the Bennieh class, a Treskeh trader has to wear one type of charm, amulet or talisman specially crafted to protect them from each type of class material other than wood. The same type of protective measures are done for the Treskeh craftsmen that work with and make items of other materials than wood. The protective items are as follows; One Bennieh bone amulet (cost 15 blocks of Jeupou soap), one Messieh bronze charm the size of a coin (cost 40 blocks of Jeupou soap) one Jerneh hammered iron talisman (100 blocks of Jeupou soap) and one Jerneh steel talisman (250 blocks of Jeupou soap). There is also a Treskeh wood token (5 blocks of Jeupou soap) that non-barbarian traders have to buy and wear in order to be allowed to handle, buy and sell any items of wood. Sometimes Ilex herself place a draconic protective rune on a item in order to make it safe to use for anyone regardless of class, this is something that she rarely do and even if she require quite a price for such a deed. 

Any item of the different class types that are to be brought out or into the Land of Ilix has to be specially blessed and marked, in order to keep the ancestors from causing total mayhem on both the buyers, sellers, and past and future owners of such an item, these blessings are sold separate from the tokens, amulets, charms and talismans that the trader would have to buy and wear at all times.

Change of class
Usually you are born into a class, and a barbarians class often stay the same for their whole life, there are still a few events that could cause a change of class more often it is to become of a lesser class rather than of a higher one. The Bennieh class is the hardest to become one of unless one was born into it, since members of Messieh are usually cast down to the Treskeh class, while Treskeh that are cast out because of any crime are made out casts, belonging to the classless Stenniseh, still children born of Stenniseh are always considered to belong to the lesser parents class before they were outcast to Stenniseh. The other way of class change is to move up which only happen if one get the special blessing to become of a higher class directed by Ilix herself.

Jeupou Soap - Exotic, Cleansing, Spiritual and Luxurious

Redgriss, one of the most important ingredients in Jeupou soap

During my third expedition to The Ganathor Swamp, I traveled upstream the Ismake River until I reach a land referred to as the Land of Ilix, unlike any other land of barbarians that I have encountered so far in The Ganathor Swamp, these smells of clean flowers.

After bartering for information I soon found their secret to lay in their obsessive use of what they call Jeupou Soap, this product which I found out after further inquires is made from a unique blend of numerous ingredients from the domesticated Jeupou, or as the locals call it their River Horse. The Soap is actually made out of a blend of melted Jeupou fat, Pink Jeupou Milk Butter, Graagriss, Redgriss, Salt, Leaves, Flowers, Saps or Bark from the Local Swamp and something called Ruirnudrurish, a family clan of usually make two blocks on the once a month day of Jeupou, or more if their spirits has been followed by darkness the passed month.

Jeupou Soap feels and smells so marvelous, and the local barbarians use it as part of their technique for cleaning hides, leathers and pelts as well as cleaning their herds of Jeupou. I also found out that among the Green Dragon Tribe it is custom to ritually cleanse themselves using Jeupou Soap two times a day. And even more so if something unclean have happens, The Tribe believes that using Jeupou Soap is the only way to wash of the evils, and appease their ancestors spirits if they done something taboo, unclean or even feel followed by bad luck, bad omens, disease or had a close family member passed over to the spirit world.  One block of Jeupou Soap last four 45 day months or half a year for one Greendragon tribesman and from what I was able to find out one setting of Jeupou Soap makes two blocks. Jeupou Soap is so important to the tribes that they set aside a whole day to the ritual of making of Jeupou Soap, a sacred ritual that no outsider is allowed to witness, and according to the village elders anyone that does would have to be given to Ilix.

The soap itself is so important to the tribes of Ilix that one could even consider it to be a fairly universal currency, though it is not nearly as highly valued in the less cultivated tribes outside of Ilix.

I currently use Jeupou Soap myself and found one block to last me one full year. Below is a simple list of what you can barter to get yourself one or more blocks of Jeupou Soap. Even tribes outside of Ilix, find the soap to be valuable for washing hides and leathers as part of curing them for armor.

Jeupou Soap is often used in combination with spongeberry gourds, the sponge like songeberry gourds are used to scrub with and softens when wet with soap and water.

• Food for a family of 9 for one day is the cost for one block
• Common Animal Pelts would each bring you between two and six blocks
• Weeks hard labor (ranging from tending the Jeupou herd, carpentry, pottery cooking and so on) 
• One unit of Gold = One block
• Ten units of Silver = One block
• Ten units of Copper = One block
• One Steel Dagger = Ten blocks
• Block of Swamp Iron = Five block
• Ten blocks of Peat = One block
• Leather sack of Honey = One block
• Leather sack of Sugar = One block
• Leather sack of Nuts = One block
• Fifteen empty Leather Sacks = One block
• Five Leather sacks of Raupou = One block
• Ten Urtica sacks of Duckweed = One block
• One Urtica sack of Gammey = One block
• One Urtica sack of Dried Lechcci = One block
• One Urtica sack of Swamp Licorice Root = One block
• One Urtica sack of Lotus = One block 
• Two Urtica sacks of Waiawi Leaves = One block 
• One Urtica sack of Waiawi Berries = One block 
• One Urtica sack of Waiawi Seeds = One block 
• One Urtica sack of Waiawi Bark = One block 
• One Jug of Waiawi Blossoms = One block 
• One Waiawi Wood Long Bow = One block 
• One Leather Sack of Red Flamingo Berries = One block
• One Leather Sack of Sweet Swamp Berries = One block
• One Leather Sack of Blue Swamp Berries = One block
• Five Leather sacks of Rice = One block
• One Arm of Bananas = One block
• One Large Basket of 40 Jottbair (Mutton-Berry) = One block
• Ten Leather sacks of Salt = One block
• One Jug of Graagriss = One block
• One Jug of Ruirnudrurish = One block
• One Graaval Ivory Lance = 20 blocks
• One Graaval = 100 blocks
• 124 Duck Eggs = One block
• 30 Live Ducks = One block
• 1 Trained Duckdog = 20 blocks
• 1 untrained Duckdog puppy = 5 blocks
• 1 Trained Swampdog = 20 blocks
• 1 untrained Swampdog puppy = 5 blocks
• Ten Urtica sacks of Duck Feathers = One block
• Five Urtica sacks of Ressalbe Algae = One block 
• One case of 18 Spongeberry Gourds = One block
• One Live Jeupou = Twenty blocks 
• One set of cured Jeupou Hide = Ten blocks
• Five blocks of Pink Jeupou Cheese = One block
• Five blocks of Pink Jeupou Butter = One block
• Four large Jeupou Teeth = One block
• 32 small Jeupou Teeth = One block
• 287 Jugs of Jeupou Darah = One block
• 400 Simple Clay Pottery Jugs = One block
• 450 Simple Clay Pottery Drinking Mugs = One block 
• Meat from one Jeupou = Three blocks
• Bones from one Jeupou = One block
• Organs from one Jeupou = One block
• 10 days of Redgriss = 10 mugs of Redgriss = One block
• 3 Jugs of Raw Jeupou Milk = One block
• 2 Jugs of Lean Jeupou Milk = One block
• 50 yards of Urtica Rope = One block
• 75 yards of Banana Rope = One block
• 50 Banana leaf baskets = One block 
• Two baskets of Ganathor Apples = One block
• One Black Pearl = One block
• Five White Pearls = Two Jeupou Soaps
• One Treskeh Wood Token = Five blocks 
• One Bennieh Bone Amulet = Fifteen blocks
• One Messieh Bronze Charm = Forty blocks
• One Jerneh Hammered Iron Talisman = 100 blocks
• One Jerneh Steel Talisman = 250 blocks 

Bear in mind that before you enter or leave the Land of Ilex you would have to pay a fee of safe passage, also anything you find, fetch, fish, hunt, gather, make or eat are also counted to how much you need to fee in order to not anger the ancestral spirits of the land.  The more lavish you are in your gifts back to the land the safer your travel would be according to the locals.