Melangia
Template:Subdivision Kildare Melangia was the leading county of the Barony of Atterock and, for a time, the private county of Andreas the Wise for all his time in Shireroth. After he left, the Melangian Cla'Udi took over as Count, and has been count ever since. Currently, however, the territory is a part of The Empire of the Pure Path.
History
For a time, Melangia was an area possessed by the individual known as Andreas the Wise. Andreas commissioned a history to be made of the land, but as with many projects, it was not quite correct in some respects. This history is known as the "Andreas Era" history. Later on, around 6670 ASC, The Empire of the Pure Path commissioned an effort to improve the accuracy of these historical records in the context of even earlier records; this later effort is known as the "Apollonian Era" history.
Habitation of the island dates back to the coming of Ahl early in time, and his creation of the first Mel'anje. Since then they have served him as priests and historians, including predicting the plague that swept Kildare, and ensuring much of the history was preserved within their libraries.
The Mel’anje are ancient relatives of Micras’ oldest recorded civilization and purported ‘first people’, the Mala'anje. While the original location of the Mal’anje homeland is disputed (reportedly somewhere on Keltia), the Mel’anje have kept careful records of their origins. Yet as no records exist prior to the schism, their archives have provided little help in determining the original location of Mala, the Mal’anje homeland.
According to ancient texts, the Mel’anje were the seafaring explorers of the Mal’anje civilization. They worshiped the God of Time, Ahl, which differed from the lesser gods worshiped by the main Mal’anje sects. A cataclysmic tsunami is said to have hit Mala and destroyed much of the civilization. The disaster was blamed on Ahl, and thus a rift formed between the Mel’anje and Mal’anje. As the tsunami destroyed much of the coast, the Mel’anje were greatly reduced in number. The Mal’anje, who had decided that the Mel’anje must be exterminated in order to placate the gods, quickly overpowered them. The Mel’anje gathered their remaining forces and made a fighting retreat to the sea, fleeing in their ships across the uncharted oceans.
For a thousand years they sailed the wide oceans of Micras, living off the sea, and adapting to an aqueous life. This resulted in the physical changes that have made the Mel’anje a distinct race. Forced to adapt, the Mel’anje developed gills and webbed fingers and toes. Having a narrower form and more agility allowed them to become deft swimmers. Their gills allowed them to breathe underwater for extended periods of time, giving them the advantage of being able to dive for shellfish (which they themselves did not eat, but which they instead sold to others). They were also skilled at spear hunting.
The physical changes made them unwelcome among normal humans, and so the Mel’anje remained a nomadic people for many centuries. Eventually however their population grew to such a size that the Elders determined they must find a place to settle. After a long search they came across a deserted island with favorable conditions similar to their old homeland. This they settled and named Melangia.
Young and budding as a new civilization, the Mel’anje were invited by Emperor Jacobus to join the United Imperium. Fearing for their own protection they readily joined, and remained a part of that nation, as it became a component of Tymaria and eventually Shireroth. As the years passed the Mel’anje became closely aligned with the Kildarians, and they threw their lot in with them when Kildare seceded from Shireroth. Relatively isolated, they were able to avoid the massive destruction that destroyed Antica, Jingdao and Apollonia. As people began to rebuild, the Mel’anje found an ally in the Norfolkians, likewise an ancient seafaring people. And so, Melangia for a time joined Norfolk.
The Mel'anje People
They are quite comfortable in the water, swimming and diving around. They're shorter than normal humans, and often look a bit like they're sneaking. Some among them know how to interpret the shape of clouds. Some of them are well-versed in history, but not necessarily all of them. They have varied interests.
Temple to Ahl
Ahl, god of Time, and patron god of historians, had a temple in Melangia. In it are kept many sacred and historical scrolls, and the sacred ink. Andreas the Wise is sometimes regarded as a high priest of this temple.
Cloud Divining
Discussed at length during the "Andreas Era" history was something called "cloud divining". Nobody knows quite when the principal of Cloud-Divining started on Melangia. It just appears to be something that 'was always there'. A pre-eminent Gralan-Atterockian Historian mused that the Mel'anje people were created around the time the Etruri, some Gralan mortals with god like powers, were at the height of their power. The Etruri were known to have communicated to their followers with lightning. And they were known to have been active on the Kendall Isles, so close to Melangia. Who is to say they didn't also communicate with clouds, and the Melangians learnt to read it.
But that time was long since past, and what may once have been a practical method to read the emotions of god-like people had long since become an artform that the most devout Melangians all swore by. There was, apparently, no end to what could be read in the clouds - in their shape, form, thickness ... and in the colours they formed at sunset.
Anyone familiar with chaos theory, and the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in Toketi New Shirlan could cause a storm in Magna Novatainia would feel comfortable with much of what he talked about - clouds picking up disturbances in the weather patterns, air currents etc, which would allow a Cloud-Diviner to predict the weather several days ahead, and up to a few hundred kilometres away. He talked about the weather influencing people's moods (which was obvious), but also about people's moods influencing the weather.
The Atterock
A huge stone fell from the sky in the twelth year of the Reign of Raynor XI. It was named the Atterock, and revered by locals. Eventually it was discovered to have been from a satellite exploded by Locke, under the influence of the Remnant, in an attempt to recreate the Eve of Destruction.
Melangian Naming Conventions
At one time, naming conventions were used by Melangians.
Melangian Naming Convention 101:
There must be a ' after the third letter in the word.
Melangian Naming Convention 102:
There do exist further subtleties beyond a '. For example, it was considered innapropriate to name someone Xxx'wassisnameIdunnohowlongthisthingisgonnagobutitstoolong.
The subtleties, as currently known, are:
There was generally only be three or four letters after the '.
The first letter of the name cannot be a vowel (preferably there is only one vowel in the first three letters, though two in the second is appropriate).
Significant names include parts (or a variation thereof) of Melangia or Ahl (as in Mel'Ahl).
Melangian naming is quite similiar to Hau'Oli naming (though it tends to use more vowels) but is not, despite the ', bearing any relation to Micron naming.
The ' indicates a slight pause, nothing more.
However, by the time of The Empire of the Pure Path's benevolent guardianship of the island of Melangia, these naming conventions had relaxed to the point that they were no longer commonly used. Moreover, some Melangians throughout Micras adopted, for example, English, Craitish, and Dutch naming styles.
Prominent Citizens
Mel'Kat - Commander of the Atterockian Navy, and veteran of the Bosworth War, the Kildarian Civil War (aka the Gong Li Rebellion and various others. Cla'Udi - Chief Cloud Diviner of the Melangians, and one of their most respected elders. Ramus the Farsighted - A great seer of the Melangian people, and the seer who foretold From the North. Andreas the Wise - High Priest of Ahl and Baron of Atterock.
