The abidjanis are a race of humanity found in the far northeastern swamps of Abidjan, a cluster of marshes and jungle surrounding the Godsmount. Most of the population of Abidjan live in small bamboo hut villages scattered throughout the swamps, living a largely hunter-based lifestyle. About a quarter of the abidjanis live in the city of Abidjan, a large conglomeration of huts nestled in between the Northern Peaks and the winding ridges of the Godsmount. The city as it is now appears to have been built largely in the native style, although there are some anachronisms in parts of the city. The white stone keep at the centre of Abidjan along with the remains of the old granary and certain other structures speak of far older architecture likely dating from the time of Zeal.

The abidjanis wear masks from dawn to dusk in a variety of styles and are rarely if ever seen without one. Abidjanis will occasionally embellish their masks further to mark events in their life such as marriage and childbirth, as well as deaths. The wearing of masks appears to be a strong cultural requirement to be truly one of the abidjanis and an abidjani is never seen in public not wearing one, except in cases of shame or extreme overconfidence, seeming to hold some sort of fear about exposing the face. The natives are also fond of simple jewellery and wear otherwise plain skirts and sandals as clothing.

The natives practice a form of ancestor worship not unlike the pagan tribes of the Andal region in Leanantla, with the notable distinctions of vertox and cannibalism as a form of worship. Whilst the potentially spiritual connotations regarding such a potent narcotic as vertox are easy to assume, it is the act of cannibalism that confuses most civilised explorers and often leads them to demonise the abidjanis as crazed devourers of flesh. It is in fact the common belief of the abidjanis that the strength and wisdom of the dead are passed on to the living through the act of feasting upon them, so cannibalism amongst the true abidjanis is restricted solely to shamans, tribal chiefs and great heroes amongst their people. Most abidjanis would not eat a foreigner, simply because they do not believe them worthy of the great honour afforded to those who are cannibalised.

It is the belief of those who still follow the Mahikan faith that the greatest form of worship to Mahiko and His demons is to provide them with a human body to inhabit, then to consume it and in so doing the demons may impart their strength and wisdom into the feasters. For a Mahikan to successfully capture a human body (dead or alive) means great respect shall be afforded him amongst those who still follow the dark path, as well as a feast for all of his cult. It is notable that Mahikans refuse to use orks for this purpose, as they consider them unclean, but otherwise are not picky in the humans they use for their celebrations. The vast majority of abidjanis are not Mahikans, but follow ancestor worship or the Lost Voice.

The citizens of Abidjan follow a less hunter-based lifestyle than the abidjanis in the provinces, nestled deep within the natural fortress their geography provides. The city actually has extensive fields where crops of various sorts are grown and tended by the natives, including the simply vast fields of the natural form of vertox. These fields are surrounded by large regions of burnt out grassland due to the slash-and-burn farming tactics of the abidjanis, a practice long banned in Mercia due to the deforestation it causes but which the marshes of Abidjan can recover from because of the relatively small population. To date Abidjan is the sole place where vertox is known to naturally grow, leading most to assume that something in the swamps is necessary for the plant to grow although none know what this may be. Interestingly the abidjanis possess a very high resistance to the deleterious effects of vertox, whether by chance or simply having made use of it for five hundred years.

In more recent years, the old granary of Abidjan collapsed during a rockslide and resulted in five standing stones falling into a perfect pentagram. The abidjanis have begun using the place as a site of worship due to the miracle of its falling and its location as a spiritual nexus - a place where demonstruck regenerate. Most abidjanis worship their ancestors through vertox-centric rituals and individual prayer, but there is record of abidjanis once worshipping a Lost Voice (”Segses”) centuries ago that vanished at a time the skies went black. This ‘Lost Voice’ myth refers to the founding of Abidjan when the abidjanis were led from the ‘cor al jeidal’ (”heart of corruption) to the south, believed to be the Empire of Zeal, by a Saint of the Lost Voice. A more likely story places the abidjanis as being the inhabitants of one of the ships fleeing Zeal after the summoning of Maguun that crashed on Goddess shore, stranding its people in the marshes. Although most abidjanis presently continue with ancestor worship, recent events have led to some revivals of belief in the old faith.

A dwindling number of abidjanis worship Mahiko, an alias of the Shadow demon Maguun. Some years ago a man named Diego came from the south and converted the people of Abidjan to Mahiko, introducing the ‘divine act’ of cannibalism to them and using them for the infernal ends of the demon before abandoning them. Most of the abidjanis still recall this betrayal and abandoned Mahiko with a vengeance, learning to hate and fear all southern humans. Although the actions of southerners in recent years (curing an abidjani plague, bringing more wealth into the city) has softened this attitude, abidjanis are still fiercely protective of their home and independence. Unless a southerner is known to them, they are generally very hostile in their attitudes towards them (ranging from unhelpfulness to outright attack).

Whilst some of the abidjanis continued to worship Mahiko after Diego left, the number of Mahikans has dwindled continuously since the departure of Maguun and now comprises an ever-reducing section of the population. Coupled with the lack of demonic influence from Mahiko, the general disfavour of Mahikanism (even though it is not strictly outlawed) has led to a continuing marginalisation of the cult.

Although abidjanis are becoming more accepting of southern humans, they are generally outright hostile to any form of ork, particularly fellkin. Abidjan is a couple of hundred miles from the Orkish citadel of Khalag and as a result has suffered its fair share of raids and attempted attacks over the years. The highly defensible marshlands of Abidjan have successfully deterred and confounded countless attempted invasions by Khalag itself (thanks additionally to the subtle guerilla tactics of the abidjani hunters) but there is still the continuing problem of the fellkin who live in the valleys beyond the ridges of the Godsmount.

Crime is relatively low in Abidjan, likely due to a rather efficient ‘eye for an eye’ system of retribution and (lethal and non-lethal) duelling as a common method of settling disputes. Local issues tend to be meted out by individual chieftains, whilst major crimes such as murder and rapine are dealt with in the city. Abidjan is infamous for its wyvern pit, where such villains are sent for the implied fate at the claws of a captured wyvern.

Government is split between the nine great tribes of Abidjan that take care of local matters in the countless villages in the swamps and the Archons of the city itself who (at least in theory) accept the hegemony of the tribal leaders and rule directly within the confines of Abidjan proper. The chiefs of the outlying tribes tend to be determined by trials of combat and leadership, with the Archons similarly chosen to represent the various aspects of the city (commerce, defence, religion etc).

Finally, the attitude of abidjanis towards magic is worthy of note. Abidjanis, by and large, seem to hate magic (though not miracles of a clerical nature). This is possibly a throw-back from their experiences with Diego (Mahikans are as such rather more lax in their attitudes towards magic), although it seems also to be deeply rooted in their culture. Stories and folk tales persist amongst the abidjanis of foul sorcery and witchcraft, leading to their initial rejection of southern alchemy as such until it was successfully used to cure a major plague amongst the abidjanis. Abidjanis with the witchblood are considered to be cursed and blessed by their condition and the lack of magical training available leads most to seek understanding of the strange world they see from demons, ancestors or the Lost Voice rather than attempting to decipher it on their own.

Abidjani is its own language. It is not mechanically a language, and is entirely roleplayed as such. It can be learnt by players. It is generally assumed that all abidjani characters speak abidjani. Additonally, southerners have been in Abidjan teaching Mercian speech and writing for over a year now, so feel free to speak broken, partial or even fluent Mercian. Try not to abuse the use of abidjani being a language. If you keep having secret conversations in public in abidjani, people will eventually start picking up enough abidjani to understand you. Don’t powerplay this or it will be ruined. For those seeking to pepper their speech with abidjani dialect, a list of abidjani words and phrases can be found below.

There is an abidjani script, which abidjani shamans and potentially tribal leaders will know. Like the language, it can be learned and is a roleplaying tool, not a powerplaying tool. Most abidjanis cannot read the shamanic script. As well as being taught Mercian speech, a number of abidjanis are being taught how to read and write in Mercian. How well your character can do this is up to you.

Abidjanis have a rich heritage of hating and fearing magic, not in the least because they have no organisations that actually understand magic. Magic is a matter of research, study and years of training to understand the Weave and how it works. The abidjanis lack organisations such as the Priory or Cabal to teach such and generally despise any sort of arcane magic. Play an abidjani mage if you wish, but expect him to be horribly outcast amongst his own kind (and have a damn good reason as to how he learnt magic). Most abidjanis with witchblood look to their ancestors, demons or a god to provide them with the insight into how to manipulate the Weave safely rather than trying to understand it themselves (they use Faith, not Magery). A few become Spellsingers, an art kept quietly amongst the Udu and generally not regarded as magic due to the subtlety of its effects.

Concepts such as charity, noblesse oblige and the sanctity of life are not brilliantly apparent in the abidjani mindset. Abidjanis do not see brotherhood, mercy or fairness as beautiful ideals (more from a lack of comprehension that philosophical opposition) and instead consider things such as spiritual dignity, a good hunt and winning in battle or competition as ‘good’ in an idealistic sense. Abidjani values are generally three steps to the left and upwards of Mercian values; rather alien in comparison.

If you are an abidjani, you probably take vertox. Your entire people have been taking vertox for five centuries. You come from a land where vertox grows naturally in huge amounts and it is not only socially acceptable but encouraged to smoke vertox as part of religious and secular activities. How much you take is up to you, but chances are if nothing else you have a very accepting view of the drug. Most abidjanis never stop taking vertox long enough to suffer serious withdrawal, given how relatively freely available it is to them.

Cannibalism is an accepted practice in Abidjan, but is not as wanton as southerners believe. Only Mahikans will indiscriminately kill people for their cannibalistic feasts to Mahiko. The practice of eating people is otherwise reserved only for the highly venerated amongst the abidjanis upon their death; tribal leaders, shamans, great heroes. It is believed that the knowledge, skill and greatness of those consumed will be passed to the feasters and it is considered the greatest honour to an abidjani to be eaten. Generally the more people eat you, the higher the honour, so there are legends of great chiefs who had whole tribes come to take a mouthful of their corpse. It is, however, a highly ritualistic affair and abidjanis (unless they are Mahikans) will generally only consume those they deem worthy of the greatest respect.

Abidjanis are generally wary of outsiders of all kinds, though they have in recent years become more adjusted to southern visitors and are somewhat less likely to kill them on sight. They remain distrustful of non-abidjani humans until they know them well, or unless they have been adopted into one of the tribes by initiation. Towards more exotic races such as Morverc’h or Lorilee their attitudes are likely to be a mixture of fear and awe (leaning towards the fear) as they are almost never seen in the marshes. Ghoula, similarly, are an unknown to the abidjanis although they would likely hate and fear them for their appearances. Noctii are equally unknown and so could pass quite comfortably in Abidjan, as are therians. There are really only two forms of outsider that abidjanis will hate on sight or recognition; orks and mages. Five hundred years of attacks by Fellkin, coupled with a few failed invasions on Khalag’s part, have left a strong racial hatred for orks of all kinds in the abidjanis (although they do differentiate between Khalagian and Fellkin orks). Mages have been hated since the inception of Abidjan and the shamanic bodies of the tribes go to surprisingly great lengths to see it stamped out in all its forms within the marshes. The only exceptions to this are Spellsingers, where the art has been preserved in the Udu tribe.

The face is considered the mask of the soul amongst the abidjanis, a highly personal thing and something that should be guarded and concealed. Names are but words to the abidjanis; the face is the truth of one’s being and not for view by strangers. Abidjanis thus almost always wear masks in public, taking them off only amongst family and trusted friends. To be without a mask of some sort, even a helm, is considered a sign of either great trust or overconfidence and is typically frowned upon if the latter. Abidjani masks depict a great deal about the person behind them, or at least as much as they wish to be known about them. As the mask is effectively armour for the soul, it displays those aspects that they wish the public to know about them. A very basic abidjani mask will depict the season of the wearer’s birth (a rising sun for Imseg, a full sun for Imrihamun, a moon for Tumumer and a star for Sed, beneath the chin), the tribe of their parents (shown on the left cheek) and their current tribe (shown on the right cheek). Faith is usually marked above the eyes at the centre of the forehead with a star (for ancestor worshippers), a sun (for followers of the Lost Voice) or in more recent times a moon (for followers of Mahiko and his servants). Other details such as profession, number of kills (orks in green stripes, human in white) and allegiances may be recorded on a mask. Within Abidjan, clothing is light and usually kept to a skirt for casual wear. Jewellery is commonly accepted. In war, light armours of leather and bone are favoured, with Nimurkur warriors wearing splintmail where it suits them. Mercian and Khalagian weapons are generally unknown, with natives favouring light daggers such as the kukhri and spears and similar polearms.

The trinity of the Sun, Moon and Stars (the abidjanis praise the Greater Moon over the Lesser Moon) plays a strong part in the complex beliefs of the abidjanis. The Sun is typically representative of Segses, the mythical Lost Voice who brought about the foundation of Abidjan. The Stars represent the ancestors of the abidjanis, especially those who existed after the disappearance of the Lost Voice. The Moon formerly represented an unknown darkness, stemming from the legend of the Moon eclipsing the Sun and causing the disappearance of the Lost Voice, but has been taken in the last decade or so to represent Mahiko or lesser demons. All three elements are revered for different reasons. Sun-worshippers praise the Lost Voice for its role in the creation of Abidjan and tend to associate it with great power. Moon-worshippers praise Mahiko or lesser demons for their perceived role in usurping the Lost Voice and tend to associate the Moons with particular skill or cunning. Star-worshippers praise the ancestors that guided them when the Lost Voice disappeared and tend to associate them with the fortunes and strengths of the common man rather than higher divinities. The three elements are considered within a cyclical heirarchy of sorts, with the Sun dominating the Stars, the Moon occluding the Sun and the Stars shining despite the Moon. Each is considered dominant to one and submissive to the other in the abidjani mythology. By and large, atheism and agnosticism do not happen in abidjani society. Whilst there will always be those who doubt the existence of the divine or may not really believe, there is strong social pressure to at least pay lip service to one of the three elements and so open atheism is very rare indeed and strongly frowned upon.

Abidjan as a nation is loosely divided into nine major clans, each with its own beliefs and leanings. Although all abidjanis share the general traits of being an abidjani, tribes may have additional leanings or consider some traits more highly than others. All abidjanis fall under these tribes, although some fall beneath them so loosely they barely recognise the leadership of their respective tribal chiefs. Within the city of Abidjan itself, the rule of the Archons is more accepted. In the marshlands, the chiefs have the final say. Abidjanis are not born into tribes, but rather join them by induction (at the rite of passage into adulthood) or marriage, although tribes to tend to segregate somewhat by community. Certain tribes are more welcoming or easier to be initiated into (such as the Sidugsar and Tibiras) than others who may have more stringent requirements for entry (such as the Usgirim and Giskigti). It is not unknown for abidjanis to change tribes outside of marriage, but still rare.

The Udu are a tribe of moderate size and make up most of the population of Abidjan proper. They are a tribe of farmers and herders, tending to the enormous fields of Abidjan and the small groups of cattle in and around the city. The Udu are probably the most ‘friendly’ of the abidjanis, taking a relatively accepting view of most things short of orks (even so far as accepting the existence of Mahikism if not preaching it). They have a rich verbal heritage with a penchant for songs and drum music, which has led in times past to certain ‘witchblooded’ abidjanis choosing the path of a Spellsong rather than a shaman, a path grudgingly accepted because it does not seem so much like magic. The Udu do learn combat with a shield and spear ceremonially and occasionally settle disputs with duels, though combat is not central to their life. They are generally ancestor worshippers.

The Udu are represented by a sheaf of wheat on masks.

The Sidugsar are the largest tribe but also the most scattered, spread evenly out amongst the marshes with relatively few families in the city itself. They are by virtue of their number considered almost the ‘standard’ abidjanis, subsisting on a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and periodically trading the fruits of the hunt with the city for supplies such as weaponry and luxuries. The Sidugsar are the best skilled hunters of the abidjani and very much favour a mixture of stealth and guile with sharp, penetrating attacks (usually using light knives). They are all very good at surviving in the marshes, following tracks and smothering their own, and are generally self sufficient in basic needs. They favour light combat with little armour and no shields, poisoning blades on occasion to take down larger prey (usually purchasing poison from the city or shamans rather than making their own) and many have an aptitude with trapping. The Sidugsar are largely responsible for stopping the many fellkin orkish incursions into the marshes through a clever mixture of traps and ambushes, excelling at guerilla warfare. Although they had previously taken to Mahiko, after his betrayal the tribe as a whole fell back to ancestor worship which they continue to this day.

The Sidugsar are represented by a curved dagger on masks.

The second largest tribe, the Nimurkur are also the most warlike and are evenly spread between the city and the marshes. They favour open warfare and train heavily in shield and spear fighting, the only abidjanis to really wear much armour (largely splintmail) and for the most part eschewing stealth in favour of force. The Nimurkur are less skilled in survival and tracking than the Sidugsar, but have great skill with leatherworking and producing their own armour and weapons. The Nimurkur are most reknowned for their regular raids on the fellkin orks, occasional raids on Khalagian lands and even for periodic raids on other tribes in response to insults and similar. They carry on the practice of capturing slaves, orkish and human, for sale amongst the abidjani nation. Nimurkur find the resurging tales of the Lost Voice appealing, having never really taken to the subtleties of Mahikism.

The Nimurkur are represented by a spear on masks.

The Sandansar are a moderately small tribe, but relatively affluent and well connected due to their skill with abidjani medicines and concoctions. They have taken to Mercian methods of alchemy with some interest, although their rather mystic approaches have resulted in some potions that actually outshine the Mercian varieties and the tribe are generally lauded for their alchemical skill. The Sandansar have a greater understanding of anatomy and the healing arts than the other tribes, as well as a slightly bookish streak; the Sandansar have the best kept stories of the lore of Abidjan and its history, even committing some to clay tablets. Shamans of the Sandansar tend to focus strongly on ancestor worship, believing that through their rituals their ancestors guide them to performing the acts they do. They are also the keepers of the secrets of vertox.

The Sandansar are represented by a chalice on masks.

A major tribe, the Tibiras are known for their skill with politics and trade, as well as their leanings towards Mahikism. One of the first tribes to accept Mahiko when Diego appeared, the Tibiras were also the first to publically reject him when it no longer became politically expedient to continue worship of the demon. Whilst the Tibiras overtly denounce Mahiko, it is a rather public secret that there are still a number of Mahikans amongst their number and the Tibiras tribe has used its influence to subtly protect the worship of Mahiko for some time. The Tibiras tribe largely resides within the city of Abidjan itself at the heart of commerce, for they are consummate diplomats and merchants and are at their strongest with the strings of trade at their fingertips. Of all of the tribes the Tibiras most of all train for combat as a ceremonial role, preferring to settle disputes through negotiation and as neccessary, blackmail.

The Tibiras are represented by a coin on masks.

The Zisukinlasar are a small but highly influential tribe based primarily in Abidjan proper with a surprisingly large number of shamans. The Zisukinlasar are a highly spiritual tribe with strong leanings towards ancestor worship, although the revival of the belief in a Lost Voice is taking strong hold within the priesthood and some are beginning to claim to hear the voices of the Saints of the Lost Voice in their rituals. The Zisukinlasar are trained from a young age in both ritualistic and direct combat, favouring a mixture of overt and covert tactics based around spears and shield combat. One of their rites of passage involves spending long periods in the marshes alone, so many of the Zisukinlasar are capable at survival outside the city.

The Zisukinlasar are represented by a sickle on masks. This harkens from a belief amongst abidjanis that death is a reaping of souls, to be with their ancestors or with the Lost Voice (or Mahiko).

A small tribe, largely scattered throughout the marshes, the Usgirim are infamous for their association with Mahiko and have more active Mahikans than any other tribe. They are the only tribe who still openly admit to following the demon and their infamy for this is matched only by their extreme prowess as hunters of men. The Usgirim prize the arts of the assassin, with skills in preparing and applying poisons almost rivalling the Sandansar, ruthless training in human anatomy (and how best to strike at it) and a knack for stealthily tracking targets through the miles of Abidjani marshland completely without their knowing. The Usgirim are highly secretive and secluded from the other tribes as a rule, though they possess almost as many shamans as the Zisukinlasar. Most of these shamans claim to have direct contact with servants of Mahiko himself and receive guidance from them regularly.

The Usgirim get their name from the vertox plant which produces tiny black flowers during pollination. A highly concentrated and often lethal form of vertox can be extracted from these flowers and to date only the Usgirim shamans seem to know the secret of consuming it safely.

The Usgirim are represented by a flower on masks.

The Essadas are a fairly small tribe living largely to the south of Abidjan and its marshes, frequenting the forests by the coast. They are largely fishermen, either at the coast or in the deep pools that run beneath the marshes of Abidjan, with a fair knowledge of the local flora and some skills in hunting and trapping. The Essadas are distant from most of the other tribes of Abidjan and so tend to be jacks of all trades, having enough ability in a wide variety of skills to survive comfortably on their own. The Essadas tend to be very spiritual by nature and favour ceremony of various kinds, taking to ancestor worship naturally. Their somewhat detached location and tribes make them relatively neutral towards the politics of the tribes and has led to a generally peaceable attitude towards others, short of the orks who continually harass their fishing villages. Of all the abidjanis only the Essadas really possess any ability at sea, using small canoes and fishing boats from a young age.

The Essadas are represented by a fish on masks.

The smallest tribe, the Giskigti are probably the richest and many try to marry into the tribe or become adopted to gain access to their wealth. The Giskigti are reknowned within the marshes of Abidjan for their extensive skill with wood and precious metals (eschewing base metals for the most part) in furniture, building and jewellery alike. The Giskigti are rather protective of their great skill and prefer to keep their techniques within the tribe, either discouraging or adopting rising craftsmen of potentially prodigious ability. They are very prideful as a tribe and tend to have at least some skill in ritualistic combat for the purposes of duelling, though combat is far from a main priority for them. They command a fair degree of respect amongst their people; to be an Giskigti is a great feat, as sons of the Giskigti are not necessarily guaranteed to become Giskigti themselves. One must generally earn the right to be called Giskigti. This rather cosmopolitan heritage has led to a mixture of faiths, with many worshipping ancestors or showing interest in the Lost Voice and a few covertly worshipping Mahiko.

The Giskigti are represented by a pair of scales on masks.

The History of Abidjan as documented in the writings of its shamans. The oral history of Abidjan is far more mythical than the written accounts and most abidjanis will have grown up with oral renditions of history rather than the accurate written records of the Zisukinlasar, Sandansar and Usgirim shamans. AR refers to Abidjani Reckoning in numbers of years since the founding of Abidjan, although this is again a system used only amongst the shamanic elite.

245BM - Exodus from Zeal. Ostensibly led there by a servant of Segses who carried their ships on a divine wind, the Zealan exiles were the first of many to leave the Empire out of dissatisfaction with the long wars and events they saw magic as being responsible for. Zealan exiles crash en masse south of Abidjan along the Goddess Shore and are immediately killed in large number by the resident orks. Ships are burnt in orkish attack and fortified settlement is established against the orkish aggressors.

244BM - Crossing of the Marshes. By popular legend the servant of Segses led the people through the marshes to the promised valley. Already reduced by a third in numbers from weathering the repeated orkish attacks on the fortification and with no ability to push into the lush valleys beyond, a popular leader takes the majority of the people into the only place not settled by the orks, the deadly marshes within the Godsmount’s ridges. Although pursued by orks, most attackers are killed by the marshes or hunters as the colonists move throughout the marshland. A lesser but still significant number are killed by the marshes themselves and by the first storm that hits the ridges. Groups of colonists leave the main party and form settlements in the parts of the marshland that are less subject to the destructive winds of the Godsmount ridges rather than traverse the River of Abidjan in search of a place to settle. The coastal settlement is never heard from again.

243BM - Founding of Abidjan. The servant of Segses founds the city of Abidjan in His name, then dies as He vanishes behind the moon, as the story goes. The settlers find a valley at the furthest reaches of the marshes, lush with fruit and game and also with a particular sprout-like plant. The alchemists amongst the colonists figure out a way to concentrate vertox into a potent drug that enhances the physical and mental attributes of the smoker, as well as proofing them against a number of the swampland diseases that were culling many of their number. The popular leader oversees the establishment of a settlement in the valley where vertox can be easily obtained and allows him to push the colonial labourers far harder than they might be able to manage otherwise. Within six months the foundations and governing structure for the city are laid but the popular leader dies of a swamp sickness before he can oversee any further development. In the same month the Sun blacks out as events elsewhere in Eridan result in the release of Maguun.

242BM - The Vertox War. Food shortages from the reduced sunlight combined with deaths from overwork and vertox abuse create a highly strained situation without the popular leader to keep the colonists united. Overharvesting of vertox results in a shortage of the drug within the valley and sparks rioting and chaos. A coalition of alchemists led by a woman who would become Annin realised that the western valleys were still plentiful with the drug but that they would not remain that way. Annin and a mercenary who would become Ubarrasu set up an embargo to stop people getting to the eastern vertox in order to ration out enough to try and stop the havoc. The leader of the priesthood, a woman who would become Ninurugi, leads a popular rebellion against the perceived oppressors which swiftly degenerates into cutthroat civil war. Masks are donned for the first time by both sides as a means of carrying out the slaughter associated with both the riots and putting them down without being marked for vendetta.

241BM/1AR - Unification of Abidjan. Continued vertox shortages and the depredations of war cause the riots to peter out. The men who would become Isiluri, Salgiri and Isilugal approach both sides under Isiluri’s mediation and offer a radical solution. Rather than continue their war over the supply of vertox, Isilugal convinces the alchemical faction to give seeds to the colonists in the valley and instruct them to leave the valley and grow the plant throughout the marshes. The leaders agree as it is becoming evident that the valley’s limited resources cannot support all of the people. Bands of colonists are sent out from the valley (which becomes established under the name of Abidjan) and colonise the marshes. In an apparent sign from the divine, the Sun returns as elsewhere in the world Maguun is bound by the great obelisks.

2-10AR - Consolidation of Abidjan. Isilugal forms a loose council with the leaders of different factions within the settlement of Abidjan, employing Ubarrasu and Salgiri to maintain peace and control over the distant abidjani villages. This rather ruthless semi-dictatorship leads to continued use of masks by the ruling caste to maintain order. As time passes common citizens begin to wear the masks in emulation of the soldiers (who were also the best hunters), starting the tradition of masks amongst abidjanis that would persist even after the climate of fear that precipitated it had long passed. Isilugal, Ninurugi and Annin join together to create a united caste of priests based around worship of Segses, consolidating the new nation with vertox and belief where Segses’s power had left them in the wake of the darkened sky. The few surviving magi amongst the colonists are initially persecuted, then burned at the stake as scapegoats for the years of suffering the abidjanis have undergone. The abidjanis remaining within the valley of Abidjan join under the influence of the popular councillor who would become Ansesu and establish the system of agriculture that would supplant the hunter-gatherer system the outside abidjanis would survive upon for the next five hundred years.

11-14AR - Construction of the Gate of Abidjan. The master architect and engineer who would become Quetzlpilli is chosen to oversee the construction of a massive edifice of his own design. The first Gate of Abidjan was constructed to break the highly destructive winds that would ravage Abidjan every year due to the unique climatic conditions of the Godsmount. Quetzlpilli refined his designs to incorporate methods of chanelling the wind that met the Gate and so affecting local weather to a limited degree to reduce the worst of storms, redirect favourable winds and so on. The first Gate is believed to have been a wonder of engineering, capable of turning winds upon themselves and cancelling out even great hurricanes whilst still allowing through cool breezes to calm the otherwise baking heat of the marshes.

15-60AR - The Imperial Reign. Beneath Isilugal’s dictatorship an efficient system of bureaucracy is developed in Abidjan and officials are appointed on a meritocratic basis to oversee the various tribes within the marshlands. Councillor Guburru is given oversight of this and establishes a unified sytem of weights and measures within the empire. The wearing of masks becomes vogue, starting in the city and spreading out to the various marshland villages. Along with these changes, Isilugal adopts the name by which history will refer to him, as do the other eight councillors.

53AR - Storming of the Gate. The fellkin orks are pushed into the marshes in part by the Khalagian Empire’s attempts to reclaim their lands and mount an attempt at invading Abidjan. Although unsuccessful, repeated efforts do great damage to the Gate of Abidjan and it is destroyed in one final assault before Salgiri’s hunters manage to wipe out the surviving fellkin in the marshes. Quetzlpilli is blamed for the failure and so the old man redesigns the second Gate to be a sturdier defensive fortification, albeit lacking in the engineering capacity of the first.

56AR - Reconstruction of the Gate. The second Gate of Abidjan is completed, having only the power to redirect the winds in three directions to affect its intensity, but as a far sturdier defensive fortification. Muslutugpa is sacrificed to Segses and his blood mixed into the mortar used to seal the last few stones of the Gate.

57-60AR - Rise of the Cult of the Dead. Ninurugi leaves Abidjan proper around 48AR due to a longstanding vendetta with Annin. During her long exile she receives a rather disturbing revelation that she can once again perform the acts that she once could by the power of Segses, when meditating within the boneyards of the marshes. She begins a following that evolves into the Cult of the Dead, ostensibly drawing on the power of all those who have died since the founding of Abidjan to aid her as the Lost Voice once did. The cult becomes popular quickly, enough that it rivals the established priesthood to Segses. A religious conflict very nearly breaks out but is stopped by the death of Isilugal.

61-69AR - Schism of the Tribes. The Empire of Abidjan crumbles without the unifying influence of the Emperor and fractures into nine tribes loosely aligned around the former councillors of Abidjan. The city’s status lessens as the rural villages become more independent and become subject to rule by tribal councils instead of appointed officials. Abidjan crumbles as a power instead of breaking, avoiding another major war in the process. This slow dissolution of power allows for the gradual acceptance of both praise of Segses and the Cult of the Dead that evolves into ancestor worship. Most of the original councillors die off during this period.

70-126AR - The Tribal Peace. The nine tribes of Abidjan coexist more or less peacefully for a number of generations, troubled only by the occasional fellkin raids. Abidjani oral heritage flourishes whilst literacy becomes the domain of the shamans and tribal chiefs.

126-130AR - The First Orkish Aggression. The Khalagian orks begin a concerted effort to conquer the marshes and eradicate the last bastion of humanity in northern Eridan. Although skilled trappers and guerilla fighters, the tribes fare poorly against the orkish incursions as the Khalagian orks prove to be far smarter than their brutish kin and are pushed back over the course of two years to the city of Abidjan.

128AR - Masking of the Archons. Seeing the need for quick decisions to be made, the tribal leaders taking refuge in Abidjan elect four of their kind to become the Archons of the city for the duration of the war, not trusting any one man to rule without becoming another Emperor.

128-130AR - The Siege of Abidjan. Having pushed the abidjanis back to the city, the orks become locked in a long siege against the defenders. Ultimately this proves fatal to the orks, as whilst the abidjanis had plentiful supplies and food beyond the Gate the orks were unprepared for a long siege and reliant on supply lines from the Empire for food because they did not know what was safe to eat within the marshes. The Archons directed attacks on supply caravans and orkish females rather than the soldiers themselves and so it is likely that more orks died by starvation and diseases from the swamp than at the blade of a khukri. By 130AR Khalag withdraws its troops rather than face them being completely decimated by the swamps or desertion.

130AR - The Canonisation of the Masks. The four Archons form a pact with the shamans of the nine tribes to retain control over the city. The nine founders of the city are canonised as the equivalent of saints of Segses or honoured leaders of the ancestors (depending on the different versions of the tale) and nine masks are created to honour their spirits. The number of Archons is increased to nine, although the number of actual people wearing them remains at four. History would describe the Archons from here on as being the same nine entities regardless of who was actually sat upon the council of Archons wearing the masks. These men would be recorded as the Servants of the Archons. Uripdiggi becomes Servant to Ubarrasu and Isiluri (War & Diplomacy), Gurinigi becomes Servant to Annin and Ansesu (Knowledge & Agriculture), Dago becomes Servant to Salgiri and Muslutugpa (Welfare & Culture) and Innas becomes Servant to Guburru and Ninurugi (Commerce & Spirituality).

130-135AR - The Hegemony of the Archons. Under the guiding force of the Archons, Abidjan once again becomes capital of the abidjani nation and unites the tribes beneath the swelling city. The city is prevented from growing beyond a certain point due to the impossibility of trade with the Fellkin or Khalag and of settlement beyond the Marshes. Archons Guburru and Isiluri suggest searching for trade overseas and instruct the Essedas to begin construction of three great vessels to carry abidjani explorers beyond the Northland’s Fingers. Archon Ubarrasu undertakes a more aggressive stance, training the Nimurkur as an expeditionary force for expansion beyond the borders of the Marshes.

135-136AR - The First Western Expansion. Ubarrasu’s Nirmurkur warriors lead a brilliantly organised assault on fellkin settlements at the western edges of the Marshes, taking and successfully holding one of the vales. Sidugsar settlers are moved in to take advantage of the verdant lands and protect it from the disorganised fellkin efforts at retaking the land. Wealth from the new conquest flows to Abidjan in the form of resources, livestock and slaves.

136AR - The Launching of the Ships. The Essedas complete the three ships of exploration and send them forth into the ocean laden with trade goods, supplies and vertox. The eastbound ship never returns, though unbeknownst to its homeland it would crash on a far Leantalean shore and introduce its limited supply of vertox plants to the Mercian population. The westbound ship returns with tales of fabulous peoples beneath the sea and growing from trees, although with no news of those willing to trade. The southbound ship crashes on the far southern coast of Eridan, where the survivors form a southern tribe of cannibals. Reaching the conclusion that there is no other civilised refuge of humanity in the world, Isiluri chooses to curtail further exploration and the surviving ship is left in the care of the Essedas for use in fishing.

138-145AR - The Second Westward Expansion. With the success of the first expansion into fellkin lands, Ubarrasu convinces the other Archons that further expansion into the west can only be beneficial. This proves to be initially correct as both the Nimurkur tribe and Abidjan reap the spoils of war from the fellkin in slaves, resources and land but the expansion slows as it progresses and eventually comes to a halt as the Sidugsar settlers struggle to hold the land taken against the surviving fellkin. Eventually, Anzakar Ashur (Ashur’s Fort) is constructed to hold off the fellkin and watch over the surrounding valley.

151AR - The Fellkin Revolt. Although fellkin slaves prove quarrelsome and difficult to manage in large numbers, Abidjan enjoys nearly a decade and a half of prosperity from their labour. In a move that surprises virtually all abidjanis, the fellkin stage a unified revolt in the conquered lands and the city alike, killing scores of humans and crippling the Servant Dago before being put down.

152-154AR - Ninurugi’s Cleansing. The Archon Ninurugi responds to the events of the revolt by recriminating the abidjanis for growing dependent upon the service of beasts and decrees that fellkin should no longer be kept as slaves and instead purged from abidjani lands. Although she later partially rescinds the order to allow use of fellkin slaves in the conquered territories, thousands of fellkin are executed in public and private in a concerted act of genocide by the Archon. Usgirim assassins operating as agents of the priesthood set out on a spiritual quest to eliminate all fellkin presence within the Marshes and manage to succeed. Within two years, no fellkin survive within the Marshes.

155-182AR - Ashur’s Golden Age. Anzakar Ashur stands as a bastion against the fellkin for many years, a fortress town that grows quickly by trading its plentiful resources to the Marshes for vertox and medicines not available in the valley. During this time, the Servant Dago is succeeded by Elunga and the Servant Gurinigi by Duku.

182AR - The Third Westward Expansion. Rumours of a vein of viridium further into the fellkin lands prompt another advance westward by Archon Ubarrasu. In a series of short, ruthless campaigns, Nirmurkur warriors claim territory westward of Anzakar Ashur and drive the fellkin down to the southern coast and north into the wyrmlands.

183-192AR - The Troubles of Tilla. A second settlement, Anzakar Tilla (Crossroads Fort), is established in the western valleys to mine the plentiful viridium ore. Less sturdy and defensible than Anzakar Ashur, Tilla is repeatedly assaulted by fellkin droves for almost a decade and relies heavily on aid from Ashur’s warriors to stay afloat.

193AR - The Wyrmflight. Wyrm migrations result in an abnormally large number of wyrms in the northern ridges, so large that the Verdani Expanse is unable to support them. Wyrm predations extend outwards and although thwarted by the unusual weather conditions around the Godsmount wyrms are able to cause great havoc in the settled valleys. Tilla and Ashur are set alight multiple times during the breeding season and hundreds of lives are lost defending against the wyrm assaults. By the end of the year the cost in human lives is in the thousands but not without some reward. Fellkin numbers are reduced so dramatically by the freak migration pattern that attacks on the two settlements cease for decades.

194-242AR - The Trading Years. For nearly half a century, peace reigns within both the Marshes and the Provinces of Abidjan. Tilla grows into a bustling town from the steady trade route between the Provinces and the Marshes, though Ashur never fully recovers from the Wyrmflight or the losses incurred sustaining Tilla for the decade before. Perhaps the peak of the Archons’ power, all of the Servants are replaced at least once in this period and Abidjan becomes a jewel of the north. In the latter years of this age of peace, Khalagian villages begin to be settled near the Provinces and are raided. Khalagian orks prove to be very effective slaves in comparison to fellkin and the fashion for orkish slaves arises again.

243AR - The Taking of Tilla. Khalag proves not idle upon discovery of abidjani slaving activities. In a striking military campaign, Tilla is sieged and taken within two months by Blud Raiker elite troops. Abidjani forces, unused to organised tactics and open field warfare, are slaughtered easily and abidjani citizens enslaved and taken back to Khalag.

243-248AR - Ashur’s Stand. Anzakar Ashur holds steady against the Khalagian legions for over four years but the battle is a losing one. With dwindling reinforcements and trade with the Marshes repeatedly disrupted by orkish raiders, Anzakar Ashur eventually falls to Zagamranth hordes and the scattered Sidugsar survivors retreat to the Marshes.

248-260AR - Orkish Raids. For the next decade, Khalagian troops rebuild Tilla and Ashur into unbreakable fortresses and launch repeated raids on the Marshes for slaves and vertox. Having learnt from the previous Orkish Aggression, Khalagian forces do not attempt to conquer the Marshes but instead subject it to constant raiding. The power of the Archons and the prosperity of Abidjan as a city wane dramatically as the tribes are forced to resort to self-dependence to survive against the orks. Eventually, Khalag loses both Tilla and Ashur to the renewed assaults of the fellkin, but not before Abidjan’s power as an invading nation is destroyed.

261-383AR - The Second Tribal Peace. To avoid a civil war and a complete loss of power, the Archons of Abidjan cede government over the Marshes to the tribal chieftains and retain control only over the city itself. For well over a century, peace reigns undisturbed save for ill-advised fellkin raids. The old fortress-towns of Tilla and Ashur degrade under fellkin occupation and interest in expanding westward once again virtually disappears. Abidjani culture turns inwards and becomes relatively stagnant and isolationist, expansionism erased from the cultural mindset thanks to the tales of the Orkish Aggression passed down by the elders.

384AR - The Ghoula Scouts. A small troop of ghoula soldiers land on the coast south of the Marshes and push through past the fellkin. A number are initially killed by the natives from fear of their horrific apperances, but demonstrations of long-forgotten magic by the ghoula shamans quells the attacks. The ghoula are taken to Abidjan where the Archons meet them as visitors and cordial talks are held. The ghoula ship leaves within three months.

392AR - The Ghoula Return. A flotilla of ships land on the southern coast and proceed to engage in a concerted military conquest of the Marshes, raiding for food, slaves and vertox.

392-410AR - The Flesh War. A long and horrific war takes place as ghoula troops and magi wage war against the guerilla stalkers and shamans of the Marshes, spearheaded by one of Mala’tal’s Sleepers looking to make a name for himself. By the end of the war, the Sleeper’s troops manage to bypass the Gate of Abidjan itself and invade the city.

410AR - The Sleeper’s Retreat. At the height of the conquest of Abidjan, the Sleeper mysteriously vanishes. Confused by this loss of leadership and with numbers depleted from two decades of fighting, the ghoula retreat back to their ships and leave the Marshes for good. Nobody ever finds out why the Sleeper left and the invasion was called off at the last moment.

503AR - The abidjanis are shocked to meet other human beings for the first time in 500 years. A corsair from the Doom Fleet happens upon the Northland’s Fingers and meets the Essedas living in the region. The pirates and the natives largely ignore each other after the initial surprise and a small trade develops between the Doom Fleet dock and the locals.

505AR - The pirates realise the abidjanis not only have vertox but have it in copious amounts. Trade turns to aggression as the Fleet attempts to gain control of the supply.

506AR - The Doom Fleet settlers are expelled, centuries of virtually constant hunting and war with the fellkin making the entire abidjani nation combat-ready.

510AR - Explorers from Ravna discover the old abandoned Doom Fleet jetty and blast it apart from the sea with cannons. Upon realisation that the base is uninhabited they land and strike up a relationship with the natives and rebuild the port for their own use.

512AR - Missionaries from Ravna arrive. Attempts at conversion to Laranism are largely ignored.

515AR - All Ravnan colonists leave the north. They are never heard from again.

521AR - Doom Fleet pirates return and rediscover the old base. A more cordial trading agreement is settled on, exporting vertox and importing various looted trade goods.

522AR - The Third Orkish Aggression. Concurrent with the attack on Mercia, Khalag launches an offensive to regain the two fellkin forts west of the Marshes and begins a final effort to take the city. The Archons make a deal with the Doom Fleet and trade vertox supplies for naval aid against the Orks. The conflict takes on a relatively even footing and remains in a stalemate for many years.

531AR - Events in the Orkish homelands result in the withdrawal of orkish troops to deal with civil disorder. Abidjan comes out of its first Orkish aggression with relatively few losses.

533AR - Arrival of Diego. A man named Diego arrives from the south, bringing news of the events in Eridan and foretelling the arrival of Mahiko, a new God. Reactions proved highly skeptical amongst the shamans, although deception on Diego’s part convinces a Usgirim shaman named Yozimba to convert to Mahikanism and start the Cult of the Moon in Abidjan. Diego remains in Abidjan for five months and manages to convince a number of the Sidugsar tribe to join him in an attempt to form a Mahikan army but the effort falls through as the Archons exile him and Yozimba with the support of the Zisukinlasar and Sandansar shamans. Diego leaves with Yozimba for the south and the Cult of the Moon appears to fade into obscurity as a fringe following.

534-537AR - Underground Years. The Cult of the Moon continues to spread throughout certain tribes, notably the Sidugsar, Usgirim and Tibiras, unseen by most. Following Diego’s efforts and partly due to machinations by the Cult of the Moon, a particularly strong xenophobia regarding southerners develops amongst the abidjanis and most attempt to kill them on sight. Yozimba returns, disillusioned by Diego’s deception, spreading the truth of what Mahiko is and becoming ostracised by his fellow Usgirim shamans. He joins the Sidugsar instead and becomes an elder shaman amongst them. The surviving cultists slowly grow more extreme as their numbers thin. There is a brief surge in cultist activity and numbers during a day when the sky turns black, but the rising of the Sun again puts this down.

538AR - The Dark Year. As Abidjan enjoys a period of renewed calm and stability the skies turn black once more and fire rains upon the marshes. Assassins from the Cult of the Moon disembowel the Servants of the Archons over the Gate of Abidjan as a storm of fire rages through the River of Abidjan, destroying the Gate and everyone present for the sacrifice. Civil war breaks out between the Mahikans and the rest of the abidjanis as much of the marshes is set aflame. Abidjan remains relatively untroubled by the demons that assault the remainder of the world but unspeakable losses occur from the conflict between the mortal factions. The nine masks of the Archons are hidden away to prevent their destruction and the locations lost. The war ends not long after the Sun returns and a great shifting of the continents heralds the banishment of Mahiko. Both sides retreat to the marshes to lick their wounds.

538-540AR - The Six Ensis. Following the banishment of Mahiko an Udu proclaims himself Ensi in an attempt to bring peace but is killed six days into his reign by remaining Mahikan extremists. He is replaced by a Sandansar Ensi who attempts to placate the people with vertox and manages to succeed in restoring a degree of peace before being killed four months later by a disillusioned Sidugsar who installs himself as Ensi and attempts to have Mahikanism outlawed. He successfully outlives the Udu Ensi by twelve hours and is replaced by a more moderate Essadas Ensi who convenes the tribes and agrees to accept the old Cult of the Moon provided they recognise the worship of the ancestors and the Lost Voice as being legitimate. The Essadas remains in power for the longest of all the Ensis, lasting a year before abdicating due to pressure from a popular leader, a Zisukinlasar claiming to have received visions from Segses of His return. The Zisukinlasar becomes Ensi and powers a resurgence in the ancient beliefs during his eight month reign before dying in his sleep. He is replaced by a charismatic Nimurkur who takes a firm stance against any and all outsiders in the marshes, succeeding in spreading those beliefs before being killed in single combat by an outsider.

540AR - Arrival of the Rosiers. Zerakil (alias Mihail) Rosier secures the position of Ensi by more or less brutally slaughtering any challengers, then secures legitimacy by induction into the Nimurkur tribe. Although initially despised, wins favour with the Sandansar by use of Mercian alchemy to cure the ongoing plague.

541AR - Reinstatement of the Archons. The Rosiers bring up more southerners in an effort to ease the abidjanis into a more accepting stance of Mercian visitors. Under the guidance of Victoria Rosier and a southern priest associated with the family, several abidjanis receive schooling in Mercian language and culture. In a startling departure from traditional colonial ethics, abidjani culture and history is also taught and more emphasis placed upon them. In accordance with this directive the Rosiers accept servitude to the Archons and resurrect the old city government (with rule over the marshes kept firmly in the hands of the tribal leaders). Mihail Rosier becomes Servant to Ubarrasu and Isiluri. Victoria Rosier becomes Servant to Annin and Ansesu. The positions of Servants to Salgiri, Chalciuhuatl, Quetzlpilli and Ninurugi remain unfilled.

542 - Rebuilding of the third Gate of Abidjan. The Gate of Abidjan is reconstructed, along with the secondary gates to the city, in an effort to reintroduce a sense of security to the abidjani people.