Domestication
Human beings originated in the south and center of a vast continent that most of them still call home. In every direction there are remarkable stories of adaptation and survival, but the one great innovation of this time is domestication - first in the form of dogs, originating from the Ashala peoples’ taming of wolves in the heart of the continent. The first wolf-dogs have already spread with human travellers all the way to the western and eastern edges of the continent, and even further beyond - repeatedly re-hybridising with other canids along the way, such that there is already quite a variety of dog breeds in existence. Small, hardy species of cattle have also been domesticated in various places, along with camel-like dromedaries which are used as hardy pack animals, and goats have been domesticated by the highland Sentri peoples of the south west. There have even been sporadic instances of Ashala tribes taming horses, but thus far these have always ended up as food during the harsh winters of the far north.
Tribes of the Northwest
In the northwest, the arrival of dog-human partnership has hastened the decline of the Odoni - peoples we would recognise as Neanderthal - pushing them out of their home forests into a band of open steppe, where the last of the western mammoths, giant elk and wooly rhinos still roam, trapped between the towering ice wall in the north and Homo Sapiens to the south. The main enemy of the Odoni is the Vahaeara culture, which is in many ways itself a relic of a previous wave of Homo Sapien settlers in the region; having a generally xenophobic attitude to outsiders, the Vaheara have kept their bloodlines relatively intact over centuries, shown in their blond-brown hair, narrow noses, and relatively fair skin. A worsening climate has forced the northern Vahaeara to abandon their embryonic villages, and they now compete with the Odoni for hunting and fishing grounds. By contrast, the neighbouring Viirsa are descended from Homo Sapiens who, one way or another, have readily interbred with the Odoni over thousands of years, and now share a large portion of their DNA - shown in their darker hair, wide bodies, strong facial features and thick beards in males. Yet the Viirsa themselves are now reduced to a meagre living, wandering amongst a region of cold, bleak wetland and bogs at the foot of the glaciers, where they find an outlet in the creation of exquisite and colourful cave paintings. Some distance to the south, a particularly massive stone circle once erected by the pre-Viirna already lies ancient and weathered, overgrown by hardy connifers.
Both of these cultures have been pushed steadily north by younger, more aggressive and more numerous cultures in the south - the Rashaami, the Ohmiir, and the Rashana all show an admixture of Odoni blood to some degree, as well as a variety of darker skin tones and dark hair, the result of merging with waves of immigrants from the south west. These groups now make up a shared cultural zone of hunter-gatherers that blends into the Sentri in the south and the Ashala of the central plains, occupying the few rich hunting grounds provided by the river systems that flow north to south through the otherwise dry steppe and deserts, full of recogniseable game animals such as deer and boar. Dogs accompany the humans everywhere, and sometimes they also travel with camel-like dromedaries as pack animals, or use lightweight paddle boats to travel up and down their home rivers. These are adventurous and warlike cultures, with bands of warriors arming themselves with wicker shields, flint-tipped spears, javelins, slings and bows; painting themselves with colourful mineral pigments, while their chiefs dress themselves with copper and silver ornaments traded from the far south. These peoples need their valour, for the hunting grounds are not only contested by wandering tribes, but also by fearsome cave bears, aurochs, dire wolves, and giant carnivorous pigs that can sever limbs with one bite. In warmer climbs, the waterways are also stalked by crocodilians and bad-tempered hippos.
The Western Islands
The Vahaeara, even before being beset by enemies and a worsening climate, have regularly taken to the waves on log rafts powered by basic sails, braving icebergs and sudden polar storms. Here they have found verdant volcanic islands in the west; tempered by the ocean climate and hot springs, offering richer foraging, fishing and hunting than the mainland. Indeed, when first reached by humans, the islands were full of large flightless birds, taking the place of deer and cattle, and hunted only by the great sea-eagles of the islands. Some of these giant birds are already extinct, but the hunting of others have been declared taboo - the islanders have developed a whole culture around preventing the over-harvesting of their resources, and a system designed to keep relative peace between villages and tribes. These peoples, known as the Vaheomo, have built some of the largest permanent villages in the world, growing into towns, and have imported dogs and small, hardy cattle from the mainland. Through accidental fermentation of local grapes, they are also beginning to discover the art of making wine. The Vaheomo must be careful to preserve these island gardens, however, so as not to anger the gods; there is always the danger of fierce storms, or of mountains that erupt in smoke and fire. A curse also seems to afflict a portion of the islanders in the form of mysterious diseases and birth defects - though they do not realise it, they are suffering the effects of a limited gene pool, perhaps a result of their ancestor’s xenophobic culture.
Despite the many dangers of sailing on the story ocean in their primitive craft, and despite the many voyagers that do not return, the Vaheomo seem to have a relentless drive to expand and explore. The most recently-settled island lies some distance to the west, where strange plants grow, frequently wracked by fierce storms and far out of sight of any other land mass. To the peoples who first reached this island, standing here must feel like standing at the edge of the world. There are stories however, of a great ice wall that lies even further beyond, and surrounds the ocean on all sides. More appealingly, some also claim to have seen a great bountiful forest on the other side of the ocean. Some of these tales doubtless come from confused tales of journeys to the south, where Vaheomo voyagers have had sporadic interactions with cultures all along the western coast of the continent, ultimately giving rise to the mystical island culture of the Yakumo - born from a blend of Vaheomo and southern mainland peoples, and a place known for its colourful parrots, monstrous crocodiles, and mysterious stone monuments.
Lands of Silver and Ivory
By land, the south-western reaches of the continent are almost isolated by a vast expanse of scorching desert. Passing through this barrier, the flora and fauna transition to something we would recognise as African, though with the addition of giant carnivorous pigs, and larger and more fearsome species of hyena and several species of great ape, which still compete for humans for control of the best cave sites. In the heart of this region, cradled by uplands and mountains, lies a great network of tropical rainforest and wetlands, complete with giant alligators, forest elephants, hippos, leopards, and giant flightless birds, along with a vast assortment of other species - truly an oasis of life in an otherwise cold and dry world. Seasonal forests, adapted to dry and rainy seasons, lie between the rainforest and the grassland and savanna beyond.
The Sentri are one of the most populous culture groups in the region, and the most influential. Recognisable by their love of red mineral pigments, they are an alpine people, residing above the great forest, responsible for domesticating goats, as well as settling in villages and cultivating herbs and plants where the climate allows a more settled existence. They are also pioneers of metal-working, experimenting with copper and silver to make high-status objects that are traded far across the continent. Most other human cultures in the region have become specialist hunters of savannah or jungle, in some cases specialised over a very long period of time; the Traessa are noteworthy for several genetic traits making them superb and agile hunters amidst the dense jungle.
However, these jungles are contested by another species of hominid, known as the Ignoni - unlike the Odoni far to the north, these Ignoni are much less human-like. They have a short coat of deep red or blonde body hair, and very powerfully-built bodies, slightly taller than the average human. The Ignoni do not seem capable of full speech, but are able to make tools and lay complex ambushes for their prey, which sometimes includes human beings. Though slower breeding than humans, and thus somewhat outnumbered, and seemingly averse to fire, the Ignoni have so far - and apparently for a very long time - been able to keep Homo Sapiens out of their home ranges.
The Sea of Sharks
All along the southern and eastern coast of the great continent, a group of human cultures is to be found, all sharing a common origin - these people are typically short and robust in build, with bushy hair that is often much brighter than their dark skin. Among them, the western Naua and the eastern Mau are the most eager seafarers, learning to work with the powerful ocean currents, and have discovered the basics of sail power for long-distance voyagers. The outrigger craft of the Mau are the most sophisticated yet seen, used in inter-island warfare and trade. Indeed the Mau have colonised some of the richest tropical islands, building permanent villages and trading colourful feathers and giant crab shells to the mainland, which are then traded as far as the Ashala lands. But having spread across thousands of miles, the Mau and Naua cultures are beginning to fragment into new forms. Ocean voyages are extremely dangerous and not undertaken lightly, as there are great storms that sweep through the tropics, and stories of giant sea monsters that can easily rip an outrigger canoe to shreds.
Like the Vaheomo in the west, the most isolated Mau may feel like they are living on the edge of the world. Though lurid stories are told of a great land filled with giants and monsters across the sea, there appears to be nothing but endless, dangerous water to the south and east. There are also giant carved stone heads dotted around the coasts of some the southernmost islands, strange and barely human in appearance - heavily worn by erosion, many toppled or half-buried in sand. Who built these is a mystery, but the Mau regularly leave offerings to these statues to placate the powerful spirits said to reside within them.
The Garden of the Southeast
On a large peninsular in the south east of the continent, the Mau and their inland cousins, the Oai, have prospered amongst tropical forest and fertile tropical uplands. Amongst the diverse animals found here are orang-utans, pandas, tigers, as well as unique species of elephant and rhino. However, guarding some of the richest lands are human-like beings known as Atu. Similar to the Ignoni of the west, the Atu are fiercely strong, covered in short dense body hair, with long hair on their heads, and long beards in males. They do not wear clothes, nor speak words, but wield clubs and spears, and live in caves among the lush tropical highlands. Between the Atu and ferocious packs of cave hyenas, humans have yet to conquer this fertile corner of the world.
Thundering Beasts
Before finishing our tour of the human-explored world, it is worth noting the Kutans and the biomes they inhabit, sandwiched between a great ice-covered mountain range and the warmth of tropics, stretching into the lands of the Oai and Susagh’am. Here roam the largest land animals on the planet - not mammoths, but giant long-necked relatives of the rhino, which we might recognise as
Paraceratherium. The Kutans rarely attempt to hunt these powerful creatures, their names for which variously translate to ‘Thunder Beasts’. In the forested uplands on their eastern border, there are also populations of giant apes - the largest species of primate, resembling something like an overgrown orang-utan. The males are notoriously territorial, and fully capable of ripping apart a hapless human with their bare hands. Fear of these creatures has had the effect of reducing contact between the different human groups in the area. The lands of the Kutans are also notable for having some of the last sabre-tooth cats, as well as more familiar tigers, ferocious species of bear, rhinos, elephants, wild roosters, water buffalo, crocodilians and the ever-present cave hyenas. The Kutans themselves are a genetic mixture of surrounding peoples, being generally brown-skinned and dark-haired, but borrow heavily from the culture of the Ashala.
In to the East
The eastern edge of the great continent can be described as a mixing of the Ashala and Mau peoples, migrating from the northern steppe and tropical coasts respectively. The Ashala have brought cold-weather survivalist knowledge, hunting skills, domestic dogs and dromedaries, being the dominant cultural influence on land, while the Mau bring a genetic contribution, and have hybradised with the Ashala around the northeast islands to form the Kodaka culture of hardy seafarers, hunting small marine mammals in skin-lined canoes.
Further inland, the Susagh’am are notable for being one of the more settled cultures, building fortified village camps south of the Taiga forest, or wherever the climate allows for year-round hunting, fishing and gardening in the surrounding lands. Spreading out through temperate and fertile lands, the Susagh’am have prospered to become one of the most populous groups. Conflicts between rival villages have seen something of an arms race occur, with palisades going up around settlements, and warriors arming themselves with more powerful composite bows, and armouring themselves with panels made of layered wood and animal hides. Tigers, giant bears, sabre-tooth cats, cave hyenas are also a deadly threat, and have thus far largely prevented Susagh’am from adopting domestic cattle seen in some of the Ashala lands.
A New World
Beyond a region of hot springs that act as a refuge for travellers, a separate branch of the Ashala known as the Ashut’ar have emerged, specialised for long-distance nomadic hunting. These people have small facial features, a somewhat asian appearance, light brown skin and some instances of curly hair - a sign of their partial Mau-Oai ancestry. These were the first humans to cross an ice-free corridor across the roof of the world, following herds caribou and some of the world’s last remaining mammoths into a whole new continent. At first, though, this was hardly apparent, as towering cliffs of ice surrounded them on all sides. Generations later, a determined group of explorers - possibly fleeing a violent conflict with their fellow Ashut’ar - made an arduous journey through what had become a partial gap in the ice to the south, reaching the ice-free coastline only after losing a large portion of their party and being forced to eat all of their loyal wolf-dogs.
Now known as the Ashut'shadb, these people have since migrated farther south, arriving in temperate broad-leaf forests with ample game animals in the form of deer and bison, and have explored much beyond this, finding more strange animals such as
glyptodonts and giant rodents. However, with one of the most limited gene pools of any tribe, these people are suffering from high rates of disease and infant mortality. Combined with many ferocious predators that stalk these lands - including giant
terror birds, dire wolves, panthers and bears, as well as bad-tempered giant ground sloths - the Ashut'shadb remain on the brink of extinction. However, with a retreat melting of the northern ice sheet, intrepid groups of Ashut’ar have since made the same perilous journey, followed sometime later by the arrival of Kodaka canoes off the coast. There have only been sporadic contacts between these groups thus far. The true extent of this land remains unknown.
The Roof of the World
We finish our journey where we began, with the Ashala on the far northern plains of the main continent, in lands to dry for glaciers to advance, yet still subject to harsh weather. In some of the more sheltered spots of their range, the Ashala have domesticated small, hardy, long-haired breeds of cattle - similar to yaks - and some tribes have turned to herding as a means of survival. Though most adults cannot drink cow’s milk - or indeed, camel milk - without falling ill, a few are able to enjoy this source of sustenance during times of need, thus the genes for lactose tolerance are starting to spread here.
Another fact known to outsiders only through garbled stories, is that the Ashala share their range with human-like beings known as Utur. These are sentient hominids with body hair, varying from white to grey in colour. They wear animal skins, craft tools and weapons, and know how to set fires. These are strong and hardy people, calm and stoic in personality, content to shelter in holes in the ground covered over with skins. Though they lack the vocal abilities of humans, over time the Ashala have gained the trust of the Utur, and relations are mostly peaceful; in some cases, Utur and Ashala live together in travelling groups, and there have been some apparently willing efforts to interbreed, though it seems that no children can be born between these races. Indeed the Utur are indeed a slow-breeding race, and despite the reverence of the Ashala, it seems their numbers are slowly dwindling along with the mammoths and wooly rhinos of the far north...
