As Aislings push farther and farther westward, we discover the diversity of the plants, animals, and style of the mundanes we encounter. There is no doubt that although the tribes of mundanes originated from common ancestors, they have metamorphosed into groups of people that are entirely unique. In the coming paragraphs, I will attempt to explain the historical significance of events that occurred before and after Aislings arrived on the continent. These events are surely what led to the formation of the towns as we know them today.

It is appropriate to begin with Asilon and Noam because, as mentioned before, it is speculated that these areas are where mundanes first appeared. The villages were also the only two areas readily available to Aislings after the breaking of the Seal of Medenia in Deoch 35(3). 

When mundane nomadic habits were lost, the villagers adapted by hunting and raising crops. Namely, the mundanes of Asilon began cultivating cotton and other plants, such as sunflowers, for clothing and food. Buildings, simple at first, were erected by molding together mud blocks. Later, a more complex structure of wooden frames, stairs, and windows were built in addition to the blocks.

Politics in Asilon and Noam has not progressed much. To this day, Asilon and Noam retain no more than a simple ranking system where a village leader, often the oldest or wisest of the groups, makes decisions. Merchants appear to take the secondary rank, as they bring in all of the economic progress, and other townspeople fill the lower rank. The current leader of Asilon is Jelus, and the current leader of Noam is Kabok. Probably the most interesting aspects of Asilon and Noam, however, are their spirituality and reliance on one another. It is not clear why Asilon and Noam are divided into two separate regions, but they often act as one. 

When it comes to historical occurrences, Asilon and Noam have several notable events. The first that comes to mind is the struggle between mundanes that occurred a few Deochs before Aislings arrived on the continent. I am, of course, referring to the situation between Cruvano, his fiance Celina, and the evil sorcerer Darni. Cruvano willingly tells the tale to Aislings from his hut just outside the Asilon armory; apparently Celina, now a mudling, was once a wonderfully beautiful mundane. The pair of mundanes were very much in love. However, another mundane by the name of Darni also wished to gain Celina's affection, though she did not care for him. Furious at her rejection, Darni aspired to become a powerful sorcerer so that he could take Celina by force. After many Deochs, Darni achieved such power, though his power was thought to have arisen from dark magics. When Celina refused him a second time, Darni cast a spell that would eventually change Celina into a mudling unless she agreed to kiss him each day. Celina, adamant with her decision but filled with grief for Cruvano, eventually became the mudling she is today. Cruvano remains heartbroken for his dear fiance, but through Aisling assistance, a cure may soon be possible.

This situation leads to the second and probably most important historical event of the region. This event is the discovery of the Dioram. I happened upon this information after hearing about the Mysterious Book from Jelus, the same day as when I set out to find a cure for Celina. The old man hastily sent me to his friend, Kabok, who was much more knowledgeable about ancient happenings than we were. According to Kabok, the Dioram is an elixir that is rumored to be only a myth, but is in fact real.  I beckoned for more information; the cursed placed upon Celina was quickly taking its toll.

Kabok explained that the Dioram is a powerful substance that has flowed underground for as long as the Elemental Spirits have been enriching the lands with their power. As mentioned before, this may have been as early as the Sixth Aeon. The liquid functions as a conduit between the Spirits, allowing them to influence lands distant from where they dwell. This is how the six elements of Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Metal, and Nature appear in all regions of the continent (though I predict the elemental properties of a certain Spirit are dominant in a region where a Spirit dwells). While the Dioram cannot be channeled to the surface by ordinary means, Kabok told me that he would allow me to bring a small amount of the liquid to the surface to help the ailing Celina. To do this, I had to engage in a Golkatian ritual that involved fox ribs...but I will not go into detail here. Kabok explain that the liquid, in the hands of mundanes and Aislings able to purify it, may pose a threat to the lives of all living creatures. I gathered the impure substance in a bottle and administered it to Celina, who magically showed improvement. I left the hut in Asilon with a smile on my face, hoping the sighing mudling eventually returned to her beautiful self. My smile was short lived, however, when I crossed the town and spotted something rather peculiar relaxing by the dome shaped huts. The gray-skinned lifeform was not shy; in fact, it waved me over and introduced itself. Its name was Mephit.

This introduction marked another notable event in Medenian history. As I spoke to Mephit, it explained its kind was what we normally call demons. Him and another demon, Morwin, had emerged from a realm called Crionor to satisfy their curiosity on the events in Medenia. Normally, Mephit said, creatures are not able to escape from their realms and travel to others; some strange force had been making the transition easier. The same was true when the Creants first appeared in Temuair and attempted to capture the power of the Elemental Spirits, though the demon could not recall from which realm the Creants had escaped. Mephit did not say exactly when it arrived in our realm, but I had not expected it to understand our methods of keeping time. I predict that both demons came to Medenia from Crionor late in the Eighth Aeon, when it was first recorded that lifeforms were capable of shifting realms(4). Curiously, this is also the time period where the element of Darkness was discovered. To thank the demon for its information, I gave it ten Charred Bones to replenish its strength. I bit my lip and hoped I had not made a mistake.

At the end of these quests, I had only more questions: why was there so little information about the Goltakin peoples? Were their lives extinguished by the power of the Dioram? Does Temuair also have an underground source of elemental energy? What was the strange force that allowed demons and other creatures to come to our realm? ...should we be afraid that they are doing so? I hopped upon Habab's handy caravan to Hwarone, where I hoped to find more answers.

Hwarone, a town nestled between the foot of a volcano and a sweltering desert, is home to some of the most colorful mundanes found on the continent. Aislings needed roughly fifteen Deochs to cross the desert and thusly discovered the town in Deoch 50(5).

The Hwarone mundanes' ancestors, so I'm told, were an ingenuous bunch who thrived from the fertile grounds offered at the bottom of the volcano. Despite choosing their location within the proximity to a dangerous force of nature, the Hwaronians were instantly at ease when they found the sanctuary of the Fire Spirit within walking distance of their home. The mundanes erected a more formal shrine for the spirit and gave reverence to the powerful entity, who is thought to be solely responsible for keeping the lava at bay. The shrine still stands today.

I am told by the townspeople, namely Mank the Gatekeeper, that the distant history of Hwarone is one of success. The lands, so fertile, were once covered in hardy cherry blossom trees that still dot the area. The Golkatian ancestors were thought to have etched the smooth stone streets from the very rock that had spilled from the volcano and constructed the city walls from cherry blossom trees they cleared. Fine accessories, such as fire fonts, poles for decoration, and signs were created easily because of the generous amount of malleable stone and heat at the mudanes' disposal. Today, Hwarone functions as a site for imports and offers and array of expensive upgrades and trinkets for Aislings. Soon after the discovery of the city, the mundanes also constructed a unique style of government that Aislings were invited to join.

However, Hwarone has written its own list of troubles. When the townspeople began to better explore their surroundings at the time of Aisling appearance, they discovered two valuable resources: Andor and the Veltain Mines. The reason for the invasion of Veltain was simple; the mines were a rich source of ore, which is much more easy to work with than stone. The mundanes still often require the Veltain Ore to craft many of the Aisling weapons in their smithy. Hwarone's invasion of Andor is much more unclear because many of the items crafted by the Hwaronians are often far superior to those found in Andor. However, I suspect the invasion may have occurred because of the appearance of the Conix in the hive (there is more information on this occurrence in coming pages). Perhaps the Hwaronians are seeking enlightenment of their own...but regardless, Aislings first frayed against Andor when discovering the hive, shortly after the breaking of the Seal. They continued the fight and officially joined the battle against the Veltain grimlocks when Hwarone organized its parliament and military in Deoch 61(6).

Hwarone also has problems at home. When Aislings first stumbled upon the city, they were quick to notice that the town Magistrate was speaking gibberish. It was at this time that Aislings had a reason to venture into the nearby Desert Dunes. The Dunes were the only source for ginseng, which were boiled down and mixed into an elixir to cure the Magistrate's condition.  It was later discovered that the Magistrate's favorite beverage, Black Sun Tea, had been contaminated with an unknown substance--perhaps a poison meant to kill him. It is still unclear who planted the substance in the Magistrate's tea, or why, but the mundanes are currently amassing their army to protect against an attack on their city. However, I fear that the enemy may already be within the city walls.

An even more sinister situation lies just outside of Hwarone. I spoke to Cheung, the Hwarone Innkeeper, and asked her about the decrepit building that seemed to be abandoned outside the city walls. Cheung explained that the rather large building belonged to the former magistrate of the town, who went by the name of Guaili. Apparently the mundane was a very poor magistrate, but instead focused his energies on other disciplines--namely, the study of magics. After the passing of several Deochs (or cycles, as the mundanes prefer to call them), the home eventually became what it is today. Cheung was unsure exactly how the home became so corrupted, so groups of Aislings offered to help solve the mystery. They climbed to the top of the home, slaying hordes of cursed guard dogs and possessed dolls, and finally arrived in Guaili's study. What Guaili had become was frightening; he was no longer a mundane, but a monstrous figure whose body had been possessed by some form of dark energy. When the robed figure attacked the weakest of the Aislings, the stronger members of the group had no choice but to defend their own. Guaili fell in Deoch 50, but the Cursed Home remained. It can only be assumed that the dark energy contained within the building was not lost, and for some reason lingers...

Luckily, the history of Hwarone was pretty straightforward. At the end of my journey, I wondered if the dark energy discovered by Guaili was connected to the demon invasion. At the very least, I hoped the magistrate's meddling with magic hadn't caused something much worse.

Nestled comfortably between Tavaly Ridge and the western portion of the Nageling Bowl is the swampy Aman Jungle, home of rugged Amanites.  Several Deochs passed while Aislings were exploring the Water Dungeon and Lost Ruins, so there is no surprise that we only stumbled upon Aman Jungle in Deoch 94(7).

While appearing to be less advanced than the other areas, the Aman Jungle society is developed a great deal in its own right. The Amanites prosper by living on what the land has provided for them; they cook meals by stewing frog meat, help their tribe members who suffer from insomnia sleep with a simple spore remedy, and provide banking to traveling Aislings. The Aman Jungle is also the site of some of the most powerful skills and spells offered to Aislings thus far. Still, due to its geographic seclusion, the Aman Jungle society probably has not progressed much since its founding.

Unlike in other societies, the Amanites have lived harmoniously with other nations for as long as Medenian history has been recorded. Only until recently has this peace been disturbed, but only within the ranks of the Aman Jungle peoples. Several Deochs ago (the exact Deoch is unknown because this information is hearsay from the Hostile Chief), the Hostile Chief reigned as Aman Jungle's leader. When he and his friend Vortigern had a terrible argument, the Hostile Chief left Aman Jungle to created a new tribe of his own. The Hostile Chief did not have to travel a great distance from his former home; on the outskirts of Aman Jungle, he was able to acquire followers and establish a new home. The area the Hostile Chief called home was befittingly dubbed the Hostile Grounds. In the Hostile Chief's absence, Vortigern rose to power and was named the chief of Aman Jungle. Despite the two chiefs' differences, though, Aman Jungle's outlook is positive. Through some heavy investigating and persuasion, Aislings succeeded in convincing Vortigern and the Hostile Chief to apologize to one another. The chiefs soon arranged a reunion, and the bonding of the two tribes meant that Aislings may one day see the Aman peoples united once more. 

As a tribe who has not progressed much in terms of shelter or defense, the Amanites were devastated when the local flora and fauna began acting strangely in Deoch 107. Frogs began multiplying to incredible numbers and ferociously protected their watery nests from Aisling invasion. Dendrons, once shy but powerful creatures, rooted themselves in the middle of open trails where Aislings often walked. Elemus, once noble mounts for many of the Aman people, suddenly shook off their leafy saddles and ran deep into the thicket of vines. The Amanites were desperate; they recruited every Aisling they could to contain the growth of the pests and to return their precious Elemus to the town. Even Aislings that were previously viewed as too weak to join the fray were recruited. Such an explosion of Aisling activity lead to the increased exploration of the outskirts of Aman Jungle, thus leading to the discovery of the Yowien Territory.

The Yowien Territory was once inhabited by the Aman peoples, but was quickly abandoned when the united tribe became two. Two smaller, separate tribes were not prepared to take on the devastation that hordes of dendrons, Yowien trees, and primate-like Yowiens left in their wake. With the reuniting of the chiefs, however, Aislings were deemed trustworthy enough to begin exploring this area in Deoch 107(8). Aislings were taken aback when they discovered that the Yowien people, once a part of the Aman Jungle tribe, had split off to create a tribe of their own. This tribe had seemingly adapted to the dangers of the area, though it still suffered from minor problems (such as relationship scuffles and losing their property due to the multitude of creatures nearby).

Today, Aislings are returning the Yowien people their lost possessions and slaying any offending creatures; they do so happily because the Yowiens offer some of the best equipment that has been discovered thus far.


Now that we have studied the wonders of Medenia's mundane civilizations, we will move onto the notes I gathered for less populated locales.