Young Writers Society

Dominated by gigantic megafauna and an appearance not dissimilar to Earth's Carboniferous period, no world boasts the biodiversity and sheer amounts of flora that Edin does, thus lending itself to legends of the Garden of Eden, among others. It is a warm and overall humid climate, primarily covered with forests that range from tropical rainforest to temperate woodland. In the coldest times of year, Edin is mild at best, rarely reaching below freezing in most areas of the world, but capable of becoming incredibly warm, capable of reaching 130°F/54°C. The saving grace for its inhabitants in such warm times are the thick canopies extending over the majority of its jungles and forests. Of course, like any world, it has a plethora of biomes, ecosystems, etc., and, like any world, it has higher-altitude, sparser areas and the occasional swath of open lands in the midst of its dense vegetation.

Due to the Edini's binary star system, lack of axial tilt, and absence of moons, the Edini calendar is notably different from the Abzi one. Edin doesn't have moon-cycles to measure months, the axial tilt to measure seasons, or long-lasting years. There are older methods of telling seconds, minutes, and hours, but since its involvement with Abzu, they have adopted these Abzi methods and terms. The smallest calendar unit is the day, the photoperiod of which is about sixteen hours, and the night of which lasts equally, creating a thirty-two hour day-night cycle. Next is the mul (mool), which is the period of time it takes for Utu and Shamash to orbit each other, which takes about five and one quarter days. This means that in the first mul, the orbit shall complete at midday; the second, at sundown; the third, in the middle of the night; the fourth, at sun-up; only to start again at the first at midday. A full cycle of muli (four of them) is equivalent to one cadan (caw-dawn), and two cadani make one full rotation around both suns, or one year. Five years make up one bekyl (beck-yl), which is the societal equivalent of an Abzi year--it is what broader periods of time are measured in (see table enspoilered below).

The calendar itself is as follows: it separates bekyli into eras, which are the Era of Creation (from when Tiamat created the world to when Edin and Sukur were formed), the Era of Monsters (from when Edin and Sukur were formed to the beginning of human civilization), and the Era of Man (beginning with the founding of Mesopotamia and extending to the modern day). Each era begins at bekyl 0, such that one would denote the first year of the Era of Man as "Era of Man, 0." In Shaari, the three eras are: Vekh et Kuri, Vekh et Angi, Vekh et Ser, & Vekh et Abzin, respectively. These would be abbreviated, in order, as V.K., V.A., and V.B.

The five years in any bekyl are named as follows: Ponori, Kerun, Unir, Rekhel, & Zybul. Within each year, there is Ignin and Nixin, the two cadani. Muli, like years, are not named, but neither are they usually written in a date; rather, it's the day of the cadan. As aforementioned, there are 21 days in a cadan. Now, a date is written in the following order: era, bekyl, year, day, cadan. For example, a modern one might be:



This would be the the fifth year of the 7,195th bekyl of the Era of Man/Vekh et Abzin, on the nineteenth day of the first cadan.

Created long before Edin was a world, the Anuri originally consisted of fifteen individuals, two embodying embodying each element of earth, air, fire, water, healing/life, shadow, and light, with the fifteenth embodying spirit or "arcanum." Contention between the siblings was what initially began the war between Sukur and Edin, its start rooted in the conflict between the eldest, Madu, and the youngest, Leluin. The seven Edini Anuri may be found in detail further on. However, all Anuri have certain similarities. Their true forms are bestial ones, including the phoenix, thunderbird, cockatrice, and those that have no true name. Each of these beasts are wholly singular. There are others creatures reminiscent of their design but the Anuri and Anuri alone hold their forms. Furthermore, all Anuri are six-limbed, and all Anuri have wings. Finally, they are all capable of taking a humanoid form, although they are not true shapeshifters by nature and their guises are incredibly limited. In their humanoid form, most of the Edini Anuri choose to keep their wings, making them the only creatures aside from Shifters that may take the form of a winged human.

The Second Caste consists of the Seryu. These are four-limbed, serpentine creatures closely resembling the legendary Chinese Long or Japanese Ryu, and are the only flighted Edini aside from the Anuri, although they do not possess wings. Seryu come in a plethora of colors and sizes, ranging from rich crimsons to subtle blues and greys, but all Seryu possess fish-like scales, antlers, whiskers, and, perhaps most importantly, feathers extending from their heads and legs that give them a "six-winged" appearance that ultimately gave way to Seraphim legends (two on the hind legs, two on the forelegs or ones 'used to fly,' and two on the face). They, like all Edini, are capable of complex speech.

Seryu have four different domains of magic: earth, air, fire, and water. Regardless of domain, Seryu are capable of using radiance--likely why they became associated with a "flaming" pearl, as this light is often summoned as a ball before being used--but within the domain, Seryu have limited elemental control and manipulation of that given element. They are the strongest elemental casters aside from Anguids. However, they are far less persecuted and far more organized, meaning that Seryu typically have training from the moment they are old enough to learn such discipline. As such, they are incredibly capable soldiers and benefactors. There have also been accounts of Seryu creating mixed-species progeny with humans, although these accounts are somewhat uncertain when subjected to intense scrutiny. Regardless, their presence on Abzu has largely been benevolent, with few more destructive individuals.

Seryu produce sexually and through live birth. The young are born without antlers, feathers, etc. Like fish, Seryu don't shed their scales, and some may possess plummaceous feathering around their head or along their spine that appears hair-like. There are both male and female Seryu and hermaphroditic individuals are a rare occurrence, as in humans.

In spite of the Christian mythologies that the Sherubim were at the heart of, the truth of their appearance is much less humanoid and considerably more monstrous than the four-headed, semi-humanoid, four-or-six-winged creature that was the Abrahamic design. Sherubim most closely resemble Persian manticora or Greek chimeras in appearance, wingless and with a quadrupedal body and venomous tail, the form of which is partially dictated by the domain from which the Sherubim in question hails. All Sherubim are three-headed, with the head of a buffalo or ox-like creature, the head of a large felid, and the head of a raptor. One of these heads possesses a human face and it is this that denotes which domain the Sherubim belongs to. Ox-headed Sherubim are water, felid-headed Sherubim are earth, and raptor-headed Sherubim are air.

Unlike Seryu domains, this domain does not denote elemental control. In fact, no Sherubim has any elemental control aside from minimal manipulation of radiance, with which they can do light tricks at best. Rather, the Sherubim's powers lie in more bestial connections: they may commune with and, to an extent, command beasts within their domain. Avians, bats, and flighted insects are air-element, anything that is amphibious or lives subaqueously is water-element, and anything terrestrial is earth-element.

Water-domain Sherubim possess ox-like forequarters, with cloven hooves and thick shoulders, with the hindquarters of a feline-esque creature. These hind paws are webbed to allow swimming capability. They tend to be slender and aerodynamic, without mains or excessive fur. Earth-domain are nearly entirely feline in body. Air-domain have the hindquarters of a raptor and the forequarters of either an ox or a lion, depending on the individual's genetics.

The very beings that became the legendary Nordic valkyrie, the Valki are the lowest but debatably most important and involved of the Edini castes. They make up about three-quarters of the Shaari Legions as the base cavalry- and infantrymen of Edin. There is no Valhalla nor Fólkangvr, but some human warriors are chosen to ascend as Valki and given a second life to live as one of Edin's soldiers. Valki are entirely mortal, however, and die just like any other being would. They cannot bear young but may sire progeny with humans or hundari.

The Valki are unique among Edini in that they are wholly humanoid, mostly because they began as humans. Only humans or those with human blood may ascend, and vampires cannot become Valki. They are incapable of reproduction but typically retain the sexual characteristics of their gender, although all of their kind are excessively androgynous and even feminine, thus the "all-female" mythology of the valkyrie.

Although nowhere near as powerful as the Seryu, Valki have a unique ability based in radiance called "morphing." When morphed, they take on a nightmarish form, with the light distorting their image and their eyes generally becoming entirely iris- and pupilless. It gives them an almost haloed or winged appearance and they are capable of taking the light that they absorb when morphed and turning it into radiance that they can use to imbue their attacks, defenses, and other actions.

Shortly after their arrival in Edin, the Anuri created a code of laws called the Zel Mirya (zel meer-yaw) by which all Edini are expected to obey. This set of laws denoted the castes, based upon magical power level and species' ages, such that the oldest and most powerful beings would be set above their weaker or less experienced cousins. Although there are a lot of them and the legal system is complex, ultimately the Zel Mirya boils down to the same essence as their motto: obedience and lawfulness promotes order and unity which, in turn, creates utopia. Treason is the highest crime any Shaarina can commit and disobedience is both dishonorable and spat upon.

Overall, the Shaari values honor, militaristic prowess, and benevolence. They are protectors as much as they are soldiers and the ability to be compassionate and forgiving is as important as the ability to fight. Every capable individual in society is expected to contribute; those that cannot are to be taken care of by those who can, with the hope being that honest work as a community can supply for those who would otherwise perish without assistance.

This being said, there is a deep-seated antipathy towards those of Sukur in the general culture, but Anguids and Sukurian Anuri in particular, as these are the most powerful beings that once served Tiamat. Not every individual is incredibly racist and some even hold compassion towards those they deem a danger--however, those who pose a threat must die for the betterment of overall society, unfortunate as that may be.

In spite of the alienation between Sukur and Edin, the basis of the Sukurian Ra'juii and the Edini Hun (hoon) are extraordinarily similar, if with different biases, and both of their languages developed of Draconic origins. The so-called Old Tongue--the same language as the ancient Anguids and the First Host of Tiamat--is still spoken by the Edini Anuri, and similar enough to the Sukurian language Ang (rhymes with "kong") that if you speak one, you can get by in the other. Finally, due to the stringent caste system, there is sufficient divide between the castes for each one to have developed their own dialect--Seryan, Cherum, and Vaalan, for the Second, Third, and Fourth Castes, respectively.

Unlike most Sukurian cultures, the Shaari don't worship any particular god, largely due to the Edini Anuri's involvement in the Shaari since the beginning. However, their history is shrouded in myth and legend that the Anuri have largely let spread so long as it doesn't become particularly harmful. The myth depicting the world's creation and Madu's rise to power is almost identical to that in the Ra'juii: Tiamat rose out of nothingness, formed the world, created Kur, then the Anuri, followed by her First Host. One member of this host was Nimwe. Nimwe was a bipedal, omnivorous creature that wore the skins of other creatures sewn into her own, rather than having natural fur, scales, or feathers. She created the darkheaded (mankind) out of the primordial sea's clay and her own blood. Tiamat's world was one of natural and absolute chaos, spelling danger to the weak, giving creatures like the darkheaded no chance at survival and none a chance at peace. Instead, the world was torn by constant, ineffable war.

Tiamat's host posted great danger to the darkheaded, who could not defend themselves. Nimwe took them and hid away in the mountain in the sea for seven days and on the eve of the sixth night a handsome face came to the cave's mouth (a creature resembling the Angolan Kishi). She became entranced by his voice and came out to it, but Madu came out of the sky to save her. He battled the creature but its jaws came fixed over his wing and, unable to release it, he nearly met death before Nimwe came and struck the monster thrice with a rock, killing it. She proceeded to free Madu, the creature's head unable to be removed, so his wing was rent from his body and devoured by the bowels of the earth (the source of subcontinental magma). Thus freed, Madu now owed Nimwe: he had saved her life, and she his, but then she had done him the favor of granting him liberty and tending to his wound as well. She took his ear and explained the plight of the darkheaded. Infuriated and frustrated with the weaker creatures' inability to have a chance, he returned to his brethren, explaining how, if the First Host were to be slew, the innocent could be defended and there could be peace--utopia.

Thus, the Anuri were divided in two, with Madu and the enventual Edini Anuri speaking out against Tiamat's savagery and Leluin and the Sukurian Anuri insisting that they could not betray their mother. Leluin went to Tiamat and warned her of Madu's plans, so Tiamat challenged Madu to a fight between the two of them. Madu, with gifts from his brethren, defeated Tiamat and killed her.

Not long thereafter, Abzu was still wartorn as the Anuri fought amongst themselves. Finally, Kur, Tiamat's first creation and the embodiment of death and life, linked Edin and Sukur and then cast the Edini Anuri to the former and the Sukurian Anuri to the latter so that Abzu could thrive independently. The battle against the remnants of the First Host on Abzu ensued as a sort of war by proxy between the two Anuri factions. This myth is considered semi-fictional history: that is, the essence of it is truthful, but it is widely recognized that there was likely some construing of its details over the years. However, Kur is still considered the ultimate power and the Anuri are the closest things to gods that the Edini recognize, giving them reverence and (largely) unquestioning obedience.

Creature type: Firebird/Phoenix
Artifact: Varun (a type of shapeshifting blade)
Familiar: Northern Goshawk (Finnish) (Accipiter gentilis)
Role: Destroyer (having taken up the mantle of leader since Sha-shu's death)

If discipline is strength, than Madu is the strongest of the Anuri as well as the most experienced, a byproduct of his pyrokinesis. Fire, as chaotic an element as it is powerful, requires the utmost control to wield--particularly with the destructive power inherent in his being. He bears upon his shoulders the weight of the Shaari, his siblings' betrayal, and his own mother-god's life, the processing of which has made him one of the most grounded and level-headed of the Edini Anuri--but beware, for woe be those who bring the weight of his wrath upon them. He is indisputably the most destructive of the Edini Anuri.

His true form is that of the four-winged firebird. Various accounts describe him differently. However, there are some consistencies: he is known to be an avian of mammoth proportions and raptorial features, with fiery feathers and golden plumes on his crown and tail. Although born with four wings, he's lost two of them, one to the creature he saved Nimwe from and the other to his brother Sath in single combat. His fire is typically radiant fire but he is near-immune to and can control any fire, given that it is not already under the control of someone of equal or higher power level than he himself. Madu is particularly stringent about taking his true form, though, preferring to stick with the guise of a somewhat short black man with dreads in a lopsided ponytail and a trench coat that he hasn't changed since the 19th century.

His artifact--a varun imbued, in part, with his strength and bound to him such that no others may wield it--typically takes the form of a double-edged European broadsword. This being said, it can take the form of any mêlée blade, from a tanto to a claymore. When not in use, it often becomes a gauntlet over his left arm.

Creature type: Cockatrice
Artifact: Varil (shapeshifting bow)
Familiar: Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug)
Role: Pursuer

What Arkel lacks in particular size, she makes up for in precision and pure force. She is easily the most patient and vindictive of the Edini Anuri, willing to wait for years, even centuries, to make her moves, but when she begins a hunt, she is not easily dissuaded. This stubbornness can make her among the most dangerous to cross, a close second to Jofin's bullheaded nature. She revels in the hunt as much as she does the kill--yet what she deems to be targets rarely escape that category, regardless of the justification towards their case.

Her true form is that of the four-winged cockatrice. Her wings are reminiscent of those of the saker, her tail semi-draconid, and her head possesses a pseudo-beak similar to early sauropods but more in alignment with carnivorous adaptations. A thick mane, somewhat flat face, and round pupils lend to an almost feline appearance, and her legs are not dissimilar to those of theropod dinosaurs, complete with a sickle-claw. In addition to earth-manipulation abilities, she has an affinity for animals, her magic crossing over into flora- and faunamancy in addition to geomancy. Her primary weapon of choice is the longbow, but depending on the situation, this may be substituted for a smaller recurved bow or even a more modern compound when the situation calls for it.

Creature type: Kraken-bird creature
Artifact: Valin (shapeshifting chain)
Familiar: Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus)
Role: Leader

[spoiler]The first of the Edini Anuri to fall, Sha-shu was known for her decisive and swift action. She was wholly unshakable and, although not the eldest of the Edini Anuri, indisputably the most turned to in times of crisis before her decease. She was slain by her igni brother Sath in a battle on Abzu before Kur threw the Anuri to Edin and Sukur, the act of which was the catalyst for the death-dragon's actions.

Sha-shu's form was a bizarre one. She most closely resembled an avian species akin to a jaeger, with long, pointed wings. She bore two wings, no legs, and four tentacles that resembled long feathers at a distance. There were two pairs, the anterior pair extending from her chest beneath her wings, and the posterior pair from the base of her tail. These tentacles were dark in color and possessed long lines of suckers, much like an octopus or squid. Sha-shu never took a humanoid form, as she died before the Era of Man.

Her element having been water, Sha-shu wielded tides, waves, and could manipulate the primordial sea, making her one of the most powerful Edini Anuri prior to her death.

In modernity, Sha-shu is still considered a great loss. Each bekyl, on the date of her death, unless it is a time of crisis, the Edini Anuri hold vigil and the day is taken off of most work in memory of the fallen demigod. The date of her death was V.K. 1012, Rekhel, 20 Ignin.

Creature type: Thunderbird
Artifact: Valur (shapeshifting axe)
Familiar: Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
Role: Persecutor

True to his role as persecutor, Jofin is the most hardheaded, adamant, and positively unstoppable of the Edini Anuri. This is a virtue as much as it is a flaw: he is a relentless harbinger of justice, acting as executioner where his siblings take the place of judge. He and Arkel have their rigidity in common--once a monster, in their minds, always a monster, and Jofin is even more stubborn on this point than his sister.

This isn't to say he's not without his more admirable qualities as well. Jofin is incredibly loyal and has a keen ability to differentiate between his personal biases and the neutral reality of the situation. He's an able combatant and even Madu could likely learn from him, Edin's greatest champion.

His true form is that of the thunderbird. Four-winged and two-legged, he closely resembles the golden eagle, and it's this form mixed with his elemental control and manipulation of light and lightning alike that led to the eagle's association with storms in Greek mythology. Ga'liel brings the storm but it's his brother who brings the thunder.

Creature type: Three-legged Crow
Artifact: Vabyn (shapeshifting glaive)
Familiar: Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica)
Role: Messenger

Although an Anuri, Ga'liel's legacy is not one of particular respect or reverence. He was one of the more neutral Anuri when Madu turned on the First Host, and his loyalties were always somewhat stringent ones, having been incredibly close with both Levia and Leluin prior to the Fall. He remained with Madu mostly out of indecisiveness and his motivations are widely considered uncertain at best. Furthermore, his personality was always one of mischief and demeanor one of happy-go-lucky immaturity, resulting in his treatment as a lesser Anuri, an honorary leader in title alone, and overall pushed aside so that the adults could do their work. Even among the lower clades of Edini, Ga'liel is seen as a messenger and little more.

As the years passed after the Fall and the war between Sukur and Edin went on, Ga'liel largely kept to himself. He was never at the forefront of battle nor was he a prominent authority but for a few situations wherein it was a spur-of-the-moment reaction of defense while he was present in the front lines to relay messages or otherwise be of use. Once recognized as the jester and a figurative light, he quieted as decades passed.

His disappearances and hermitting became a normality among the Anuri. Without a proper post or duties and a title in name alone, he eventually disappeared centuries ago and hasn't been seen since. This is a source of much rumor in the Shaari communities: many say he went to Sukur, but when he never re-emerged as a friend or foe, most simply shrugged their shoulders and dismissed his desertion to his uselessness and lack of proper faithfulness. Most assume him dead, but of course, this was never confirmed.

Ga'liel's form most closely resembles the three-legged crow. Once, Ga'liel had four legs, but one was taken from him by the First Host (a part of the reason for which he went with Madu rather than Leluin). The Anuri of Air, he holds control over most aspects of the weather and winds, from the howling gales to whispered breezes. He's also the fastest of the angels and, aside from being a messenger, can also act as a harbinger of renewed strength: he has turned the tides of war on his presence alone.

Creature type: Serpent-creature
Artifact: Vahul (shapeshifting shield)
Familiar: Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
Role: Healer

Ra'fel is defined, first and foremost, by his pacifism. He is the only Anuri to have taken such a vow and since the Era of Monsters, he has not broken it. He is a healer and a healer alone and has been known to take in enemies as well, defending any and all in need. He's the most compassionate of his siblings and although he understands the need for justice, he himself will never do harm, going out of his way as much as he can to ease the burdens of others. It doesn't matter if they are prisoners or his own soldiers: all lives deserve mercy. He is extremely forgiving, in stark contrast to Madu, Arkel, and Jofin, and believes in giving as many chances as possible without it doing more harm than good.

In spite of the Shaari's overall militaristic view on philosophy, Ra'fel never has been viewed as weak. He is one of the strongest defensive Edini and, in addition to being able to heal and even to an extent revive the dead, he can erect magical shields to protect those within. His magic, like his ways, are without judgement.

His true form is that of a serpent-creature. Put simply, he appears like a gargantuan, six-winged serpent possessing eight eyes and a scorpion-like tail, making him one of the most monstrous and nightmarish-seeming Anuri while simultaneously one of the kindest. His venom has regenerative properties and Ra'fel himself is incredibly hard to kill: if one can get past his defenses, he heals at a rate unprecedented among any other mortal species, including vampires.

Creature type: Six-legged Horse
Artifact: Vawin (shapeshifting armour)
Familiar: Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Role: Guardian

Skul was the second of the Anuri to fall. She was slain in the Era of Man, having gone to Abzu with the intention of defeating the last Mušḫuššu. However, she met her end at the serpent-creature's venom, already dead by the time Ra'fel was able to reach her. The patron of shadow, Skul's greatest virtue was her loyalty and faithfulness to her values, prioritizing the protection of others above all else.

Her true one was that of a six-legged horse all the colors of a tempest, usually described as a blue roan or a some variant of grey, and her wings were the only ones not to be 'true' wings--rather, they were summoned, temporary shadows that could bear her aloft. She was one of the first to come to Madu's side when he argued for the First Host's destruction.

Skul is remembered in the same fashion as Sha-shu, with a vigil being held in her name every bekyl on the date of her death (V.B. 2700, Kerun, 14 Nixin). Her sacrifice, like those of other soldiers, is held in the utmost regard and esteem, and her name shall forever be sung in the halls of the Edini.

😍😍

I admit I've only skimmed over the beginning of this thread but Feather this is absolutely beautiful. I'm in awe of how much work you've put into the worldbuilding!

Thank you!! :D

Thank you so much, Mage!! I've been working really hard at it ^^"