Zaurion

"A Void Island born from dust and silence, and turned into a replica of ancient, bygone era - A testament to the advancement of the Void Age."

Across both the Voidsea and the Realmlands, creatures that were long extinct, millions or billions of years ago, roam across new and exotic hunting grounds, reaching worlds they never evolved on, and becoming new threats to all who reside there. There are many ways such events have happened - Zaurion is one of the worlds these creatures originate from.

It located within the Mesozara Void Archipelago, within the Sky River. It is a member of the Cosmic Union. It's ecosystems origins are inorganic, as it was originally a barren rock, which was terraformed by the Kin of the Greater Solar Union during the Void Age, and transformed it into a world dedicated to de-extinction projects in a quest to preserve long-lost forms of ancient life, for research, scientific, and ethical reasons.

During the Technopocalypse however, the infrastructure that oversaw this was destroyed, ending the ongoing projects, and leaving Zaurion and the creatures that now called it home to go the whims of fate. But it was not only the resurrected beasts that roamed it's surface - Many Kin had been trapped, their Voidships unable to function or support life, leaving them with only one option - To eke out a life on Zaurion, a world almost fundamentally hostile towards them.

It is one of several worlds of a similar history, which have been designated as 'Primordial Worlds', several of which have been rediscovered - Worlds such as Ark, Niysil, Sköllara, Chimera, Fusion, and several others. Recovered data-packets from various sources of archeotech make reference to many more beyond those, awaiting rediscovery.

Description

Originally, Zaurion war a barren, rocky world that possessed Kin-Standard Gravity, but with little of note to be said about it otherwise. This is, in fact, the reason it was chosen for terraforming, and for the projects that would come to define it, as the Greater Solar Union did not wish to upend a pre-existing ecosystem. Recovered data-logs also suggest that this was part of an infrastructure build-up program, designed to incentivize immigration and industrialization to lesser populated regions of the Union, making it's prescence stronger, and utilizing the resources there.

Now terraformed, Zaurion is a warm, temperate terrestrial world, and indistinguishable from orbit to that of a world that evolved this way over the course of millions of years. It is covered in a variety of biomes, ranging from jungles, to grasslands, to vast oceans full of marine life. To the creatures that would call this world their home, were they capable of remembering the worlds they were brought back from, Zaurion would appear as a confusing mishmash of unfamiliar environments, forced together by necessity. Types of trees that grew tall 500 million years ago find their branches interwoven with common fur, pine, gengel and vasterok trees from Void Islands that still produce them to this day, while both find themselves covered in mosses from time periods that are far older than both, combined. The incapable died out, while the capable survived, adapted, evolved, and thrived in this new ecosystem.

Life is found in every biome on Zaurion, from the deepest oceans, to the highest points of the skies - Giant insects roam the equatorial regions, while creatures less capable of surviving these conditions find themselves in the north and southern hemispheres.

Zaurioni settlements are scattered, and vary in their design and scale. Both naturally defensible positions, and the ability to adapt a place into a defensible location are highly valued by the Zaurioni Kin, thus necessitating flexibility, adaptability, creativity, all merged with pragmatism. Though underground, walled, and tree-top settlements are all commonplace, the majority of settlements are found along the coastline, and are made up of one part land, and one-part artificial islands.

Culture

Tribes

The culture of the Zaurioni people is one that was born out of necessity and pragmatism. Zaurion as a world is incredibly hostile to them - Flying reptiles that can pluck a Kin or their meal during a swoop, or enormous, territorial, and aggressive carnivorous lizards, to ambush predators that eject poison and neurotoxins into their targets. Safety in numbers became a paramount concept, and as such, tribes became the primary social structure quickly.

Tribes were formed by a need for safety in numbers. They were formed based on who happened to be present, and they do not exist inherently in opposition to other tribes, though various forms of war-tribes were known to occur. A Tribe is made up of those who consider themselves to be of that tribe - This means that a group can simply split away from the main tribe, and become a tribe of their own if they so choose. However, to join another tribe often requires either a majority approval, the completion of a task, or a period of service in order to prove ones loyalty. Backstabbing, treachery, and underhanded tactics are very rarely received well by Zaurioni.

Naming Conventions

Like many Kin across the Sky River, Zaurioni often choose their own names. This can be based on their job, their Arcane abilities, or simply personal preference. Due to their tribal society, their first name will usually be their tribal name, while their second name will be their chosen name. This is merely the formal structure - In practice, the chosen name is used in conversation.

File:Tribe Vs Dino.png

A tribe hunting a beast - Such events are often required to thin the ranks of predators near settlements

Examples of Zaurioni names
Name of Tribe	Chosen Name	Full Name
Velicar	Soundwave	Velicar Soundwave
Rakvioura	Pyro	Rakvioura Pyro
Haema	Bloodbite	Haema Bloodbite

Beast Tamers

In a world as hostile as Zaurion, however, there came to be a culture of co-existence for many of the wild beasts. Many were capable of being domesticated, or otherwise trained to not pose a threat to the people within the settlements. Mass scale adoption of this policy is unadvisable for a variety of reasons, such as resources, ecological balance, and housing, but just about every settlement on Zaurion has a wide variety of domestical beasts. Beast-Handlers, as they came to be known, are deeply respected on Zaurion. Usual contact with these sorts of creatures is commonplace for the Zaurioni, leaving them to often be considered fearless when faced with other such beasts on other Void Islands - In reality, the Zaurioni people are just used to dealing with hostile creatures.

Cities

Coastal Zaurioni cities are usually split between land sections, and artificial island sections, which stretch far into the sea. Defensible positions such as walls and settlement defensive barracks are constructed with brick-and-mortar to ensure sturdiness and stability, while civilian infrastructure is built atop various stilts, and the houses are suspended in the air - This is to keep them safe from seasonal flooding. The cities are split between land and sea settlements for further protection - In the event that a wall breaks down and is attacked, by a rival tribe, or by the beasts, the land-city can be evacuated into the shallow ocean, where the risk of attack by the beasts is lowered, and a phased reconstruction and clearing out period can take effect. The islands often double up as agricultural sections, ensuring a steady supply of food.

Zaurioni Kin are fiercely protective and loyal of their allies, born out of the conditions on Zaurion, where co-operation, teamwork, and watching out for one another are the primary methods of survival. Lone wanderers are often subjects of great respect to the Zaurioni, due to the dangers they are surrounded by. Very few civil tasks are undertaken alone by the Zaurioni. Those that are capable of doing these tasks alone are often treated both with great respect, and a degree of fear.

When not on Zaurion, many Zaurioni are often thought of as being deeply paranoid, due to them constantly being on alert. That same seeming paranoia however, will often save those Zaurioni on their homeworld.

There are many myths on Zaurion about the Saurvask - Kin who are capable of transforming into the beasts that surround their homes. These myths are often connected to Gi'trath'Karth - The Lizard Lord, one of the foremost religions in Zaurioni history.

Arcane

The Arcane plays a major role in Zaurioni society, and is often seen as a saving light for their civilization. Many often view the Arcane as a sort of spiritual guiding light.

Taekni

Taekni is considered to be a near essential skill, as it is capable of helping to solve just about any problem that the Zaurioni face. A degree of mandatory training is compulsory across Zaurion, as are various self-defence tattoo-runes. When one reaches a certain age or rank, they may choose to remove these tattoos. To do this is considered a symbol of honour, and a height to aspire towards, as it means that one has contributed enough throughout their lives to be able to lean back on the tribe - their contributions made the tribe stronger, and as such, it can afford to aid those who have their tattoos removed.

To remove ones tattoos outside of these accepted circumstances however, is a symbol of arrogance, selfishness, and is considered a grievous affront to the tribe. Exceptions to these conditions do exist, but it is generally expected that those who remove their tattoos before their time or rank will contribute in other ways. Extensive documentation and reporting is kept to ensure that no one is misaligned in these situations.

Traits

Traits are also considered deeply valuable - Because they manifest regardless of training, and their effects are somewhat random, Traits were often seen as guides towards the role that the Kin in question should have in society - A Kin with a Trait geared to combat may have been expected to join their city guard, whereas one who had a Trait geared towards marine agriculture may be expected to help in the ocean sectors. Though this is no longer a major societal expectation, it is often considered a spiritual guide to those that seek a path to follow.

Regardless, because Traits require as much training as Taekni, most Zaurioni are fully capable of realizing the limits of their Traits.

History

Void Age

Before it's settling, Zaurion was a barren rock, entirely without any remarkable features. The Solar Union had already settled the Void Island Paleon, and was likely to tear apart Zaurion for it's resources. However, it was instead given over to the Science Division, who argued that the world would be better suited for massive De-Extinction projects.

Terraformation took many years - The De-Extinction process did not. The Kin had long since discovered the means to de-extinct creatures, and sought to do so on a far larger scale, but also needed to do so in a way that would not interfere with Voidsea travel, trade, or infrastructure. Zaurion was a prime candidate.

Over the course of decades, various extinct animals were introduced to Zaurion, until it was eventually a thriving ecosystem. This served many purposes - Scientific observation, biological research, and even trade and resource harvesting - Some other sentient Kinde sought to have these creatures within their own zoos, and valuable commodities, such as biological armour, teeth, and defence mechanisms provided benefits to the Solar Union.

The following is a description, discovered from a database dated back to the Void Age:

Data log: Entry 0034
Here, Jurassic predators roam steamy jungles, that rise from land once scorched dry, stalking herds of Pleistocene megafauna and Triassic reptiles. There are Carboniferous-like forests, thick with giant club mosses, and towering horsetail trees, sprawl across entire continents, their air rich with oxygen. Dragonflies the size of hawks and centipedes the length of a man flit and coil through the canopies.
The seas shimmer with prehistoric wonders — Ammonites are commonplace throughout coral reefs, beside Dunkleosteus, and liopleurodons rule over the deepwater trenches. Near the poles, fields of giant ferns stretch endlessly, where glyptodonts and ankylosaurs graze under the low, silver-blue stars.
Zaurion's atmosphere has been fine-tuned to allow higher oxygen levels, accommodating creatures evolved for ancient Earth. This makes the air denser, the weather more volatile, and the storms vast and primal. Lightning dances over mountain ranges where quetzalcoatlus wheel through boiling clouds.
It's an ecosystem in flux — artificial at first, now slowly becoming wild. The intermixing of creatures never meant to meet has created hybrid ecologies. Some thrive, while others collapse. A Carboniferous insect might outcompete modern pollinators, a Cretaceous raptor might vanish without its ancestral prey. Evolution will take over - Eventually, it will settle, and become what it becomes.
If we seek to create custom environments, we will have to fine-tune our efforts further. However, we have created something incredible here. Whatever the outcome, we should look upon it with pride.