Demrefor

Demrefor quite literally means “Planet Three Moons”. It is a contraction written in the ancient nurlak language. Nobody has been able to fully translate the ancient language, though the meaning of the planet’s name is very widely understood.

Because of this, Demre has become common in some countries as a way to refer to the three moons and has its own connotations versus using other languages. When the sky is referred to as the demre, most will assume a cloudless night with all three moons clearly visible.

The three moons are the pink moon (smallest), the silver moon, and the blue moon (biggest).

Gravity and Oxygen

The gravity of Demrefor is quite low for the surface area. The planet’s density is very low due to the cave systems that have hollowed it out and this, mixed with the thick, clean oxygen, has given many larger animals the ability of flight.

The low gravity also allows for bipedal races to grow rather tall, and it is not uncommon to have people able to leap the length of their body with ease.

Because of the oxygen levels, large animals are in abundance. Insects can grow to giant sizes if their lifespan allows.

Cave Systems

The cave systems that run through Demrefor do a lot more than just lower the gravity; they provide homes for many species of animals and have their own sustainable ecosystems.

Many of the caves are full of water collected from rain or drained from rivers that allow these ecosystems to flourish.

Sometimes, though rarely, inland caves will connect to the ocean and you can find salt water and sea creatures in the middle of continents.

As Demrefor is full of caves, gems and stones are in abundance and are not considered expensive or rare unless they have magical properties.

Cottonflowers

Cottonflowers are a cauliflower-shaped plant native to the nurlak country, Fallen Cloud. They grow to about 1 meter tall and have three main parts to them:

• Their cotton flower, which gives them their name and can be harvested and turned into fabric.
• Their leaves, which can be used for a large variety of medicinal purposes from asthma treatment to curing the self-feeding sickness to simple pain relief. They can also be used as a recreational drug, help strengthen children’s immune system, and is believed to reduce the chance of miscarriage.
• Their seeds, which are edible, can be stored for years without going bad, and grow in abundance.

Cottonflower plants are extremely difficult to germinate but are very hardy once they sprout and nearly impossible to kill. They do best with minimal amounts of water and aren’t picky growers, able to survive growing in dirt, clay, and even stone.

The plants take about 10 years to reach full maturity and, no matter how much is cut from them, will grow back as long as their roots are left alone. Plants can be harvested for cotton after their 4th year, though they don’t have very big leaves, and produce no seeds.

Heart Fungus / Blood Moss

Heart fungus is found in the cave systems underneath Demrefor; it can only grow on a surface coated in soulstone, not regular rock. When soulstone loses its charge the plant shrivels, dies, and drops; allowing the stone to recharge and giving the leftover heart fungus spore room to grow.

The plant has absorbed some of soulstone’s properties; it glows and can be used to enhance magic.

It can be prepared into many different meals, but it is very risky as if it is not cleaned properly it may contain fragments of soulstone, which has caused the (mostly-)accidental demise of many unwary food critics.

Despite its name, it has been discovered it is not actually a fungus. It is a mushroom-esque growth which is closely related to moss.

It is a dark pink colour and oozes (“bleeds”) red-tinted water when pressure is applied; because of this, wolven people began calling it “blood moss”. A few other Sentients adopted this title, though not many.

When dried and turned into dust, it is believed to increase male potency and female fertility.

Plumbing

Plumbing (both indoor and out) exists on Demrefor. It was introduced to the other Sentients by humans and adopted especially by Eala cultures. It is not common in many Rendi cultures but is utilised in the I’rekan desert as a way of growing crops.

Baths were traditionally heated with a wood-fired boiler (or, pot-by-pot for some), but with the discovery of warmrock many baths have been adapted to heat water by storing the magical stones in pockets in the side. Older baths tend to simply have warmrock crystals thrown into the bottom to heat the water; though this can often clog piping if the bath is not drained carefully.

Fusalant

Fusalant is a flesh-eating bacteria spread by insect bites. It contaminates the flesh at tiny pinpoints that grow and spread across the body at an extreme rate.

Those with fusalant don’t appear sick, at first. The bacteria will remain inactive for several years before suddenly springing to life and causing hair loss, rotting blisters, and internal bleeding.

The insects that carry the illness are a type of fly found only in Spaypoy. Only people who have been to Spaypoy can be infected with fusalant; even sharing bodily fluids doesn’t appear to spread the bacteria.

It is a very rare disease now, with less than two victims a year, as Spaypoy has attempted to eradicate the fly that spreads it.

Dragonscale Trees

Dragonscale trees are trees with leaves so thick no animals can penetrate them. The leaves grow in such a way that, from a distance, they resemble the scales of a dragon.

The plants absorb iron through their roots, and the bark has traces of iron inside it. Its wood can be refined into iron ingots with the right amount of skill; and unrefined it is the strongest known wood on Demrefor.

Kai’Aki’s Disappearance

Kai’Aki used to be a human continent filled with shapeshifters and was a very important part of the International Alliance’s founding. However, it disappeared completely in 1,603 AE, leaving nothing but empty sea and a large underwater crater.

The disappearance of Kai’Aki is believed to be related to the civil war it was undergoing at the time; rumours of an heir to their missing royal line had only just spread to other continents when Kai’Aki vanished.