The New World is Ancient. Welcome to the Woven Land. ®
Land of 1,000 Nations CHAOSIUM PRESENTS A SOURCEBOOK FOR 7TH SEA: SECOND EDITION “LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS” CREATIVE LEAD AND CULTURAL CONSULTANT DEREK POUNDS LINE EDITOR JOHN WICK SYSTEM LEADMICHAEL CURRY WRITING BY DEREK POUNDS JOHN WICK DAVID LARKINS ZACH GOURLEY BRETT ZEILER PETER WOODWORTH DEVELOPED BY DANIELLE LAUZON ART DIRECTION BY NICHOLAS NACARIO ART BY TATE ALLEN JILLIAN DOLAN MACIEJ JANIK JOEMEL REQUEZAI GRAPHIC DESIGN AND LAYOUT BY THOMAS DEENY NICHOLAS NACARIO EDITED BY DALE DONOVAN JOHN WICK CHAOSIUM CREATIVE DIRECTOR JEFF RICHARD GAME SYSTEM DESIGNED BY MICHAEL CURRY ROB JUSTICE JOHN WICK BASED ON 7TH SEA: FIRST EDITION BY JOHN WICK JENNIFER MAHR
Special Thanks First off, I want to thank John, David, Mike and Nicholas for all the amazing work they did on this book. I also want to thank Rachel and Connor without whom I never would have had this opportunity, and Angel who was my inspiration through it all. When I was a kid playing RPGs, I often had to turn a blind eye to the glorification of genocide and colonization that permeated the worlds we explored. I hope that this and other books like it help the next generation of tell a different kind of story. Emná7 heyí7. Chácht sxwiyám. Land of 1,0000 Nations © 2023 Moon Design Publications LLC. All rights reserved. 7th Sea is a registered trademark of Moon Design Publications LLC. Chaosium Inc. and the Chaosium logo are registered trademarks of Chaosium Inc. 7th Sea © 1999–2023 Moon Design Publications LLC. All rights reserved. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Reproduction of this work by any means without written permission from the publisher, except for the use of short excerpts for the purpose of reviews and the copying of character sheets and handouts for in-game use, is expressly prohibited. Address questions and comments by mail to: Chaosium Inc. 3450 Wooddale Court Ann Arbor, MI 48104 www.chaosium.com Chaosium Publication 7009 ISBN 978-1-56882-469-7 First Printing November 2023
Introduction 6 Stories 12 The Sky World and how Things Came to Be � � � � � �12 The Creation of the Man Monsters . . . . . . . . . . 13 Ehnita and the Stone Giants � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �16 The Thunderbird of Waha Island � � � � � � � � � � � �17 The Little People and the Water Cougar � � � � � � �19 Learning to Talk Again � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �20 The Coming of the Spirit Creatures � � � � � � � � � �21 How Badger and Otter Taught Us Tewaaraton and Akwek � � � � � � � � � � �22 The Black Man of the Woods � � � � � � � � � � � � � �23 The Dawn Lands 28 The Dawn Home � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �28 The People of the Dawn � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �29 Current Events � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �31 Customs and Social Structure � � � � � � � � � � � � �32 The Three Sisters � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �33 Trade � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �35 Spirituality � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �35 The Midewin � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �39 Military Organization � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �41 Other Nations � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �44 The Manakowak Bay Colony � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �45 Notable Members � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �50 Ono’Enohto’Yeh: People of the Accords 58 Introduction � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �58 History � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �59 Current Events � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �61 Government � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �63 Bonds � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �64 The Land � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �66 Customs and Social Structure � � � � � � � � � � � � �69 The Five Nations � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �72 Spirituality � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �75 The Rotisken Society � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �78 Other Nations � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �80 Notable Members � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �82 Table of Contents The Sertepe Alliance 90 The Sertepe Nations � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �91 Sertepe Trust � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �95 Appearance � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �97 Family & Government � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �97 Technology � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �97 Adoption � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 100 Trade � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 100 Military � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 100 Names & Naming � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 101 State of the War � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 101 Spirituality � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 102 Spirits and Monsters � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 103 Important Places � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 106 Notable Members � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 107 Questions and Answers � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 114 Adventuring in the 1,000 Nations 121 Making a 1,000 Nations Hero � � � � � � � � � � � � � 122 Sorcery � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 130 Fighting Styles � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 131 Secret Societies � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 133 Index 138 author Biographies 140
4 CHAPTER |
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 5 Introduction
6 CHAPTER | CHAPTER | We have been misled. We are so very wrong. All reports of the people here describing them as “primitive” and “unschooled” and “unsophisticated” are naked lies. We must abandon all our preconceptions and start fresh. As your friend of twenty-seven years, please trust me when I tell you these things. All that you and I knew about these people is wrong. I am, even now, reluctant to write because of the uncertainty of what I have learned. But let me begin with the basics so you and I may learn together. After acquiring passage on an Atabean Trading Company vessel—using counterfeit credentials—I arrived at this “new land” carrying all the expectations I had with me. What I found shattered those expectations. I snuck off the ship and made my way to shore when I was greeted by men and women who moved with the silence of shadows. They captured me and brought me to a small building where I was kept in comfort. They fed me and gave me fresh water as well as an alcoholic drink I could not identify. I lost an entire day with only a vague understanding of what happened to me. I know they asked me questions, but I cannot remember what they were. A day later, a woman entered the small house and spoke to me. To my surprise, she spoke perfect Old Théan. She said her name and then translated it for me as “Black Horse.” I could see why: her hair was beautiful and black, reaching all the way down to her ankles. She said she knew why I was here: to learn about her people. She also said she knew I meant them no harm, but her people needed me to spend time with them to earn their trust, and if I ever betrayed them, I would be given back to the ATC with a full account of how I deceived them. I told Black Horse I appreciated her honesty and would do my best to help them in any way I could. She said, “I know.” And then, she let me leave the house and walk with her. As I walked on that day, I discovered that all the ATC have told us about these people is wrong. These are not the “savages” I expected. They have architecture and science. They have agriculture and art. They speak with many languages—including a manner of speaking that is a formalized language of hand symbols as sophisticated as any Théan language. I immediately thought of your sister and my eyes filled with tears. This language of theirs would eliminate her handicap, allowing her to communicate with exact meaning and emotion. When Black Horse saw my tears, she asked why I wept and I told her. She said if I was patient, she would teach it to me. I have spent a month here, living with these people. I have learned Black Horse is their leader, and last night, I told her I considered her a friend. She said she would permit me to write this letter and she would ensure it reached you. Recarido, my friend, I hope to return to you by the end of this year. I will bring Esmerelda the silent tongue of these people and I will teach it to you both. Then, I will teach it to the Church so all who suffer as she does may have the same remedy. Your friend, Zifar A letter from Hermano Zifar Ferrando de Sancia to Padre Recarido Piero de Odulina Obtained from the Invisible College by Melina Saragosa Uppman
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 7 WELCOME TO THE WOVEN LAND T HIS DISTANT LAND, THE WOVEN LAND, IS MORE THAN JUST ONE THOUSAND NATIONS. FROM COAST-TOCOAST, THE ENTIRE CONTINENT IS COVERED WITH CULTURE AND PEOPLE AS DIVERSE AND DIFFERENT AS THE NATIONS OF THÉAH. EACH NATION HAS ITS OWN LANGUAGE, ITS OWN TRADITIONS, ITS OWN CULTURE, AND ITS OWN ORIGIN. MOVING FROM ONE NATION TO ANOTHER MEANS LEARNING AN ENTIRELY NEW WAY OF LIFE. A NEW LANGUAGE, A NEW SET OF APPROPRIATE AND INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIORS, NEW TRADITIONS AND MORALS. This section gives you a basic understanding of the Woven Land, this Land of 1,000 Nations. But be warned! While there are some traditions and beliefs that are common among the People, the differences mark each Nation as unique and a voice unto its own. You cannot expect what is true in one Nation to be true in another. We’ve done our best to give you a brief overview of the land and its people, but to illustrate how different each of these Nations can be, we’ve also given you a detailed deep dive into three of the Nations on the continent’s East Coast. There, you’ll get a better sense of who the people of The Woven Land are, how they are different, and yet the same. The People and the Land There is no single word for the people of the Woven Land, nor is there a single word for the continent. Each Nation has a different word for its people, just as each Nation has a different word for the continent. Many call the continent The Woven Land to reference shared creation stories, others referring to the bond of trade and the weaving hands sign language.
8 CHAPTER | It also bestows blessings to people and objects. It cleanses and heals the world and its people. Medicine takes place as ceremony. It is not an easy or quick procedure. Some medicine can take all night. Performing medicine incorrectly—or irreverently— can result in terrible consequences. If someone does not know the right medicine for healing a problem, they do not even attempt to perform it. The consequences of such an act are unspeakable. Flora and Fauna The Woven Land is home to a great number of animals not found anywhere else in the world. The bison, alligator, bobcat, muskrat, mink, raccoon, beaver, striped skunk, otter and red fox are only some of the unique creatures. Even animals found in other places—such as the bear, wolf and crocodile—have species unseen in Théah or the rest of the world. Most People of the Woven Land have deep spiritual connections with these animals. Many of them have profound roles in their stories. Those with great insight can even communicate with them. Likewise, hundreds (if not thousands) of plants native to the Woven Lands are in great demand across the seas. Four in particular—tobacco, cedar, sweetgrass and sage—are considered to have great Medicine. Tobacco was the first gift the Creator gave to the people and the People pass on that gift to others. It has become incredibly popular Abominations People of other lands refer to monsters as creatures outside of nature, this is not the way with The People though. They understand the distinction between people and animals, but not in the same way Théans do. Animals and humans are different, but they are both part of nature. In many ways, animals are the equal of humans, and in some ways, even superior. Animals such as the hawk, alligator, jaguar, rabbit Because of this, throughout this book, we’ve used The People and The Woven Land as an indicator of the population and the continent. Whenever you see these two indicators, know that we’re talking about the general population and the continent. Culture Unlike Théah, the People have no gentry or noble lines. A Nation is a group of families bound by geographic proximity. Each Nation has its own way of governing. Some Nations are governed by tribal elders while others nominate leaders by vote. There are Nations who pass down authority within families and there are Nations led by a single leader—sometimes wise and beneficent, and sometimes a tyrant. Most Nations are made up of clans which are identified by a prominent geographical feature. “The MapleRidge Tribe,” “The Owl Creek Tribe,” and “The Oak Forest Tribe” are such examples. Others are named by animals sacred to the families such as “The Black Wolf Clan” and “The White Bear Clan.” Clothing Just as the Nations and tribes are diverse, the clothing of the People is just as varied. The People wear what the climate demands. If the tribe lives in colder lands, the clothing addresses that. In places with more temperate climates, their clothing addresses that as well. The People utilize whatever is available to their tribe and trade for materials from tribes who have other materials available to them. Cotton and leather are the most prominent materials, although other animal parts (such as bone) are also used as well as plant fibers, wood and bark. Medicine and Spirituality The people of the Woven Land do see Sorcery as separate from the natural world, nor do they practice strictly organized religion. For the People, spirituality is a highly personalized matter. Telling another how or what to believe is rude and can even be seen as an insult. The word most commonly used for the supernatural is best translated as “Medicine.” It is something that heals or cures; not only wounds, but troubles in general. Medicine solves problems and wounds are only one kind of problem that medicine addresses. A NOTE ON WAMPUM While traditions incorporating wampum are not universal, many peoples bear similar practices involving other materials or forms. Regardless of the form these marks of community and achievement hold more value than simple currency.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 9 Wampum and Trade The shell bead jewelry the People wear is called wampum and it is more than just ornamentation. In fact, wampum is one of the most important concepts to grasp if you are to understand the Nations of the Woven Lands. Unfortunately, the typical Théan may consider it “money” or “currency,” but those concepts do not exist for the People of the Woven Lands. You cannot buy something with wampum. As a matter of fact, the very concept of buying anything is foreign and strange to the People. If a member of a tribe needs something, the tribe gives it to them. If you need a pair of shoes, the community gives you a pair of shoes. If you need food, they give you food. Even strangers arriving at a tribe are given a place to sleep and some food and water—even if they are watched closely. The People use wampum to indicate value, worth and stories, but it is not spent. Instead, wampum is given as an indication of your worth or value. Wampum represents how others feel about you. If someone has a great deal of wampum, you know they have performed many great deeds to earn it. A warrior with much wampum has proven her courage and prowess over and over again. A diplomat with much wampum has proven his ability to negotiate peace many times. Likewise, if someone gives you wampum, they give you the story that comes with it. If a legendary warrior gives you wampum for saving his life, his reputation comes with it. The People also trade goods with each other, sometimes using wampum. It is best to think of trading among the People as trading gifts rather than commerce. If I give you a gift, you are expected to give me something of equal value—but not greater value. If you exchange a gift with something of greater value, you are insulting the other person. Wampum may be exchanged in this way as exchange for a gift. In the same circumstance, if I give you a horse, you may give me wampum that you perceive as a gift of equal value. When Théans arrived with their Guilders, the People of the Woven Lands were confused. When presented with Guilders, the great SERTEPE warrior Shark Teeth asked, “What honor and dignity comes with that if it is traded so carelessly between you?” Guilders are not wampum. They have no value. What’s worse, when Théans offered to buy land with Guilders, the People were offended. Offering to trade something so worthless for something so precious is an insult. In fact, the People have a different view of land ownership. Individuals cannot own the land. You cannot sell something you belong to. An ENHOTO elder tells the story of a Montaigne nobleman who tried to buy land from him. The elder replied, “I will trade you the land for the Sun.” He went on to say, “What a strange question. How much for the moon? How much for the ocean? How much for the clouds?”
10 CHAPTER 1 | ABOMINATIONS AND THE SYRNETH While the People do not know the word “Syrneth,” they do understand abominations. The creatures found in Syrneth ruins are not a part of nature. They are neither of nature nor the spirit world, but theyhey are abominations. Testing is different for each community. You’ll find more information on the Nations’ attitudes toward adoption in the following chapters. As for adopting new ideas, the People of the Woven Land know a good idea when they see it. When the Théans first arrived with firearms, the People recognized the weapons as dangerous, deadly and useful. Not only did they incorporate muskets and flintlocks into their training, they learned the method of making the weapons and put their own touch on the process. Now, Woven Land pistols are some of the most beautiful in the world. They look more like art than weapons. Likewise, the Woven Lands have adopted other technology and knowledge into their culture, adding it to their own, creating new knowledge that is greater than the sum of both. They already had unique agriculture when the Théans arrived, and now, they’ve combined Théan knowledge with their own, advancing the science beyond the state of both lands. The Thin Place… The nations will each be vigilant of sorceries and spirits within each of their lands. Trust in philosophers to find the knowledge that can be gained, and in the Generals and Medicine Workers to handle the threats that might arise. Each nation will be responsible for the threats that arise within their border unless they request aid from the Grand Council. — The Accords of Peace Wampum #4:2 To the West of the Woven Lands are the paths to “the Thin Place” where the borders between this world and the spirit world tear and heal unpredictably. Philosophers have debated for whether the Thin Place is an intentional gate to the spirit world or simply an accidental gap between this world and that. It is dangerous, with unimaginable terrors and wonders, but old stories say the spirit world should be one of peace. and others are just as much a part of the world as humans, and deserve respect. If you disrespect a man or a woman, you expect consequences both physical and social. In the Land of 1,000 Nations, you should expect the same kind of consequences for disrespecting an animal. Most of the darker creatures that roam the Woven Land were once natural but have strayed from the path they were meant to walk and so have become abominations. Others come to the Woven Land from the Thin Place far from their intended paths. For these, ordinary weapons and tactics are not enough. To deal with an abomination, you need Medicine. Adoption The People of the Woven Land are really one very large extended family. That’s how they see themselves. This doesn’t mean they all get along perfectly. Families have disagreements, fights and even feuds. But they still all belong to the Land. Everyone belongs to the Land. Everyone is kin. Adoption is an important element in the People’s culture. Not only people, but ideas and concepts (and technology) as well. The People are not only open to new people and ideas, they seek them. When a disaster makes orphans of a nation, others adopt the orphans into their family. There is usually a testing period, but even if the orphan fails the test, they may try again so long as the adopting people have patience. The People tend to look down on others who refuse adoption, even if the testing period goes on for months… or even years.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 11 blizzards, deserts, thick forests, canyons, bears, lions, serpents, scorpions, tarantulas and just about every other natural danger you can imagine. Additionally the nations there cover vast lands and their People are suspicious of outsiders.. But if you manage to survive this vast wilderness, you come to a land with an endless sea. This is the West, also populated with tribes and Nations, but different from the ones found in the East. Small nations trade in vast wealth and charismatic leaders vie for influence across networks of villages. And they, too, have recent visitors from a faraway land. These visitors do not bring flint and steel, but bolts of fine silk and swords sharp enough to cut it. They say there has been a great wedding between the two people, an arrangement of sorts, but such stories are often distorted by travel through the Thin Place. Finally, the Théans There has been a steady trickle of Théans arriving from across the sea for many decades now. There is a fear among the People that the trickle may soon become a stream, and then the stream become a river, and then the river become a flood. So far, the Medicine of the People has maintained their strength when Villains arrive, but even the number of good hearted Théans may prove too much. The Land can only support so many, and with no end of new Théans in sight, there is worry. Some say the People should deny entry to their Land, but others argue if they teach the Théans the proper way of living, they will respect the land and not uproot its gifts. And then there are others who say the People should use the Théan visitors as bloody examples to keep any more from coming to the Woven Land. Despite all their courage and prowess and wisdom, the future remains unsure. Medicine workers and others who bear a natural talent have always been able to make paths into the Thin Place. Legends tell of great Heroes who travel through and return, but always changed. Stories abound of hunters and traders accidentally finding themselves there when traveling on unfamiliar roads or following spirit creatures who made the hunters dumb with curiosity or greed. In this region, many who try to cross without an experienced guide find themselves swept into the strange realm for which no one can be truly prepared. Few who cross over its border return and those that do come with extraordinary stories, but rarely any desire to return to whatever quest brought them there in the first place. Many of the creatures that populate this mirror world have strange powers, and the communities that live there, giant, winged, and stone alike, have confusing and terrifying customs. Away from its entrances, those with the training and the talent can step in with some effort. Few are bold enough to do so, but those who can are able to entreat upon the things that live there for advice, protection, or favors. The creatures that call the Thin Place home, those that will not eat a traveler on sight, seem to have an intuitive understanding of our world. Some who have been there have told stories about meeting with villages of talking bears or copper soldiers. The people there never part with their wisdom without payment, and many wise and kind people have found themselves the cause of chaos and cruelty for having done an ill-considered favor in exchange for some insight. … and the West Traveling into the Thin Place is difficult enough. Going further—toward the West Coast—is different kind of labor. The middle part of the continent is rough, wild and merciless land. There are mountains,
12 CHAPTER 1 | S CHAPTER 1 | Storiestoriestories tories CHAPTER TITLE Chapter 1 STORIES The Sky World and how Things Came to Be When The Great Creator made the world, they made only sea and sky, because land had not occurred to them yet. The sea was populated by the fish and turtles and birds, the sky by the Spirit People. The village of the Spirit People was called The Sky World. Sachem was pregnant, and as it worked at that time so was every other woman Spirit Woman. For the first time the women were with twins. The people were concerned because this was before death and so their homes would get too crowded. Some suggested she ask the Sunstar flower to stop their growth, others that they cast out the animals or the plants to create more room. Sachem though would not let go of the children in her belly, and the plants and animals had always been friends to the people and Sachem would not see them cast out. Builder, Sachem’s first husband, hurried to raise new longhouses for all the children. He told Cedar of his need and he agreed to give his wood. Cedar told Builder though that he could take wood, bark, berry, and leaf, but he must not take the roots. Builder agreed and struck down Cedar, chopping its trunk and branches into planks, weaving its bark bassinettes, and grinding it’s leaves and berries into dye to adorn the buildings. There was not enough wood and Builder, seeing that he was alone, chopped a great root from Cedar. When he pulled it from the cloud, he saw far below the sea of the physical world, and with a sudden lurch The Sky World began to fall. In a panic Builder tried to replace the root, but it fell through the hole he had made and landed in the sea below. When the root landed the fish and other creatures looked up and saw The Sky World falling, they knew they had to catch it or both worlds would be destroyed. Turtle, who was wise, did not panic. She told the birds to try to slow The Sky World’s fall and told the other creatures of the sea to help her get atop the root. With her shell she would catch The Sky World and keep it from crashing into the water. Salmon and Whale and all the other animals helped to get Turtle onto the root while the birds pushed up on the clouds slowing The Sky World’s descent.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 13 After getting Turtle onto the root, Dolphin realized that while Turtle’s shell wouldn’t crack, she would not be able to keep herself and The Sky World afloat alone. Dolphin got every fish and sea creature to push up on the root, and they were there when The Sky World crashed into Turtle. Sky World balanced there, on Turtle, on the root, on all the creatures of the sea, and the Sky People gathered themselves not knowing what had happened. The crash woke The Great Creator, and when they came and saw The Sky World had fallen, they were furious. Builder told them that Cedar had warned him about the root, but that he ignored it. Turtle told The Great Creator that she had done what she could, but that only with the help of all of the other creatures could she continue to hold The Sky World away from the sea. The Great Creator reached down and scooped mud onto Turtle’s back. The mud spread and grew until it was holding much of The Sky World’s weight and the other creatures could rest. The Great Creator turned to Builder and told him that they could not lift The Sky World back up, but that The Sky World and the sea could not remain as they are. They would have to make the two worlds overlap, and each thing would have to choose which side they would live on. They Sky World would become the world of Spirits. If they chose it they would continue to not know death, but they would be reduced to the essence of what they were. The Physical World would see all things die, but after living in their fullness. Each thing would have place in both worlds but would truly live in only one. The animals had been part of The Sky World for a long time and while they feared death chose to live on the new land growing on Turtle’s back. The Flowers, Trees and Brambles choose to remain in the Spirit World keeping their long lives. Some, like the Wendigo and the Little People refused to choose, this angered The Great Creator who made them into what they are now. Creatures without freedom, but who know death. Finally, The Spirit People had to choose. Builder, feeling guilty for causing this, did not mind the prospect of death and chose the Physical world. Many others did too, wanting to continue to choose, or to explore the sea or tame the new land. Sachem though chose to remain Spirit, because she did not want to die when her children needed her. Builder worried about Sachem remaining spirit, because her children were also his and he would never see them. He pleaded with The Great Creator for a solution, but they would not hear him. Turtle, who also had children, took pity and asked The Great Creator if it was fair that the other children might be separated from their parents because of Builder’s crime. She suggested that if a child’s parents were both Spirit and Physical that the child should be too. The Great Creator saw wisdom in this and was grateful to Turtle for catching The Sky World, so they agreed. When the babies were born, they remained in the Spirit world if both their parents were there, but the rest lived in the physical world. Those who were both Spirit and Physical could access powers from both worlds, giving them a great responsibility. The mud on Turtle’s Back had now spread vast distances in every direction and she worried her shell would buckle. Again, she did not panic. She asked the other creatures of the sea to help her bear the burden. Many agreed, the smaller fish taking small bits of land and forming islands. While Shark, Whale, Dolphin and others took great quantities of land. Now the mud has stopped growing, and the plants cannot talk or join in our games, and the world is as it is. The Creation of the Man Monsters L ong ago, soon after the creation of everything there was a Sachem called Newkág who could not find satisfaction and so sought it in things. Meats, skins, jewelry and garments, he filled his longhouse with them even though much went to waste. Bear and Otter at this time loved to watch the humans and make bets on what they would do. Watching Newkág they laughed at how he scrambled for more. Bear pondered out loud wondering how far this need would go. Seeing an opportunity for sport Otter suggested they make a game of it. Bear bet the Sachem would find his limit and become satisfied if he was given enough, Otter that he would take until there was nothing left and still be unfulfilled. Bear stretched herself to her full height and laughed. She looked at Otter and said “I am the biggest and the hungriest animal in these lands, but still when I have eaten my fill I will sleep. The Sachem’s hunger cannot possibly be greater than mine. I will win our bet quickly.” Bear was wise, but Otter was sly and knew humans better than Bear. He nodded and said he had other friends to attend to, so that Bear wouldn’t know that he intended to go into the village to work his schemes. Bear, hoping to end this bet early stalked the forest. With her roar she drove goats and turkeys toward the village. The hunters seeing the animals come took their spears and bows. With what they killed they would have meat to cure and hides to tan for months
14 CHAPTER 1 | Stories to come. The Sachem, as was traditional then, would get half and the rest would go to the people. That night Otter snuck into Newkág’s longhouse while he slept. Otter disguised himself with a fine shirt and broad hat he found among the king’s treasure, he covered the hat in abalone shell and placed himself near the home fire, kicking an ember onto the Sachem’s foot. Newkág awoke with a start, near blinded when his eye’s landed on Otter in his disguise, the light from the fire shining off the shells. Otter stood to his full height, still shorter than a kneeling man, and said “Hello Sachem, I am of the Star People and I have come to admire your treasures.” Newkág was taken aback, seeing only a bright light where Otter’s head should have been. He smiled and laid his palms down in respect. “Your treasures are great, but I want you to have all you desire. Take this piece of the sky and wear it in your clothes pressed against your skin. It will give you the strength to take what you want. But be warned, your body will pay a price each time you use it.” Newkág took the shell thinking only about the treasures it would bring him. Otter returned to the forest happy with his scheme. The next morning Newkág placed the shell on his breast under his shirt and walked through the village. He saw the people in the work of dressing the animals, tanning their hides, and smoking their meat. Thinking that much of what he saw would surely not be needed by his people he commanded them bring all they had killed the previous day to his longhouse for him to store. The abalone shell compelled them to follow his command and so by the end of the day his longhouse was near completely full. Otter called for Bear to come look and showed her that despite the great bounty she gave them, the Sachem chose to take it all. Bear though was not ready to concede. “His longhouse is almost full, clearly he will be sated when it is complete.” And Bear walked into the forest and this time drove a great beast from the forest, a moose that stood more than twice as tall as a man. “That will be more than enough, and he will take no more after it.” The hunters of the village again jumped into action and killed the enormous beast. That night Otter snuck again into the Sachem’s longhouse, now crowded with meats and skins. Again, he donned the shirt and the hat covered in shells and stood by the home fire. When another ember woke the Sachem he yawned, and his jaw opened wide enough to swallow an apple. “As you can see star person, already with your help I have added to my treasures.” Newkág voice sounded of pride, but he had no smile. “Truly, a great wealth, it is too bad that the great moose cannot fit here.” Otter said. The Sachem looked dismayed at this. “Perhaps you are right” he said, “perhaps I should secure another longhouse.” “Another piece of the sky will give you the strength you need.” Otter said, pulling another shell from his hat and tossing it to Newkág’s feet. Newkag picked up the shell and touched it to his breast. “Perhaps all of your pieces of the sky would help further. Give me what you have before you go.” Otter was compelled by the power he had infused in the shells; he took off the hat and threw it to Newkág. Not wanting
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 15 the Sachem to see he was not a star person Otter fled while Newkág was still dazzled by the light. When the sun rose Newkág wore one shell pushed to his breast, and one on his shoulder under his shirt. First, he walked to the longhouse of one of the hunter families. Using the power of the shell he commanded them to give him the house, and to build another of their own. When they agreed to do so, his mouth hung a little wider still. He then walked to the edge of the village to see the great moose. He commanded the people to bring it to his new longhouse. They said that they would, but that the beast was too heavy, and it would take time for them to prepare it. Impatient Newkág grabbed the beast and lifted it to his shoulder, the shell pressing down into his flesh. He had to tear the beast into quarters to get it into his new longhouse, each tear causing his arm to grow a little longer, but before the end of the day he had secured his new treasure. Otter did not know what to do, he had intended to simply give the Sachem a little power at a time until Bear saw that there was no limit. He knew that it would be terrible to keep feeding the Sachem’s greed, so he went to Bear. “It seems pretty clear to me that he has no limit. See, when he had too much for his own house, he took another.” Otter said. Bear nodded “That is true, but still I know there will be a limit. Tomorrow I will send him fish from the rivers. Fish will not sit in his longhouse for long before he smells that his greed is foolish.” Otter jumped “No, no, no! Don’t send him more! You’re right of course, more would sate him, and I was just hoping to trick you into quitting. You have won our bet.” Newkág woke up the next day happy that he had doubled his wealth. He looked at the pieces of sky that looked to him like abalone shells and thought of how much more he could have. He placed a shell on his heart, and over his shoulder, and in his shoe. When we walked through his village though, there were no more great bounties to add to his longhouse. The Sachem saw a group of hunters returning with hares they had caught and smiled at them with an unnaturally wide grin. “Hello Sachem, we’re looking forward to having this catch for dinner. What fine feast will you be having today?” the hunters said. “I think that I will have hare for dinner today. Please, bring it to my long house.” The hunters did so, and then wondered what they would feed their families. A soldier in the village called Nika saw this and shouted to the Sachem. “You have all you need for dinner and more, the hunters should keep their catch.” The Sachem pushed his foot into the shell, and suddenly was behind her. He lifted her with his too big arm and took her spear with the other. The others of the village stared terrified at what their Sachem was becoming. He put the soldier down, and pressing his foot down vanished into his longhouse. Bear and Otter watched the human village. “What have you done Otter?” Bear sighed, marveling at the human’s greed. “I supposed I will have to fix this for you. If there is no more for him to steal, he will lose his interest I am sure. I will tell the animals to hide and tell the weather to cool. If he has to eat his treasures perhaps, he will return to the way he was.” So, the animals hid, and the weather cooled so crops would not grow, but the Sachem did not stop. Rather than eating from his stores he demanded that others feed him from theirs. He wore shells in each shoe, in his shirt, on his shoulders, and everywhere else he could get them to stay. When he walked, he carried one in his mouth, only removing it to speak. Each shell in each place gave him a new strength, and each use corrupted. When the people of the village found they had no more food to share the Sachem became enraged. Now three hands taller than any man, arms long enough to pull birds from trees, and skin turned sallow and iron hard, his hunger only grew. The Sachem stalked into the forest; his mind as tainted by corruption as every other part of him. Unable to find beasts to use his powers on, he killed hunters and villagers that he found, consuming them. Every creature had to flee from Newkág wherever he walked. Bear and Otter still try to contain Newkág, but he has not stopped. This is why Bear still calls for the weathers to turn cold, and why she stays in her cave when it does. And this is why Otter hordes the abalone and scatters their shells, to keep the monster from finding them. The power given to Newkág is available from spirits less careful than Otter though. The Chenu, the Dryfingers, the Wendigo, all wanted to take more than they needed, and all found that their hungers would never be satisfied.
16 CHAPTER 1 | Stories Ehnita and the Stone Giants B efore the nations were broken there were six siblings. Weliaq, Zhimmaaganish, Taje, Ehnita, Syéw’e, and Bishèe. Each of them was as different as could be, but all had great power. This story though is about Weliaq and Ehnita. Wiliaq was a great and brave warrior and crafter, eldest of the siblings. Ehnita the second born, was cunning and quick tongued. The two eldest often sparred for praise and affection, to prove that theirs was the best way. Ehnita would boast often of her bravery and prowess. She would tell stories of her great deeds, but those she told saw that when threats arose, she could not be found. Weliaq was less skilled with words. To prove himself he would craft fine weapons and homes, but shink away when the people came to praise him. When there was danger Wiliaq could be counted on to face it, but then he would quietly return home. One day the siblings sat together, Ehnita was boasting about the monsters she had killed. Telling the story of how she fought a Flying Head that would destroy whole villages. Her audience rolled their eyes, doubting there was any truth to it. Syéw’e then spoke up. “You’ve told many stories like this sister, but you never have proof. You’re in luck today though.” Ehnita knew when a trap was being set but had no graceful escape so could only allow her sibling to continue. “You have a chance to prove your bravery.” Syéw’e continued. “There is a Flint Coat on the other side of that river, you can go and fight it. As you’ve defeated so many before this should be easy for you, and you can return with a piece of him as proof. Ehnita’s face didn’t show her fear. “Of course, I can but you know stone giants. It will probably run before I get there. If it was on the other side of the river, I’m sure it is already gone.” “Oh, no. I heard him speak this morning and he said that there is where he would build his longhouse. He will certainly be there still.” Ehnita’s siblings all hid smiles, with varying degrees of success. Ehnita was trapped, she knew so she straightened her back and grabbed her long spear. “Excellent, this should be good exercise for me then.” With that she began jogging toward the river, only slowing when she was out of sight of her family. She had to think quickly. Stone giants were strong and tough and had powerful magic, more so even than her elder brother, she could not fight it directly. Her spear would break like grass against it. They were not clever though, so surely there would be some way that she could outsmart it. As she approached the river the Flint Coat saw her and shouted in a voice like a landslide. “Go away intruder, I will build my house here and all the land around is mine.” He pulled a great pine tree from its roots and slammed it on the ground like a club, causing the river to quake. Ehnita came to the edge of the river and stared up at the giant to look it in its eye. “I will not leave; I am a great warrior of my people and I have come to destroy you. If you wish to flee, cut your hair from your head and I will allow you to do so.” She hefted her spear and tried not to tremble. Weliaq climbed a ridge that overlooked the river, wanting to see what his sister did. He was impressed with her bravery but readied his hatchet for when she needed to be saved. The stone giant laughed, clearly not intending to flee. Ehnita straightened “Fine then, come to me and fight and we will finish this.” The giant came toward Ehnita, wading into the river. The river was deep enough that it covered the giant’s head as it walked. While the giant was covered Ehnita ran to a shallow part of the river and crossed to the other side.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 17 The Thunderbird of Waha Island Weliaq traveled far and wide, even to the marsh just west of where we sit. Taje needed the toenails of Etsi Capcaki, but he could not get close enough because of the smell. I am sure you know, the stink of him can knock a strong man flat. Weliaq was stalking the creature, hoping to take its nail without hurting it. He was hot on the Etsi Capcaki’s trail when out of the corner of his eye he caught a hit of movement, when suddenly a dart struck his leg, and the world went black. Weliaq woke to see a boy, nearly a man, standing over him with a blowgun and hatchet. The boy raised his hatchet ready to strike and said, “Take your weapons and go, Etsi Capcaki protects this swamp, and I protect Etsi Capcaki.” Weliaq, still weak from the poison, laid his hands down in surrender, amazed that a boy could ambush him so. “I wasn’t going to kill Etsi Capcaki, my brother needs its toenail for his medicine bag.” Weliaq stood up, more than twice as tall as the boy who was not small. “If you could ambush me, I’m sure that you could help me get it without hurting him.” The boy thought on this and looked up at Weliaq. “You must be very powerful, to have such fine weapons and to be so tall. I can help you get Etsi Capcaki’s toenail, but first you must help me.” He pointed to the south, “A great bird has come from your lands in the north and made his home on the islands. It has brought terrible storms with it. Our sailors cannot fish or trade. Help me to drive it out and I will help you collect your prize.” The creature he was talking about is a Thunderbird, a very powerful spirit who rarely nests here. Even for the likes of Weliaq Thunderbirds are dangerous, but he had little choice. If he went after Etsi Capcaki again surely the boy would just hit him with another dart. “I will help you. Show me where the Thunderbird is nested, and I will help you drive it off. The boy brought Weliaq to the shore and pointed to a small island, that your people now call Waha Island. The water lashed the beach and island, winds threatening to blow the boy down and rain pounding their skin like pebbles. “On the eastern shore there. We can’t even sail there because the storm waves break our boats.” The giant came out of the river and looked around, finding Ehnita on the other side. “If you are such a great warrior, why have you fled?” “I did not flee,” Ehnita said “you got turned around in the water and came out where you left. Now come over here and prove you are no coward.” Again, the giant walked into the river, and again Ehnita quickly fled to the other side before its head emerged. “You’ve been turned around again Flint Coat, or perhaps you do not wish to cross the river.” The giant roared and charged into the river once more. In her hurry to get to the other side Ehnita dropped her spear. When the giant came back up to the shore it found it and picked it up. “I have not been turned around; you’ve fled across the river while I was under it.” The stone giant held up the spear as proof. The looked at the tiny weapon and tested its blade to his tongue. Ehnita knew something the giant did not, any weapon that touched a stone giant’s saliva gained great power, she pondered how she could get it back. Weliaq, seeing that his sister had been disarmed, jumped up, knocking a stone from the ridge as he did so. The stone giant looked in the direction of the sound, and seeing the spy hurled the spear. The weapon missed Weliaq but smashed into the ridge causing great cracks in the stone and bringing it to the ground. Weliaq sprawled on top of the rubble, unable to stand for the pain. The giant gasped seeing the damage the spear had done. Thinking quickly Ehnita walked forward, drawing a knife from her belt. “That was the least of my weapons, Flint Coat. Now cut your hair and flee or I will show you my true power.” The giant pulled a boulder of its hair from its head and dropped it on the ground as it fled. Ehnita crossed the river and ran to her brother. She helped him stand and walked him to recover the giant’s hair and return to the fire where their siblings could heal him. As Ehnita and Weliaq approached their siblings, they all shook their heads in disappointment. “Weliaq.” They said, “Ehnita was meant to face the giant, now you have gone and defeated it for her ruining the game.” Enhita protested. She told them about how she tricked the giant and saved Wiliaq, all the while her siblings rolled their eyes and shook their heads. They patted Wiliaq on the shoulder and told him he was a good brother for saving his sister. Wiliaq remained silent.
18 CHAPTER 1 | Stories Weliaq looked over the shore and found a rock large enough for his purposes. With his hatchet he broke the rock in two and dug one half out to make a canoe. With the boys help they pushed it to the water. Weliaq gave the boy a feather from his pouch. “This is a feather from one of its cousins, when we are there hold this in your mouth, and it will not see you.” They pushed the canoe to the water and rowed to the island, the lighting, wind and waves assaulted them. Three times the canoe was crashed against the rocks, but the stone held true. When there they moved up the shore and climbed to the cliff where the Thunderbird made its nest. Weliaq pointed shouting over the storm, “See the egg? The Thunderbird will not leave with it still here, and if the egg is destroyed, she will release a storm that could sink the land.” Weliaq prepared his bow and told the boy what to do. “I will draw it away and distract it. It will follow me, but I can’t hold it for long. You need to get to the egg and push it into the sea. If the Thunderbird thinks this nest is unstable it will move on.” Weliaq shot his bow, striking the rocks just below the Thunderbird. The beast flared and lightning struck all around them. Wiliaq ran away from the cliff, turning and firing another shot to keep her attention. The boy put the feather in his mouth and pushed against the wind to get to the nest. When he reached it the egg was enormous, as large I am. He pushed and he shoved but he could not move it. Weliaq continued to lure the Thunderbird away, already bruised by the winds and rain. The boy did not have much time. He realized that the winds turned toward Weliaq when the Thunderbirds attention did and got an idea. He drew his blowgun and shot a dart at the Thunderbird’s back. The poison was nothing to such a creature, but it felt the prick and turned in a flash. The boy was still invisible, but now the great winds pushed him into the egg. He bent his knees and with the winds help pushed it into the sea. The Thunderbird screamed and flew to save its young, scooping it from the sea and flying away with it north. Weliaq, tired from the encounter, came to the boy and smiled impressed with his quick thinking. “I have done my part; will you now help me capture Etsi Capkaki?” The boy smiled and reached into his bag, retrieving a toenail. He sang the song to pass it on and handed it to Weliaq along with the feather. “Thank you for your help, I hope that your brother uses It well.” Weliaq looked at the boy and smiled.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 19 The Little People and the Water Cougar When I was a boy my parents were diplomats, we would travel far to drive demands for our people’s crafts and establish trade. Once, when traveling north of here, south of my home, I wandered off while my mother and father were working. There was a lake nearby and I wanted to swim. When I got to the lake, I found it odd that no other children were playing there. It was not a hot day, but the waters were clear and beautiful. I stripped off my clothes and jumped into the water and had swam only a little ways when I heard shouting from the sort and turned to see who had come. There, standing before me, were three puckwudgies, standing in clear light. Puckwudgie are a spirit tribe that stands about the height of a dog, your people call them fastachi I think. They are mischievous but rarely dangerous, so I was not afraid. Unfortunately, I didn’t yet speak the language there yet, but I saw their hands flashing signs, “Danger behind you, come quick!” Thinking that their goal was to prank me I turned away from them and continued my swim, when I felt a brush on my leg. Startled, I looked to see and curving its way through the water what looked like a cat, larger than I had ever seen, and moving with the unconcerned grace of a fish. It twisted in my direction and I began to furiously swim toward the shore. I was a fast swimmer then, but still in just moments I felt a sharp pain in my leg as a claw raked me. Glancing back the water behind me turned red and I pushed as hard as I could to get to the beach. The puckwidgie ahead had armed themselves with rocks and knives. The beast came up beside me and its head reared out of the water to bite my throat. As soon as it surfaced though a rock hit it square in the forehead and it dived again. Seeing it above water was incredible. Its fur shone like mother of pearl and crystals ran down it’s back. I reached the sand and pulled myself up to the shore, the puckwidgie helped me as I got close. One had a medicine bag and placed a bit of crystal, just like the ones in the cat’s fur, on my leg while singing a song I hadn’t heard before. The gash that ran from my thigh to my calf slowly stopped bleeding, which is good because I was already dizzy from the loss. I signed to them thank you and asked what sort of trade I could offer. We agreed on a secret favor, and the medicine keeper gave me the crystal. Do this day I walk with a limp, but if I hold the crystal to me and sing the song the pain eases. I have also learned that if there places that just beg to be played in, but no children go there, you should probably trust that there’s a reason why.
20 CHAPTER 1 | Stories Learning to Talk Again I ’ve had many travels, and speak many languages, but still, I cannot speak with every nation of the Woven Lands. Long ago we all of our people spoke the same language, only to be cursed over jealousy and a dog, but that is a story for a different time. With the work that I do I often find myself thankful for your hero He Fights For Two Men and his part in creating the Weaving Hands Language. It was during a storm so great that the oldest people in your town might remember the stories of it. Trees uprooted, villages laid flat, and canoes and boats thrown as far as the hills. He Fights For Two Men, Quillweaver, Chimpu, and Annawan each for their own reasons each found themselves in the joining place and in need of shelter. None spoke the other’s language though and so they had to find another way to work together. Quillweaver, who was there looking for purple stones for her medicine bag. She lifted and showed her Wampum, gesturing to the symbol of the longhouses of her people, trying to tell them that they must find shelter. Each of the heroes stared in confusion at the pattern on the Wampum, wondering why this woman would be showing them a belt when they needed to find shelter. Annawan raised his hand and picked up a stone from the ground. Using his spear, he scratched the symbols for shelter and showed it to the others. Even though it does look a bit like a house if you already know what it means, in the rain and storm the heroes did not understand. They wondered why this man was scratching on rocks when they clearly needed to seek shelter. Chimpu shook her head at Annawan and drew out a rope. Each was relieved thinking that she would start tying branches together to begin making a shelter, but then she started tying small knots creating a pattern of long and short gaps. Among her people to the west almost all understand the knot code she was using, but to the heroes it was as confusing as it would be to you or I. Finally, He Fights For Two Men saw that all of them were trying to say something, and that none of them were likely fools. He opened his arms wide to show her meant peace and waved for them to go to a thick group of trees nearby. Having no other plans, they followed, and when He Fights For Two Men began assembling a shelter all joined in. Now, dryer and protected from the wind, they all once again stared at each other. He Fights For Two Men took a stick and drew the small shelter they had made. He pointed to the shelter, pointed to his drawing, and then placed his left palm over his right hands up pointed fingers. Next, he pointed to each the stone, the rope, and the belt, made the same sign, and raised his eyebrows in question. Understanding each of the heroes nodded. The storm raged for hours, so the heroes sat around the fire they had built, and they formed the first signs that would become the way all of our peoples can connect.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 21 hunters who tipped a stone to block it and continued their escape. As they fled other creatures, stikini the filthy owl witches, stiff-legged bears as large as canoes, and even worse took notice of the hunters and pursued them. In their flight Two Shadows noticed light coming from one of the fissures in the ground. She grabbed her companions and they jumped in together, exhausted and unsure if they would be able to continue running long anyway. They fell and were suddenly blinded by sunlight and were rolling down a rocky hill. When they came to a stop, their bodies as beaten as you could imagine, they breathed in the air and knew they were back in the Woven Lands. In their haste they had dropped almost everything they carried up the mountain with them, and from where they lay, they could not see the mountain they had ascended. Still, they were relieved. “CREEEEEE!” they looked up and could see the shadow of the head, and they heard the wings and feet and cries of the other creatures that hunted them as well. The fled that place and eventually found their way home. When they heard stories of these unusual creatures attacking travelers and villagers, they knew that they had let the monsters into our world. The Coming of the Spirit Creatures M onsters like Newkág can be prevented if we’re vigilant. Don’t take more than you need and be sure that your cousins have what they need, and few will reach so far as to be corrupted. Other monsters, though, care nothing about what they can own. Once there was a group of four hunters who had heard of game that could be found in the high mountains and nowhere else. They were brave and curious, so they set off to the hunt. The four hunters trekked off to the west and when they arrived at the tall mountains then began to climb. The mountains were treacherous, and it took all of the hunter’s skills to climb it. On the way they hunted for their food but found no creatures more exotic than the high-country goats. The hunters reached the point in the mountains where a climber’s lungs begin to burn from the effort still having found no evidence of creatures, they had not already hunted a hundred times. Three wanted to return home, but the last was their leader Two Shadow. Two Shadow’s pride could not take returning home with nothing but goat meat and some tubers. She insisted that they continue to push forward. As they progressed, they climbed across a great rent in the mountain and the world suddenly got darker around them. Their lungs filled with heavy air and when they looked down, they saw the world far below with no mountain between them. They stood on a dark and craggy plain, in the middle of the night though it had been day only moments earlier. The stars above them were strange and they all felt very far from their homes. Two Shadow worried that she had led her friends to their deaths but tried to keep them calm. She led them across the plain, the night never seeming to move onto day, until they heard a terrible scream. From a gap in the rocks what first seemed like a great bird launched into the sky. It was not a bird though, rather what looked like an enormous head. Not quite human, but not animal either. It had black wings sprouting from behind either ear, and it opened its mouth to shriek revealing its razor sharp teeth. The hunters fired arrows at the creature to no avail and ran using the tears in the rocks to hide themselves from the monster. In one tear, as soon as the stopped to breath a great black leg like a pine branch emerge from the shadows. Attached to the leg was a spider that stood taller than two men. It lunged at the
22 CHAPTER 1 | Stories How Badger and Otter Taught Us Tewaaraton and Akwek T he people here have known war for a long time. Your nations fighting off the Easterners who seem to know nothing but greed, and who want to see this land emptied of our people. Your fathers, daughters, mothers, and sons dying to protect your homes. It was like this once before, long ago past generations beyond counting. Back then the nations were small, and violence erupted between peoples frequently. This woman doesn’t like that a man she liked married someone from that town. This hunter angry that that village scarred the deer away. This soldier wanting to prove their worth. When people got angry enough, they would fight, and fighting leads to killing, and killing calls for vengeance. In this way the fighting seemed to go on forever. The animals saw the humans fighting like this and it made them sad. Humans were favored by The Great Creator and shouldn’t behave the way they saw. Also, they had grown bored of watching the battles and that was something that they could not tolerate. Sitting on a hill watching a skirmish over who’s village could fish in a river Badger yawned and turned to Otter. They had been betting on the outcome over who would get to bring a fresh catch home, but even that failed to make the conflict interesting. “Eventually they will kill each other, or they won’t, and after that one of us will find more food. I think we should make a more interesting wager.” Otter perked up at this. Badger picked up a fish and took a bite, giving himself a moment to think. “The humans fight all the time trying to prove they’re the best humans, and it’s only interesting when their most skilled soldier face-off. The problem is every time that happens the soldiers die. Each fight more boring than the last.” Otter nodded in agreement, though it didn’t pass his notice that Badger was eating a fish he hadn’t won yet. Badger continued, “We should bet on which of us can make up a game that will let them prove they’re the best humans without killing their best in the process.” Otter snatched up a fish and began eating himself. “That sounds like a bit of fun.” Otter picked up another fish and put it in his bag. “What would the wager be?” Badger put two fish in his basket and tapped his chin. “If they take my game you will stop hunting in the forests, only take your food from the rivers and shores. And if they take yours, I will stay away from the waters and eat only what I can find on land.” They nodded in agreement and each with whatever fish they could sneak went off to invent a game.” Badger went into the woods where his home was and looked about for inspiration. Eagle spied him from their nest and smelled the fish he carried. “Give me some fish or I will take you for my dinner.” Eagle opened their wings and readied to attack. Badger was strong, but didn’t want to fight Eagle anyway, so he picked up a rock and threw it at Eagles nest. Eagle jumped in surprise and glared. Badger stopped a moment and shouted up “What do you say to a wager? If I can throw another rock into your nest you let me go, if I can’t you can take all of my fish.” Eagle also didn’t really want to fight, but they also did want the fish. “You have already thrown it in one, it was easy. Use your feet instead and we have a bet.” Badger nodded and picked up another stone, tossed it up and then kicked it at the nest. The rock didn’t even get close, and he’d hurt his foot on the stone. He shrugged and tossed the fish to the ground for Eagle, thinking about the rock. When he was home Badger picked up a small piece of hard clay and wrapped it in some doe skin. He
7TH SEA: SECRET SOCIETIES 23 kicked it in the air, and after a few tries found that he could hit a thin tree with practice. Excited that he had found a game so quickly he hurried to one of the human villages to teach them. Otter had returned to his river. Badger had taken more than half the fish and he was still hungry, he would think better on a full stomach. He grabbed the small net he’d woven and put it in the river to catch a larger meal. Almost immediately there was a tug on the net and Otter pulled. At the end of his net was a crab who’s claws snapped at him. He threw it to the ground and kicked it back into the river. Still hungry he made another net and set it at the end of a stick to keep his catch further from him. Again, a tug and again a crab in the net. The crab snapped but the stick worked as Otter hoped. Otter swung the stick to dislodge the crap, and the crustation soared into the distance. Otter stared at his net in amazement and realized that he had exactly what he needed for the humans. He ran off to the village so he could teach them. Badger and Otter each taught their village the games they had made and told them that whichever won at the game was the better village and that they wouldn’t have to fight to find that out. The humans were skeptical, but they enjoyed the games and so took to them quickly. Then, when Badger and Otter thought they were ready they met again in the field, this time though with the Tewaaraton sticks and their Akwek pole. It was a mess, one village kicking their ball into the nest at the top of the pole they erected, the other slinging theirs across the field. Players ran into each other, the nets unable to catch the Akwek balls, and the players hurting their feet by kicking the wooden Tewaaraton balls. But what the villagers weren’t doing is fighting. Angers flared in the play, but when they stepped aside, they hugged and shared drinks. Eventually the humans decided it would be better if everyone only played one of their new games, and that they would take turns which one they played. The two human villages left for their homes when the sun fell, not friends, but not enemies either. Every time they felt the need to fight, they met again in the fields and played one of their games, and eventually they began meeting even if there was no reason to fight. It was in this way that the villages stopped their wars, and each taught the games to their neighbors who passed it along to theirs. Badger and Otter were proud of what they had done, and watched the humans play the games they’d made. But a wager is a wager and so too this day Otter stays to the rivers, and Badger away from them. The Black Man of the Woods “ T sa! Asa! Where are you, boy?” The shouts echoed through the thick woods, but died with alarming abruptness, as if stifled by a clasping hand. Samuel Porter cleared his throat, his mouth woolen, his breath coming in short gasps. He had never ventured this far into the forest before, but his love for his dog had overcome his natural fear. “That fool hound will be the death of me,” he muttered as he clambered over a fallen log. It was clear that not even the native folk trafficked these parts—the undergrowth grew thick, untouched by human hands for many a generation, if ever. Samuel strained his ears, listening for any indication that Asa might be nearby, but all was muted silence. Then he heard it: a sound so unexpected, he gasped aloud. It was the sound of his wife Sarah’s singing. So sweet and gentle a sound as he had not heard in nearly five winters. Not since that first freezing season had swept her away, her final spark of life extinguished as he held her against the cold, weeping.
24 CHAPTER 1 | Stories Under normal circumstances, Oiguina would have had the good sense not to get any closer. Her aunties and grandmother had told her of the first coming of the foreigners many years ago, when they snatched boys and girls from the beach and took them into the holds of their great ships, never to be seen or heard from again. She did not trust these new arrivals, despite their professions of good will. But these were far from normal circumstances, and Oiguina pressed forward. Then she heard the hoarse voice again, but this time there were no words—only a scream of terror. * * * Samuel stood transfixed. He could hardly believe it, but here she was. Sarah. She moved towards him from under the shadow of the boughs and a ray of sunlight caught her gentle features. Her cheeks were once again rosy, like he remembered from better times back in Avalon. Her cornsilk hair was tucked up under her white coif, and her waistcoat and petticoat were immaculate as always, the gray wool of the finest weave. She was such a deft hand at the loom, Samuel found himself thinking. He smiled at the memory. Sarah smiled back. She was walking towards him with slow, measured steps. He took a step towards her. “What—where…?” Samuel attempted to form a coherent question, but his brain felt paralyzed, overwhelmed. Sarah was close enough to touch him now. She put a finger to her smiling lips, silencing him. It was only then that Samuel noticed: his wife’s blue eyes, once so sparkling and vibrant, were now the color of frozen meat, and they glittered with malice. Samuel found his voice at last. He screamed. He knew it could not be, yet it sounded so real. He made the sign of the cross and remembered the lore of the Sidhe his grandmother had taught him. And then he saw her and his mind went blank. * * * Oiguina crept amongst the cedars of Hobomock Woods. Sweat beaded her brow, and her cheeks were flushed and warm—symptoms both of her natural fear and the strange potion she had consumed earlier that day, administered by Moon God, her Mide mentor. This was both her rite of passage from girl to woman and her initiation into the Seven Fires Society. Her charge: catch sight of Hobbamock, the Black Man of the Woods, and receive his wisdom. She had been wandering the woods for more than half the day, the medicine of Moon God’s brew coursing through her veins, but had seen nothing out of the ordinary. Then she heard it: the husky voice of a foreigner, crying out in the woods. Oiguina only knew a few of their words, mostly the profane ones she’d learned from her older brothers, and she recognized none of those in his calls. He sounded scared.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 25 * * * Oiguina could hardly believe what she was seeing. A tall foreigner, dressed in their characteristic gray and black wool, standing face to face with the Black Man! Hobbamock held his hands up to the foreigner’s face, taking him in a gentle embrace, locking eyes with him. The man quivered, unable to move. Oiguina thought she might have heard a slight whimper escape his lips, but all was otherwise silent. Hobbamock, still cradling the man’s face, moved in and planted a soft kiss on his lips. The foreigner groaned and collapsed to the ground in a heap. Hobbamock looked down, his head tilted slightly. Oiguina took him in. He had the form of a man, unclad and hairless. His skin was dark, like he was stained by soot, but also as if the stain was on the inside of his flesh rather than the outside. The only thing that wasn’t blackened were his teeth, which flashed brilliant white as he smiled. Without warning, he looked up and they locked eyes. She saw they were wholly black, shiny like an oyster’s shell. And suddenly Oiguina was filled with awe, terror, and understanding. She fled. * * * The sun was setting over Mishawum and old Old Bill was getting set to shut the gates for the night when he saw a lone figure approaching along the Western Trade Road. “Be that Sam Moss?” he asked nobody in particular. He watched as the figure came closer, then raised a hand in salute. “Ahoy, Samuel! Find yer dog?” The being that had once been Samuel Moss stopped. “Alas, no. Old Asa’s run off for good, it seems.” He tipped his hat to the gatekeeper and carried on into town. As the gate shut behind him, his face twisted into a sardonic grin.
26 CHAPTER 1 | Stories
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 7TH SEA: SECRET SOCIETIES 27 Chapter 2 The Dawn Lands
28 CHAPTER 1 | T CHAPTER 1 | Thehe D Daawwnn L Landsandsandsands CHAPTER TITLE Chapter 1 skin and dark garb of the ones who came here from over the sea five years ago. She smiles ruefully at the memory of how, in their foolish bravado, they very nearly perished in their first winter, starving and cold. But the tools they brought to offer in trade have proven most useful to her people, and so she turns her smile into one of welcome. Beside her stands her adopted daughter; once she belonged to the Easterners, but her parents died when she was still a suckling babe, and she came of age amongst the Dawn People. She is as much a stranger to the man in black as is the old woman. The canoe grinds to a halt against the pebble beach. The man in black debarks on unsteady legs. The elder steps forward. “What cheer, netop?” she asks in the trade pidgin that has developed between the two peoples. The Dawn Home The sun rises in the east. Its light hits the gray breakers around ŏNanticoke, Noepe, and the Pocasset, painting scintillating jewels along the ephemeral crests. Far out to sea, the geyser-like blow from a great white whale catches these first rays, turning the mist to a prismatic light show. The whale dives, its great tail slapping the ocean’s surface on its way down. From the summit of Great Toad Hill, a boy watches. He salutes the whale: “Grant me the courage to find what I seek inside the belly of your old friend.” Crouching, he descends into a cave mouth. Out on Nanticoke, the whale’s brief passing goes unnoticed by an elderly woman wrapped in a fine beaded buckskin. Instead, she watches as a dugout canoe approaches. In addition to the four young warriors paddling the craft, there sits a fifth person—a passenger with the characteristic light THE DAWN LANDS Chapter 2
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 29 Delicious fruits and beautiful flowers were made to grow from thorny brambles. For every helpful animal, Madjideyenini (ma-jeh-day-nee-nee)made a stinging insect or poisonous snake. At long last, Keethope made people. These were fashioned from the rocks and stones, and they were a giant race, hardy and strong but with cold hearts. As a last act, the Creator set in motion the laws of the world: how the sun and moon and stars should move across the sky, and the powers of wind, water, and fire; the cycle of life and death. After the Creator departed, the Great Toad ruled over the waters of the earth and sky. But Madjideyenini, who had not departed, sent the Great Horned Serpent to challenge the Great Toad, and they had a terrific battle that shook the whole of the Earth. The Great Toad tried to swallow the Serpent, but choked to death on the monster and turned to stone. So Thunderbird came, bringing great rains that rose the waters and shooting arrows of lightning at the Horned Serpent, who was driven beneath the waves where he yet remains with his offspring, waiting for a time when the descendants of Thunderbird no longer patrol the skies, looking for serpents to shoot with their lightning. At this time, the greatest of the giants on the Earth was called Weliaq. In his wisdom, he saw that the rain brought by Thunderbird threatened to drown all the land, and so he went to Great Toad Hill. He watched, worried, as the water rose. A giant chestnut tree stood at the summit of the hill, big enough even for a giant of Weliaq’s size to climb, and so he asked the tree if he could climb it. The tree allowed this, and so he did, though his great weight caused him to break off weaker branches as he went. From the top of the tree he could see all the lands now under water. Many animals had fled to the top of Great Toad Hill as well, and Weliaq called them to him. They came up the tree and sheltered in his arms, and he sang a song of peace in an attempt to calm the raging storm, plucking his bow string in accompaniment. The song caused the chestnut tree to grow even taller, but the waters rose too. Eventually, when only the tree poked up above the water, Weliaq grew weary of singing and flung the broken branches that had stuck in his shirt and The People of the Dawn Long, long ago, in the beginning, there was nothing but void. In this void dwelt Keethopethe Creator, a being of spirit matter who was without shape but who dreamt deep dreams of a world: one of mountains, hills, valleys; river, lakes, oceans; woodland and meadows. In this world would dwell animals and people, and the Creator dreamt too of the deeds these beings would do. Upon awakening, Keethope set to work, shaping the world in accordance with their will. They first created four helpers, the Keepers of Creation: Grandfather in the North, Grandmother in the South, Grandmother of the East, and Grandfather of the West. Grandfather in the North is lord over all things stone, including giants. He shaped the world and gave it physical form. From him comes the winter wind, snow, and ice, but also the rocks and trees. Grandmother in the South rules over fire, and breathed the breath of life into the physical world. From her comes warm breezes and summertime. She first lit the Sun in the sky, and lights the fire of creativity in all of us. Grandmother of the East controls all the other winds of the world, and the breath of all living beings. Her breath carries the sound of music and the knowledge of the world as it is. The first breath of every newborn belongs to Grandmother of the East, and she brings springtime to chase away winter’s final chill. Grandfather of the West brought water to the world, and gave life’s blood to all living creatures. He is of autumn, of death, but he also sends dreams and visions to the holy and the mundane alike and is greatly revered by the taúpowaws. And so Keethope and the Keepers of Creation made Father Sun, Grandmother Moon, and Mother Earth, as well as the stars in the sky. Sun, Moon, and Earth helped make the plants and animals of the world, imbuing them with their special qualities. The Creator’s dream had shown how everything must exist in opposition to something else: light and dark, above and below, hot and cold, good and evil, and so the Creator called to Madjideyenini, a spirit of evil, and asked that he help create balance in the world. And so for every edible plant, Madjideyenini made a poisonous plant.
30 CHAPTER 1 | The Dawn Lands washing up on the shores and brought them to Weliaq, who breathed life into each. Soon the Earth was covered once again in trees, flowers, grasses, and other plants. Weliaq took the branches of the great chestnut tree and planted them. Each branch grew into a mighty tree of its own, and around the roots of the greatest of these trees grew a sprout, tall and shapely. From this sprout budded a man, the first upon the new surface of the Earth. And where the boughs of the chestnut brushed the ground, another sprout grew, and from this budded the first woman. With the help of their elder brothers and sisters, the animals, First Man and First Woman lived well and multiplied. Weliaq showed them how to garb themselves, how to construct dwellings and canoes, how to defend themselves, and how to organize their society. He showed them how to prepare and preserve food so they could weather the winter. He caught whales in the ocean and cooked them over great fires made of tree trunks, then shared the meat with the people. In this way, he taught us generosity and kindness, bravery and cleverness. He showed us how to hunt, fish, plant, harvest, and how to read the skies for the approach of storms. He also taught the first taúpowaws how to dream and how to venture into the Dream Realm. He taught us the sacred songs and dances, and how to use these to heal ourselves. Weliaq lived amongst us for many generations. He loved the islands, and often sat out on the headlands of Noepe, smoking his pipe. The small islets around the headland were formed when he emptied the ashes from the bowl of his pipe at the end of the day, and the indentation at the top of the headland gives testimony to his sitting place. Then one day, not long before the coming of the Easterners from across the sea, Weliaq called his children to him, telling them how much he loved them. He told them to always look out for one another and turned them all into killer whales. He then went to his wife, Ol’ Squant. He picked her up, for she was much smaller than him, and hurled her into the air. She came down atop a promontory west of the Dawn Homes, where she remains, extracting tribute from any who pass her way. And with this, he waded out into the sea, never to return. breeches down into the sea, where they knit together to form a raft. Weliaq took his animals and got onto the raft and watched as the last boughs of the tree disappeared beneath the waves. In time the rains stopped, and Weliaq held a council with the animals on his raft, for they were the last living beings on Earth. They decided to create the world again in the image of the Creator’s vision, and set to work. The first task was to bring soil up from the old world. First Loon dove down, but could not reach the bottom and came up dead. Weliaq breathed life back into it. Then Otter tried, but it too died and had to be revived by Weliaq. The same fate befell Beaver, and all despaired. But then little Muskrat tried, and it dove down twice as far as the others and came back with a bundle of mud and grass in its paws, exhausted but alive. Weliaq bestowed upon the muskrats good fortune for all time in thanks for this service. Now Turtle volunteered to carry the mud and grass on its back. Weliaq wove the grass and mud to hug Turtle’s shell and breathed the breath of life into Turtle, and it began to grow and grow until it was too big to see all at once the woven earth growing with it. This is why our land is called Woven Island. Turtle lives still, and is a messenger of thought and dream between all living beings. When we work our dream magic, we connect with the consciousness of Turtle and visit each other in its thoughts. Now that the seas had receded, Weliaq sent Wolf to see how much Turtle had grown. “Go to the edge of Turtle’s shell, then turn around and come back here,” he told Wolf. The first time, Wolf came back after just one day. The second time, he was gone for five days, then ten, then one whole moon. The sixth time he was gone for a year, and the seventh time he was gone for 12 years. After his seventh journey, Wolf did not come back; the world had grown so big, he became lost and died of old age. (This is why wolves howl at every full moon, mourning the loss of their ancestor, and why the ONTOQUAS has no homeland to this day.) When Wolf failed to come back for the eighth time, Weliaq commanded Turtle to cease his growing. The animals from the raft collected the dead plants
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 31 Where he dwells now, none may say. The coastal fogs that often wash over the land from the sea are quiet testimony to the fact that he still lives, however, for it is said that these fogs are in fact smoke from Weliaq’s pipe. Current Events The descendants of the people born of the chestnut tree now number in excess of 140,000, spread across a dozen nations in more than 70 village groups. Each has its own sachem and taúpowaw (leader and medicine worker), and all are united under the leadership of a Great Sachem, who sees to the confederacy’s general welfare, both material and spiritual. The Great Sachem in turn appoints a missinege, or war leader, to see to the defense of the land. Collectively, this group is called the WABAANDAA Confederacy, the word roughly translating to “Dawn Home” (owing to their position at the far eastern edge of the land) and their territory is called the same. The current Great Sachem, a man of exceeding wisdom named Yellow Feather, is in the sixth decade of holding his position and knows his time is nearly at an end. His adopted son Bright Star is popular with the tribal leaders, and he is expected to win the acclamation of his peers and become the new Great Sachem upon Yellow Feather’s death. The arrival of the Avalonian colonists five years ago (see below) has introduced a note of great uncertainty and change into the WABAANDAA society. Yellow Feather’s diplomatic acumen has thus far ensured peaceful relations with the foreigners, but Metacom and his allies amongst the secretive Seven Fires Society (see Medicine Clubs and Secret Societies, page 135) threaten to upset the balance in the near future. The Isle that walks “I was boy, long ago, but I remember. My sister Standing Corn came running to tell me of an island that walks that had come into the Bay. I did not believe her, and told her so. She said I would see soon enough and left. “That got me curious, so I ran to the headlands and crawled up to the edge of the sea cliff. I saw that my sister told the truth! A small isle moved through the waters. Two great trees, leafless and stripped of their branches, grew from it, and great white clouds billowed around the trees. I saw men on the island moving about. They looked strange indeed. “I saw some of my people gathering on the beach below, and so I ran down to be with them. My sister was there. ‘Manittó,’ she said—‘It is a god.’ “’We are going to take a canoe and go out to the island,’ she said, her eyes bright. I asked her if the island had strawberries on it. I loved going out to the islands in the summer to gather strawberries. ‘If it does, I will bring you some!’ she laughed. I can still see her smile, bright and flashing in the sun. “I watched the canoe push out past the breakers and make for the island. Then, great thunder claps and lightning bolts issued from the island and I saw the canoe overturn, dumping the crew into the water. Many floated back to the surface, bobbing in the current, lifeless. My sister’s body was among them.”
32 CHAPTER 1 | The Dawn Lands and densely-packed communal halls for wintertime. The sites of these camps, villages, and halls are fixed and permanent. Springtime is always marked by games, juggling contests, and general revelry in celebration of making it through another cold, harsh winter. Summer houses are called wetu, and are constructed of cedar saplings bent into a domeshaped building, covered in bark strips or reed mats. A dozen wetu constitute a village, where crops are grown and meat and hides are processed. When a group moves, the women simply roll up the mats that form the walls and roof of the wetu, leaving the frame intact for the next year. “Once while traveling amongst the native folk, I lodged at a lovely house but upon my return journey, where I had intended to lodge again, I found naught but frame and none of the inhabitants could I see! I counted myself fortunate to lodge under a tree that night…” —Caradoc Vane In contrast, winter lodgings are great permanent installations: 200-foot longhouses, 20 feet wide with 20-foot ceilings that hold hundreds or even thousands at a time. The walls are reinforced by mud, and the longhouses are surrounded by sturdy palisades. During winter lodgings, the feasts are particularly lavish, and the Rattlesnake Taúpowaws (p. @@) invite the faithful to cast all manner of luxury goods— animal skins, knives and other weapons, kettles, beads, and so forth—into the great hearth fires, that they may burn up and reappear in the Dream Realm for the people to access there. The seasonal territories of these sachemdoms are well understood by all, and most often demarcated by rivers and streams. Within these boundaries, family groups have well-defined planting and hunting rights; the Great Sachem spends much of his or her time resolving the disputes that inevitably arise over such rights. The Role of the Sachem Although the position of sachem is hereditary, allegiance is not. The sachem’s power derives from consent of the community, and those who disapprove of a sachem’s policies may transfer their allegiance Customs and Social Structure The WABAANDAA, also called the Dawn Home Confederacy, are a loosely-organized Nation consisting of a hierarchical organization of hundreds of “sachemdoms” and “sub-sachemdoms.” Sachem is the WABAANDAA name for a community leader; Théans most often translate the word as “king or queen,” though this is not strictly accurate. For one thing, with the exception of the Great Sachem, each WABAANDAA sachem owes allegiance to another, more powerful leader. Many, in turn, claim the allegiance of a number of sub-sachems, each of whom leads a community and is responsible for a patch of territory within the sachem’s domain. For example, on the Isle of Noepe, there is one sachem whose territory encompasses the entire island, and four sub-sachems who each control a portion of the island in their own right. Avalonian observers are likely to recognize the sachem as the sole legitimate “ruler” of the island, but in reality all five leaders share equal responsibilities. The only difference is the size of the community they lead and the amount of land they claim. The largest sachemdoms encompass up to two dozen sub-sachemdoms. WABAANDAA territories are divided up by geographical features, such as streams, rivers, lakes, mountains and hills, and other significant landmarks. Differences in dialect or other cultural markers are less important, and a single sachemdom may contain many groups hailing from different cultural groups. The position of sachem is hereditary, usually passed from father to son; many exceptions involving daughters inheriting the title exist, however, and several large sachemdoms are currently held by women. The title of Great Sachem, held for the last 60 years by the aged Yellow Feather, is in theory granted by acclamation of the other WABAANDAA sachems. Everyone agrees, however, that Yellow Feather’s adopted son Bright Star stands to inherit the title. The WABAANDAA are a semi-sedentary people. Each sachemdom maintains multiple seasonal dwelling sites: scattered fishing camps in the spring, small village clusters near farmland in the summer, isolated hunting camps in the autumn,
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 33 The Three Sisters The WABAANDAA are a matrilineal society— descent is traced through the mother’s line, and new husbands are expected to move in with their newest wife’s family; land rights descend from mother to daughter. (In the case of husbands who take multiple wives, the men move between families, staying with each long enough to help with that season’s tasks.) That being said, although both men and women may (and do) hold the title of sachem, it is a maledominated position. Likewise, wealthy men may take multiple wives as a means of securing political alliances or as a sign of their largesse. At the end of the day, however, true power in WABAANDAA society rests in the hands of the women. Avalonian visitors often comment on the respect and deference shown by children to their mothers and grandmothers while decrying the “overly permissive” affection shown the children in return. (Governor Vane once sniffed that he found WABAANDAA children to be “universally saucy, bold, and undutiful.”) to another. An unpopular sachem may soon find themselves in charge of no one but themselves! The sachem serves as judge and ambassador for their people, expected to be learned in common traditions and wisdom. People come to the sachem to resolve boundary and inheritance disputes, give tribute in exchange for land-use or hunting rights, and secure sanction for politically important marriages. Sachems have the final say on who can hunt and where, who may harvest whale meat from carcasses that wash ashore, who may lay claim to deerskins found in ponds and rivers, and so on. The tribute granted in exchange for granting these rights often takes the form of food: the front quarters of a deer killed in a hunt, for example, or the first harvest of springtime fruits. Because of this privileged position, sachems enjoy an elevated lifestyle, living in larger winter quarters and having access to more and better material goods. It is not unheard-of for male sachems to take two or more wives, both for the larger family this affords and also for the fact that WABAANDAA women do not engage in sexual activity for the duration of their pregnancies and weaning of the child. Female sachems may also take multiple husbands in order to strengthen political bonds; powerful sachem families often intermarry in order to strengthen the relations between ruling members of the Confederacy. The Great Sachem is the sachem’s sachem, as it were. Their role is to act on behalf of all the other WABAANDAA sachems in the same way they do for their people: the Great Sachem adjudicates disputes between sachemdoms, grants rights that apply to all members of the confederacy, and acts as ambassador to other Nations—and to the Avalonians. The current Great Sachem is Yellow Feather, who rose from obscurity as the sachem of the small Pokanoket people to hold the title for six decades. Now nearing his death, under his guidance the Dawn Confederacy navigated the arrival of Théan colonists on its shores with aplomb, entering into profitable trading partnerships that have put new, game-changing technologies into the hands of the WABAANDAA. Although these policies remain controversial amongst a significant minority of the Dawn People, they are likely to continue and even expand under the leadership of Yellow Feather’s heir apparent, his adopted son Bright Star.
34 CHAPTER 1 | The Dawn Lands held to mark individual milestones within a family (naming rites, coming of age, marriage, and death), or else during times of great societal upheaval (war, drought, famine, or sickness). Contrasted with these periodic revels is the wellknown WABAANDAA trait of stoic inhibition. Displays of anger or other uncontrolled emotions are discouraged among the Dawn People, which perhaps goes some way towards explaining their characteristic sensitivity to ridicule and tendency to hold vindictive grudges. In this way, as in others, they share similar values to their Reformist neighbors of the Manakowak Bay Colony (see p. @@). Sacred Rites We men of the WABAANDAA enjoy a good smoke, and do so often. But it is not appropriate for young boys to smoke as we do, and we do not let them. When a boy wishes to smoke with his elders, we know he is nearly ready to become a man, but he must first demonstrate his courage before he is allowed to join our circle. Once he has earned the right, we say he is a man and can smoke with us. When a man wishes to marry, he gives gifts to the parents or guardian of the prospective bride. The two lovers must seek the permission of their parents, friends, and sachems before the ceremony can go ahead. Once they are married, the man moves in with the woman’s family, and the woman cuts her hair short and wears a covering until it grows out again. We do not fear death. If we have led a good and virtuous life, we go west to dwell in the Creator’s underwater realm, or else pass into the dreams of the Great Turtle. We face death calmly and without emotion. But when a loved one passes, we mourn deeply. We paint our faces black. We do not speak the name of the deceased for months or even years, for we must let them find their way to the afterlife and do not wish to call them back to wander. If our loved one dies in a house, we abandon the house so that their spirit will not seek us there. If someone has the same name as our loved one, we expect them to change it. Those who violate any of these taboos are dealt with harshly. As an aside, the WABAANDAA view childhood as quite distinct from adulthood, and place great importance on names as a signifier of the different stages of life. WABAANDAA parents do not name their babies until they are able to hold a public ceremony, complete with food, dancing, and giftgiving, to which they invite their neighbors and even members of neighboring communities. At their coming of age, WABAANDAA children cut their hair in the manner of a man or woman and take a new name. Over the course of their lifetime, they may choose other names to mark significant moments, and most WABAANDAA take a new name upon becoming elders (reaching 60 winters). It is the elder women of each family group who determine allegiance to their sachem of choice. It is the women who raise children and manufacture clothing, baskets, and mats. (Though there are exceptions, trade, hunting, and war are largely left to the domain of men.) Of even greater importance, it is the women of the Dawn Confederacy who are responsible for the vast majority (some three quarters) of food production, from gathering of roots, nuts, berries, and shellfish to the planting and growing of the “Three Sisters”— corn, beans, and squash—so called because they are planted in close proximity to each other and help each other grow, just as siblings aught. These plantings are further nourished by herring and other fish, which are buried in the ground around the planting sites as a form of fertilizer. The WABAANDAA are people of the water, and master fishermen. During fishing season, they bring up great bounties from the sea and rivers, even hunting whales from their great 150-foot canoes. The riches of the land do not go unappreciated. All across the WABAANDAA lands, monthly thanksgiving feasts are held, one for each of the 13 lunar months of the year. These are called Nikkomo, named in honor of the beneficent woodland spirits of the same name who are said to bring success to hunters and fishermen. The greatest Nikkomo feast is held during the Moon of Sharing and Giving, during the depths of winter. Other Nikkomo feasts may be
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 35 With the arrival of Théans along the coasts, some WABAANDAA have grown disproportionately wealthy from trade in fur. Yellow Feather, the Great Sachem, made a tidy profit in selling the land that forms the Manakowak Bay Company to the Avalonians—a new and tempting potential income stream that Yellow Feather has so far resisted pursuing further, despite repeated entreaties from the colonists. The WABAANDAA are expert weavers, and their intricately crafted beadwork, baskets, mats, and clothing are much in demand, both by Théan traders and other Nations. WABAANDAA peddlers walk the extensive network of woodland trails that crisscross the interior, trading goods with neighboring Nations. Likewise, the Dawn Home villages of Patuxet, Sakonnet, and Nauset serve as international trading hubs during the summer and autumn. Spirituality The world of the Dawn People is alive with manetus, gods of every description. Nearly everything has its own manetu: water, earth, the seasons, wind, snow, ice, the sun, the moon, the sky, fire, the four directions, men, women, children, animals in their great variety, corn, and on and on. Even colors have their own individual gods, each with their own cultural significance and symbols used in weaving and decoration. Although the total number of gods will never be known, the WABAANDAA recognize three dozen principal gods. These gods are called manetus. Taúpowaws communicate with manetus; these men and women act as guides to the world of gods and spirits, which the WABAANDAA call the Dream Realm—the mind of Turtle, who slumbers always. It is to Turtle’s mind that we venture when we sleep, and it is in Turtle’s mind where the manetus live (and perhaps where they were born). Because the gods live in the world of dreams, the WABAANDAA place great importance in visions granted them during sleep. Taúpowaws, in their characteristic powerful, authoritative tones, offer council and interpretations of dreams for those who wish it: dreaming of snow or ice denotes good luck, while muddy water bodes ill; snakes in your dreams Trade For thousands of years, the WABAANDAA have participated in a vast trade network connecting them to both their immediate neighbors and nations much further afield. Although few of the Dawn People have ever seen a SERTEPE or Aztlani, they dance the Alligator Dance, plant corn and tobacco, and adorn themselves with colorful shells and shark teeth taken from tropical waters. In the winter, they wrap themselves in warm buffalo-hide blankets. In exchange, they offer finely-woven nets, blankets, baskets, and mats, dried fish, and fur pelts. Sacrifice Rocks Often when traveling along a trade route or other trail, you will encounter small rock piles by the side of the road. You should stop and cut a pine branch from a nearby tree and lay it atop the pile. If you are in the company of someone local to the area, ask them to tell you about why the stones are there, for there is always a story attached to each cairn. These sacrifice rocks, as we call them, mark the places where great or notable deeds were done. Here is where the spirits of those associated with these deeds may be found, and you must honor their memory by learning their story. Carry it with you, and tell it to others when you have a chance.
36 CHAPTER 1 | The Dawn Lands Through laying on of hands (see below), as well as sucking, blowing, or spitting on wound sites, the taúpowaw banishes the malevolent spirits who are doing harm to a physical body. If the taúpowaw has a guardian spirit, it is visible to onlookers, helping with its own medicine. Taúpowaws also possess extensive knowledge of bone setting, herbal remedies, wound dressing, and therapeutic massage. These services are generally not offered for free; taúpowaws typically charge hefty fees for their healing arts. WABAANDAA believe there are two souls: one that lives in the body, and that returns to Keethope at the end of a virtuous life, and the other that inhabits the Dream Realm. Taúpowaws live on in these latter souls in dreams after death. The WABAANDAA and Avalonians share many similarities of belief, as it turns out. Both cultures attribute symbolic meaning to natural calamities, believing them to be some kind of test or retribution tell you that an enemy is coming for you, but if you kill the snake it means you will defeat your enemy. If one has a dream three nights in a row, it comes true. (Those wishing to prevent such an outcome may turn their shoes upside-down before going to bed on the third night.) Common folk who dream of a particular god often pledge themselves to the worship of that particular manetu, so that one might encounter a devotee of the Sun, or of Badger, and so forth. Taúpowaws regularly travel to the Dream Realm themselves to consult with gods, spirits, and each other. These dream-congregations (called powwows) take place on certain designated holy days throughout the year, as well as under more informal circumstances. Taúpowaws also use their mastery of spirits to diagnose and treat wounds and maladies, represented in the game by taking the Miracle Worker Advantage. No one may call themselves a taúpowaw without this Advantage.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 37 as he is feared. The WABAANDAA recognize the need for dark as well as light, and know that darkness has its benefits as well. Coming face to face with Madjideyenini and surviving is seen as the ultimate act of bravery. Some WABAANDAA even go so far as to induce visions of Madjideyenini in their strongest and most promising children as part of their adulthood initiation rite, or as initiation into the Midewin secret society; surviving the vision greatly boosts the family’s overall prestige. (The name Madjideyenini may be translated as “evil natured man” or simply “The Bad Man” and his most common aspect is that of a man with desiccated, ebon-black flesh—the Dark Man of the Woods. Madjideyenini may also appear as an animal—a deer, eagle, or fawn sometimes, or oftentimes a snake, as an inanimate object, or as a person; both WABAANDAA and Avalonian forms have been reported by those who encountered him in the latter guise.) from the invisible realms. Both cultures place great importance on the power of storytelling and oral tradition. And more than a few WABAANDAA have remarked on the apparent duality of Avalonian theology, seeing parallels between Theus and Legion with native beliefs of the Keethope and Madjideyenini. Yet Keethope is a distant and disinterested creator god. His world drowned under the storms caused by Thunderbird, and he dwells still in the watery afterworld far to the west, where the souls of dead folk who were good in life keep him company; he never appears in dreams. (Those who led disreputable and villainous lives are turned away from Keethope’s realm, condemned to wander the world as angry spirits called jībai’.) Likewise, Madjideyenini is not simply a villainous foil to Keethope. What the Avalonian observers have failed to note, blinded as they are by their preconceived notions, is that Madjideyenini is respected as much On praying to Madjideyenini I remember when the first Easterners came from over the sea. There was a great drought that year, and their crops would not grow. One of their number, who was known to us, saw that our corn grew straight and tall, and asked us how. We told him that it was medicine granted to our women by Madjideyenini, whom the Easterners called Legion. The man rebuked us and asked us how we could consort with such evil. We laughed and told him, “If we were to beat you, who would you call out to? Your father back at your village, three miles away? He cannot stop the beating. Or would you pray to us, and ask us to stop beating you?”
38 CHAPTER 1 | The Dawn Lands Reaching for the pipe, however, it moved away from her! She reached for it again, and again it moved away, as if grabbed by an invisible hand. Again and again she tried, chasing the pipe all around, until she gave up. “If you will let me, I promise to bury the pipe!” she called to the empty air. Now, reaching out, she picked up the pipe without further trouble. She took it at once to her husband’s grave and buried it with him, where it remains to this day. The Dream Realm The WABAANDAA as a whole place great importance on the significance of dreams, and for good reason: through dreams, they may interact with each other and their ancestors, see the future, and even fight battles against foes both mundane and supernatural. In the Dream Realm, time and space become subjective constructs. Taúpowaws separated by many miles of terrestrial distance may meet each other in dream through the guidance of the Hawk spirit. Many taúpowaws take advantage of this power to maintain vast support networks and transmit important news at the speed of thought. Interacting in the Dream Realm works just like the waking world: taúpowaws take Risks and may suffer Wounds, though, with the exception of Dramatic Wounds, these disappear upon waking. Taking a Dramatic Wound in the Dream Realm snaps the taúpowaw out of their slumber and inflicts a Dramatic Wound on them in the waking world. Taúpowaws appear as themselves in the dream world, or else as one of their guardian spirits. This aspect may shift at the taúpowaw’s will. Rattlesnake allows the taúpowaw to bring objects over from the material world into the dream world, and vice versa. Dream-objects function just like their waking world equivalents. Villainous taúpowaws may attempt to capture the souls of other sleepers. To do this, they must render their dream-opponent helpless and then spend a Danger Point. When the taúpowaw awakens, they bring back the unfortunate target’s soul in the form of a fly. If the fly is subsequently harmed or killed, the same fate instantly befalls the soul’s owner in the waking world. Some dark-hearted taúpowaws are known to keep multiple jars with them, each containing the buzzing fly-soul of one of their enemies! This has led the more extremist Objectionist preachers amongst the Avalonians to accuse the WABAANDAA of being in thrall to the powers of Legion. These preachers and their followers believe that the taúpowaws are all little better than witches who rule over the WABAANDAA with dark magic. The practical-minded Dawn People simply laugh at these imprecations. Some taúpowaws give too much of themselves to Madjideyenini and turn down a dark path, it is true, but such is the risk of dealing with a god! For those who are brave enough, and true of heart— the taúpowaw known as manetus—Madjideyenini is just like any other tool, like fire or gunpowder: deadly dangerous if you’re not careful, but offering great power to those who know how to use it responsibly. Although the WABAANDAA have proven fast and enthusiastic adopters of Théan technology, their response to Objectionist teachings has been markedly cooler. A small minority of Dawn People have taken up the teachings of the Church, but in so doing they have effectively turned their backs on their home communities and now live amongst the Avalonians. Yellow Feather and the other WABAANDAA sachems have thus far prohibited missionaries to preach in their communities or penetrate the interior, and that is unlikely to change any time soon. The Great Sachem’s Silver Pipe Shortly after the establishment of the Manakowak Bay Colony, Queen Elaine heard of the goodness and generosity of Yellow Feather and commissioned a silver pipe to be sent him as a gift and sign of goodwill. Yellow Feather treasured the pipe, and used it often in his ceremonies, calling it a gift from his “sister over the sea.” When one of his great missinege saved Yellow Feather’s life during a battle, the Great Sachem rewarded his captain by giving him the treasured silver pipe. Not long after, the warrior suffered a mortal wound. As he lay dying, he charged his wife to bury him with the pipe. Yet when the time came, she could not bring herself to do it. She kept the pipe instead of burying it, hiding it away from prying eyes. There it stayed for some time, but she thought often of it and wished to smoke from it, alone, before hiding it away again. She waited until nightfall, and stole away to her hiding place.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 39 Fires Prophecies. The largest lodge by far venerate and study the collective prophecies as a whole (and are thus referred to as the Seven Fires Society), and have expanded their membership both beyond the Mide and the borders of the Dawn Homes. For more information on the Seven Fires Society, see “Medicine Clubs and Secret Societies” (page 135). Mide tend to local rites of passage, such as the cutting and preserving of a newborn’s umbilical cord, naming rites, fasting rites at the onset of puberty, marriage rites, and death rites. They hold gatherings, both in the material world and in Turtle’s dream world, to mark seasonal events, such as Midwinter, the Feat of the Dead, Raven Festival, and the War Dance. They also have their own taúpowaws, called Jugglers, who call up spirits of the dead in order to speak with them inside special huts called Shaking Tents. The collective knowledge of the Mide is kept on birch bark scrolls called Mide-wiigwaas (medicine The Midewin For time immemorial, the Midewin have helped guide the Dawn Confederacy, aided by the collected wisdom of their elders and respected ancestors and prophets of the past. The Seven Fires Prophecy refers to a set of seven prophecies promulgated by multiple unnamed prophets many centuries ago. The prophecies predicted the origin and rise of the WABAANDAA Confederacy, as well as the arrival of colonists from overseas. Currently, four of the seven prophecies have come to be, and the next three warn of dire consequences for the people of this land if they make the wrong choices in dealing with the light-skinned folk from across the water. Members of the Midewin are called Mide, which means “mysterious” or “sanctified,” and are initiated by degrees into local lodges, often associated or devoted to the study or following of one or more of the Seven The Thunderbirds The Thunderbirds live in the north. They are great birds, so huge that one may pluck a whale from the ocean as an osprey snatches a fish. When the cold weather begins to take hold up north, the Thunderbirds migrate south. They move inside great storm clouds, flying down from the northeast and bringing great quantities of rain and wind in their wake. Despite the destruction this sometimes causes, the Thunderbid is our friend and ally. It is the Thunderbird that keeps the Great Horned Serpent cowering beneath the waves.
40 CHAPTER 1 | The Dawn Lands Needless to say, the Mide exert a tremendous amount of control over WABAANDAA society. Due to the dire prognostications of the fourth through seventh fire prophecies, they are the faction most resistant to the presence of the Avalonians of the Manakowak Bay Colony, and are working both actively and passively against the colonists’ interests. scrolls). These are sections of flexible bark sewn together, bearing the collected knowledge of generations in the form of pictographs impressed into the inner surface of the bark, darkened with charcoal dust. The scrolls are held in secret by the Mide, who keep them wrapped inside special containers and hidden away in secret caches out in the woods. Periodically, the scrolls are brought out and recopied in order to prevent loss of knowledge from deteriorating materials, and they are studied by all Mide initiates as needed. The Coming of the Colonists Before his death many years ago, Yellow Feather’s father Bitter Throat, a high-ranking Mide, foretold the coming of the Théans to the shores of the Dawn Homes. He said that a new people were coming from the East, and their arrival would be foretold by the appearance of a great white whale in the Witch Pond near Weliaq’s hummock. Sure enough, not long after Bitter Throat died, the prophesied whale emerged from the pond and leapt into the sea, where it still swims to this day. Even before this whale appeared, we believed that to see a white animal brings ill fortune.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 41 who in turn were to call up all available warriors, the WABAANDAA are capable of putting about 5,000 fighters on the field at once. Mirroring the sachem/mugwomp relationship, the Great Sachem has their own council of elite warrioradivsors called missinege. These may be viewed as the best of the best amongst the mugwomps of the Dawn Home confederacy; they are first among equals when it comes to bending the ear of the Great Sachem. (Avalonians translate the word as missinege as “general,” which is imprecise but gets the idea across.) Mishoons and Tamahaks The WABAANDAA make use of spears, daggers, and bows and arrows, but they are perhaps best known for their use of the tamahak. The tamahak is a lightweight axe with a long haft and small head constructed of wrought iron with a steel edge, or (traditionally) stone. Used as tool as much as a weapon, its versatility is legendary: the iron-headed tamahak quickly took its place as one of the most common trade goods found in the markets of the Dawn Home. Warriors often carry three or four tamahaks at once; in battle, they hurl their spare axes as they close for combat, then draw the remaining two and fight with one in each hand. Most tamahaks are built for practical use in war and wilderness, but with the advent of iron-headed axes, the scope for custom tamahaks became immediately obvious. Many a sachem boasts a fine tamahak with inlaid or beaded decorations along the haft. In particular, these “prestige tamahaks” often feature a pipe bowl in place of a hammer or spike on the “poll” (the side opposite the blade), allowing the weapon to function as a smoking device as well as an instrument of war! Mishoon is the name for a distinctive type of WABAANDAA dugout canoe. Made from a suitably straight tree trunk (most often white pine or chestnut), the canoe is created by setting fire to the wood, then scraping away the charcoal until unburnt wood is reached, then repeating the process. By starting along the intended top of the canoe and fire-scraping down into the trunk’s interior, an effective and heavy-duty boat may be created in the matter of days. Mishoons are used for river travel as well as transit between the many islands of the Dawn Home, and Military Organization The Dawn Home confederacy exists for mutual support and protection, and nowhere is this more obvious than in its military organization. WABAANDAA forces may be looked at as a sort of modular structure that allows for local defense as well as broad mobilization in times of crisis. This is due to the fact that each sachem maintains a network of close, trusted warrior-advisors called mugwomps, who in turn lead the warriors from their home villages. Mugwomps are the elite warriors of the WABAANDAA. They are expected to lead in battle by example, to suffer privation and wounds with quiet dignity, to be able to survive on their own in the wilderness with little more than a tamahak and determination. But they are more than fighters. The mugwomp cannot earn their title until they have an encounter with Madjideyenini. Unlike the taúpowaw, this need not involve any pact or exchange of power—merely sighting the Devil is enough to show their bravery and favored status. (Oftentimes, this occasion is marked by a change of name. Sometimes, as a sign of respect, the new name chosen is Madjideyenini, or else the god’s other name: Chepi; Bright Star’s greatest friend and advisor bears this name.) Thanks to their extensive physical and metaphysical training, mugwomps act as both a sachem’s bodyguard as well as their council of advisors. In tandem with taúpowaws, mugwomps help guide their sachem’s decision-making, in everything from rendering legal judgment to battlefield strategy. When a sachem goes to war, they call up their mugwomps and an assortment of other warriors from their territory. Like the ENOHTO, SERTEPE, and countless other Nations, the WABAANDAA place great import on the act of counting coup, dividing warriors into keenomp (warriors who have counted coup) and wosketomp (those who have not). What the latter lack in experience, they make up for in raw enthusiasm and a burning desire to prove themselves in battle—a young wosketomp is easy to spot in fight owing to their foolish bravery. Only in the most dire circumstances will a sachem call up all keenomp and wosketomp at their disposal. Sachems may make war on their own initiative, or they may in turn be called by the Great Sachem. If the Great Sachem were to call up all subordinate sachems,
42 CHAPTER 1 | The Dawn Lands The Sniper’s Bullet The siege at Shantak Point was in its third week, and the troops inside the palisade were growing desperate. Their food stores were nearly depleted, as was their supply of fresh water. Wemosit, the sachem and missinege of this brave band of ragged warriors, lay in a fever upon his pallet in the center of the fort. His taúpowaw, a moigu with the extravagant (and well-earned) name of He Will Put Bodies One on Top of the Other, examined the bullet wound that had laid his leader low. It had taken all of his skill and medicine to keep the wound from festering; he felt confident that the sachem would pull through, but it would be a long struggle. Moving to the palisade wall, the moigu called out to one of the men sheltering behind it. “Is that motherless whelp still up in the tree?” He knew the answer before they could respond, for he could hear the taunts floating over the breeze: “Are you hungry? I have something for you!” Two days ago, the Shallow Swamp sniper had climbed up a tree, a rifled musket slung over his shoulder. It had been this firearm that had put bullets through Wemosit and four other men, and that kept the rest of the garrison scurrying about like frightened mice. No fewer than six men had returned fire at some point or another, with four reporting clear hits on their target, yet the sniper seemed unwounded.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 43 The consensus amongst the warriors was that this ONTOQUAS sniper possessed bulletproof medicine. He Will Put Bodies One on Top of the Other had journeyed that morning into the Dream Realm and sought his own medicine from Crow, his guardian spirit. “Hand me a rifle and ball,” the moigu said to one of the frightened warriors. They watched, astonished, as He Will Put Bodies One on Top of the Other placed the lead shot in his mouth, swallowed it, and withdrew it from his navel. He did this twice more before loading it into the musket. The moigu climbed to the top of the palisade. He could see the Shallow Swamp encampment, some fifty yards distant amongst the trees. They moved about their huts and tents with confidence, unafraid of retaliation from within the WABAANDAA fort. And there, just thirty yards away, was a lone balsam tree, its upper boughs sagging under the weight of the sniper. The two men leveled their rifles simultaneously. The ONTOQUAS took his time lining up his shot on He Will Put Bodies One on Top of the Other, unafraid. It was a fatal error. The shot rang out and the sniper tumbled from the treetop. He was dead by the time he hit the ground, but he still bore a look of bemused surprise upon his face and a bullet wound right between his eyes.
44 CHAPTER 1 | The Dawn Lands are employed for trade and war alike. Sizes range from small two-man mishoons to massive war mishoons longer than many Théan ships and capable of transporting two dozen warriors! Other Nations The WABAANDAA are just one nation among many that comprise the Elakómkwik peoples, whose lands stretch from the frozen north nearly down to the lands of the SERTEPE. Most of these nations share similar social structure and values as the WABAANDAA, with the inevitable regional variations inherent with distance. Thanks to the long trading tradition in the Dawn Homes, the WABAANDAA have always enjoyed a privileged position amongst these nations as a hub for new technologies from lands further abroad. With the Avalonian contact, this means firearms and ironworking techniques are quickly spreading across the Elakómkwik lands. The ENOHTO Confederacy Beyond the Tidal River nations there lies the ENOHTO Confederacy. Its people live on the very border of the world, and were obliged to form strong accords to keep their nation from disintegrating into the The Thin Place. This we can accept. What we cannot accept is the arrogance that the ENOHTO carry in their very demeanor. They speak of their so-called Accords, which seem to work for them, as if all nations should wish to submit to them as well. They do not understand our ways, and they do not respect our independence. Now word carried by travelers from the west informs us that the ENOHTO disapprove of the arrangements we have made with the Easterners. Yet they covet the secrets brought to us from across the waters, which we have mastered. They do not understand that our lands are much given to strife; that the ONTOQUAS would see us wiped from the surface of the world. They do not understand our need for better weapons, or the value of the trade goods offered by the Avalonians. They may disapprove all they like! We will happily sell them our firearms, iron-bladed tamahaks, and other luxuries—for the right price, of course. The SERTEPE Our brethren to the south have long been good trading partners. From them came corn and tobacco, and the mysteries of the sacred Alligator Dance. Yet they are like a wounded bear, at once frightened and enraged. Their dealings with the Easterners have gone much darker than ours. Those ships flying the black flags, which at times sail up to our shores and in years past took away some of our people, never to be seen again, swarm like flies around the waters of the SERTEPE. Our dealings with the Avalonians come in part from Yellow Feather’s vision of wielding one firebrand against another. We may not yet be able to force the Easterners to war with each other, but perhaps that day is not too far off… The ONTOQUAS When the great waters receded, Weliaq sent Wolf to find the edges of the world. With each passing day, the coastlines grew farther and farther apart, and in time Wolf became lost in the new wilderness. Even his mournful howls no longer reached Weliaq’s ears, and Wolf grew lonely. Wolf made others like him, creating the first pack. He decreed that many wolves would be born at a time, and so very soon Wolf was no longer alone and his progeny roamed across the new world. In time, some of Wolf ’s offspring came into contact with people. Some they killed, but others they took into their pack to live amongst them. These were the ancestors of the ONTOQUAS people. The ONTOQUAS live in the vast woodland that stretches between the ENOHTO Confederacy and the Dawn Home. They do not constitute a Nation, per se, for they reject all trappings what they consider “the new ways”—social organization above that of extended family groups, planting of the Three Sisters, and (especially) Théan crafts. The major exception to this are the Shallow Swamp People, followers of a sachem called Raven. These are the ONTOQUAS living in closest proximity to the Avalonians, and has seen in the foreigners an opportunity to destroy his WABAANDAA enemies once and for all through a secret alliance.
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 45 A persistent thorn in the side of the WABAANDAA no matter what their alliance or affiliation, the ONTOQUAS make for fearsome enemies. Their lupine heritage runs strong in their veins, and the greatest warriors and taúpowaws amongst them can take on the form of a wolf at will. Even those who lack this remarkable ability fight with the ferocity of a wild animal and have proven their bravery in battle time and again. It is the ONTOQUAS, more than anything, that keeps the WABAANDAA confined to their coastal enclaves, and which has driven their sachems to treat with the Avalonians, hoping to find useful allies and helpful technological edges in the new arrivals. The Manakowak Bay Colony Unique among the surrounding communities and nations, the people of the Eastern Confederation maintain an active trading relationship with an established colony of Théans. Thanks to an earlier failed expedition, a significant minority of Théans live amongst the Dawn Confederacy, even intermarrying with them and adopting their culture. The Dawn Confederacy derive much benefit from this arrangement: they are master smiths and metallurgists, and enjoy the luxuries offered by the Avalonian colonists. Some among the Dawn Confederacy, particularly the Mide, question the longterm costs of this relationship, particularly in light of the Seven Fires Prophecy, but most—including the Great Sachem—see the benefit alone.
46 CHAPTER 1 | The Dawn Lands the following year, none came; nor did any come the next year, or the year after that, or the year after that. With each passing year, the Avalonian colonists grew more at ease with their new surroundings, and exchanged much knowledge with the Nauset and surrounding peoples in the WABAANDAA Confederacy. A trade pidgin developed; the Avalonians taught their metal-working arts, and in return learned how to plant and harvest the Three Sisters. The Avalonians told of the Graal and the Sidhe, and the WABAANDAA told of Weliaq and the Great Horned Serpent. Unlikely Partnerships At long last, after five years’ absence, more Avalonians arrived. These were not ambitious city folk, as the first batch of colonists had been. Rather, these were Reform Objectionists, sectarian hardliners who found the practices of the Avalonian church too Vaticine for their comfort. After finding no safe harbor in Théah, they struck a deal with Jeremiah Berek, who had thus far had no luck in organizing a successful relief expedition, every attempt being stymied at some point by war, nature, or plain ill luck. Berek is no religious idealogue, of course, and only agreed on the grounds that the colonists would set up a profitable trading operation with the native population and whatever remained of the first colony. The colonists, for their part, bore no religious objection to making a bit of coin, and accordingly founded the Manakowak Bay Trading Company to fund their expedition and pursue opportunities in the new world. Little could any of them have dreamed that they would find the first colony long abandoned, its people living peaceably amongst the natives in the territory of a sachem named Saunkskwa. As for those original colonists, they were overjoyed to see some of their fellow countryfolk (even if they were of the rather more dour and drab sort), but they also now harbored mixed feelings, having found their home amongst the WABAANDAA. At the very least, they had not forgotten their promissory note... Using supplies from the newly-arrived ships, the Avalonians set out a marvelous feast for their friends, giving thanks for the kind hospitality of the Dawn Home Confederacy. The WABAANDAA, for their part, welcomed this as a traditional Nikommo, and The Fourth Fire is Lit The Dawn Confederacy first encountered Théans when they sailed their ships up the coast from the south. That they flew the flag of the Atabean Trading Company meant nothing to the locals, some of whom went down to the seashore to get a closer look at these remarkable vessels. Those who went never returned, instead being clapped in irons and thrown into captivity inside the ships. Thus, the words of the Second Prophet of the Fourth Fire came to pass: “Beware if the light-skinned race comes under the cloak of darkness. You must be careful because the face of brotherhood and the face of death look very much alike. If they come carrying a weapon, beware.” The First Ship Ten years ago, a trio of ships arrived from across the waters, these flying the Graal flag of Avalon. Their crossing had been one of exceeding difficulty, and they arrived as winter’s gray cloak descended over the land. They came with the sponsorship of the legendary Sea Dog, Jeremiah Berek, covertly abetted by Queen Elaine, who hoped to set up a base of operations on the coast for privateers acting against Montaigne and Castillian shipping lanes. Aboard the ships were men, women, and children, all ambitious Avalonians who hoped to carve out wealth and prosperity for themselves as new gentry in an “untamed” world. And so a landing party went ashore at Pocasset. There, they found a warm-weather village belonging to the local Nauset people, now standing empty after its residents decamped for winter quarters just a couple weeks prior. Poking about, the party found the buried cache of corn, which they commandeered, leaving behind a promissory note offering to repay the stolen provisions with interest. The remainder of the colonists came ashore and set up a stockade not far from the village. Winter came, and the pilfered corn soon ran low. By now, the foreigners’ presence had been noted, and the Nauset sachem and taúpowaw came calling. They were dismayed to find the people starving, including a newborn baby girl— the first Avalonian born in this new land. They took pity on the wretched colonists, and took them back to their winter lodgings. Although the colonists hoped to see Avalonian sails on the horizon
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 47 Names in the Reformed Objectionist Church One of the most notable aspects of the Reformed Objectionist congregation is their propensity for giving their children unusual names, reflecting their dour values and serving as a reminder to the child and those around them. Presented below is just a sampling to get your imagination going! used it as an opportunity to secure military and trade alliances with the new arrivals, as well as arrange for the sale of land on which to build their settlements. Since then, annual feasts have become something of a tradition amongst the colonists in the region, marking their arrival and secured prosperity. But even as this first feast unfolded, some Mide whispered darkly of the second half of the Second Prophet’s warning: “They will bring new knowledge and articles that can be joined with the knowledge of this country. In this way, two nations will join to make a mighty nation. This new nation will be joined by two more so that four will form the mightiest nation of all. You will know the face of the brotherhood if the light skinned race comes carrying no weapons, if they come bearing only their knowledge and a hand shake. But if they come in suffering, they could fool you. If they are indeed your brothers, let them prove it. Do not accept them in total trust.” Abstinence Amity Approved Arise Be-Courteous Be-Faithful Be-Strong Be-Thankful Capability Chastity Confidence Constancy Deliverance Die-Well Do-Good Elected Endure Experience Fare-Well Fear-Theus Fight-the-GoodFight-of-Faith Good-Work Have-Mercy Increase Joy-in-Sorrow Lament Liberty Love Loyal Meek Mindwell Obedience Pardon Pilgrim Purify Resolute Search-theScriptures Silence Small-Hope Temperance Tribulation Upright Watchful
48 CHAPTER 1 | The Dawn Lands The First Nikommo Reverend Josephat Benchley, one of the Avalonians present at the first Nikommo feast witnessed by outsiders later wrote about it in his journal: “It being now about sunsetting, or near the dusk of the evening, the Netops (friends) came running from all quarters loaden with the tops of dry pines, and the like combustible matter, making a huge pile thereof, near our shelters, on the open side thereof. “But by this time supper was brought in, in three dishes; viz., a curious young bass in one dish; eels and flat fish in a second; and shell fish in a third. But neither bread nor salt to be seen at table. But by that time supper was over, the mighty pile of pine knots and tops, & c., was fired; and all the Natives, great and small, gathered in a ring round it. “Saunkskwa, with the oldest of her people, men and women mixed, kneeling down, made the first ring next the fire; and all the lusty stout men standing up, made the next, and then all the rabble in a confused crew, surrounded, on the outside. Then the lead Captain stepped in between the rings and the fire, with a spear in one hand, and a hatchet in the other; danced round the fire, and began to fight with it; making mention of all the several nations and companies of Natives in the country, that were enemies to them. And at naming of every particular tribe, he would draw out and fight a new firebrand; and at finishing his fight with each particular firebrand, would bow to him, and thank him; and when he had named all the several nations and tribes, and fought them all, he stuck down his spear and hatchet, and came out, and another stept in, and acted over the same dance, with more fury, if possible, than the first; and when about half a dozen of their chiefs had thus acted their parts, the Captain of the guard step up to us, and told us they were making soldiers to help defend us. “And having in that manner engaged all the stout lusty men, Saunkskwa and her mugwomps came forth and told us that we were now bound in military alliance, and that we could call on each other for aid, and for profitable trading, at any time. She stated that she could offer us a certain parcel of land upon which to build our dwellings, and named a price on behalf of their King, Yellow Feather. We agreed to all these terms, and in return presented a very fine flintlock to Saunkskwa as a sign of our alliance and good intentions.”
7TH SEA: LAND OF 1,000 NATIONS 49 a series of natural springs in the center of the “island” provide an abundance of fresh water for the taking. Across a narrow strait, Broadstone’s business partner, Reverend Stand-Fast Griswold, founded the settlement of Mishawum, which holds nominal independence but remains reliant on Tremont’s trade, resources, and reliable fresh water sources. Mishawum is also the main point of contact between the Objectionists and their Native neighbors. Much trade passes through its stockade gates, and many Dawn Confederacy maintain residences inside town limits; some there have even adopted elements of Théan dress, and mastered the Avalonian tongue. It is to Mishawum that many WABAANDAA peddlers go to trade in furs and tobacco for iron ingots and luxury goods. Deadlier implements may be acquired here as well, including manufactured ironheaded tamahaks, firearms, and gunpowder. The Avalonian Settlements The leader of the new expedition was a man named Increase Broadstone, and through negotiations with the local leaders and, ultimately, the Great Sachem himself, he was able to secure the right to found a colony on a somewhat unpromising spit of land the locals called Mashauwomuk, a word roughly translated as “tidal flats to ferry across.” Broadstone, conflating the tribal word for the whole land with this small peninsula, called it Woven Island, thus making two grievous geographical errors at a single stroke. The settlement itself he named Tremont, after his hometown. The whole colony, such as it stands, is called the Manakowak Bay Colony. Tremont occupies all of the available land on Woven Island, and is surrounded by wetlands and tidal flats that breed disease and reek of the settlement’s sewage. Nevertheless, the residents count themselves lucky, for