Editing Autia (section)

====Fantal Islands====

The Fantal Islands are a cluster of demon inhabited jungle islands that Alkor is trying to colonize since they have lots of gold, but it is not going too great for them.

People:

The local tribesmen are members of the Shaobon human ethnic group. Culturally they are split between those that have accepted and rejected civilization. Also present are a wide range of foreigners. Alkor has colonized parts of the Fantal Islands, but rely heavily on other foreigners to work and guard their lands, particularly individuals from their holdings in southeast Autia, and Afzen Amazons from nearby Afrolia. The Alkorian colonies are a popular jumping point for explorers and mercenaries in the Emerald Isles, and folk of all sorts are tolerated here as long as they respect local laws.

Religion:

Foreigners practice whatever religion they followed in their homelands. Missionary efforts are discouraged for political reasons, even for religious organizations favored by Alkor.

Zmugtazu the Black Hearted One is the main god among the civilized Fantal Tribes. Once as bloodthirsty as other gods worshipped by the Fantal Tribes, a prophet appeared who told them to stop sacrifices and demon binding, and start practising a form of pragmatic pacifism. Some of Zmugtazu's followers refused to change their ways, and those that did tend to rely on the Alkorians for protection, as now all the rest of the Fantal consider them to be heretics.

Among the hostile Fantal Tribes, the main god is now Mon-k'e M'e-me, a nihilistic god who avocates for destruction for the sake of destruction and hates civilization. Others still worship the old version of Zmugtazu, a hurricane demon believed to be another form of Shaleheart, the vampiric twins Golga and Lyki (believed to be local versions of Gogotha and Lykian), or the Dead One (most likely Deadicorn).

Magic:

Foreigners use whatever form of magic they practised in their homelands.
Most civilized Fantal Tribesmen have given up on magic, but the hostile tribesmen still practice magic given to them by assorted dark gods, particularly Mon-k'e M'e-me.
People:

The local tribesmen are members of the Shaobon human ethnic group. Culturally they are split between those that have accepted and rejected civilization. Also present are a wide range of foreigners. Alkor has colonized parts of the Fantal Islands, but rely heavily on other foreigners to work and guard their lands, particularly individuals from their holdings in southeast Autia, and Afzen Amazons from nearby Afrolia. The Alkorian colonies are a popular jumping point for explorers and mercenaries in the Emerald Isles, and folk of all sorts are tolerated here as long as they respect local laws.

Religion:

Foreigners practice whatever religion they followed in their homelands. Missionary efforts are discouraged for political reasons, even for religious organizations favored by Alkor.

Zmugtazu the Black Hearted One is the main god among the civilized Fantal Tribes. Once as bloodthirsty as other gods worshipped by the Fantal Tribes, a prophet appeared who told them to stop sacrifices and demon binding, and start practising a form of pragmatic pacifism. Some of Zmugtazu's followers refused to change their ways, and those that did tend to rely on the Alkorians for protection, as now all the rest of the Fantal consider them to be heretics.

Among the hostile Fantal Tribes, the main god is now Mon-k'e M'e-me, a nihilistic god who avocates for destruction for the sake of destruction and hates civilization. Others still worship the old version of Zmugtazu, a hurricane demon believed to be another form of Shaleheart, the vampiric twins Golga and Lyki (believed to be local versions of Gogotha and Lykian), or the Dead One (most likely Deadicorn).

Magic:

Foreigners use whatever form of magic they practised in their homelands.
Most civilized Fantal Tribesmen have given up on magic, but the hostile tribesmen still practice magic given to them by assorted dark gods, particularly Mon-k'e M'e-me.

Economy:

The Fantal Islands contain rich gold veins, but attempts by Alkor and others to exploit them have been limited by sabotage by hostile Fantal Tribes. Plantations of cash crops are also frequently sabotaged. Despite this, the Alkorian colonies generate reasonable profits.

In addition to resources, Alkorians and locals also make reasonable profits serving as the main gateway to the region for human adventurers looking to explore ruins. Supplies and accommodation are sold with a high mark-up, and the weaker exploration parties often sell treasures and artifacts to brokers in the Alkorian colonies at fraction of their true worth rather than risk getting robbed while trying to transport them to auctioneers in Autia.

The Fantal Island also serve as a useful staging point for Alkor and certain allies and neutral parties to process large scale shipments of goods coming to and from a certain race of turtle like arms dealers further to the south.

Although slavery is illegal in Alkor, the local authorities turn a blind eye to slave raids by Afzen Amazons against hostile tribes, and the use of slavery by more civilized tribes to pay debts. Many Afzen business women and landowners also openly own slaves.

The hostile Fantal Tribes are hunter gatherers who seem vehemently opposed to civilization and prioritize raids against mines, logging operations, and plantations.

Demons of the Fantal Islands:

Although demons are summoned by the reckless and insane in all parts of the world, they rarely persist for long unless somehow bound to a person or object, and as a result, are fairly rare. An exception to this rule seems to be certain sections of the Fantal Islands, where many of the vile monsters have been confirmed to be of demonic origin, rather than fey, natural, or magically altered. Many of these demons are bound to this world by powerful magics that bind them to wildlife, while other seem to be bound to people or debris.

It is unknown who did these bindings. Although the more feral tribes of the Fantal Islands have some skill at demon binding, it is believed that many were created centuries, or perhaps even millennia ago.

Although demons come in many different shapes, below are some of the more common or well known:

- Bat Demon - Commonly associated with local Golga/Gogotha and Lyki/Lykian. They are powerful demons with many of the same powers as vampires, plus capable of agile flight and the ability to disorient and cause irrational fear with their shrill shrieks.

- Boar Demon - Boars and warthogs are often associated with filth and stupidity among locals of the Fantal Islands, so it is perhaps fitting that those seen as overly prideful, vain, or arrogant are transformed into these slobbering, reeking brutes. They typically retain their intellect and memories of their past lives, but are bound to the will of whoever created them.

- Charismites - Unlike many other demons of the Fantal Islands, charismites have no obvious ties to the jungle, and have been encountered elsewhere in the service of their demon lady Wanilla. Much like succubi, they delight in using their looks and enchantment magic to enslave mortals to their fiendish will, though unlike succubi, charismites seem to have a deep need to be idolized by mortals. Although Wanilla isn't particularly popular with the modern inhabitants of the Emerald Isles, temples that appear to be dedicated to her have been found in both the Fantal and Crescent Islands.

- Elephant Demon - Dumb, but incredibly powerful, they are often used as guardians by other demons.

- Fungal Demons - A multi-limbed fusion of humanoid, fungi, and vines, these foul creatures are said to reproduce by capturing travelers and repeatedly infusing them with clouds of demonic spores.

- Gorilladon - This massive four armed brute is believed to be the result of a powerful demon being bound to a gorilla. Only rarely encountered in the deepest of jungles, some believe there is only one in existence, which is more than enough. Said by some to be one of several avatars of the demon lord Mon-k'e M'e-me.

- Glow Eyes - Another potentially one of a kind demon, it has never been seen during the day, but its haunting bright eyes are occasionally seen at night. Usually some unspeakable massacre is discovered the next day.

- Horsemen - Much hated demons associated with Deadicorn, they are more common here than in most places.

- Jungle Imps - Small, weak demons, they make up for their lack of strength with raw numbers. They come in all sorts of shapes, though share some common traits like spellcasting ability and a fondness for cruelty.

- Mosquito Demon - Much despised demons, relatively weak in a straight fight, but often attack victims while they sleep or are crossing difficult terrain with limited mobility. Mosquito demon attacks are a common source of witherlings.

- Muckmen - A strange mix of zombie, vegetation, and mud, these creatures are almost impossible to see until it is too late. Sometimes they seem to work on behalf of other demons, while other times, they snatch victims for mysterious, but no doubt vile purposes.

- Pitcher Demons - Plant demons infamous for paralyzing people, then slowly consuming them in an internal chamber full of acid.

- Snake Demons - Resembling one of the snake people of the fey realms, except the humanoid upper half is also very snake like. They love tormenting their victims with poisoned bites and constricting coils, and are said to sometimes "play with their food" for months.

- Spider Demons - Fairly powerful demons that often fill patches of forest and cave networks with mazes of webs. The fate of those caught in their webs is far worse than death.

- Strangler Vines - Demons that resemble writhing masses of spiked vines. Those captured by these creatures are slowly dismantled in the most painful ways imaginable.

- Succubi - A fairly common demon around the world, particularly among servants of Gogotha. They are much the same here as elsewhere, though the dress code is a bit different.

- Toad Demons - These foul demons come in many shapes and sizes, but all seem to have a need to inflict pain and destruction that goes beyond mere hunger. Their sticky tongues can drag unsuspecting victims many meters into the fetid pools they like to hide in, and it is said those consumed whole by the larger varieties are kept alive for years by unnatural means has they are slowly dissolved.

- Twig Men - Relatively weak demons made by infusing trees with demonic energy, they delight in impaling victims, then slowly spreading their branches through them while they are still alive. They will often keep bones and other body parts as mementos.

- Vampires - Much the same as they are elsewhere in the world, they straddle the line between demon and undead. Usually associated with Lykian.

- Witherling - Minor demons that resemble dessicated corpses, they have traits associated with both demons and the undead. They are created by demon binders and other demons. Generally seen as mindless creatures bound to the will of their creator, they actually retain the memories of their former life, and are often more dangerous and creative than some forms of zombie encountered elsewhere.

- Zombie - A minor demon similar to a witherling, though weaker. Slow, but durable, they are often mistaken for the mindless undead sometimes found in Autia and Tismo, though like witherlings they retain their minds, though not their free will. Demons and demonbinders can create these in large numbers.