Fredauon Fun Facts

Fredauon Fun Fact #1:

The Elves lost the Great War against the Wizard Republic even though they [the Elves] had domesticated telepathic (flightless) parrots.

Fredauon Fun Fact #2:

The only sapient species native to Fredauon are humans, the foul-smelling hoatzyns (sapient arboreal paedomorphic hoatzins) in the Great Mountains, and the absurdly strange and morally repulsive water bears (giant tardigrades) on the Other Continent.

Fredauon Fun Fact #3:

The most common pet among Wizards is the flightless catbird, known on Earth as the Cretan owl or Athene cretensis.

Fredauon Fun Fact #4:

All birds on Fredauon are flightless.

Fredauon Fun Fact #5:

According to Wizard biologists, genetic information is stored inside cells in the form of a homunculus.

Fredauon Fun Fact #6:

The Kobardon-speaking Wizard Republic was founded as an elective monarchy after peace negotiations between two warring kingdoms resulted in an agreement that a council consisting of nobles from both kingdoms would elect a new king every eight years - the two royal dynasties hoping that they would take turns in ruling. Neither dynasty was ever elected or gained power in the whole history of the Wizard Republic.

Fredauon Fun Fact #7:

The military government is considered an intrinsic part of the society and culture in the Omlueuet-speaking state of Bólks, even though it was only established after the Great War when Bólks was occupied by the Wizard Republic.

Fredauon Fun Fact #8:

The Evil Queen of the Pøplish-speaking Glorious City is called like this because of a semantic shift; the word used to mean 'simple' or 'level-headed' in Old Pøplish but now means evil, which is very much fitting for her contentious, authoritaritan, and expansionist policies.

Fredauon Fun Fact #9:

One of the strangest incidents in the history of Fredauon was an encounter with the paradimensional beings known as The Others, who can move wilfully through time and timelimes but irreversibly and involuntary through three-dimensional space. The crisis was only solved after a group of linguists found a way to communicate with The Others and an agreement was reached to avoid each other in order to not endanger the existence of either of the two groups.

Fredauon Fun Fact #10

The consensus among Wizard paleontologists is that Fredauons human (or the human equivalent of Fredauon) evolved on the Islands In Between (located between The Continent and The Other Continent), especially on their vast beaches. Walking is then seen as an adaptive strategy to wade through shallow water, similar to the Water Ape Theory *here on Earth*.

Fredauon Fun Fact #11

The Great Bay area is home to an ongoing low-level violent conflict between the farming population and the fishermen of the coastal areas. One factor is the farmers control over the highly addictive and hallucinogenic species of bamboo cultivated in the area.

Fredauon Fun Fact #12:

In Fredauon chemistry, atoms are really indivisible components of matter only differing in color and shape between different elements, which include water, air, panacea, miasma, and vis vitalis, among others.

Fredauon Fun Fact #13:

Evolution on Fredauon is Lamarckian in the following restricted sense: characteristics gradually acquired by use or disuse of certain body parts are inheritable. This is because cells inside organs that are used more frequently or less frequently change their internal building plan (the homunculus) to accomodate the changes in body shape and then shed gemmules that carry this information to other cells in the body, including the gonads. Abrupt changes like chopping of tails will not cause shedding of gemmules because this often just means that the organ in question cannot shed gemmules anymore for one reason or the other and so no information can be carried to other cells.

Fredauon Fun Fact #14:

Ginkgo are one of the most common and most diverses clades of (wild or cultivated) trees on Fredauon.

Fredauon Fun Fact #15:

The main religion of the Wizard Republic is similar to Gnosticism *here on Earth* in that humans possess a divine 'spark' of knowledge that was seperated from the highest deity by mistake. It is different, however, that there is no secret knowledge; instead knowledge is actively accumulated and publicly shared in order to 'ignite' as many people as possible.

Fredauon Fun Fact #16:

Music-wise, there is a gradient continuum on The Continent from the 3/4 time signature, downbeat music, with 12 notes to a octave, and prominent Shengs in the area north of the Great Mountains to the pentatonic, polyrhythmic, drum and string-heavy music in the southern parts. In between is the area around Bólks, where octaves have 7 to 9 tones and rhythm varies between even and odd time signatures, depending on the musical piece.

Fredauon Fun Fact #17:

In the very southern part of The Continent, a breed of wooly penguins (from neotenic King Penguins or Emperor Penguins) is kept and herded as cattle. It is slaughtered for its fatty tissue but also produces crop milk that is consumed by humans and its skin and feathers are used for blankets. Oh, and of course eggs!

Fredauon Fun Fact #18:

A common and famous dish among the elves consists of a variety of vegetable-filled fried dumplings with a selection of sauces. The dish is arranged on a special plate with the dumplings in the middle and the sauces on special basins on the rim of the plate.

Fredauon Fun Fact #19:

There are no fruits, as we know them, on Fredauon. Instead, various kinds of edible pseudo-fruits developed from different kinds of fleshy seed coats, i.e. arils in e.g. yews (Taxus), yellowwoods (Afrocarpus), joint-firs (Ephedra), plum pines (Podocarpus), plum yews (Cephalotaxus), celery pines (Phyllocladus), cherry yews (Prumnopitys), white pines (Dacrycarpus),  sarcotesta in e.g. ginkgo and cycads, and galbulus in e.g. junipers and cypresses.

Fredauon Fun Fact #20:

The Other Continent (known locally as Moab or Woab) is famous on Fredauon for volcanos, fjords, thunderstorms, and the preponderance of sign languages.

Fredauon Fun Fact #21:

A curious part of Fredauon fauna are the so-called land sponges, a species of sponge that resembles certain fungi in their outer appearance. They occur in areas that have both high humidity as well as lots of wind. They consist of several sticky interconnected tube-like structures that are positioned such that wind blows through them and the land sponge can feed on aeroplancton (e.g. flying spiders or spores) that is trapped in the sticky tubes and slowly digested by acidic fluids generated in the tubes. Some land sponges live in a symbiotic relationship with other small life forms.

Fredauon Fun Fact #22:

At the height of the Space Age on Fredauon, the following space-faring species/civilizations are known: the humans from Fredauon, the Beep (also known as The Green), short three-eyed humanoids who use their skin for photosynthesis and live on a planet in a neighbouring solar system populated by many species of plants and animals that look to us *here* like hybrids of different species, the Greys or Ancient, tall grey-skinned humanoids that are functionally immortal but have problem with procreation and physical health and live on a dysfunctional generation ship, unwilling to interfere in the matters of other species, the Reptiloids, a brown-scaled life form with an orange-blue morality that is living on a deserted rogue planet that is moving rapidly towards Fredauon's solar system.

Fredauon Fun Fact #23:

Floating Jellyfish (or Flellyfish) are another peculiar part of Fredauon fauna. Their digestion produces a mixture that includes hot air and methane (provided by bacteria) in a enlarged gastric pocket, which allows them to float into the air and prey on small bats, flying fishes and other flying animals. After capturing their prey with their tentacles they sink and only rise again when their digestion has produced enough gas to rise again. The different species vary drastically in size and toxicity.

Fredauon Fun Fact #24:

The highest decision making institution of the Elves is the general gathering. Everyone is welcome to attend and to speak at the gathering (before the Great War only heads of treehouseholds could attend). Decisions are generally reached by consensus, postponed, or delgated to the smaller household unit. In acute conflict situations, everyone that is not a part of the conflict has a duty to deescalate and severe conflicts are brought to the general gathering. The most severe punishment violent crimes is banishment from the treehouses.

Fredauon Fun Fact #25

The so-called Dwarves are victims of forced child labour working in the mines of the southern Great Mountains in order to provide the Wizard Republic with precious metals. Outsiders -unaware of the facts- consider them an ethnic group.

Fredauon Fun Fact #26:

The Pang-speaking Dark Elves are a group that split from the Elves after the Great War. Post-traumatic stress disorder caused several violent crimes which lead to the expulsion of many veterans, who later formed the Dark Elves. The Dark Elves have a complex culture that includes lots of ritualized violence against public property, late night bonfires and catharsis-inducing 'noisy-screamy' music. Their fashion is markably different from that of the Elves.

Fredauon Fun Fact #27:

Writing evolved several times independently on Fredauon. One family includes the Ancient cuneiform scripts and the Abjad/Abigudas used around the Great Mountains, e.g. by the Wizards. Independent families includes the logographic/syllabic blackletter runes around Bólks, the curvy palm-leaf alphabet on the Southern Islands and at least four different alphabets next to the City At The Crossroads.

Fredauon Fun Fact #28:

The Northern Islands of the shore of the Wizard Republic have remained politically independent for most of their history. After the Great War and especially in the Era of Reconciliation they have exerted a notable cultural influence on the Wizard Republic. They are also well-known for their extensive welfare state.

Fredauon Fun Fact #30:

The standard formal way of dressing for a modern wizard consists of trousers and two jackets. A thin tight white jacket is worn beneath a thicker wider black jacket. Both jackets have a zigzag cut pattern in the front and can be buttoned by toggles. A rope is worn around the neck with intricate knots. Hats change following the latest fads.

Fredauon Fun Fact #31:

In the civil servant boarding schools of the Wizard Republic, students usually have a small room on their own. The room has a chest for storing clothing and writing utensils. There is also a small table for studying and a couch-like piece of furniture that is used for sleeping. The couch-like furniture can also be used for dining togther with the small table. For studying, the student usually sits on the ground. Washing clothes, bathing, and cooking are usually done in communal areas. In some schools, washing clothes and cooking is done by specialized school staff.

Fredauon Fun Fact #32:

Since both sign languages and spoken languages developed diachronically since prehistoric times, a proto-language of all languages of Fredauon would have included spoken words as well as signed gestures. This is similar to the languages spoken on The Islands In Between, even though these are usually assumed to be creoles or pidgin that developed from contact between the two continents.

Fredauon Fun Fact #33:

All over Fredauon there are mythological tales of feathered flying monsters. One kind of monsters flies through the sky without flapping with its giant wings only to quickly nosedive out of the blue and snatch small children that play outside. Another one is nocturnal with large eyes and flies without making a sounds. Its gaze is said to paralyze people or drive them crazy.

Fredauon Fun Fact #34:

The religion of Omlueuet-speaking Bólks includes a complex hierarchical pantheon. On the top are several higher deities, followed by creation deities and fertility deities in that order. Lower order include various wrathful and protective spirits, as well as deified ancestors. A newer religious current within this religion sees the deities not as existing above mortal humans but in a parallel hierachy. This new approach hasn't caused much upheaval and is generally considered a sensible idea even though priests of the two schools of thought are strictly seperated in their rituals.

Fredauon Fun Fact #35:

Another mythological creature in Fredauon tales is said to have black fur like a bat, a shape like an otter but to be as big as an ostrich. It stalks its human prey at night, at first without any consequences but then it jumps on the human's back and is carried until the human is exhausted. If the human falls down, the creature bites his/her neck and sucks all the humam's blood, leaving the pale body to be discovered in the morning.

Fredauon Fun Fact #36:

The secret society known as The Black Angels operates on all of Fredauon. They were originally founded in the area south of The Great Mountains and their ideology assumes a natural balance between good and evil. They usually restrict their operations to assassinating leaders of winning parties in wars. They see the victory of the Wizards in the Great War as their biggest failure. Even though they are of multiethnic origin, they have their own language used only among themselves.

Fredauon Fun Fact #37

Certain parts of Fredauon are very rich in aeroplakton. This includes several species of balloning animals, such as small flying spiders, mites and caterpillars, as well as roundworms, and spores of quillwort trees and ferns. During certain seasons this areal phenomenon is highly visible for the human population. In certain aeras aeroplankton serves as food for airborne filter feeders such as land sponges and specific species of flellyfish.

Fredauon Fun Fact #38

Common trees on Fredauon include Ginkgo trees, Seal Trees, Scale Trees, Ferns, Seed Ferns, Cycads, and Conifers.

Fredauon Fun Fact #39

The New Capital City of the Wizard Republic was planned in the Era Of Isolation and the Era of Reconciliation with private motorized vehicles in mind. The city features no four-way intersections, no left turns, only one-way streets and lots of bridges. Since it is mostly inhabited by national government officials there is, however, not a lot of private traffic.

Fredauon Fun Fact #40

The elves traditionally live in tree houses, i.e. cabin-like buildings constructed on large tree branches. Historically, they were only used for ritual purposes and in times of war but during the Great War they became the standard housing. They are still in use after the Great War and areas populated by elves are known as The Houses In The Trees.

Fredauon Fun Fact #41:

Wizard historians standardly divide the history and prehistory of Fredauon into eras. The initial period is the Era Of Anthropogenesis, where evolution lead to the speciation of humans. This is followed by the Era Of Population (aka the Era Of Settlement), where humans spread across the three main continents of Fredauon. Afterwards, many historians add the Era Of State-Building, which includes the first civilizations as well as the establishment of the Wizard Republic. This precedes the Era of Discovery, where Wizards invaded and colonized the southern part of The Continent. This lead to the Great War, after which the Wizards cut all official relations to their former enemies in a period known as the Era of Isolation. After some time, relations where re-established in the Era of Reconciliation. As space travel became possible and contact with alien civilizations was established in the Space Age, history ceased to be specific to Fredauon and becamethe history of Fredauon and its planetary system.

Fredauon Fun Fact #42:

One main purpose of the state in the Wizard Republic is the (re-)distribution of resources. If one part of the republic has a drought and a bad harvest, the granaries will be opened and food resources will be redirected to the affected population. This 'tax' system traditionally consisted of regular meetings at the local town hall tower, where peasants and other regular inhabitants would 'voluntarily donate' parts of their resourcesto the local civil servants, such as the mayor, in a specific ritual that usually included music. This served both to support the local bureaucracy as well as to provide safety for times of drought on both the local and the national level.

Fredauon Fun Fact #43:

The nomadic people living in the very northwest of The Continent where integreated into the Wizard Republic early on. The traditional hospitality code was codified and each district has public ground for the nomads to camp with their auk herds. They usual trade with the sessile population and provide spiritual services. The nomadic people send representatives into official councils, where only the hierarchical position of the council and the number of representatives changed with time.

Fredauon Fun Fact #44a:

The deserts to the south west of The Great Mountains house the ruins of many ancient civilizations. The former population was responsible for many ingenious inventions and advancements. Excessive animal husbandry and farming, however, lead to the aridification and eventual desertification of the land, at least as far as common knowledge is concerned. Some neighbouring populations also see the downfall of these civilizations as a consequence of a curse resulting from diving too deep into the mysteries of the universe.

Fredauon Fun Fact #44b:

During the Era of Discovery and the Great war, many wizards fathered illegitimate children across the southern part of the continent. Since many of the children were facing discrimination in there communities, some of them moved to more urban areas like the City On The Crossroads and took less respected jobs like construction workers or fortune tellers.

Fredauon Fun Fact #45:

The Third Continent, also known as The Desert Continent, is located to the east of The Continent in the subtropics of the southern hemnisphere. Due to the rain shadows of the mountain ranges on its windwards side most of the surface is very arid. Its population is concentrated on the coasts even though the indigenous population is very skilled in digging wells and finding edible tubers in very arid areas.

Fredauon Fun Fact #46:

For the longest time, the currency in the Wizard Republic is based on groats (Groschen), crowns (Taler) and guilder (Gulden). 120 small silver groats correspond to a gold-based guilder and 24 groats correspond to a large silver crown. In some periods, the crown was equal to thousand small angular copper coins with a center hole, which went by many different names.

Fredauon Fun Fact #47:

Giant ostriches are a common mount and beast of burden on Fredauon.

Fredauon Fun Fact #48:

The main godesses of the Wizards' Republic majority religion are Lady Moon and Mother Sun.

Fredauon Fun Fact #49:

A secular successor of a splinter group of the minority religion in the Wizard Republic known as Five Of One once established a seperatist movement based on collective ownership, free love, and draconic punishment for treason. Its success only lasted for a relatively short time before they were invaded and defeated by the Wizard forces.

Fredauon Fun Fact #50 (50th jubilee special: behind the scenes)

Wizard science is based on superseeded or obsolete theories from *here*. This includes: Vitalism, as there is an element that embodies the vis vitalis, Caloric theory, as there is an element that is the substance of heat, Phlogiston theory, as there is an element contained in all combustible matter, Atomic theory, as atoms are really not composed of smaller particles, Neptunism, as water shapes geological forms and causes earthquakes, volcanos are assumed to stem from seam fires, and Lamarckian evolution, as acquired traits can be inherited and vis vitalis causes structures to become more complex.

Fredauon Fun Fact #51

Here is a story that is commonly circulated in the very northeastern interior of the Wizard Republic. It seeks to explain the origin of the sun, daytime vs. nighttime and the beauty of the sunrise. Father moon is a mythological figure that is often considered the highest deity. The sunrise girl is similarly mythological and seen as a fertility goddess by many.

At the beginning of time, the world was a dark and gloomy plain. The earthly human was lonely and sad. When Father Moon saw this, he sent his daughter down to earth. She came down from the moon and, as she touched the ground, flowers began to sprout and springs began to bubble. Valleys formed where the rivers flowed and forests appeared where the trees grew. She crossed the land from east to west and the sun began to rise. Since then, the daughter of the moon has been called the sunrise girl. But when the sunrise girl wanted to ascend back to her father, her father did not have the heart to leave the earthy humans alone in the dark again. And so the sunrise girl was now also trapped on earth, lonely and abandoned. But every morning she delights the earthy humans by doing her duty.