Aspan

“The people of the southern capital of Aspan, Cittá-Aspan, where the land is rich and exotic to the minds of the Tykonian.”

—Alwin Trigs of Larova, cartographer

Aspan lies divided by the wide Talan River, forming two peninsulas: the Aurelian Peninsula and the Lower Aur Peninsula. To the north, a snow-covered mountain range rich in mineral deposits, known as the Bolúrhaen Range, sits near the northern capital of Talkabía, a city shaped by scarcity, metalwork, and war. These highlands form a natural boundary between Aspan and its northern neighbors, making Talkabía both a threshold and a shield.

To the south, the land opens into fertile lowlands where warm air, limestone coasts, and rich soil help agriculture and crafts. Città-Aspan, the southern capital, is known for its stonework, textiles, and dense trade routes, thanks to the Talan River, which flows from the Caelorn Mountains, where it is born. Smooth hills and a calm western coast link the two regions, and though united by history and language, the people of Aspan are shaped as much by their land as by one another.

Aspan and its capital city, Talkabía

People of Aspan

Cittá-Aspanic

“The people of the southern capital of Aspan, Cittá-Aspan, where the land is rich and exotic to the minds of the Tykonian.”

—Alwin Trigs of Larova, cartographer

The land’s soil is rich, ideal for raising oil flowers, berries, and grain; grass reflective enough to glow gold as the dew drops from the deep bay highlight the sunshine overhead. In Aspan, the trees seem to be scented with complex notes of pepper and clove, their scent carried from the limestone beaches to the wafting smoke of the laboring districts and through the vibrant festivals and markets. This same smell becomes even more complex as it approaches the mountainous countryside.

Aspan is recognized for its vast artistic catalogue of customs and exports. Silk and textiles are both incredibly desirable for tourists and locals alike. The peninsula is also home to particularly rare species, such as the Javan Parva, an insect that feeds on the protein-rich shells of the Bolurkirk monoliths, which are used to produce expensive luxury silks called Seta Ossidina. While wine and weaponworks are mostly relegated to the northern capital, Talkabía, Cittá-Aspan and its sister cities are renowned for their stone and textile work.

Jang Monochrom

For the past thirty years, the city has waged war over its northern neighbor, Adir, over scarce resources and territorial claims. It’s been proclaimed the Jang Monochrom, or the Monochrome War, as soldiers from both regions fight on the white, snowy peaks and the treacherous silver crystal formations of the Talkabían highlands. Conflict doesn’t end there, however; the island of Maso remains under constant threat, split between Adiri and Aspanic spheres of influence.

Physicality

Regardless of their race, they are usually a warm, earthy taupe-beige. Balanced between beige, light clay, and pale umber, with a soft pinkish warmth beneath, and a low to moderate saturation. (Common Tone: #8b6a5e)

Their body proportions are usually stocky and powerful. A body built to endure and absorb. Wide and heavy shoulders with a thickset abdomen, core, and upper body protected by a layer of fat. Hair is often thick, from black to dirty blonde locks. Their height varies depending on their race, but it's true that the average height for men is usually 5’8”, and 5’5” for women.

Talkabían

“To only desire an honorable battle from your enemy is an excuse for poor tactics.”
—Talkabían proverb

Talkabían grounds are dry, semi-arid, and faded, as the waft of bay dew seems to provide little benefit for the yellowed grass and the gray soils. Heavy winds from the north carry fine Bolurfog across the province, up to the Talan River. The silvery Argentotra trees, however plentiful, are no suitable shade for the inhabitants with their thin leaves. Rocky coastal cliffs of the region overlook the peak of Cittá-Aspan, as the Bolurfog, in combination with furnace fumes, covers the Talan river in smog. The infertile soil makes attempts to harvest crops fruitless, and the dry turf seems to poison fruit trees and vegetable gardens, making food imports necessary. These imports chiefly originate in Maso, which is why they are important to the Talkabían people.

However, what Talkabía lacks in cultivation is made up for by the extensive metalworking and trade of the raw material itself. Talkabíans are notably fierce in war, thanks to their inventions and battle tactics, and they withstood Adir invasions despite their significantly smaller, arguably poorer population. Due almost entirely to Talkabía’s positioning, set between Adir and the southern capital of Cittá-Aspan, the city is often the first to withstand attack from Adiri irregulars as the Monochrome War drags on. Typically, the few Talkabíans that have ended up in Tykonia are products of Sascianhood pilgrimage, detailed below, exiles, or worldly merchants.

Bolurkirk Monoliths
From deep within the silicate-metal veins of the highlands, monolithic crystals of haunting proportions bloom. These silver giants are Bolurkirk, naturally formed crystals that, when mature, burst into shards. They first grow underground, absorbing the chemicals necessary for their development, before sprouting a large aboveground offshoot. When this offshoot is fully mature, cold exposure causes the internal tensions to snap, releasing extreme heat and a fog of harsh, near-microscopic silica slivers called Bolurfog. This haze hovers just above the snow, refracting towards the sky. The particles magnify each ray to be treacherously warm for the average human, and Bolurfog itself is dangerous to inhale for outsiders. The secondary byproduct of this phase failure is Kohnkolas, a liquid melt of the silicate rock from which the Bolurkirk crystal itself grows, produced by the extreme temperatures generated by the release. While the heat of this residue is nothing to be trifled with, leaving it to set and cool produces a regional rarity–Kohnklas. A hard, brittle leftover with crimson internals, not too dissimilar from obsidian.

Sascianhood
The culture of grief in Talkabía is intrinsically complex, often associated with dishonor. In times where hardened veterans—most commonly women—experience a great loss, like that of beloved friends, leaders, or members of their family, they will often abandon their homes in Talkabía with their weapons. Being seen to experience sorrow over this loss is considered more shameful than self-exile, and doing so is considered the most noble course of action. It’s customary to have a stone mask made by an artisan in Cittá-Aspan to hide one’s identity, battle scars, searing burns, and tears. These anguish-ridden wandering warriors are called Sascia, and their pilgrimage is dubbed Sascianhood. They wear their mask throughout their pilgrimage, and travel for as long as it takes for their pain to be conquered. Few are rumored to wear their masks until the day they die, never once defeating their own grief.

Searings
A searing is a brutal rite of contest. Two competitors are tossed into a ring set alight, each wearing thick, heat-hardened gloves and bearing a faintly glowing twisted rod of metal called a Braciata–the dealing end coiled like a screw. The rods chill as the fighters encircle each other, and as they are struck, only reheating as the fighters hold their weapons in the ring of fire. The game aims to strike your opponent three times without losing your nerve or collapsing. Victors earn themselves fame and prizes set by the venue.

Physicality

Regardless of their race, they are usually a deep, cool, desaturated charcoal brown. Some between graphite gray and umber, with an underlying brown/caramel tone. (Common Tone: #5b5350)

Their body proportions are usually wiry and dense. Their body built to explode and keep burning. Lean, compact with broad and structured shoulders. Very narrow waist; however, reinforced in the core and clavicular muscles. Hair is commonly curled or spiked. Tones range from desaturated reds to dark browns. Their height varies depending on their race, but it's true the average height for men is usually 5’10”, and 5’3” for women (rarely 6’0”).

History

Cittá-Aspanic

The people of Aspan trace their lineage back to Alsham and Qiyuani warriors, as the region itself was repeatedly rediscovered across generations during the Alshams-Qiyuan territorial wars. Archaeological strata suggest that both tired heroes and defectors from the battles settled in Aspan to heal from their fatigue and commune with the people who had once been their enemies. This eventually led to the creation of the primary capital in the south, Cittá-Aspan, a syncretic settlement of former adversaries.

In their time together, the cultural clashes of the Alsham and Qiyuani became harmonies. The rich, inflected, and syllabic Alsham language began to dominate the fields of law and education, while the tonal, efficient language of the Qiyuan swayed power over daily conversation and trade. Children grew up hearing the inflectional endings of the Alsham and the word roots of the Qiyuan, eventually learning to insert vowels into sentences to bridge the structural gap. The two languages blended to form Mithārī, the melodic, vowel-rich language of the Aspanic people.

Talkabían

Talkabían heritage can be linked to a selection of Northern migrants, Aspanics, Maso refugees, Old Firmasu sailors, as well as the same aforementioned Alsham and Qiyuani warriors. According to the historical record, the city was planned shortly after Cittá-Aspan to serve as a transshipment point and to house the region's secondary governing council. Poor planning, fractured trade routes, and the Monochrome War isolated the city from Aspan, forcing the inhabitants of the newly formed Talkabía into generations of scarcity.

Talkabía was once home to a diverse range of ethnicities in its early years, but quickly developed an ethnically layered cultural blend that fostered a societal syncretism. Travelling Alsham and Qiyuani vagabonds and itinerants quickly adapted to the standard Aspanic Mithārī. However, the language was swiftly influenced by both the influx of Maso refugees and sailors, as well as the cultural shift brought about by famine. This eventually led to the formation of an ethnolect of Mithārī, spoken with a more austere tone. While the language's richness remains intact, the melody is absent. In other words, Mithārī lost its song.

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