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This listing is of what may be deemed fully ‘self-aware’ beings, divided between the Primary(Lesser and Greater Era) and Secondary Epochs.
‘Heshavira's Challenge’ takes place at the dawn of the Greater Era of the Primary Epoch. The rest of the series occurs during the Secondary Epoch.
Primary Epoch
Tolku: ‘The Foremost Ones’
Tolku the Foremost Ones Art

A rare image of the Venerable Tolku, the Foremost Ones, who created the Tatchlan System. This is an honourific portrait of the Uluvatu Masters.

Tolku (TOLku), also named the ‘ Foremost Ones,’ were upright beings who arose from among other species collectively termed ‘Cousins’ in prehistoric times. They distinguished themselves by their profound ability to adapt to changing environments, grow immensely complex and flexible forms of communication, and, through the domestication of food sources, enrich an urban life. All of this is understood as their ‘Collective Crown’ of Genius. While their growing awareness of the wonders of Anu opened many doors for them, the issue of social organization and cohesion came to dominate their emerging consciousness.

 

Initially, the Tolku tried to build on the surrounding Cousin social organization by forming large clans that worked together for mutual survival and nurturing. Various types of larger social groupings developed, with rudimentary social hierarchies and task-specialized subsets. As these grew and the entire population expanded beyond the capacity of these original forms, they struggled to create new ones. Over millennia, these early societies developed into a series of contending dynasties. Extended periods of competition repeatedly led to violence, causing many cultural, social, and philosophical movements to emerge, all striving to find a way out of their misery. The Practicians movement was born into this tumultuous setting. Their early successes in accessing and modifying ‘ Raw Life ’ led to the emergence of the first Tatchlan Masters, eventually founding the Tatchlan System, with its supreme expression of the Majastas and the Cluster-of-Clusters Nation.


The original idea of group co-operation became the exemplary social virtue, while internal competition was identified as the key vice. Even in this early period, the importance of unifying vital elements, such as familiar touchstones, evocative imagery and a shared set of virtues, was emphasized. While these values were lauded, many innate tendencies thwarted their realization. Due to a series of violent disorders and many incidents of social breakdown, artists, mystics, philosophers and prophets became united in their condemnation of the root cause of all misery – ‘Self-Absorption.’

Lesser and Greater Era of the Primary Epoch
 
Tolku history comprises what is now termed the Lesser Era or Pre-Tatchlan period, followed by the Greater Era, both of the Primary Epoch. Due to multiple wars and other chaos, historical records and other evidence are fragmentary. This interval begins with Tolku's self-awareness and is thought to have continued for two and four millennia, depending upon which authority is cited. Late in this period, the Tolku suffered an external invasion from the Suvuka of Thermistal, who destroyed the nation-state of the ‘World City’ of Thithanu on the largest continent of Rho-Jashun, exterminating most of this population. Only a few thousand survivors of this once dominant population of several million fled over the Mulungu Mountain range in the South, joining the native population of Statos-Vey. Due to the strong fortification of all passes, the Suvuka could never enter Statos-Vey despite repeated attempts. The Rho-Jashun survivors found a very different society south of the mountains.
Uluvatu Masters
Uluvatu Masters
Centuries before this invasion, leading Masters had fled Menem persecution on Rho-Jashun to pursue their deep craft without interruption. They gathered within a series of caves at the heart of Mount Uluvatu in the southern portion of the Western Veradapandra Mountain Range on Statos-Vey. These became known as the Uluvatu or Primary Masters. Within this new security, they sunk into the deepest levels of life and laid the foundations of Tatchlan. They also fashioned the outward form of the Twelve Principal Faces.

This work continued long after their offspring planted the first grandmothers and their mothers in Anu towards a single end: the defeat of Self-Absorption. Blood Midges carried some of their first refinements to lay the foundations quietly among the population of Statos-Vey. Over time, subsequent generations of these Tatchlan Masters came out of hiding. They performed many services for the Tolku of Statos-Vey, leading to growing regard for them among the general population.
It became generally known that the Masters developed the ability to domesticate and speak to Cousins and other creatures termed ‘allies.’ Eventually, these allies gave the Masters remaining on Rho-Jashun warning of the Suvuka incursion.

This Icon of the Uluvatu Masters was well-known throughout the Primary Epoch. Still, not a single intact example survived into the Secondary Epoch until the discovery of a monumental plaque in 48,491 UKC during the final century of the Statos-Vey Protectorate at the Uluvatu Mountain site. It had sat in a niche over the entranceway to the famed grotto within the Uluvatu Mountains, where the Primary Masters had gathered to do their work during the Lesser Era. There are some Greater Era references to this plaque being seen by pilgrims up to an anda from the entrance. At the time of its discovery, routine infrastructural work located a broad shaft below the entrance into the site. Amazement grew when the characteristic layering of insulating fill resembled what enclosed the Amarel Mountain site of Bhampay (see Amarel Mountain novel page) was encountered. This rich artifact, picked out with precious gems and fine-crafted minerals, had been taken down, wrapped carefully, and buried at the bottom of this shaft. Only after this discovery were the various tiny and enigmatic emblems carved on the curved ceiling of the chamber understood to be clues as to what was hidden beneath. It has been suggested this was done shortly before the Killing Swath to ensure its survival after the demise of the Primary Epoch.

A serendipitous set of events saw the future Submissively Venerating Jumon-Pulmol witnessing this discovery. She was then but a Fresh Adult of fourteen, a full sixty-seven years before we meet her in the third novel of this series, ‘Dalinantu Emergence.’ As had been the custom with all Fresh Adults living within the Protectorate then, she and all her cluster mates of that age had gone on a pilgrimage to view the Uluvatu Masters grotto, only to arrive shortly after this monument was discovered. The girl joined her young companions in staring down into the shaft to the wondrous massive artifact uncovered at the bottom. Until her final year, she had viewed this as the most profound experience of her life.

The image is interpreted as being the central vision of the Masters, bringing order out of the swirling chaos of raw life and harnessing its vitality towards building the Living Tatchlan System.
Duamang Age
When the Suvuka Onslaught forced the entire Tolku population to concentrate on the subcontinent of Statos-Vey, their scattered and fractious society matured. United by a common enemy, past cultural conflicts were resolved as divisive elder institutions crumbled. The Tatchlan Masters went from hunted outlaws to openly ascending to positions of power. This era's final twelve hundred and seventy-three years are known as the Duamang Age after Tatchlan Master Duamang. She spearheaded the Master's successful development of a weapon based on a weakened version of the Brangnam Plague to render all Suvuka on Rho-Jashun infertile, thus leading to their defeat and exile on the eastern portion of Thermistal. During this millennia, many aspects of the Living System were finalized, leading to the Greater Era of the Primary Epoch, regarded as the beginning of the true history of the Tolku.

For more details on the Lesser Era of the Primary Epoch, see the Pre-Tatchlan Page.
Master Duamang Weapon icon
Greater Era
The ‘Greater Era’ of the Primary Epoch commenced with the birth of the first Majastas, Thakadush-Satwa, as outlined in the first novel of this series, ‘Hesha Vira's Challenge.’ The Maja population grew with her emergence and the Quickening of the Tatchlan System. This led to the true establishment of the Cluster system and the deep connection between clusters by the Maja Gatherings and the resulting Gifting Ceremonies, redistributing wealth and seeing new blood among all clusters. Another benefit was the domestication of population growth by carefully designed waxing and waning of birth and death cycles. All this brought about the complete transformation of Tolku society. As a result, the life expectancy of individual Tolku more than doubled. From this point onwards, the general health of the entire population improved, so illness and disease became increasingly rare. This growth in well-being, by every measure, was directly proportional to the increasing percentage of Maja within the whole population. This period eclipsed the chaos and waste of the Lesser Era and is characterized by Tatchlan's perfection and the establishment of a Cluster-of-Clusters Nation across most of Anu under a succession of Majastas Dynasties. This civilization continued for 2,995,676 years, ending with the Killing Swath.
Tolku Civilization Icon
There are seventeen pristine examples, all monumental in size and situated in ceremonial settings. Fifteen are on Rho-Jashun, and two are on Statos-Vey. The two on Statos-Vey are in the Sister Cities of Upata-Shepsus and Bhampay. These seventeen monuments appear to have been spared the Second Suvuka Onslaught's vandalism due to deliberate burial or chance upheaval. 

Broken fragments of hundreds of others have been found across Anu. There is also a scattering of explicit references to this design in other surviving artifacts, including the famed Anu Cluster Event Chamber in Upata-Shepsus. This further suggests this emblem was widespread over much of the Primary Epoch. While it is a representation of the Twelve Faces of the Tatchlan System, there is evidence that it was also intended to represent the entire Tolku Cluster-of-Clusters Nation, suggesting that the Tolku came to identify themselves thoroughly with the Living System, their greatest creation.
Given later insights into the role Hesha Vira played in Suvuka life, it has been noted that notwithstanding their apparent devotion to her, they appear incapable of distinguishing Tolku images of her and destroyed them whenever they could.
Suvuka
Suvuka installation inside a Koru Living Mountain

The above image is a common feature in most Koru Living Mountains during the Secondary Epoch. They are crafted mainly by taxidermists using recovered bones and other materials, mostly from the northern shores of the Huallapandu Headlands.

A Separate Creature
These were towering and broad four-legged beings, originating on Thermistal, the fearfully referred to as the ‘Dark Continent’ during The Lesser Era. Their bodies had a heavy insulating pelt that could alter significantly with differing weather conditions, and their primary sense was eyesight. They were active during the day. The Suvuka were the rulers of all on Thermistal. Initially, they were apex predators living in small herds scouring the land of herbivores, but this changed with the mysterious introduction of certain southern animals early in their history. Somehow, large herds of Danta managed to cross from the south and overwhelmed many native populations on Thermistal (see Migration Theory).
Domesticated Danta

Evidence shows that after initially trying to destroy the Danta, the Suvuka underwent a profound adaptation and began to herd them. This profound shift toward greater social complexity demonstrated that they were superior in adaptive collective intelligence to all other animals on Thermistal. With a steady food source, the Suvuka became pastoralists and developed languages and other rudimentary forms of civilization. They continued domesticating other animals, leading to  animals that ran with their herds.


The Suvuka communicated through a series of whistling, clicking, and other mouth noises, along with many other slapping, clapping, and snapping sounds. Evidence suggests that their pastoral clans alternated between small, mobile herds and seasonal gatherings of large populations, organized through an intricate kinship network. Their ability to communicate in language, along with clear evidence of their fashioning a series of cultures that expressed themselves through ceremony and dance, has led most to agree that they possessed a lesser version of the ‘Collective  Crown.’ Notwithstanding these notable attributes, they never progressed beyond this pastoral organization, augmented by a hunting-and-gathering subsistence level, or beyond a tribal organization.  Once aware of the Tolku, the Suvuka declared them mortal enemies. No matter how much Tolku's effort was put into communicating, it did not enable them to alleviate the Suvuka's blind animosity. They also proved surprisingly resistant to modification within Tatchlan, which was eventually overcome during the first Tolku  Majastas Dynasty. They twice crossed over the Panchala Sea to sweep down Rho-Jashun, intent on destroying the Tolku. These are referred to as the two Suvuka ‘Onslaughts.’

The Mesmerizing Run

Suvuka Mesmerizing Run

This is a modern Danam Yeldic representation of a ‘Suvuka Round’ where a few rare observations during the Lesser Era witnessed what they described as a ‘Mesmerizing Run.’ This appears to have been a profoundly important ritual in which the creatures would engage in a slow dance before entering a circular track and running around the central installation. During this run, they appeared to cultivate a collective frenzy until they became overwhelmed. Once all had stopped or fallen exhausted, a variety of apparent conclusion rituals took place before the separate herds moved away from the site. The central pillar and boulder formation, presumed to be emblems of fertility, is based on the ruins of what is known as the Enimik Round, the largest fashioned by the beasts on Rho-Jashun, which the first Koru Majastas, Zudaz the First, walked through at noon in the year 98 UKC. This was to signify the defeat of the Suvuka on Rho-Jashun and herald the dawn of the Koru's Cluster-of-Clusters Nation.

A detailed portrait of this society and an essential coming-of-age ritual for Suvuka youth is found in the series' first novel, ‘Heshavira’s Challenge.’

The First Onslaught

First and Second Suvuka Onslaughts

This Dictum Image is from a Danam Yeldic Abultion Academy and is intended to symbolize both the First and Second Suvuka Onslaughts. While the ancestors of the Venerable Koru and Yakku both fought this menace in their own ways, they seldom chose to depict these catastrophic episodes. The Rho-Jashun Yelda and, certainly, the Danam Yelda of Statos-Vey were sheltered from this horror. Only with the final extinction of the Suvuka could future generations begin to portray these terrible events.

For Aeons, the Suvuka knew nothing of Rho-Jashun and Statos-Vey south of the Panchala Sea. They appear to have an aversion to the sea, so, with the notable exception of Pramath Island, they seldom swam in the ocean. They were powerful swimmers and regularly traversed Lake Teval in central Thermistal. 


It is surmised they became aware of the Tolku from the earliest fishing vessels reaching Thermistal’s southern shores. It is known that very early in Tolku prehistory, fantastic tales were spun around giant beings across the sea. It also became common from this time onwards for ‘the North’ to become the symbol of all sorrow and the subject of ancient taboos (see the significance of the Northern Gateway in Yeldic rural clusters, formulated far in the future during the early Secondary Epoch).

Suvuka emblem
Preliminary Invasion
Before the First Onslaught, some of the Suvuka ally creatures appear to have made their way across the Panchala Sea from island to island. Whether this was by chance or on their master’s instruction is unknown. What is certain is that before the first Suvuka arrived, their allies had established themselves on the Huallapandu Headlands of northern Rho-Jashun. This brought about a massive displacement of other beings, causing a general south migration across the Marachla Plain. This precipitated further expulsion as little-known creatures, less suited to the clime, crowded into southern habitats.
Warning Signs
The ancient Tolku had not occupied the Huallapandu Headlands due to its bitter climate and poor soil, so this sudden migration of alien creatures was one of their early warnings. When the Suvuka landed on these same headlands later that year in numbers, they began to assert themselves over all animals, turning the earlier migration into a massive wall of flight. Half a year before the arrival of the Suvuka, the Tolku of the central Marachla Plain saw the sky and horizon darken with these fleeing creatures. The air was filled with scents and sounds of fear and fury. Despite these aberrations, there was much confusion and debate about their meaning. The Tolku Master’s early communications with some creatures, such as their Cousins, and being able to look into the ‘Eye Windows’ of the airborne Krall gave them an additional warning. It is now the Tatchlan Masters displayed their power. They dispatched their serving creatures, particularly the most diminutive tree-dwelling cousins, the Asaku and Mayku, into the far north through trees and foothills routes, bringing them back further news. Later epic tales and dramas suggest these tiny ones rode on the back of Krall, although few Honoured Historians credit this claim.
Evacuation and Survival
The Uluvatu Masters communicated their alarming findings to the Muraharoma Emperor in Upata-Shepsus. The Emperor ordered a massive fortification of all passes through the Mulungu Mountain Chain's southern arm and decreed that the entire population must immediately evacuate south of this barrier. The Menem priesthood, who dominated Rho-Jashun society from their capital of Thithanu, feared the rising power of the Tatchlan Masters and so resisted this edict. A minority of the Rho-Jashun population obeyed the Emperor and Masters and fled south, while dissension, confusion and indecision hampered an organized defence of the majority who remained. These few thousand were barely through the closing passes of what was now called the ‘Impenetrable Barrier Region’ when the First Suvuka Onslaught began, bringing about the complete extinction of the remaining Tolku population and eradicating every sign of their civilization. Only what came to be called the ‘Impenetrable Barrier Region’ kept them from killing all of the Tolku of Anu.
Master Duamang Weapon and aftermath
Among the generations of Tatchlan Masters, very few individual names come down to us. One that stands out is Master Duamang. Although she took pains to show she was not alone in her achievement, Honoured Historians agree she is the definitive author of the Suvuka’s doom. Her weapon was successfully released, and she monitored the effect over many years from a perch within Mount Anchaphron looking down on the Marachla Plain. This led to the establishment of a new calendar and the Duamang Age.
First-hand accounts of Suvuka's demise and critiques
These were challenging times, and not much history was written initially about this period. One author did publish recollections, dramas and critiques of the weapon and its results. His name was Geltran-Kenal-Tumhal. Unlike the fanatical Nallurakon or the academic Nebutan, he had no interest in the Menem religion. Instead, he based his concerns on his ethics and observations. He grew up within the Xaduron Wall of the ‘Impenetrable Barrier Region’ along the southern spur of the Mulungu Mountains, known as the Nabunal Bend when it served as the primary defence keeping the Suvuka out of Statos-Vey. He witnessed their ending and the resulting triumphalism of the Tolku. During his long life, he put his thoughts together for one signature work: ‘Our Great Failure.’ His words were respectfully, if not enthusiastically, received in his lifetime and gradually slipped into obscurity. When Nebutan rediscovered them, she ensured they remained part of the Tolku’s literary legacy.
For further details on this period, see the Pre-Tatchlan page.
Domestication of the Suvuka
During the reigns of the first Tolku Majastas dynasty at the outset of the Greater Era of the Primary Epoch, founded by the Majastas Thakadush-Satwa, most Suvuka were domesticated before being brought across the Vettencore Passage to be integrated within the Tolku population (the beginnings of this process are alluded to near the end of the first novel, ‘Heshavira’s Challenge’).

There are sufficient credible references from a variety of sources to confirm a massive population of tame Suvuka into hundreds of distinct breeds(this diversity is alluded to in both icons from this period in the shape and size of the domestic version’s paw prints), were amalgamated within Tolku society. There are many incomplete tales of this Suvuka/Tolku society. Perhaps one of the most unique was a vast circular pool built in the centre of the most ancient city of Bhampay. On certain festival days, a large herd of Suvuka was brought to perform an elaborate synchronized swim to music around this large aquatic circle.
Domesticated Suvuka
Evidence of this integration was found in the Kodrapum Grotto within one of the three historic Sanctuary Mountains of the former Central Triumvirate of Rho-Jashun, Mount Arnom, early in the Secondary Epoch.
Primary Epoch Suvuka Domestication Ministry
Along with the famed 'Tolku Final Proclamation,' this treasury contained other endmost works before the Killing Swath began. A single volume was found there titled 'Our Noble Suvuka: on the healing and unifying of our two nations,' which details the history of the process. This volume contains the remarkable icon of what was once the Suvuka Domestication Ministry, showing a raw Suvuka paw at the bottom and a representation of the diversity of domesticated varieties. This was celebrated as a significant achievement throughout the Primary Epoch. Those remaining on the eastern shores of the passage were referred to as ‘Raw Suvuka.’ This discovery is referred to in the second novel of the series ‘Amarel Mountain.’

It also detailed how these Suvuka were carefully bred into five hundred distinct subdivisions, most far smaller than the raw Suvuka. Some were tiny enough to sit in a pre-adults lap.

While many worked alongside Cousins in various tasks, these smaller classes of domesticated Suvuka were exclusively enjoyed as household pets.

Killing Swath icon
The Second Onslaught
The Second Suvuka Onslaught followed what is named ‘The Killing Swath,’ which saw the end of the Tolku and the Primary Epoch and the gradual rise of their progeny, the Koru of Rho-Jashun and the Yakku of Thermistal and the emergence of the Secondary Epoch. Fragmentary evidence suggests all five hundred varieties of domesticated Suvuka died along with their Master Tolku with the Killing Swath, while the Raw Suvuka were unaffected.
This has led to theories on how the tamed Suvuka and Tolku may have somehow merged their bodies and how all progeny of the Foremost Ones carry a small portion of the Suvuka within them. The profound depths of subsequent innocence on these questions continue to plague Koru and Yeldic delvers. Evidence confirming these puzzling indicators has been found within the Living System. Despite the passage of eons, the Raw Suvuka nursed their resentments and took this opportunity to cross over the Vettencore Passage and destroy all surviving Tolku in the Second Suvuka Onslaught. This time, they successfully breached the Thumondu Wall of what had been the ‘Impenetrable Barrier Region’ in the southern Mulungu Mountains and, for the first time, defiled the sweet subcontinent of Statos-Vey. They levelled all traces of the once glittering civilization there. The Suvuka then began their domination of the three continents of Anu. This period is known as The Interim and lasted for seven hundred and forty-one years.
The last Tolku became the first Koru and Yakku
The only Tolku survivors were small populations sheltering up in the tall forests of western Thermistal and within the Mulungu Mountains of Rho-Jashun. The Swath continued to affect both populations, leading to many physical changes and ultimately to the development of two new species descending from the original Tolku. This marks the end of the Primary Epoch. What follows is known as The Interim. It is also named the ‘Suvuka Dominion Era.’ This period between the Primary and Secondary Epochs lasted seven hundred and forty-one years.

This icon, known as ‘The Change,’ depicts the transition of Tolku to Koru and comes from early in The Interim period. It is meant to describe, in downward growing Koru fashion, how the Tolku dwindled while the new Koru blossomed as it were beneath them.

For more details on the Suvuka and the end of their reign, see the second novel of this series, ‘Amarel Mountain.’
The Change Koru icon
Secondary Epoch
Koru art

The Koru are the faithful heirs of the Tolku Legacy. After the Killing Swath and Second Suvuka Onslaught, they laboured within Mount Chraxan and other Sanctuaries to nurture all Living Instruments and reawaken the Living System and Resplendent Work of Tatchlan. Through pain and sacrifice, the Koru saved much of value from the Primary Epoch. Through their dedication and genius, the Koru made the Secondary Epoch possible. They have also produced many wonders unknown to the Tolku, including the Healing Vat and the three classes of Koru Yelda, forming steps towards their most significant achievement, the Danam Yelda.

Survivors of The Killing Swath


After The Killing Swath and before the Second Suvuka Onslaught, the Face of Anu was transformed. The global Tolku Cluster-of-Clusters Nation fell into ruin. The dawn of the Secondary Epoch saw two tiny, ragged remnants of the Tolku coalescing on Rho-Jashun and Thermistal, then taking very different paths toward new existences. On Rho-Jashun, there is clear evidence that the Tolku of the Primary Epoch made preparations for those who found shelter within three critical mountains in the central and southern portions of the Mulungu Mountain Chain: Mount Arnom, Mount Rongu, and Mount Chraxan, forming what would eventually be known as the Central Triumvirate. These became known as the Sanctuaries. There are even hints that some form of guideposts were established immediately before or after the Killing Swath for the refugees to follow. Across the Panchala Sea on Thermistal, an unlikely series of events led survivors to climb high in the towering trees of the vast estates in the western portion of the continent. From this point, the Tolku ceased, and two new species, cultures and nations were born.

Migrant waves

As is detailed on the Koru Culture page, these survivors, known as ‘Guardians,’ came in three successive waves to the Sanctuaries of Rho-Jashun. The First Generation comprised those witnessing The Killing Swath who were close enough to reach the Sanctuaries within the first few years. The Second and Third generations were also survivors, along with their descendants, who travelled great distances from Rho-Jashun and Statos-Vey to reach the Sanctuaries. Their arduous journey through the ruins of their former civilization took several years to decades. Several small flotillas of ships also crossed the Panchala Sea from Thermistal during the early years of The Interim, forming part of The First Generation. This avenue of migration appears to have closed following the first decade due to the rise of Suvuka activity on Thermistal. Some of their harrowing tales of escaping the Suvuka by sea still survive. With minor exceptions, all the refugees arrived in these three waves, with the last migration arriving forty-one years after The Swath. History tells of a ‘Fourth Generation,’ but these were those born within the Sanctuaries who dared to rescue vital elements of the previous civilization despite Rho-Jashun being overrun by the Second Suvuka Onslaught. Their heroic journeys took place after Year 87 of The Interim.

Koru small Change icon
The Change
Within these deep grottos, these survivors became aware of profound alterations taking place among them, later termed The Change. The First Generation began to note subtle modifications in their offspring born within the Sanctuaries. 

The Second and Third Generations also saw some unusual features in their offspring. The Change accelerated with those born within the Sanctuaries, and a confusing diversity became a clear set of distinct mutations and adaptations.
Change aspects
In addition, subsequent generations became increasingly nocturnal as a notable sensitivity to Nu's ‘White Knives’ grew intense. At the same time, they developed a growing aversion to open spaces, particularly the sky (see ‘Upper Abyss’), which became more pronounced during the day in the presence of Nu. They could and often travel outside at night under the stars with little difficulty. Both of these sensitivities reinforced their growing nocturnal underground culture. Their bodies became broader and more robust than the original Tolku. This process continued until some of the original structures built by the ‘Foremost Ones’ could only be visited by pre-adults as they were now too cramped for Ripe Adults. At the same time, their skin grew from pale to white, and their eyes and hair, with some notable exceptions, took on various shades of yellow and orange. There is ample evidence that the original Tolku were of modern Yelda's bronze complexion and slighter build.
Koru Hand icon
New Culture and Title

An emerging culture embracing these changes accompanied these alterations. This, in turn, led to their renaming themselves as Koru, although no information survives as to the origins of this previously unknown term or how all acclaimed it. At the same time as the adoption of the Koru title, a distinctive Icon was fashioned, as shown here. Formed within the new ‘mountain’ triangle border, a pure white hand extends downward into Anu. Another version displays the same hand extending into the blackness of the deep. These basic images remain the universal symbols of the Koru. It is now surmised this physical and cultural metamorphosis began as an effect of The Killing Swath, which was then accentuated by the close life within the Sanctuaries.
Yakku

Yakku Art image
The fate of the Thermistal Tolku

The survivors' progress from the last Tolku of Rho-Jashun into the emergent Koru is partially documented. What happened to the last Tolku of Thermistal is far less clear. What little is known is that in Year Seven of The Interim, the Raw Suvuka forced their way through the Vettencore Channel barriers and entered central Thermistal. Several references by different sources within the Mount Chraxan and Rongu archives, based on refugee accounts, confirm this. The Suvuka found large numbers of dead Tolku and domesticated Suvuka. They also found a tiny fraction of survivors whom they destroyed without mercy. They also began a clear plan of obliteration of all the works of the Tolku they could identify. Given the many cities and abundant infrastructure, this lengthy undertaking would consume them for seven years before they reached the Silvasora Mountains.

Survivors flee west
Whatever contingencies had been laid and guides erected were swept away, and most survivors found themselves moving in a panic west across the Lake Teval Basin, where the land opened, and they were exposed. While a fraction successfully boarded ships to follow the final Tolku Proclamation for them to become Guardians and converge on the Sanctuaries of Rho-Jashun, most refugees outrunning the herds struggled to cross the Silvasora Mountains before reaching the mighty forests of Western Thermistal within the Viracocha District.
Viracocha District

This vast territory was named after the Viracocha Mountains, one of three chains found on Thermistal, dominating the western portion of the continent. Twenty-three Estates, large enclosures of vibrant flora, surrounded this mountain range and dominated Western Thermistal. This expanse was extraordinary given the mostly urban nature of the Tolku’s Cluster-of-Clusters Nation on the rest of the continent. They had been long cultivated for many uses in the Primary Epoch by an agency known as the Viracocha District Flora Ministry. Within these Estates were found trees unmatched in their majesty anywhere else on Anu. Entire families of specialized species had been grown there, the products of sophisticated breeding and Tatchlan System modification. One of the best-known was the Mernet Trees, which can be developed and shaped into any configuration. The Authority oversaw the production of various specialized plant life of all sizes, ushering in a revolution of new medicines, tools and augmentations to all Tolku of the Primary Epoch. These boons had been exported across Anu for various uses, and their nurseries remained intact in Western Thermistal. With few exceptions, these mighty forests of Northwestern and the jungles of Southwestern Thermistal were not as severely impacted by The Killing Swath.

Viracocha Ministry becomes Viracocha Authority

The one Primary Epoch institution appearing to still exist in any numbers following The Killing Swath was the Viracocha District Flora Ministry of Western Thermistal. While suffering as all Tolku of Anu, apparently sufficient numbers, with full knowledge of their crops and their multitude of powers, survived. This diminished group remained within their forests and groves after the Swath came and rebuilt their lives using their specialized knowledge. A key to their success was their ability to revive their institutions swiftly and maintain their hold on all their tools of office. Before the Suvuka threat, they had begun scaling their trees to make a new arboreal life. When the refugees started to arrive in Year Eleven of The Interim with tales of a Second Suvuka Onslaught, they met a surprising welcome. What now became known simply as the ‘Viracocha Authority,’ holding fast to their professional standing and structure, could assist their ascent and began intensive instruction in the vigour and genius of these specialized trees and preparations to defend themselves against the Suvuka.

Suvuka thwarted
 
None may say how many climbed into these trees or the many acts of desperation, heroism and tragedy during these times. What is clear is that many tens of thousands of Tolku did scale these mighty trunks by virtue of the Viracocha Authority's assistance. When the Suvuka arrived in numbers, they were struck down from above. They then rose en masse up the trunks but were repeatedly thwarted due to the many unknown perils the Authority unleashed. It is said their broken bodies lay in heaps on the forest floor, feeding the roots of these trees and plant allies of their enemy. New waves of invaders found the skulls of their fallen arranged in piles. For a time, the Suvuka Onslaught was halted.

Suvuka force divided


The Suvuka were defeated in several skirmishes and one great offensive involving three groups attempting an encirclement. See the Yakku Page for details. After these defeats, the Suvuka appeared to withdraw to the Lake Teval plain. A small group eventually moved with care south and west along the coast, reaching Zaas Island, where they crossed the Panchala Sea to destroy the survivors on Rho-Jashun and Statos-Vey. The Yakku did not foresee this initiative, deeming the group little consequence. They would later formally declare regret for allowing this crossing to the Koru. This extension permitted the Three Generations of Koru to safely arrive at the Sanctuaries within the Mulungu Mountains on Rho-Jashun.

Yakku emblem
The Change on Thermistal

The remnants of the Tolku of Thermistal went through their metamorphosis. In an imperfectly understood process, the aftereffects of The Killing Swath altered them to their new environment, just as it did to what would become the Koru of Rho-Jashun. Given their radically different circumstances high in the forest canopy, it is unsurprising that these Tolku were transformed differently from those living within the Mulungu Mountains. They needed to distinguish themselves with a new name as these changes continued. They chose Yakku. It has been suggested this term already existed, being a designation within the Viracocha District Flora Ministry. 



Yakku Physical Characteristics

The Yakku’s body grew far longer than their Tolku ancestors. Their proportions also changed, including lengthening their arms so their hands could rest on their knees while standing. The digits of their fingers and toes have also increased; their toes grew over time to be as long as Tolku Fingers.
Over time, their heads grew longer and thinner than their ancestors. Two features stand out upon seeing them. The lesser feature was their nose, which tends to be very small. The more significant feature was their ears, which had developed into a broad flap with several folds and a wide channel into their heads on either side. They control the movements of these flaps significantly, and their hearing surpasses any Koru, Yelda or Cousin. The movements of these ears are also an essential indicator of the Yakku's mood.

Koru emblem for Yakku
The Yakku themselves did not fashion this, but the Koru after they met each other. Initially, there was euphoria on both sides as the descendants of the fallen Tolku were reunited. For reasons detailed elsewhere, this gradually grew into an estrangement. Before this, the Koru fashioned this emblem, intended to praise the Yakku’s unique presence and make it a compliment to their own. The traditional Koru Pyramid is inverted to form an upward-thrusting frame suited to the Yakku’s skyward sensibilities. Their elongated hand is covered in the flora, symbolizing their genius in the jungle and forest realm.
Koru Icon Yakku Hand
Yelda
All Yelda in Mother and Father Hands

An image of all Yelda in their ‘Koru Mother’ (below) and ‘Yakku Father’ (above) hands. From left to right are: Yakku Yelda, Sumudin (Koru Yelda), Kudurapala (Koru Yelda), Field Yelda, and Danam Yelda.

Koru Yelda icon
Newest Self-Aware Being
The newest self-aware being is the Yelda, resulting from sexual encounters between the Yakku and Koru occurring primarily during The Interim. The Yakku integrated their Yelda into the Yakku Nest and Tree society. These became known as the Yakku Yelda. Over many generations and breeding, these Yelda begin to display many characteristics and abilities of the Yakku.

Early in The Interim, the Koru’s Central Triumvirate instituted the ‘Yeldic Colloquium’ to oversee work by their Invocates and Operants into the surprising depths of these new beings. Eventually, they concluded this new sub-species possessed the ability to become like them, endowed with the ‘Collective Crown.’ In their ‘Yeldic Bulletins,’ the Colloquium declared that Yelda had the potential to produce a distinctive society able to grow their own Majastas.
The first Koru Majastas, Zudaz I, inherited and expanded the Colloquium’s mandate by separating most of the Koru’s Field Yelda population in preparation for the first and most significant of the Secondary Epoch’s Epochal Generational Plans. She said by growing a second Cluster-of-Clusters Nation, the Koru would not be alone, as the Tolku had been, in dealing with systemic challenges within Tatchlan, they could rebuild the Foremost One’s legacy across Anu. Thus was the foundation laid for the ‘Two Majastas Hands.’ In the year one hundred of the Koru calendar, the first autonomous clusters known as Koru Yelda were seeded within the enclosed Royran Valley of the Mulungu chain in central Rho-Jashun to begin their separate existence. In the year two hundred, the first waves of what will be known as Field Yelda were sent out from the Royran Valley onto the open Marachla Plain. The first Koru Majastas oversaw both of these migrations. Rooted in the Koru Cluster-of-Clusters Nation, these Field Yelda form a symbiotic relationship with the Yakku of the Marachla Plain. Together, they fashion an agrarian society in service of the Koru of Rho-Jashun.

Pictured here is the icon for the original Koru Yelda. While both the sheltering hands of the Yakku and Koru are present, the Koru predominate as they lead these Yelda down a different path. As a result of this dual heritage, the Yelda would later say, ‘The Koru are our Mothers and the Yakku our Fathers.’
Field Yelda icon
Field Yelda
Over the next eight Majastas Dynasties, directed by sixty-seven separate Koru Majastas, the Yelda were gradually perfected until they were ready to exist independently. In the year 29,007, during the reign of Koru Majastas Nopsantur V, a designated Yeldic population moved to the island of Tich-Tushmul in the first attempt to have them grow their Majastas. In the year 35,587, during the reign of Koru Majastas Harapath III, a rogue Mantle mutilates and destroys all Yelda on the island. 

In the year 47,011, during the reign of Koru Majastas Mustamu I, a second population was sent to the island of Tich-Tushmul. This population was destroyed by the last of their Majastas in 48,558 UKC during the Koru Majastas Mustamu II reign. This is the same year the Yelda embark on their Ceremonial Walk from Dalinantu in the southeastern Mulungu Mountains to their new home of Upata-Shepsus, as Majastas-producing beings, the Danam Yelda. The Primary Mountain Circle of Upata-Shepsus was the most-ancient seat of the Tolku during most of the Primary Epoch.
This period is detailed in the third novel of this series, ‘Dalinantu Emergence.’

This is the Koru icon for what is known as the ‘Field Yelda,’ being the Yelda released onto the Marachla Plain to form a pre-Majastas collection of largely agrarian clusters in the interior of Central and Southern Rho-Jashun. It is distinguished by showing them living exposed to the burning Eye of Nu and their lives being tied to the passage of the seasons. While the Yakku Hand Emblem still informs their body, the Koru Hand shelters their minds.

Specific Yeldic populations are also integrated into the Koru Cluster-of-Clusters Nation, known generally as Koru Yelda.
Sumudin Yelda icon

Sumudin (Koru) Yelda
These are viewed as the ‘First Generation’ of ‘Clarified Yelda.’ They dwell exclusively with the Koru throughout their vast chains of Living Mountains on Rho-Jashun. They are as pale as the Koru and, over the generations, have taken on more of their attributes and powers, along with their vulnerabilities, such as aversion to Nu’s direct glare. While remaining Yelda, they are integrated into Koru society, and their Maja are firmly aligned to the Koru Majastas. They are also the broadest and strongest of the Yelda.

The Sumudin perform many specialized uses within the Koru Cluster-of-Clusters Nation, many of which are set aside for them. These include the care and maintenance of many of the ‘Recovered Ones,’ living beings rescued from extinction after the Killing Swath and improved for exclusive use within Koru society. They often predominate within services requiring fine eyes for detail and technical skills.
They are most known for serving as ‘Paramount Contact’ between the Koru and other beings, particularly the other branches of Yelda. They are also the primary conduit for communications and commerce between the Koru and Yakku of Rho-Jashun. On rare occasions, they have also served as go-betweens between the Koru and Yakku of Thermistal.

This Koru icon shows them in their standard purple and grey wrappings or robes, known as ‘Abyss Robes,’ as they often wear them while out under the Upper Abyss of the open sky. These symbolize their ‘Paramount Contact’ role. They stand in what is known as the ‘Sheltering Hand’ of the Koru. They are flanked by two of the four Cluster Virtues: Kindness and Patience, traditionally associated with the Sumudin and emphasized within Koru culture.
Kudurapala Yelda icon

Kudurapala (Koru) Yelda

These are viewed as the ‘Second Generation’ of ‘Clarified Yelda.’ In contrast to the Sumudin, the Kudurapala are very dark-skinned and, in other ways, utterly distinctive from both Koru Yelda and the Danam Yelda of Statos-Vey. They even have a unique breed of Healing Vat on their ships. 


Like the Sumudin, the Kudurapala and their Maja orient themselves with the Koru Majastas, but they mostly live on the coasts and islands off the Western Coast of Rho-Jashun. Most of Kudurapala live within the Mahamdul Naval Empire, which is based on the three large islands of Mahakomal, Mahakola, and Mahakosh. This empire traded extensively with all Anu and was a bridge between the Koru and others on Anu.


The Sumudin may be seen as emissaries and diplomats in their relations with all those outside the Koru Cluster-of-Clusters Nation. The Kudurapala are the merchants and traders serving many other interests of the Koru across the Face of Anu. Outside of Governance Ministries, they are the only population with extensive ties to the rare Invocate Clusters.

They have formed extensive networks for communication, exploration and commerce throughout Anu, both by sea and inland water routes. The Kudurapala also establishes political and cultural links while maintaining the integrity and security of Koru networks. They also serve within the underground transit system as the primary operators, maintainers, extenders and refiners of the entire Continental Line Network. Ironically, those least resembling their Mother Koru are by far the most common ones associated with Koru for those not living on Rho-Jashun.

This Koru icon shows them with their burnished skin from deep exposure to Nu’s Eye, notwithstanding the fact they sail and conduct most of their business at night. They wear the Maritime Shell, emphasizing their life on the sea. They also stand in what is known as the ‘Sheltering Hand’ of the Koru. They are flanked by the other two Cluster Virtues, Comfort and Openness, traditionally associated with the Kudurapala.
Danam Yelda icon
Danam Yelda
The depth of regard the Koru pay to the Danam Yelda cannot be overstated. They are the culmination of labours begun early in The Interim with the founding of the Yeldic Colloquium and carried on by the succeeding eight Koru Majastas Dynasties of the early Secondary Epoch through a progression of overlapping Epochal Generational Plans. All were guided by the ultimate vision of the ‘Two Majastas Hands.’ The Koru would guard and maintain the night, and the Danam Yelda would-be guardians of the Living System of Tatchlan during the day.

Much is said of the Danam Yelda elsewhere. Still, here we may focus on the icon the Koru fashioned for them after the emergence of their First Majastas, Upata-Shepsus I, in Two-Week Six, Ensemble Candle Day 107 of the year 48,719 of the Unbroken Koru Calendar. 

This would henceforth become Year One of the Danam Yelda’s Cluster-of-Cluster’s Nation and the Year One of their Nantu Age, one hundred and sixty-one years after their Ceremonial Walk from Dalinantu during the reign of Koru Majastas Mustamu III. Details may be found in the third novel of this series, Dalinantu Emergence.
This icon is of a different order to all others. It contains the most-ancient symbol of the Blue Star, a symbol of royalty going back to the Yin-Vinulan Dynasty of pre-Tatchlan times. 

This most-ancient dynasty was the first power base to welcome and sponsor the work of the early Tatchlan Masters and lay the foundations for the eventual establishment of the Tatchlan System. With the emergence of the first Yeldic Majastas in the Secondary Epoch, this emblem was chosen to signify this new Cluster-of-Clusters Nation. The Blue Star is surrounded by three icons referencing Yelda’s treasured legacies. The one above is the best-known Tolku Icon. Along with many intangible legacies, the Yelda hold in trust many surviving treasures of their Primary Epoch civilization on Statos-Vey. On the bottom left is one of the primary Yakku Hand Emblems, embodying the upward thrust of their arboreal nation on both Rho-Jashun and Thermistal. On the bottom right is one of the original icons of the Koru themselves, emphasizing their devotion to their cavernous cluster life.
Tower Builders
For most of this series, the Danam Yelda of Statos-Vey has their own Cluster-of-Clusters Nation, taking all of the subcontinent of Statos-Vey and the southern portion of Rho-Jashun beyond the Mulungu Mountains. Most of the series and these appendices are devoted to the Danam Yelda.

It may be noted here that at the same time as the arrival of their first Majastas, these Danam Yelda set aside the Insect symbol of Perfection of the original Tolku, that of the Gandahatapan, for the Perfection Symbol of the Venerable Koru, the Ketukku known as the ‘Tower Builders.’
This was seen as a significant departure from their ancestral Field Yelda. It is interpreted to signify their deep connection to their Mother Koru and their identification as day-walking embodiments of the most profound Koru devotion to the Tatchlan System and cluster life.