Mosswart Lore

Related topics: Cultures, Mosswart, Category:Mosswart

Mosswarts are humanoids from the same world as Drudges, Tumeroks and Banderlings. In Dereth, they live in various swamps and marshes, particularly in the Blackmire Swamp between the Sho and Aluvian lands. They have also infested many ruins and damp catacombs. They are small, fight with claws, spears, swords and javelins, and are fearless when cornered. Some colonies also have magic-using shamans.^[1]^[2]

The first thing you'd notice would probably be the smell. Their senses are very keen. Their coloring makes it easy for them to hide among the plants and sneak up on you. Of course, you almost never find one by itself, they always travel in groups. Most Mosswarts are about four feet tall but Chieftains are almost man-sized, with skin more of a foul yellow than a rotting green. They're about twice as tough and strong as the lesser warriors. And they occasionally cast spells like the Shamans.^[2]

History

On Ezheret

Mosswarts originate from the world the Tumeroks call Ezheret-Hazahtu, although they only live on the body they call Ezheret. This requires some explanation. While a sun does rise and fall in the sky, Ezheret actually orbits another, larger planet called Hazahtu. Hazahtu, or “The Blind Eye,” is an enormous, cloud-shrouded grey-blue orb. Ezheret is hot, humid, and prone to extended periods of foul weather. Gales and hurricanes are frequent, perhaps due to the unusual sparseness of dry land.^[3] Ezheret is a moon world capable of supporting several species. Three of these species appear to have better than animal intelligence, capable of crafting rudimentary tools and sustaining a limited form of speech.^[4]

The Mosswart share Ezheret with the Tumeroks, as well as the Banderlings and Drudges.^[3]^[4] Already on Ezheret, Banderlings and Mosswart were at odds with each other, and were involved in "Wanga" which probably means war or fight.^[5] They seek to obtain each others holy or ceremonial items through trickery, trade or warfare.^[6] The Mosswarts indigenous to Ezheret-Hazhatu have always been closely tied to the spirits of the land, much like the Tumerok. They are not as advanced and their culture lacks wisdom, but they are driven more by the feelings of the spirit than the Tumerok.^[7]

On Dereth

Portals to Dereth appeared on Ezereth, and a few mosswart tribes, including a tribe protecting a special Tribal Shroud, depicting the first free Mosswart who had escaped from his alien captors and freed the rest of his people, went into this portal.^[6] One of the first Mosswarts to walk through the portal to Dereth where they made their home in the swamps, and who befriended the native Gromnies, was the Mosswart Hero [Kreerg]]. He was later killed by a Virindi altered Mosswart, named Greearghk.^[5] When they arrived on Dereth, they were enslaved by the Olthoi, but managed to escape, led by the Shaman Drageerg.^[5]

Mosswarts, Banderlings and the Virindi

The vendetta between Mosswarts and Banderlings did not stop when the two species arrived on Dereth.^[6]However, this changed after the Shadow Spires disappeared. A wave of fierce portal-energy squalls slid down the length of the Direlands, bringing with them fiercer varieties of banderling, shreth, and other familiar creatures. ^[8] Banderlings have learned to do bully lesser creatures. Reports came of mosswarts gathered under the banner of banderling camp chieftains. Banderlings and Mosswarts started working together to attack human settlements, and established camps throughout Dereth.^[9]

This did not last long however, since Banderlings attacked a band of Mosswarts which were involved in the kidnapping of Candeth Martine and stole some ceremonial Banderling items.^[10]^[11]^[12] Main instrument in Martine's capture was the Mosswart Chieftain Arrgkh Mearrgkh and his tribe, who was promised great powers by the Virindi in exchange for a captive human.^[6]^[13]
Another deal he made with the Virindi was to deliver them Mosswarts of his tribe to be altered. Though at first he thought this was a great deal, later he got doubts because it became less easier to rule the altered Mosswarts, and he didn't want to share his power.^[6] The Virindi, most notable Aerbax, experimented with the concept of "Worship", using Idols, when trying to gain control of the Mosswarts.^[14] Mosswarts (referred to as "croakers") were one of the creatures experimented on by Aerbax during its early experiments with the"Energy Source".^[15]Arrgkh stopped sending his subjects to the Virindi. He took his people, now strong with Mire-Witches and Soultrappers away from their stronghold in which they had been staying after the delivery of the prisoner, and found a new lair.^[6] There he was found by Candeth Martine after Martine escaped the Virindi, and, being forced to give up the Shroud, died a painful dead at Martine's hands. The Shroud was ripped to pieces.^[6]^[16] Most probably, he was succeeded by Gragghk, since this Mosswart Chieftain drops the now Torn Mosswart Shroud and Storytelling.

Aerbax's later, "Prodigal", experiments resulted in the Mosswarts showing an increased degree of organization and they besieged the town of Kryst, directed by Bragara, the Chosen One, the Prodigal Mosswart, who was supposed to inspire a kind of "worship" amongst his kin.^[14] ^[17]^[18]^[19] The experiment was considered a partial success, since while Bragara, the Chosen One was able to unify a force of Mosswarts, they were fraught with dissension in the ranks, they were inclined to believe a range of things, which sometimes made sense and sometimes didn't. They were inclined to be confused, and would not have worked as a stable organized force to conquer the neighboring human town.^[14]

Mosswarts and the Burun

Later, Mosswarts became more friendly towards humans, and even called for their help retrieving important artifacts.^[5]^[20] The Burun spread their activities from the A'mun Desert: countless others made the Blackmire swamp their home^[7] and also spread towards the Direland Swamps, in areas once populated heavily by the Mosswarts.^[20] The Burun slaughtered them wherever they went, and, additionally, the swamps were changing. The land was getting spoiled and the Mosswarts were getting sick and dying. Many of them were slaughtered when the first of the Blackmire Temples was found. The Mosswarts first thought it was the Banderlings, that they had come to make war, but later they believed it was ‘ill spirits’. ^[21]^[22] The Mosswarts were driven away, and reached out and asked for assistance. First Grearrk, Mosswart Emissar appeared in Sawato, later, Bleeargh went before Elysa and asked for assistance.^[20]^[22] She told the Mosswart that they would afford him passage so long as he and his tribe remained peaceful. The Mosswart exodus was related to the increase of the Burun, especially in the direlands.^[20]

Culture

Rulers

Mosswarts do not have one, single ruler. They are organized in tribes, originally led by "Chieftains" and "Shamans".^[2] The first Shaman known by name is Drageerg. Other important figures in their tribes are the Swamp Lords, such as Bleeargh and Leerargh, a "mother of the tribe" and a powerful mage and healer.^[5]

Religions and Beliefs

Mosswart Shamans exists, who rely on magic and cast like there's no tomorrow. They seem to favor elemental war spells. The existence of Shamans implies that mosswarts have a religion. Little however is known about their modes of worship and their cosmology?^[2] Other important figures in their tribes are the Mire-Witches, who specialized on Item Magic.^[5]

Over the many years that Mosswarts have been on Auberean, they have worshipped a multitude of gods - enough that their true gods have become faded memories. False gods, such as the Homunculus have risen to enslave the tribes. Still, some Mosswarts retain faith in the old ways.^[23] ^[24]

Customs and Traditions

Mosswarts are known for scavenging and stealing.^[25]^[26] They are somewhat literate and have a language, but they do seem to communicate with each other mostly through grunting and gesturing.^[2] Mosswarts sometimes perform a strangely endearing little dance which involves waggling their heads with a bizarre rhythm as moving their limbs to an unheard beat. ^[2]

Real World Basis

??

Texts

Hagra's Treaty

Internet Articles

Mosswarts: A Sage's Mosswart Encounter

Factions

Dark Clouded Mosswarts - (Virindi-altered?) Mosswarts who fled to the Islands to the South (probably the Vesayen Isles.^[5]
Merwart - appear to be a primitive offshoot of the Mosswart race.^[27] Friendly towards humans, they are based in the Merwart Village on the Vissidal