The origin of the Rayla is obscure.  Ralyan creation mythos describe it:  "The rayla (tree people) sprang from the great tree."  The Rayla, however are not plant people, they are a dexterous and charismatic human class variant able to withstand cold temperatures, have superior night vision and are long-lived.  There is little argument that the Rayla do hold a spiritual relationship with the great Raylan Trees. The Rayla are able to diminuate near their great sacred trees and to spiritually and physically merge into the tree in communion.  Their groves also provide warmth in winter. Periodically throughout their history the trees would become spiritually inacessible.  Usually occurred when the spirituality and sensitivity of the Raylan leadership was lacking.  This empathic warning signal served as a spiritual guiding light for the Rayla. These groves exist only in four locations on the planet (three of which are in DOM).  All are home to the Raylan culture.  The Rayla live in their groves in dwellings constructed in the tree canopy from found wood.  Each grove was a separate clan with its own spiritual leader.  Dedicated to their goddess Silva the Rayla spiritually embrace the Element of Air and practice the art of Empathics.

Kalille sniffed the air.  It bore the cruel odor of smoke and of Orog.  Kalille sat quickly.  Closing her eyes she rose up again in ethereal form and began closing the distance between her and the intruders.  It was midwinter and she could hear the wind howling beyond the edges of the forest.  In camp, Goosh was loudly ordering his minions to prepare his sleeping place.  "Closer to the blaze you troc!"  Sitting down he eyed the loaded spit over the fire and surveyed the camp of the hunting party.  Twenty of them.  All outfitted with hide and stone cudgels ready for battle.  "Tomorrow we take them.  Account well of yourselves.  Anyone running will be eaten while still living."  He licked his lips as he spoke.  The others mumbled approval and eyed the spit as well, knowing that they would be eating what Goosh would leave for them.  Unseen, the figure of Kalille entered the camp.  She knew the leader immediately by his intent and placement.  He seemed a dangerous child.  Kalille read into his head "You will say aloud what you thought just then."  Kalille could feel the Orog chief's feeble resistance.  "Say it".  A low moan first came from Goosh's mouth his face was stricken wide-eyed as he spoke "I want to see my mother -  to hold my mother". The others stared toward him.  Suddenly tears began to pour.  The others looked at their leader, then at one another.  No one said a word.  Replacing his sudden admission with bluster and outrage Goosh stood and shouted for the boar to be removed from the spit.  But in his head he heard "This is not a good place to camp. You must go."  "I will decide when I go anywhere" Goosh answered aloud.  He could see that no one had heard the voice.  Kalille read a name from one of the others suggesting silently "Apologize for killing Hokog".  Goosh, horrified, began; "I… apolo… WE LEAVE THIS CAMP! But the voice continued; "There are bad spirits here… you need your mother."  Able to prevent these last words from escaping his mouth only through action, Goosh angrily rousted the camp and sent them packing, (although eventually a few less in number as he became increasingly angry with their slowness.)  The forest quiet once again, Kalille started for home.  She felt no great joy in her deed.  She knew that to ignore them would bring more.  And more could be deadly to her family.  OK, she did feel a little joy.

Next: The Arrival of the Skaflan

Map of the extent of habitation of the four native classes of DOM.  The full extend of the Sahag habitation is not depicted here.

Click here for a larger version of the map below in a new window

Click for a lg. DOM relief map (new window)

Click for lg. Uranta relief map (new window)

Technically the Sahag do not originate from the land that would be known as DOM.  Their ancestral home lies in the deep waters to the east of the Domish province of Bonilan between DOM and Halifax.  Other tribes of Sahag can be found around the world these days, but many have evolved away from the original class native to DOM waters. The Sahag remain technologically primitive to this day, but they had large organized tribes and kings long before such things were to be found on land.  A spiritual lot, they have little use for technology.  Not immune to conflict, however, wars have raged between Sahag ocean kingdoms in places where the water pressure would kill an Orog if he somehow managed to travel there.  To the Sahag, up is "out" and down is "in".  The further in the better.  Sahag living near the shallow waters are considered "outsiders".  Those that have mutated and acquired lungs and that live on land are called Troca.  The Troca occupied the area around Zimurac which contains many lakes and cave pools.  The Sahag and the Troca are sentient classes, but they are not capable of interbreeding with the Orog class, or with any of the others classes to come.  The Troca still prefer to spend a good deal of time in or at least near the water.  Despite their similar origin, and the fact that both the Sahag and the Troca both would spiritually embrace the element of water, they would evolve separately.  The Shamen of the Sahag would practice Shamanism as sanctioned by their Goddess Neireis and God Hadulon, while the Troca would split their numbers and add the power of additional elements to their faith.  The southern group would eventually mix in the Air element and embrace the god Siomann.  This brought them to the practice of Enchantment.  While the northern group would later be influenced by the element of Fire exhibited by the Fuegonites and worship Portat which led them to the practice of Transmutation.  This latter faith would eventually die out - only to be reborn in Portha a millennium later. 

Okk gazed into the deep water of Mol-aigac.  Every day at the exact hour when the moon rose he heard the voice.  Venturing deep into the Mol-gun cavern past the dripping waters of the Sheesh the ancient pool of the Troca beaconed him.  Leaving his eager students was not easy.  They wished to follow him wherever he went.  But of late he felt uninspired without his daily pilgrimage.  He needed his masters voice.  He needed to be the student.  His face over the black water he stared down into its depths.  The dim glow he saw would soon produce a magical world of sights and sound.  A beguiling voice echoed in his head "We see the world as we are taught to see it."

Next: The Rayla

Our story begins long before there was a DOM.  As far back as can be pieced together the land was native home to to three species of sentient beings (we will henceforth call classes).  The Orog, the Rayla, and the Sahag.  These classes still exist today. 

The Orog
Closest to what would be called men were the Orog.  You might be insulted by this comparison.  Short, primitive mammals with pronounced canine teeth and a foul attitude.  The Orog prefer to live in underground warrens as protection from the beasts that held dominion over early DOM.  They held and still hold an affinity for the earth, and worshipped deities that they believed were in possession of it's riches.  These deities in turn awarded them some measure of control over the earth.  Their priests were minor kineticists and could perform small feats using that discipline.  This was low magic.  They did not understand power - they simply implored the deity and performed the feat.  In many tribes sacrifices were involved - and enjoyed.  The Orog were not at all organized as a nation.  They consisted of groups raging from two to thirty Orogs.  They lived mainly in the mountains of Forb (now known as Forbesh) and in Malpedi.  The earliest known recorded tribe was led by Goosh - a particularly nasty leader with a particularly nasty attitude.

"Food!  Drink!"  Batting away the swarm of flies the greatest-of-them-all grew impatient.  When this happened there was usually a payment.  A severe payment.  It had been a busy day.  He himself had tasted the blood of his victims, a hapless tribe of kek-orog that dared to wander into his domain looking for meat.  Their chief had escaped and that angered him.  Tomorrow he would hunt him like a wolf.  But tonight he wanted "Food!  Drink!".  Finally crawling into his personal cavern and up to his crudely carved armchair was the poor beggar that was pushed in with food and drink.  Delivering the items he made a slow attempt to leave the chamber.  "Ehhh!"  That meant that he was to lie on the floor prostrate.  Goosh slowly and noisily ate his food and gulped his drink.  Staring all the while at the prostrate orog before him.  By this time his server knew his fate.  His only chance was to do exactly as bidden.  It would depend on his leader's mood.  But his mood seemed black.  Eyeing his waiter's head The Greatest thought of the soft flesh within.  Goosh slowly rose and crossed the room.  He then brought his foot down on his victim's neck.  He would have dessert tonight.

Next: The Inhabitants of DOM pt.2