Posts from The World of Nero

In a galaxy far, far away...
Well, imagine a planet somewhat similar to Earth. Slightly larger, orbiting a yellow, slightly greenish star, at a distance that allows for some areas on the surface to have snow that doesn't melt, while in other areas, it's almost boiling hot. Imagine that two not-so-small satellites orbit the planet, both slightly smaller than our Moon, creating a rather curious and somewhat amusing system of tides. This is the planet Nero.
Nero (with the emphasis on the 'o') is a word that means water and also serves as the name of this world (it can simply be called Water). Why is it named that way? It happened historically. In times when science in all its forms was not very developed, there was a belief that all the land floated in a huge (in some opinions, infinite) ocean. So, the world was named Water, Nero, and by the time they found out what was really going on, it was too late to change anything.
Nero has intelligent humanoids, who are the dominant species on the planet. Most of the other living creatures that inhabit Nero are analogous to existing or extinct Earth animals or plants. There are also mythical creatures, some of which even possess magical abilities.
Magic needs to be discussed separately. Modern science on Nero (and it should be noted that science on Nero is being developed precisely by humanoids, although not much is known about its past, and it is possible that there were attempts at scientific research by someone else) studies it just like any other field, and some peoples study magic especially thoroughly. The attitude towards magic there is not as something completely incomprehensible and uncontrollable, but as a completely ordinary thing, a kind of feature of either the body of some humanoids, or something else. Yes, there is no single opinion on the origin of magic yet, and humanoids have only recently begun to think about the merging of magicology and physics, but the question of the application of magic has already been studied enough, which allows individual humanoids who have knowledge in this area to control their abilities.
As for humanoids in general. There are five currently living races on Nero: humans, mages, elves, dwarves, and troglodytes; within each race, there are several nations, of which two are usually the most common. It is also possible to occasionally find traces of the Antos, an ancient, long-extinct civilization. It should be noted that in this world, it is not customary to classify humanoids as mammals, if only because troglodytes, possessing obvious similarities with other humanoids, are closer in structure to reptiles.
Each nation (with the exception of the relatively undeveloped troglodytes) is associated with a relatively large state(s), where the population of this nation predominates. There are many smaller states, some of which are already on the world map, and others players can come up with themselves when writing biographies, provided that they are not too large and do not contradict what has already been created.
The world map with the continents labeled is in the next post. If you describe it in general, there are five continents: Salinkari, Sarantoda, Feron, Western and Eastern Petalody. The first continent is the largest and is home to most of the peoples. In general, you can find representatives of almost every one of them there, with the exception of dwarves, who live on Feron. On the other continents, which were discovered relatively late, the interests of various countries and peoples intersect; these are mainly colonies, and not everywhere.
The game will begin in the Mediterranean Ocean, on the Kro archipelago, on which (actually, not only on it) is located the state of the same name.

A Guide to "Journey Through Nero"

The Republic of Kro is the homeland for most of the Polo. It is located on the Kro archipelago, as well as several other islands in the Mediterranean Sea and a small territory on the Salinkari continent to the east of the archipelago. Not so long ago, their continental territories were larger, but they were pushed back by the rapidly developing Kreata. Here, seafaring and black metallurgy are well-developed; the resources for which are either mined in the continental part of the country or purchased from abroad.
The second largest island in the archipelago is called Deep Island, and the capital of the state, the city of Kladez, is located there (names translated). Kladez is the largest trading and military port; here you can see representatives of completely different nationalities who have come here for various purposes: some sell scarce goods, some have decided to work for the military power of Kro, some travel the seas and have chosen Kladez as a transit point, and some are looking for treasures, which, according to rumors, abound in the vicinity of the city.
And we must not forget about the entertainment that this city offers. There is an arena where warriors (usually quite famous or at least wealthy) compete with each other in martial arts, there are many shops to suit every taste, hotels and taverns, and even a stadium for playing headball.
Headball is one of the few things that the Orcs invented. More precisely, in their environment, it was essentially toothball. They carried a leather bladder in their teeth and tried to run with it to a certain, not too large area on the field. They had no clear rules; they played as a crowd, and there was no concept of a team as such, but one Kreata still liked to watch it and brought the game to his country, of course, in a modified form. The Polo popularized the game, making it the most famous in their country.
The essence of the game is as follows: there are 10 players on the field, divided into two teams. Each player has an original role: defender, midfielder, or forward. Depending on the role, their movement on the field is limited. The ball can only be carried on the head, using a special helmet-adhesive, and it cannot be touched with other parts of the body by default (although usually a certain number of times is given for each player, when it is allowed). The goal of the team is the usual one: to throw the ball into the goal.
Well, I hope you enjoy Kro and especially Kladez, because there is a lot to do here. Go for it!

A Guide to "Journey Through Nero"

The Polo people were one of the most cohesive nations. Yes, there were several tribes, but not too many. Yes, like all early peoples, they constantly fought among themselves for no particular reason, but they still waged more wars against the outside world, and their unification during periods of particularly frequent raids by human nomads and Salinkar goblins (yes, goblins on different continents have significant differences) confirms this. Then came a period of particularly rapid development, trade with other countries, and expansion to the sea, of course, at a higher level than simply building fishing boats, which they had done since ancient times. On the water, they had to fight a little with the mages for dominance (the mages began their sea voyages a little earlier), but in the end, they achieved it, and the large number of islands in the Mediterranean Ocean, which the Polo now possess without question, is proof of this.
Along with great victories, there were also great failures. Thus, the Polo state at that time was a kingdom, and the princes were only weakly dependent on their older brothers, the heirs to the kingdom. As a result, this people had to endure a bloody feudal war and fragmentation. People began to unite again only two hundred years later, under the auspices of the very city of Kladez, which at that time was the richest of all Polo cities (and remains so to this day). And since Kladez was a city-republic (this is a separate story about how the local prince lost all his close and distant heirs), there was no longer any talk of a monarchy. This is how the Republic of Kro emerged in its almost modern form. It should be said that Kladez managed to unite even the continental lands, but the islands to the north of the Kro archipelago, also inhabited by the Polo, did not become part of the republic, partly due to the influence there of a direct descendant of the Polo king who lived before the collapse, and partly due to diplomatic relations with the Dascalos, whom this very heir supported, being almost in an alliance with them. Later, these islands formed another state, namely the Free Kingdoms.
The Polo have always maintained a high level of military strength. It is only natural that soon after their unification, they decided to push back the inhabitants of Western and Eastern Petalod, who were orcs and goblins (the continents themselves were discovered by them a little earlier, during the period of feudal fragmentation). This is how the Kro colonies were formed, and the Free Kingdoms also sought not to lag behind them (to be fair, they still lagged behind significantly). On these continents, colonies of the Kre'at also appeared, which led to a colonial war between them and Kro (while the Kre'at and Polo fought each other, the goblins and orcs regularly attacked both). Formally, the Polo won, but a couple of decades later, another war broke out between these peoples, this time on the Salinkar continent, where the Polo were defeated and forced to share some of their continental territories with the Kre'at.
Currently, Kro is at peace, but the mood there reflects the style in which the Polo have lived until now. However, this does not affect the most important international relations for the Polo, namely trade, which greatly contributes to their morale.

A Guide to "Journey Through Nero"

The world of Nero is rich in various forms of life, including single-celled organisms. Leaving aside information about numerous bacteria and single-celled algae, let's talk about amoebas, or rather, one of their varieties: gish.

Gish are giant marine amoebas, on average the size of a cat, or even a dog. Despite being a single, highly overgrown cell, it is quite adapted to life (in particular, the cytoplasm does not completely leak out of it due to cuts, as one might think). Of course, like any single-celled organism, it is completely devoid of the ability to think, and for most of its life, gish spend their time performing Brownian motion in the ocean, trying to absorb everything they encounter with their pseudopods (judging by the fact that gish have not yet become extinct, they still encounter things they can eat quite often). Rarely, one can encounter terrestrial gish, which have adapted to periodically crawl onto the shores of islands in warm regions to encounter everything in sight there (although what difference it makes to them where exactly they encounter something, the scientists of Nero have not yet figured out). This terrestrial variety of gish still has to return to the ocean during division, but since they do not know how to purposefully return anywhere, about half of them get stuck on land until the next division period (one old fellow, who recently celebrated his ninetieth birthday, told us that he has been observing a gish for eighty-one years, which has not been able to get to the ocean all this time).
Many legends have been created about these amazing creatures, the most famous of which tells about a giant gish attacking ships. In folklore, this gish is nicknamed the Kraken; it is said that even its smallest pseudopod is longer than the mast of a military galleon, and the ships it has sunk number in the dozens, if not hundreds. Of course, the legend provides many examples of sunken ships and heartbreaking stories about how this terrible event occurred, in all the details, and at the end, it invariably adds that no one on those ships survived. Fortunately, this is nothing more than just a legend...

A Guide to "Traveling Through Nero"

If you happen to see this halfling anywhere, immediately inform the gendarme. He is wanted in five countries for robbery and banditry, which he commits without shame, even against extremely high-ranking individuals. A reward is guaranteed for his capture – no less than a hundred gold coins plus reimbursement for any expenses incurred during his capture, treatment if he wounds you, and burial if he kills you.


Above the Mediterranean Sea, or rather above its northwestern side, looms a huge peninsula called Podi (emphasis on o). This peninsula is the main habitat of the Daskalos and one of the most interesting places in the world of Nero. To begin with, this single peninsula concentrates almost all climate zones: olives and laurels grow superbly in its southernmost part, while mammoths, paponts, and dytents move in large herds across the tundra in the north. On this peninsula lies the state of the Daskalos, Katas (emphasis on the second syllable), where the local population enjoys science, architecture, and growing edible plants, although they do the latter to a lesser extent, as things don't grow so badly there anyway. Quarries that extract marble and various ores are important on the peninsula, as there are relatively few of them on the island part of Katas, despite the enormous number of islands also under the control of this state.
What unites the different parts of the peninsula is the consistently mountainous terrain, even more so in the North than in the South, which in its own way affects the lifestyle of the local humanoids.
The capital of Katas is the city of Lefkopolis, a vast, majestic, marble city with an incredible number of diverse educational institutions, a kind of center of the scientific world. A city worthy of this nation without a doubt.

A Guide to "Traveling Through Nero"

Earlier, we talked about the races living on Nero. Werecreatures could also be included in this list, if it were known for certain whether they are humanoids at all, or simply animals that occasionally take on the form of humanoids. They themselves won't tell you: they don't speak any of the languages known on Nero. And even if they did speak, it's still not a given that they would tell the truth, as they react to humanoids with extreme aggression.
How can they be described? In their humanoid form, they resemble elves, only taller and their hair usually lacks pigment (they are albinos). In their animal form, they can look completely different. In the forests of the Sylvans, you can find the most common and well-known werewolf creatures. In other places, werecreatures can take the form of snakes, lizards, rats, and bats. And also voles, ground squirrels, and pink flamingos. Usually, this depends on what animals live in the area where these werecreatures live. At the same time, the transformation into an animal is not completely absolute; as a rule, some individual qualities of this animal are borrowed, and the form itself is significantly improved compared to it, becoming many times stronger.
Defeating any werecreature is a task that only true heroes can accomplish.

Guide "Caravanning through Nero"

As you have likely noticed, on Nero there is the ability to cast elemental spells for the mage races, elves, and dwarves. This is due to the specifics of their organisms, which scientists have yet to fully determine.
If your organism is adapted for this, you will be able to cast spells. However, this requires hard work: forcing matter to obey your will is not so simple. Moreover, different types of matter respond differently to various magical influences. They are classified into four main types: earth, air, fire, and water. In essence, controlling earth is the spellcasting of solid substances without a crystal lattice or powders. Air covers any gases. Until recently, fire magic was considered specifically a way to create flame, but recent research has established that this is not the case: the fire we are familiar with is the result of oxidation, while fire mages create something closer to hot plasma. Accordingly, controlling water actually implies the spellcasting of liquids. Specifically liquids: contrary to popular belief, water mages cannot do anything with ice; they can only freeze water (cool it to a low temperature, after which the water becomes ice and slips from the caster's control).
A humanoid's way of thinking and even their mental state can significantly influence their magical abilities. Therefore, different nations tend to study the training of this art from different magical schools. If a humanoid has sufficiently studied one of them, they can proceed to study the next. Few know more than two magical schools; moreover, humanoids often receive titles for such knowledge. Historical figures who knew all four schools can be counted on one hand. Of an unlucky carpenter.
Since ancient times, humanoids have faced one significant problem: impurities. Yes, impurities of substances of one nature inside another could weaken the effectiveness of spells several times over, even if the impurities were not extensive. Therefore, for example, magic cannot be used directly on human tissues: the mixture of substances of different properties that make up the human organism is extremely resistant to magical influence. This led to the development of multi-elemental magic: at first, it was simply a way to cast spells on several types of diverse substances simultaneously. But then it was discovered that multi-elemental magic allows for the control of entirely new types of substances that do not fall into the aforementioned categories. This mainly concerns two-elemental magic, as three-elemental and especially four-elemental magic have been little studied. Examples of such combinations:
earth-fire: metal
earth-water: ice
air-fire: light
earth-air: darkness
air-water: region unstudied
fire-water: electricity.

Relatively recently, new properties of magic were discovered, namely magical fluorescence. What does it consist of? As it turns out, some materials do not react to magical influence at all (as far as has been tested); in any case, it does not manifest externally. But in reality, if the influence is strong enough, they transition to another energy state—simply put, they accumulate magical energy within themselves. Over time, a slow release of this energy occurs, during which the surrounding matter moves as if cast by a true elemental mage, only slowly and carefully. The effect is very similar to the fluorescence of light, which is why it was named so.
Magical fluorescence is currently used by the dascalos. With its help, they create golems: complex mechanisms that contain a supply of compressed air and a system of tubes imitating the work of muscles and a primitive intelligence. As combat practice has shown, golems are indeed effective and fully justify the costs of their creation.



There is no point in rewriting the huge tome that Christoph Eilenberg decided to read to obtain information about this humanoid; it is better to summarize its contents.
Shendar was a mage, one of the students of the Dascalos himself, and lived at a time when developed civilizations were out of the question. The only developed civilization, namely the civilization of the ants, happened to vanish successfully somewhere around that time. The Dascalos, the sole surviving ant, passed his knowledge to those who wished to listen, and Shendar was first on the list to receive knowledge. Physics, mathematics, astronomy, magic—this was the meaning of his entire life. Thanks to his perseverance and the help of the Dascalos, Shendar was far ahead of his time, and there is an opinion that scientists have yet to reach some of the thoughts he expressed.
Shendar created a magnificent library where he gathered his achievements, the achievements of the Dascalos, and information preserved from the ants. The library was long ago lost to the passage of time and the banal inability of the vast majority of Nero's inhabitants at the time to read. There are studies aimed at finding this library, but it has not progressed beyond theory: the library was not found in any of the suspected locations. Although in one place they seemingly found the Dascalos's boot, but this information is still being verified. In any case, most sources agree that the library is located on the Podi peninsula or on one of the islands nearest to it.
Currently, the government of the dascalos is actively dealing with the problem of searching for Shendar's library, and the greatest amount of information can be extracted from them if there is a desire (the government of the dascalos is happy to share its knowledge with all interested parties).

A Guide to "Traveling Through Nero"

For as long as the inhabitants of Nero can remember, powerful dragons have always been a part of their lives. Predatory, aggressive, and incredibly strong creatures, they usually take the form of enormous reptiles endowed with three pairs of well-developed limbs: two pairs of legs and one pair of wings. But even these qualities do not make dragons so dangerous for humanoids, nor does their tough scales or sharp fangs, which easily tear through plate armor. The worst thing about them is their magical abilities, phenomenal for both animal and humanoid worlds. Dragons are excellent elemental spellcasters, and each dragon species excels in something specific. For example, in the snowy mountains of Yoru, you can find many black dragons, scourge of cities, who skillfully cast fire spells, to the point that they can even use it to rise into the sky (although this type of dragon is not adapted for prolonged flight).
Feron is the main habitat of unusual brown dragons, specializing in earth magic. These animals have atrophied wings (more precisely, they exist, but are very small) due to their underground lifestyle. They are also blind, but possess extremely sensitive hearing and touch; there is also an opinion that earth magic serves as an additional sensory organ for them.
In the forests of Sylva and some other places, you can encounter green dragons, who are air spellcasters and, consequently, excellent fliers, which is surprising considering their size (sometimes up to ten meters long).
There are blue dragons, which spend part of their lives underwater, which is not difficult for them due to their ability to control water magic, and red dragons, which, like black dragons, use fire for their purposes.
Interesting fact: recently it has been established that dragon cubs raised in captivity by humans behave less aggressively and do not possess magical abilities. In connection with this, a hypothesis was put forward that dragons are smarter than ordinary reptiles and know how to teach magic and some other things to their offspring.

A Guide to "A Caravan Through Nero"

Only on some islands in the Mediterranean Ocean can you find these amazing creatures: Common Anomaloparachudozavrs. These three-meter-tall bipedal reptiles are like a message from a long-gone era, when similar animals lived throughout Nero.
Common Anomaloparachudozavrs are named as such for several reasons. First, they are indeed monstrous in the sense that they are predatory, hunt in packs, so an encounter with them usually doesn't bode well. Second, they are completely unusual, anomalous, and wonderful, and this is expressed in almost everything: in their sensitive sense of smell, especially for reptiles, in their amazing flexible scales, which allow them to move particularly quickly, in their ridiculous appearance (would you want to have such a disproportionate belly, a long neck, and short little arms? Probably not), and, finally, in their surprisingly delicious, tender, and delicate meat. And they are called "common" because there are also crested Anomaloparachudozavrs and some other related species, but they all live on the islands of the Wild Sea, as well as on Eastern Petalode.


Ingredients:
-One Common Anomaloparachudozavr *
-Tomatoes
-Basil
-Olives
-Feta cheese
-Flour
-Eggs **
-Yeast
-Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:
-Knead the dough and let it rise. While the dough is rising, it's best not to breathe. If the Common Anomaloparachudozavr isn't already dead, you should also ask it not to breathe.
-Kill the Common Anomaloparachudozavr. Do this carefully so that it doesn't kill you.
-Gut the Common Anomaloparachudozavr. Cut off a leg from the carcass: the most tender part of the animal.
-The animal's leg must be cleaned of bones and tendons, then chopped with a butcher's knife. If you don't have a butcher's knife on hand, you can try using the Common Anomaloparachudozavr's jaws: they are sharp enough for this.
-You can breathe now.
-Knead the dough, roll it out into a flat shape.
-Place the chopped Common Anomaloparachudozavr leg, one egg, tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper into the dough, and top with cheese. Close the pie.
-Place the pie in the oven or, if you have one, on hot sand.
-The dish is ready; before serving, it is best to garnish it with a basil leaf.

* In some articles in this book, such ingredients were placed last, which caused negative feedback from readers. In one article, "Papont Roast," the text was as follows: potatoes, olives, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, salt, and spices to taste, one papont. Readers would start preparing the dish and only realize at the end that they were missing the papont, and the cooking process would come to a standstill. Therefore, this article placed the main ingredient of the dish, the Common Anomaloparachudozavr, first in the list to avoid misunderstandings.
** It is best to use Anomaloparachudozavr eggs.

A Guide to Traveling Through Nero

Among the elves, two main peoples can be distinguished: Sylvans and Yor. Modern historians say that many centuries ago they were one people, but now only their equally long ears and a somewhat similar moral code remind us of this (although it should be said that modern Yors are gradually forgetting their traditional code). Language, culture, appearance, and some structural features. Lifestyle, worldview, and religions. It is difficult to find parallels between these two nations in all of this.
The structure of all elves differs from humans. Elves are shorter and physically weaker, on average, of course. In the case of Sylvans, even the traditionally high consumption of meat, milk, and fish for this people does not help them, which is a consequence of the prohibition of most plant foods. Sylvans have an accelerated metabolism. Their normal body temperature is slightly higher than that of humans; life processes occur faster, and they live a little longer, although the latter may be due to lifestyle and magical abilities. Everyone knows that any spellcaster in Nero lives at least a little longer than any non-spellcaster, and particularly powerful wizards can live for more than a hundred years (most likely, two, if their lifespan is not intentionally shortened). They are quite fast, possess good reflexes, and quickly grasp information. However, they lack perseverance; most of them cannot focus on any subject in detail. Their senses have greater potential than those of humans, although in the past, Sylvans showed themselves better in this regard: in modern cities, there is no need to train the senses, and they often "lie idle," fully manifesting only if a Sylvan's profession is hunting or at least being a warrior.
Yors are similar to Sylvans in their developed senses. They have good hearing and sense of smell. They don't just see well in the dark; Yors, thanks to living in caves for a long time, have acquired the ability to subtly illuminate the surrounding space with their eye-lanterns. However, such light would hardly help a human see anything, but it is enough for a Yor. Yors are not as active as Sylvans; on the contrary, they can slow down life processes to conserve energy (and later it turned out that slowed heartbeat and breathing also helps them hide from enemies). But when they become active, they can be as swift as lightning.
Sylvans are monotheists and quite zealous: it is difficult to find a Sylvan who adheres to another religion. The Yors, however, are pagans. This people has had a huge number of different cults since ancient times; sometimes, cults merged and thus became stronger, sometimes they feuded, accusing other deities of being false or insufficiently powerful, useless, which often led to bloodshed and the destruction of one of the cults.

A little over a hundred years ago, an event of this kind occurred. Among other cults, one began to stand out sharply: the Cult of Darkness. What could be so special about that? It was one of the oldest cults of the Yors, perhaps once influencing their entire destiny and even their way of life. However, the Cults of Fire and Ice, as well as the Cult of Thunder, have always been just as strong, if not more so. But now, their followers began to abandon them en masse; the Cult of Darkness grew stronger with each day, and at some point, the most stubborn members of other cults were persecuted and... simply destroyed. Such a thing had never happened in the history of the Yors, and rumors spread far beyond their mountains about what might have caused it.
The most superstitious decided that the Darkness worshiped by the Yors really exists and for some reason decided to restore order in Ishiva right now. This version especially shook the kingdom of Tervent and the Sylvans living there, who do not like any evil spirits, even fictional ones, let alone those that actually exist. Others believe that the reason lies in a new type of magic invented by the members of the Cult of Darkness, thanks to which they became much stronger. Well, those who think so cannot be completely blamed... The members of the cult are indeed famous for their unique fighting style. The strangest version is that Darkness is a special dragon. Ishiva is indeed famous for its dragons, especially black ones, although it should also be noted that the authors of this assumption are clearly obsessed with winged lizards, perhaps even to the point of madness.
Be that as it may, the evil that originated in the Ishiva Mountains did not want to stop at what it had achieved. The head of the Cult of Darkness, having met no serious resistance from his fellow tribesmen, declared himself emperor of these lands, and two years later, the young empire attacked the neighboring Sylvan kingdom without declaring war.
The subsequent events were the bloodiest in the history of Tervent: almost every night, fires raged throughout the kingdom. And it was good if it was a forest burning, and not a fortress-city taken by the Yors' troops... Border territories fell immediately; then the Yors gradually slowed down, and closer to the Stone Forest, the Sylvans managed to hold back the enemy. But only briefly. The Yors fought only at night and were extraordinarily strong. Worst of all, they sent assassins into the Sylvan camps, killing many of their commanders and messengers, so no one could detect them before tragedy struck. In such conditions, the courage inherent in the Sylvans meant nothing: knights fought to the last, but never knew who their opponent was, where he would strike next minute, and whether reinforcements would arrive.
Ville-de-Roi is the capital of Tervent, a huge city in the middle of the Stone Forest, defended for the longest time, 455 days. And that was despite the fact that on the thirty-eighth day (more precisely, night) of the siege, King Simon the Wise, together with the commander-in-chief of the Sylvan forces, were killed, and the queen with her children disappeared without a trace...
The fall of Ville-de-Roi actually marked the end of the Kingdom of Tervent, turning the recently mighty power into a province of a pagan empire. Years passed, generations of Sylvans lived in these lands, and erased from their memory the horrors of the war, but they never forgot about their former greatness. They found it very difficult to come to terms with the presence of occupiers in their homeland. Rebellions broke out one after another, like forest fires in that war, but the Yors did not loosen their grip even for a moment, killing instigators and enslaving the rest of the participants, sending them to the frozen mines of Ishiva.
And yet, even in the worst years of oppression, the Sylvans never stopped hoping that someday this dark era would end. No censorship or persecution by the Yors could prevent them from dreaming of the return of the king and the downfall of the pagans... After all, it is not for nothing that the children of Simon the Wise disappeared, and can there be any doubt that one of them will one day take the rightful throne?


What happens if you cross a terrier and a shavkodog? That's right, it's a drasobaka. A huge animal, the size of a horse, it is surprisingly useful for humanoids. True, it is no good as a hunter: the breed is too large to crawl into burrows, too fierce to drive deer or bring ducks to its owner. Unless the dog's owner enjoys broken deer bones and chewed meat. It is better not to talk about the fate of ducks. But they are simply excellent watchdogs, as well as shepherds and war dogs.
The breed was bred by Kre'ates and is still used by them. Later, it spread throughout almost all of Nero, but no one loved it as much as the Sylvans, who traditionally used dogs for many different purposes, and the drasobaka became a real find for them. The breed has become widespread throughout the kingdom, and who knows, maybe it will change its destiny?

Guide "Caravanning through Nero"

Attention! This chapter contains spoilers: some information that is not common knowledge on Nero. It is closely intertwined with the things any boy off the street knows perfectly, so one cannot be separated from the other.

The astronomers of Nero have studied the surrounding stars and planets since ancient times. But being able to name celestial bodies does not mean understanding their nature and essence. After all, what truly is the sun? That same bright day-star, bluish-green in color on the firmament? What are the two moons and the other glowing dots and circles in the sky? Answers arrived gradually, each time creating a sensation. Heliocentrism, the discovery of several new planets and asteroid rings... And to this day, not a single humanoid on Nero even suspects what contribution the ancient civilization of ants made to the current state of the star system. And it was truly enormous! But let us take everything in order.

Ilio

That is the name of the sun of this system, Ilio. It is somewhat larger and hotter than our Sun, having a green-blue tint (shifted more toward green). However, from Nero, Ilio still seems rather yellow, only slightly greenish: Nero's dense atmosphere absorbs the blue part of its star's spectrum well.
As a star larger than the Sun known to us, Ilio has long since swallowed a couple of the closest rocky planets in the star system. And yet even after this, four terrestrial planets remained: now they are called Phothia, Gi, Aras, and accordingly Nero. Around Ilio there are several asteroid belts and gas giants.

Project "Planetary Upgrade"

It was Gi, a planet whose name translates as "Earth," that actually became the cradle of civilization—specifically, the civilization of ants. Not too large, rocky, with a relatively small amount of water on the surface... Difficult for survival, unstable. But rich in minerals and possessing many hidden opportunities. The ants developed quite well there and flew into space. And even more! They learned to manipulate very significant energies, far greater than modern Nero or even our human civilization can imagine. In those times, ant technologies were crude and inefficient, but still extremely powerful.
At some point, the ants decided that they needed something more than huddling on their small rocky planet. Yes, the gas giants did not offer any reasonable conditions for existence. But other terrestrial planets... Phothia is hot, even smaller than Gi, but still has certain prospects. Aras is a relatively large planet, but surprisingly light for its dimensions... This is, of course, due to an enormous concentration of stable crystalline hydrogen, truly inherent only to this planet, although found on others in small quantities. And Nero—the largest of them all, completely covered in water for many kilometers... And, apparently, partly because of this, it was a lifeless ice cube.
Project "Planetary Upgrade" was perhaps the most ambitious project of the ants throughout their entire history of existence. All four rocky planets were to undergo orbital correction and even slight changes in mass in order to improve living conditions: gravity, climate... It was also necessary to stabilize the orbits relative to one another: new orbits were incredibly carefully checked so as not to allow any future displacement or (even more so) collision of planets. At the same time, all orbits had to approach certain ideal values for the climate: planets should not overheat or overcool. In essence, the ants changed only their native Gi, using it as a kind of "standard"; all other orbits were radically changed by means of mass bombardment of the planets with especially large asteroids from the belt (the ants used gravitational engines to move them). The new orbits, of course, no longer lay in one plane and actively used various resonance effects for their stabilization.
Need it be said that a great deal of time went into the project? But it was successful. Phothia began to cool, Aras became slightly heavier, Nero began to melt and rid itself of excess water. But... there was something the ants did not think through.

The Collapse of the Project and the Birth of Modern Nero

All sorts of nasty things hide in the details. The ants did everything in their power to bring life to the nearest planets and begin colonization. Ark-ships were actively built, which could even accommodate all the ants on board, should they wish it. Planets were actively bombed with microorganisms, followed by multicellular plants and some especially simple animals resistant to harsh conditions. The ants forgot only about their home planet—Gi.
It would seem that the ants had thought of everything. Although the gravitational environment of their planet had changed, the orbits were nonetheless stabilized perfectly and nothing could disrupt them! Gi moves exactly as it had for hundreds of thousands of years, except that it deviates slightly to one side when one of the neighboring planets flies by, but immediately returns back once another planet passes... The ants forgot about tidal forces. No, they didn't forget; they reasonably calculated possible changes and concluded that these very changes would be negligibly small. But in reality, it was not so: the same resonance effect that helped stabilize the orbits of the four planets had a terrible impact on the magnetic field of planet Gi, completely destabilizing the planet! The situation was so terrible (I won't say "unfortunate," although it truly was a great misfortune and a horrific act of randomness) that Gi threatened to completely lose its magnetosphere in the future. But even the temporary presence of a magnetosphere on the planet did not guarantee comfortable living: the planet's axis proved unstable and could start a sharp rotation at any moment... Imagine what would happen to all those herds of sheep-rams, peacefully grazing on the surface of Gi, should it suddenly spin in another direction? Do you think the shepherds would find them in near space?
Changing everything back was already too late... Although the ants first tried to do so, taking it out as much as possible on Phothia. The planet was moved closer to Ilio again and heated up (however, it was moved in such a way as not to disrupt the orbital balance of other planets). However, the process of destabilizing Gi's magnetosphere only accelerated, and the ants realized they had no time, and the result of all these hurried "fixes" was very difficult to predict. They decided simply to leave Gi and send the entire civilization to another planet. And Nero, for obvious reasons, proved to be the best candidate for settlement.
In the shortest possible time, Nero's biosphere was polished up to some minimum tolerable level. There was no need to work on the magnetosphere: thanks to the presence of two moons and their fortunate orbits, tidal forces on Nero were as stable as a tank. There was even too much water compared to how it was on Gi, but this could be endured, since after the latest changes land was at least visible on Nero. The entire population of Gi was evacuated in own "Noah's Arks," along with a considerable amount of flora and fauna, of course. And just a couple of years later, the ants—now residents of Nero—saw through their telescopes how Gi's axis began to slowly turn, and sheep-ram carcasses flew off its surface... They say that mutton meteorites falling on Nero taste so-so, just charcoal.
Surprisingly, the catastrophe of Gi caused little harm to the ants. Their migration to Nero only accelerated their progress; high-energy and crude technologies were replaced by new ones designed to optimize everything and anything, sometimes using incredibly subtle effects but with enormous efficiency. In essence, all artifacts that now remain on Nero from the ants (or almost all) were made precisely during the period when they were already full citizens of Nero.

Apparently, sheep-rams are the oldest livestock animals on Nero. They possess an amazing versatility: providing milk, meat, wool, horns... Yes, these animals have excellent horns, so much so that sylphs used to be able to make bows from them. And although now, in the age of metal, bone has lost its former relevance in many areas, no one refuses to use this cheap and beautiful material in everyday life.
Sheep-rams have only one drawback: they listen to no one and nothing, and understand only force. Just think, previously, especially strong and thick-headed village lads would specifically strap horns to their own heads and compete with sheep-rams, just so the animals would respect them and finally deign to change pastures! Therefore, shepherd dogs, who know perfectly well how to apply force to these animals without getting a concussion, were a vital part of any farm.

Guide "Caravanning through Nero"

This place was difficult to describe in words and even harder to envision. A sphere... It was an absolutely black sphere. In the literal sense, "absolute." And yet this surface was flat, as if it were not closed. But somehow it was still everywhere: above, below, and on all sides around the creat who stood... In the center?
He touched with his finger one of the numerous streaks of light passing through the entire sphere, pulsing, moving, parting and reconnecting every second. Only around the creat's finger did a static, motionless knot of threads form. The creat's eyes were closed, and his forehead showed clear tension. He did not move. And this is no figure of speech; the creat truly did not breathe, and nothing betrayed him as the living humanoid he was... Was he?
Another humanoid approached him silently. He was short and had long ears, which likely marked him as an elf. Though, it's unlikely that elves grow fur on their ears, as he did... Gray hair, a thin beard. He seemed young, yet his eyes were tired and wrinkles covered his face.
-- Any thoughts, Gabriel? -- he said in a steady, quiet voice, but the black sphere completely muffled the sound. Yet for the creat, it was like a clap of thunder: he released his finger and the glowing lines immediately vanished. For a second, the space was plunged into darkness, but then Lis lit his gray hair and illuminated him.
-- Any thoughts?
-- I have already told you all my thoughts. I don't particularly need this immortality of yours; I only need a little help, which you are unwilling to give me.
-- And what do I have to do with that, Gabriel? -- Lis smiled. -- I swear on my life, I would have done everything I could! Therophon doesn't want it. I cannot go against the head of the Pantheon, -- he clicked his tongue several times with theatrical sadness. -- By the way, you settled in quickly. You know, when I first got here and they showed me all these things and tricks... My head almost exploded! -- In the next instant, his hair emitted a particularly powerful flame, and the shockwave nearly knocked Gabriel, who was standing nearby, off his feet. But he held his ground, fortunately ready for such a trick. Lis added: -- See! That's what I'm talking about! You catch on quickly. It would be a shame if your abilities went to waste, vanished into oblivion... Well, anyway. Therophon is gathering everyone; I must take you with me. Let's go, Gab.
-- Therophon thinks too much of himself.
-- Hold your tongue and take my hand, -- Lis replied. They closed their eyes. Opening them again, the two found themselves in a mirrored room. The walls, ceiling, round table in the center, chairs—everything reflected light. But they did not reflect the humanoids sitting on the chairs at the table. Though, they were not humanoids in the full sense of the word.
Everyone was here. Gloomy and proud Therophon. Calm, somewhat cold Nuu. Ore — formidable, terrifying, but somehow not entirely alive... Like a withering old oak. Batoru placed his weapon under the table, then grabbed four mirrored glasses at once with four hands and began to consume their contents. Many others sat at the table; Gabriel didn't even know more than half of them by name... Only Fartlos and Ferlita were missing. Ah yes, Mrak, of course, was also absent. From the words of the others, Gabriel knew that Mrak was different, of a different nature, although they hadn't explained further yet. However, the creat had access to the Orb — that same black sphere that projected part of what happens on Nero into the "user's" consciousness. This meant Gabriel could figure it all out himself; he just needed a little time. And a bit of rest for his head, which was swelling from all this.
-- Ahem-ahem, -- Therophon coughed to draw attention. -- It seems everyone has gathered. So, let us welcome our newcomer, if any of you haven't seen him yet. His name is Gabriel, and he currently refuses to take a normal name—one that would sound proper not only among hippies but be fitting for a mighty, immortal being. However, due to a complete lack of magical abilities, he doesn't exactly pass for an immortal being, -- he concluded sharply. A wave of whispers, chatter, and even loud exclamations rolled through the hall. Some were betting how many years this new "immortal" would last before catching a cold; some cursed fate for once again granting an ankh to a magicless being. There were, however, those who tried to defend Gabriel. Lis stood nearby and simply smiled cunningly, but the creat was grateful to him just for not participating in this stormy outpouring of words. To Gab's credit, he bore everything calmly. At that moment, the head of the Pantheon raised his hand, and silence fell instantly.
-- Yes, our newcomer is clearly no gift for us. In recent centuries, we established an unspoken rule to help each other so that together, through joint efforts, we could maintain our cults and stand against various threats. We immortals cannot be killed by ordinary means, and therein lies our greatest strength, but people can stop believing in us... These ankhs amplify our abilities—those we have from birth and those we acquire later. This allows us to spread our cults on Nero and maintain them directly. Those among us who, like Gabriel, simply possess no magical talents, find that the ankh has nothing to amplify within them. They cannot earn sincere worshippers or those who will perform rites in their honor, and therefore they are allotted a normal humanoid lifespan and nothing more. Such as he steal ankhs from the more talented and capable, and then hang like dead weight around the Pantheon's neck until they finally die. And yet our ethics do not allow us to exile him. However unpleasant it may be for us, he is now one of us. So now, -- Therophon took a glass. -- Now let us celebrate! Let's drink to the health of Gabriel-the-loser! Just don't drink everything at once; we still have an important matter to discuss!
At these words, true bacchanalia began in the camp of the immortals: everyone grabbed glasses and began insatiably consuming their contents, actively pairing it with food. Gabriel did not eat; he only reflected. Eventually, he turned to Lis, who was eating and drinking no less than the others:
-- I think I can leave now. Forgive me, but this is no time for fun.
-- Hey, wait! -- Lis grabbed the arm of Gab as he started to stand and sat him back down. -- This is only the first part. Therophon didn't gather us just because of you, buddy.
-- I don't think anyone here will be interested in my opinion.
-- Well, I will, for example. Legends are told about the prudence of creats! Why not listen to one? Moreover, you'll find it interesting yourself.
-- What will be interesting?
Lis leaned conspiratorially toward Gabriel's ear and spoke aloud:
-- Therophon wants to speak of Tritamat!
-- I've heard something like that, but...
-- Ha, ignoramus! Tritamat is a unique book, as ancient as our Therophon. It is packed with ancient magic. It practically doesn't tear, doesn't decay, doesn't wear out... But most importantly—it can serve as a means of communication between the mortal and the immortal. A direct and unbreakable link! A mortal possessing it can use this link for their own purposes. No immortal will refuse a request from a mortal if it is transmitted via Tritamat. In turn, this is of great benefit to us! For such a mortal becomes your best adept; he will never, ever betray you, will obey your will without question, and can convert many to your faith... Therophon gathered us because there are some problems with Tritamat. He didn't tell me anything, but I fear the channel may have been seized by one despicable type, Fartlos. Have you heard of him? -- Lis added mockingly.
Gabriel stood up.
-- That changes everything! I need to...
-- Now where do you think you're going? You won't get out of here anyway without my help.
-- True...
-- Let Therophon finish the meeting, then I'll help you. In the meantime, eat, drink, be merry! -- Lis threw up his hands and began to follow his own advice.