OlLhduoH3
W Ë Z A̤ M
T H E F O G G Y S H E L L O F 1 5 D
The Bridge of Life
Deep within the fog of a great mountain lies the land of the Tézilei people, who travel semi-nomadically in groups (or bands) in a regular cycle around its peak, stopping at 15 temples along the way before looping back around. Here they travel through the tree branches, telling intricate stories about godlike beings that form, change, and live within the land around them.
The name of this mountain is OlLhduoH3 Wëza̤m / OruiTlhduoLhduoH3 Wep / OruiLhduoH3 Vesvo̤u / OLddduoRddduoH@ Oʂfo̤, literally translating to "the shell". More information about the origins of this can be found in the Histe portion of the Stories section!
We couldn't quite find a "map" like we have for the rest of the featured dimensions... But we did find this depiction of the cycle, illustrated on a bridge wall by a member of the Wëzo̤le̤-speaking band.
TrduLhdRhddoH3 Rddduo
T E M P L E O F L I F E
Located at a spring below the mountain's peak, the temple of life is considered the central hub of the cycle, the place where trade is most abundant between bands. So, if you're looking to find a Tézilei band, you can bet at least one of them is probably going to be here at any moment.
This high-altitude area of the shell is well-known for its distinct reddish foliage in the autumn, which, depending on the year, generally begins somewhere between early to late October. (this happens in other areas on the cycle as well, but it is most prominent near the mountain's peak.)
RuiTlduho OruiTlhduoLhduoH3
T E M P L E O F E A R T H
A steep dropoff awaits travelers along the cycle reaching the temple of earth, one which often gets less fog and thus allows views of the world below. This view depicts, as the Tézilei believe, the boundaries of the shell.
Visiting here, you're bound to hear stories about this cliff and how it formed, gazing out onto the distant mountain range which is said to have split off from where you stand. And when it's time to move on, you'll travel across the great bridge before beginning your descent to the lake below.
OluiTrduLhdRhdH3 OluiTrdudLhRh
T E M P L E O F N I G H T
It may not look like much, but the temple of night is an important stop on the cycle just like any other! In fact, since the Tézilei live a mostly crepuscular lifestyle, nighttime is considered equally, if not more important, than the daytime.
Here they tell stories of the god of the sun finding a poor, kind soul to ascend and fill the sky with darkness, to relieve the sensitive eyes of the Tézilei below. They believe this person was a Sakeicis (as is pronounced in Timao, the language spoken by the band currently stopped there during our research), which is a special term for a recluse who does not move throughout the trees, instead choosing to build a house on the ground and living a sedentary life.
OlTrhLdddRdddH@ OlTrddLddddiRddH@
T E M P L E S O F S T O R M S
This half of the mountain has considerably less tree cover, with its large patches of clearings scattered around. As trees are where Tézilei live (and are something they strongly associate themselves with), this region has become associated with death and the gods related to it.
Despite this, the Tézilei are not usually afraid to go here ; it is treated as a very necessary and memorable stop, with plenty of stories about close calls with the god of lightning.
The handwritten map is definitely not to scale, as the temple of storms and the temple of lightning are far closer than what is written there ; in fact, they're connected! (theyre still considered separate stops, though.)
TrhduoLhddoRhduoH3 TrhduoLhddoRhduoH3
S T O R I E S
Storytelling is an inseparable aspect of Tézilei life, and there's no shortage of tales to go around. This manifests primarily within their mythology, as they tell countless legends of their 15 deities. If you're travelling to this dimension, it would be amiss to not read up a little bit on these gods, to enrich your experience and make the most of your time there!
We've ordered them here by their stop on the cycle, but another way to order them is by importance. The latter can be found within an ancient temple, at 17:31 on our youtube video!
As the names of the gods are a little different in each band, we'll be referring to them primarily by their ancient names. And speaking of names, Tézilei name their children when they're born, choosing a name based upon what temple they were currently at in the cycle. After some more research, we'll include some names here! (especially since there were no names mentioned in the main video...)
M U S U S
Musus is inarguably the most important of the gods, going first both when ordered in the cycle and when ordered by importance. They are the god of life, a bee known for their diligence and creativity.
Stories of Musus are unique in that they almost never feature sightings of Musus, instead highlighting their creativity by silently formulating solutions which manipulate life in a way that achieves their end goal.
One such story can be found as the song Ómei ;;
Musus names are the most prestigious ; in fact, a person cannot be that band's temple keeper without being born into a Musus name. This includes the temple keeper that our researchers met, Kalazei.
K Ó K I̤
Despite being the god of water, and there being a god that is a fish, Kóki̤ is not the fish god! They are an easygoing and honest green grasshopper, said to work with the sky god to create rain and clarity within the fog. As they are known for the fog clearing, they are also somewhat associated with stars.
H A K O T
Hakot is presumed to be related to Musus somehow, but how they are related is uncertain. While there isn't a direct equivalent to their species in 11A, the closest is a mix between a firefly and a bee.
Hakot is the god of the sun and daylight, ; they're thought to be either living within the sun, or are the actual sun itself. As Tézilei are not usually awake at the very middle of the day when the sun is brightest, they have also been associated with mystery, and a thoughtful, quiet personality. Most stories involve Hakot interacting with their friend and mentee, the god of night.
T I T M Ṳ
The fish god Titmṳ is actually the god of wind! This likely came about due to the prevalence of fish around the shell that resemble flying fish, with large ear-like appendages allowing them to glide briefly.
They are known to be hopeful and emotional, and do indeed work with Kóki̤, especially when Kóki̤ wishes to clear some fog. Some stories about Titmṳ recount their interactions with the god of storms, where their powers are manipulated and antagonized by the storm god, and Titmṳ is too caught up in their emotions to realize the damage they're causing.
H A̤ K I̤
did you figure it out yet...
Ha̤ki̤ is the most elusive of the gods, but also the most pervasive. As the god of fog, they're never quite tangible enough to touch, yet are present all throughout the shell. Often times they're barely even acknowledged in stories, and it's unknown whether some gods are even aware of Ha̤ki̤'s existence. The inverse is true as well, as Ha̤ki̤ known for being rather forgetful and melancholy.
They're usually represented by some kind of ambiguous small mammal, but are rarely depicted fully.
M A M K O
Kóis is the first of the final section of the cycle, the patchy side of the forest that holds the temples servicing the god of death. Next, beside the god of storms sits the god of lightning, a graceful green butterfly with a rather rude demeanor. This is Mamko, whose stories usually revolve around them and their friend searching for someone, which is why storms seem to come and go. One of these stories can be found as the song Şket Kon! ;;
K A T M O S
Katmos is the last of the underlings to death, a crazed dragonfly or damselfly that controls the fire in the world. Because they're so unpredictable and excitable, stories often do a typical "don't play with fire" type of motif ; heroes will often poke Katmos in some way, knowing how unstable they are, and pay the price for it.
H A S K I
Musus's "favorite child" of sorts is Haski, fabled to be the first Tézilei to exist. The stories recount a new being emerging from a seed in the ground, covered in light moss which soon became their fur.
This is one of the very rare moments where Musus does make a direct appearance, explaining to their child that they wanted a tree to be able to move its branches. As such, their descendants shall be able to roam the shell freely and preserve the history of the world by reenacting it. Haski is very curious about the world around them, but thanks to stories about Histe, are careful to not overstep...
H I S T E
Tézilei believe the mountain they live on is the shell of a giant snail, very slowly moving through the vast empty world. This snail's name is Histe, and is second in prominence to Musus.
They are welcoming, gentle, and also curious just like Haski ; but perhaps too curious. With their twin being the god of death, stories of Histe quite frequently involve them overstepping a little with their twin, and the Tézilei on their shell being punished as a result. While this makes their twin appear the evil one (and indeed, some bands have stronger opinions about this than others), many are quick to point out that it was Histe who initially overstepped. Due to this, they are often accompanied by morals on the nuances of "right" and "wrong", how it's important to consider the other side's story before making an accusation. It also usually includes themes of respecting someone's privacy, especially when they ask for it.
A story with Histe and their twin can be found as the song Weerhãf ;;
W U M O T
The most clear "rags to riches" archetype is correlated with Wumot, who was said to be a normal mortal prior to being brought under the wing of Hakot. Legend has it Wumot was an awkward recluse with a big heart, a strange illness, and a propensity to lie. As they were also a firefly-bee, Hakot saw their situation and decided to help them, turning them into the moon.
This story can be found as the song Vekemínc ;;
T O M E
After Musus and Histe, Tome is the third most prominent god in the pantheon, a majestic and eloquent bird who is the god of the sky. Their actual depiction varies, but usually they are something close to a hawk or a falcon.
Tome is most often the neutral party in stories, mediating between Histe and their twin, between Titmṳ and the god of storms, etc. ; as such, Tome is usually not the "hero" of any story, but an active observer of many that learns the situation and gives their thoughts.
W E S K O̤ T I T A N D K Ó I S
The god of fruit is unfortunately inseparable with the god of disease, and by inseparable we mean they are physically attached ; Wesko̤tit is a species without an equivalent in 11A, but they're sorta like a squirrel.
The primary story of Wesko̤tit is one of temptation, where the naïve creature's generosity was taken advantage of by the god of death or one of their "underlings" (it is not consistent throughout all the bands who exactly is doing it). In doing so, they grew a long, squirrel-like tail with a vengeful mind of its own, named Kóis, depicted as a fluffy worm.
Generally, the moral of these stories is to always be careful before believing something wholesale, or you too might become corrupted with a disease you didn't know was there.
W E S K A T E
Best friend to Mamko is Weskate, a snake that controls storms. They are known to be quite antagonistic, manipulating Titmṳ to assist in their needs, for example. But while Titmṳ is emotional, Weskate is too ; Many tales describe them as incredibly hotheaded. Most stories including Weskate are the same stories including Mamko, but they're occasionally seen on their own for various reasons, never good.
H I S M O
Finally, the cycle finishes at the god of death, twin of Histe, Hismo. Their shell can sometimes be seen from their temple on a clear day ; a towering mountain range in the distance not unlike the one the Tézilei stand upon. Them and their twin are treated like two halves of a coin, never quite complete without the other, but always on opposite sides. Despite the harsh retaliations from Hismo, it's nearly always caused by something their twin had done. As mentioned in Histe's portion, Hismo is considered "evil", but not because they inherently have bad intentions ; it's more like they're quick to suppress by any means necessary when they don't want something happening.
A story with Hismo and their twin can be found as the song Weerhãf ;;