Map of Oriana

 

Hello, chaps! Years ago, I was obsessed with a film called Felix the Cat: The Movie (absolutely terrible film, you should all watch it). I always wondered what Oriana itself, or the world it exists in, was like in terms of geography, since nothing was hinted at in the film itself. So I made this, a copy of a map I made in 2010 at the age of fourteen (the original was destroyed). I’ve even sent it to Don Oriolo himselmand he loves it!

Nixvir Vol III

Chapter I: Erik and Oriel in the Land of Giants

Chapter II: The Cunning Woman
 

THE HISTORIES

These are the researches which Teripratchetes, the Valkarian, sets forth in the hopes of providing a comprehensive record of the glories of the Vofrith Empire before its fall, lest its might be forgotten.

According to Abzarian of the Vofrith in his book The Historians, the Vofrith Empire was founded by two brothers, Vakkadon and Vamerian. The two brothers were Vofrith pups born from the loins of Sedara of the Noble and Ancient House of Thersiphones. In these times existed the ancient folk religion of the god Zambadh, which would later produce the first cunning women. After nine months of being nursed, the brothers were snatched away from their mother by her villainous brother, Filch, who had heard of a prophecy of the Oracle of Vonoda that someday two brothers, nephews to him, would overthrow him. And so they were abandoned on a hillside, and they had not finished drinking the milk. A Scarlion female found them, and let them drink her milk, and raised them herself on the hillside. In time, the brothers grew up to be great hunters and skilled warriors. They became popular with the other Scarlions, and when their time came, they learned the truth of their heritage and sought to overthrow Filch. 

Filch heard report of them coming and so, it is said, went berserk. According to Ebsarlet of the species of Valkaria, he is said to have hurled himself against the walls of his palace, crying out in great voice, “Give me back my money!” He armed himself against the possibility of overthrow, but alas he could not have predicted what would result. For there was a great battle and Filch was slain, from an arrow through his pectoris major up until his head. Vakkadon and Vamerian found him lying dead by the time they sacked the city, killing every male warrior in the process, and burnt his body.

Afterwards, the two Vofrith brothers prayed for signals from the gods, denoting which of them would found the new city. Vakkadon received nine starfruits, while Vamerian received only five. Once it had become established that this was the divine omen denoting the foundation of the city, Vakkadon, in a fury, killed his brother. Afterwards, or so it is said, he realised his mistake. Yet still he declared the city his. When someone feels guilt, however, one cannot help but allow it to remain imprinted on them. Pain and grief and anger are all transient, but guilt stays. Forever. The next problem was the need for some females to preserve the city and its line. The Vofrith, or so the story goes, had no females among them yet. Personally, as a historian I do not think that this makes much sense. 

The legend thus claims that the Vofrith species were propagated during that event generally known as the Copulation of the Scanidon Females. The Scanidons, of whom only a few specimens survive, were the cousins of the Vofrith species. That is to say, related to them. Both species can interbreed and this is what Vakkadon used to his advantage. He invited the Scanidons to sup with him and his followers on the banks of the river Thruppence, where, after they had eaten their globmeat and drunk their fill of arcus juice, the Vofrith soldiers seized the Scanidons in their mouths, dragged them back to their homes and mated with them. This provoked considerable outrage from Lord Stammith, leader of the Scanidons of those days, who demanded that they be returned. 

To this, Vakkadon is said to have replied, “Goodly sir, sometimes, when one is building a new age, one has to be ruthless. Go then, Scanidons, return to your flats.” The Scanidons, headed by Stammith, and his seconds-in-command, Quobarn and Gotep, fought the Vofrith on the plains in claw combat. Because the Vofrith had, unlike the Scanidons, opposable thumbs despite having only four legs, they had considerable advantage. Vakkadon cut open Stammith’s head and tore out his brain. The legend has herewith become known as the Vofrithomachy, and it is said that the Vofrith honoured it on the metopes of their temples.

It is also said that Lord Melanius, chief deity of the pantheon of Besfield, cursed the Vofrith so that their empire would eventually fall and that they would lose the prestige they once had. 

It was around this exact same time that the Toadirupin clan of werewolves, who resided in that world, Besfield, centre of the empire, in the region of Wallasdon Manor, were expelled from it by the bustards. The bustards, a peculiar species of bird, had long dwelt in Besfield, in the land of the Hamkind, which in those days was a mizzard-infested swamp, and had grown to deeply resent their oppression by the werewolves. That is to be ashamed, since the werewolves of those days were members of an aristocratic organisation called the Ox Men, about whom not much is known. The bustards moved into the hall after driving the werewolves out. Perhaps this is best attributed to Lord Toadirupin’s considerable naïveté concerning the bustards. He viewed the bustards as essentially harmless, completely innocuous and highly unlikely to cause trouble. So it was a shock to him to find the bustards rushing towards the Manor, armed to the teeth with long swords and broadswords. The bustards expelled the clan, or so it is said, by throwing them out of the windows of their manor. 

Afterwards, the bustards descended into degeneracy and vandalism, destroying many of the priceless artworks at the Manor, defecating wherever they saw fit, and generally making a nuisance for everyone. They also are rumoured to have descended into inter-species gluttony, devouring intelligent and unintelligent species alike. What is certain that they held wild nights in joy and pleasure, depleting the supply of squimberry wine and making all sorts of rude jokes. 

The emperor denied the family any sort of help, so the Toadirupins fought and reclaimed the hall, driving the bustards out with their unnatural strength. The bustards retreated south of the Mad Marshes, where dead Vofrith dwell, but whether they are still alive, this anecdote fails to specify.

Vakkadon eventually disappeared out on the plains beneath Vofrith-town while inspecting his troops. Some said he had been taken up, others that he had wandered into the woods and gotten devoured by sentient trees. Whatever the case, Vakkadon’s son Prince Clous Nokthis Aelran was appointed to be his successor. Clous was a sordidly morose character, whose character alleviated when he was crowned. Vofrith-town prospered under his rule. When the enemy of the Vofrith came, he would always arrange that a campfire be brought in, and, once that campfire had been put in place, place his paw in the middle of the fire as a way of demonstrating to enemy commanders and their soldiers that the Vofrith were never to be messed with. Clous was also intelligent, calm, handsome. Unusually, for a Vofrith, he had an extensive mane of headfur which covered his right eye. The origins of this mane remain uncertain; some say he was born with it, some say that the god of prophecy breathed on him and then the mane grew. Whatever the case, it was a sign that he was destined to judge fairly between parties. It is even said once that two female Vofrith claiming ownership of a single pup were brought before him and he threatened to dip the pup in a vat of boiling water in order to test the reactions that the two Vofrith females had. When one pleaded for the pup to be spared while the other acted in an apathetic manner, he then examined the pup’s physical features in order to determine who the mother was. When the mother was found, they understood him as a wise king.

Eventually, an entire line of kings prospered in Vofrith-town. This line eventually ended with the reign of Tallibus the Mad, who ruled Vofrith-town as though it were a house brownie being beaten by him. Eventually, he was driven into exile and replaced with a republic, which lasted for around two thousand years. This system had two consuls governing it, one for each portion of the year. One consul would reside once the six-month term was complete. The first consuls were the Quaccus brothers, Hesmund and Hasfire, who were sadly murdered in a couple of weeks. Eventually the final consul, Vaderian, was murdered because he had given himself too much political authority and wanted desperately to be a king. It sparked off a few years of civil war, after which Tesmond I Maesilar Julianus Divi Filius Majusto was crowned the first emperor. A good emperor, he ensured that cheap corn be distributed across the empire. 

The Imperial line eventually ended with the banking crisis and the lynching of the last emperor, Badus Martesa. The decade prior had been total chaos for the empire either way, what with bank runs, kwatinequadra (which is what happens when currency loses its value), and disordered chaos. The Empire had also been struggling under its own weight; at its height, it controlled seventeen-million worlds, and when the Empire crumbled, each world was placed in absolute bankruptcy. The Empire had had enough of its emperor, so when the Vokkun invaded, they teamed up with the Vofrith to storm the palace and capture the Emperor.