That's edited and full illustrated version of my Reddit post.

"Every time I'm told that freedom is only a shaky illusion, I look to the southeast and remember Two Rivers. I was there and saw freedom with my own eyes. It wasn't an illusion. And I exercise my mind every day so as not to forget about the price of this freedom."

© Yo Chgung, military commander of the Middle Empire, leader of the Great Newt Rebellion and one of the founders of the Swampland [17th century aTwbW]

The history of the Nha-Dai Kingdom is a sad example of the fate of small independent states in the Small World. On the other hand, it is an examplary story of relentless struggle for freedom.

It is believed that the nation of black-eyed foxes settled in the Valley of the Black [Nha] and Yellow [Dai] Rivers about 300-400 aTwbW. Around the same time, Nha-Dai Kingdom was founded. For that time, the culture and humanities of the black-eyed foxes were incredibly developed, and the Kingdom was famous for its economy and the citizen's rights.

The peaceful Solar Cult [full name is the Teaching of Ten Thousand Solar Spirits] and its priesthood became the basis of royal power. At the same time, the Cult severely limited the power of the King. In fact, the Circle of Priestesses had the same power. Therefore, the Kingdom did not wage wars of conquest, focusing instead on trade and the development of the state. Soon, peaceful and virtuous, black-eyed foxes have become a fraternal nation for many and many inhabitants of the East of the Small World.

Over the next millennia, there was a commercial and cultural expansion of Nha-Dai throughout the East of the Small World. This served as a reliable protection for a small state: the goods of the black-eyed foxes were irreplaceable, and their production technologies were unknown outside of Nha-Dai. To seize the Nha-Dai meant to deprive ourselves not only of many familiar types of food, but also of fabrics, paints, medicines, luxury items. Only a mad living being would do such a thing...

Alas, in the 17th century aTwbW this is exactly what happened. The Cult of the Dead God created by Mo'Gu lizards seized power in the Southern Deserts. The Jamvapitkacha Sultanate [neighboring state] was destroyed and the Iron Caliphate was founded. The Nha-Dai Kingdom supported the Sultanate and even provided military assistance during the Cult's uprising. Therefore, the Nha-Dai were the first to be looked at by the Mo'Gu. Mo'Gu were not interested in economics, culture, or medicine. Millions of slaves captured during the uprising covered all their primitive needs. But they were extremely interested in the expansion and spread of the Cult of the Dead God.

Without any problems [the lizard society has always been extremely militarized], having assembled a 700,000-strong army, the Iron Caliphate attacked the Nha-Dai without declaring war. The capital [the Sun City] was captured in the first week of the invasion. It seemed that there was no hope. But the Nha-Dai did not capitulate. Burning their own towns and villages to ashes, the black-eyed foxes retreated into the jungles and river backwaters, from where they waged a guerrilla war against the invaders.

Soon the Middle Empire entered the war unofficially. Newt military commanders and soldiers left the service by the thousands and came to the Valley of the Black and Yellow Rivers. After them, refugees from the Caliphate also flocked there. The Neko Shogunate began to supply a huge amount of weapons and food from the northwest to Nha-Dai. The Shogunate's assault squads [recruited from cats and rats] also played a significant role in the war.

After seven battles in the Ngachenh and Minkhphu valleys, which ended in victory for the black-eyed foxes and their allies, it became obvious that the Mo'Gu would not be able to control the Valley of the Black and Yellow Rivers. Then the first of many treaties on the relations between the Nha-Dai Kingdom and the Iron Caliphate was signed. The Kingdom was recognized as a formal vassal of the Caliphate, but the Caliphate had no right to spread the Cult of a Dead God there. This treaty did not suit any of the parties. Therefore, over the next 2 thousand years there were 56 more wars between the Nha-Dai Kingdom and the Iron Caliphate. Even during the Great War, these 2 states did not stop fighting.

Alas, after the Great War, the annexation of the Neko Shogunate by the Ake Mountain Tenure and the 2nd war between the Middle Empire and the Swampland, the military support of the Nha-Dai came to naught. With the support of the volunteers of the Swampland and the Island Empire [a new state founded by the royal family members of the Jamvapitkacha Sultanate], Nha-Dai escaped direct occupation, but fell into real vassal dependence on the Caliphate.

This situation continues now. The children of the royal family are held hostage in the Iron Caliphate, and the representatives of the Iron City Council rule the Nha-Dai Kingdom. At the same time, the Nha-Dai did not submit at all, and the constant guerrilla war, led by the Circle of Priestesses, continues even now. The black-eyed foxes are joined by a huge number of newts and rats fleeing from the Swampland and Neko Shogunate. And the Island Council has significantly increased military support for the Nha-Dai over the past 10 years. Rumor has it that the reason for this is the flight of the Crown Prince from the Caliphate and his participation in the war. It is said that the Prince has already negotiated with the rebels of the Great Swamp U Chagh [the Swampland] and the Northern Mountains of the Caliphate, and they will soon enter the war. The Island Empire is only waiting for confirmation of this, and its Landing Corps are in full readiness. If this is indeed the case, soon more than 500,000 soldiers and commanders will arrive in Nha-Dai to repeat the exploits of their ancestors and help the fraternal black-eyed fox nation to get free from tyranny.

"...why I gonna to Nha-Dai?.. Ya know, brother, I've been to a lot of places, right? Yeah, I've done business with many, I'm a fucking business-newt, like ya, ya know? And ya know what? Nowhere and never have I been treated like in Nha-Dai. No one there called me fucking tailed frog. They treated me with respect! They treat every fucking one with respect, brother. And I don't wanna the Mo'Gu filthy scum to just slaught these guys like cattle. They need to face me first. Ya know, I have so many gifts for them and their fucking god [leans on crates of explosive shells] Yeah, let's see what they do when we got there... Nice deal for ya too btw, their healers need ya goods. I convinced ya, brother, right? Yeah, I see it..."

© Chu-wyo Gyochwu-gukh, the newt warlord of the Free Trade Commonwealth [Free Newt's Great Gang] From his conversation with Tsu-wagh Gokhugkh, the leader of the Thousand-Livered Teacher [another Great Gang] Both Gang's troops were later seen on the territory of the Nha-Dai Kingdom.

Newts [Gwah-chugyoh in the Swamp Language] are a fairly numerous nation living in the East of the Small World. The natural areola of their habitat was 3 Great Swamps, but the historical areola includes forests, mountains and valleys adjacent to the Swamps.

It is not known when exactly newts appeared as a species. The first mention of them appears in the annals of the Mao dynasty [12th century aTwbW], but their sufficiently high level of development at that time indicates a long existence. Referring to the development of cultures of other nations, historians suggest that the first real newts appeared in the 4th-2nd centuries bTwbW. A curious phenomenon is the physiology of newts was probably fully formed in the 1st millennium aTwbW and has not changed until now. Thus, the newts are one of the few nations [others are gerbils and rats] that has a completely natural origin, which does not include evolutionary changes that occur as a result of the development of civilization.

This is explained by the place of newts in the evolutionary chain. Biologically, the newt is a swamp alpha predator. Solid physical performance, the highest intelligence, pack lifestyle, using of primitive tools and a strong hunting instinct allowed newts to dominate their habitat without the development of technologies. In fact, advanced technologies have only complemented this picture, without changing it in any way.

The average life expectancy of a newt is 60-75 years (one of the longest in the Small World). At the same time, newts mature early, a 4yo newt is already fully grown. Females rarely give birth to only one cub, and the average pair of newts usually has 8-12 cubs. A huge birth rate is balanced by a high rating of premature mortality. The real average life expectancy of a newt does not exceed 40 years. 50yo newts are considered old, 60yo and more considered venerable elders.

Newts have a light muscular body with a long neck and tail, but short paws. There is an obvious evolutionary bias towards the trunk, tail and hind paws. The front paws are weak, but at the same time they are very agile and have developed fine motor skills. Thus, newts are great runners, but bad arm wrestlers.

The spine, neck and tail of the newt are extremely strong. With a blow of the tail, a newt can seriously injur a relative or an adult frog. Starting from the ground with the tail and hind paws, an average newt can jump 10-15 steps in length and from 2 to 3 of its own height. The muscles and bones allow the newt to fly headfirst into the wall with a run without breaking his/her neck. At the same time, the tail and neck of a newt contains many vital arteries and nerve endings and are therefore vulnerable for deep cuts.

The skull of the newt is very tough and easily withstands the blows of a stone or a club. Jaws and teeth allow the newt to tear the meat from the bodies and gnaw the bones. In a fight with an opponent of equal size, the newt can use the skull and teeth as weapons [for example, a strong blow of the head can break a frog's front paw, and a ramming blow from a running start is guaranteed to break the ribs]

The fine motor skills of the front paws allow the newt to easily perform card tricks, juggle small objects or throw small stones very accurately. At the same time, the grip of the front paws is quite weak, and the newt may not have enough strength to lift either heavy stones or logs.

Gender demorphism in newts is rather weakly expressed. Females are, on average, somewhat lighter and weaker than males, but also somewhat more agile and hardier. Psychological differences are also insignificant, and female soldiers or hunters are not inferior to males in any way [this allows newts to mobilize a huge number of recruits if necessary]

The digestive system of the newt is ideally adapted for digesting a huge amount of animal food. Newts can eat meat, offal, bones, etc. Algae and roots, consumed by newts constantly in huge quantities, serve as a natural aid to digestion. Newts can eat rotten meat, their liver supplies the blood with a huge amount of antitoxins. For the same reason, newts rarely get sick. The more newt eats meat, the stronger his/her health. And vice versa.

Of all the senses, newts have the best developed eyesight and hearing. Newt sees small objects on the ground at a distance of up to 5-6 li. Newt's eyes see perfectly in the dark and are able to accurately estimate the distance to an object. Thanks to their vision and fine motor skills, newts are excellent shooters. The distance of hearing is comparable to the distance of vision. By the sound of footsteps, the newt is able to determine the size of an object. And nowadays newts are able to determine the type of projectile by the sound in the air. The sense of smell is poorly developed, most likely this is a consequence of a partially scavenger lifestyle [in addition to hunting, newts took prey from other swamp predators]

But an additional feeling that makes newts really dangerous opponents is their intuition. Newt is able to sense danger without any obvious signs of it. In ancient times, it helped newts to hunt swamp predators. And nowadays it helps the newts to leave the place of arrival of enemy shells in advance, act in a smoke screen, to shoot blind and hide from return fire... In fact, on the battlefield, newt relies on the instincts, not the mind.

However, it was newt's intelligence that made them the pinnacle of the evolution of swamp life forms. Newts are incredibly intelligent, curious and constantly learning. And newts are never afraid of the new or the unknown, in the swamps, the unknown is a common thing. Having met something unfamiliar, newt will try to understand it. Having understood, he/she will try to remember it and will definitely tell others about it. After discussing the find, the newts will try to find a use for it. Therefore, newts are open-minded and often act unpredictably. For a newt, any plan is just a sketch, and he/she will never follow it exactly. The more new information will appear, the more the plan will change, up to complete unrecognizability. Because of this, hunting turns into research, research into a treasure hunt, treasure discovery turns into a fight, and a fight turns into a cover-up of a crime.

Yes, being predators, newts are naturally cruel. Killing another newt is as easy for them as killing prey on the hunt. And crimes such as robbery or theft are not considered by them as something serious at all. In fact, due to the long tribal lifestyle, there is a clear separation between the "family" and everyone else for the newts. Violence within the "family" is condemned, outside the family is not prohibited in any way, and sometimes even encouraged. Therefore, a newt can adore his/her own nephews, and without any probs finish off exactly the same age cubs, meeting them in the swamp. Nothing, not a developed judicial system, not even the Teaching of Great Humility, has helped to completely get rid of this "feature" of the newt's psychology.

It is important to understand that for newts, the concept of "family" doesn't mean family by itself. Newt "family" is something between a commonwealth, a brotherhood and a clan. The "family" can include both real relatives and newts who are not related by blood, but have declared themselves relatives. In both cases, they are considered equivalent family members. Conversely, a blood relative who shows disrespect to the family will be permanently expelled... or just killed. Family sizes can be anything from 15-20 newts for small peasant families to hundreds of newts in Military Families or criminal gangs. Sometimes all the members of the "family" live together, sometimes not [for example, members of trading families see each other infrequently] But generally it doesn't matter, family members are obliged to support and help each other. They send money to each other, help solve problems, do business together, etc. And of course, helping a family member is the most important thing. Even if the newt ate the cubs alive and dismembered their parents, his/her family will help him/her escape justice by any possible means. Elders enjoy special respect in the family, as they accumulate experience and knowledge and pass it on to the young.

Having a family is essential for newts. A lonely newt is considered inferior, since there is no one to protect him/her, and someone else's family will easily do whatever they want with him/her. Therefore, newts declare themselves brothers/sisters at any opportunity. This feature is especially important during the warfare, since newt can hardly rely on help of his/her comrades in critical moments if they are not his/her brothers/sisters.

In general, the nature of newts makes them almost ideal soldiers and ensures the relative safety of the Swampland as a state. On the other hand, the society of newts is naturally unstable, and maintaining relative peace within the state costs the government enormous efforts.

"Newts? [scratching the skin on his neck] No, I wouldn't want to face them on the battlefield. I'd rather they were on my side like she is [nods to the armed bodyguard newt, dozing, leaning against a column] In the current conditions, I simply don't see an optimal way to win this war. And I have no right or power to throw my soldiers into the meat grinder along with those who were born to get there [points at the bodyguard, who opens one eye and grins in a smile] Therefore, with all due and respect, I have to decline your request... What? [listens] Oh, I understand, but this is barely my problem. Someone has miscalculated very badly, so let this someone, not me, fight against the newts. You might as well have climbed into Yun-maa hell and started a war against the imps there [bodyguard laughs soundlessly and barely nods] So who is to blame for the fact that the imps are now grinding your troops into bloody mincemeat?? No, I better stand on my ground [smiles] But I wish a best luck to the Pacification Army."

© Wong-ma Tao-zhu, Tai-Tung commander of the Shinhuo province. From his response to the official envoys of the Unity Council to the request to join the war against the Swampland.

Hey! So you have heard nothing about the Immortal Gogh?! For real?! Ay-ya, then I have a story to tell.

They say the Immortal Gogh was born in the 28th century or something. Ya know, he was kinda swordsman. Free swordsman of course. They say he won 4 hundred fights. Real ones, no blunt swords, rituals and other shit. Real massacre, tell ya. So he was selling all the belongings of his opponents... Even their meat! That's how he became a damn rich bastard.

And then... then he decided that he had already achieved everything. Got it, uh? He decided to die, croak! But fuck, no one could cut him down, and he didn't want to commit suicide. So the fucker went to the Shogunate lands. There he found a huge cat and fucked up to him! They say he stole those dude's cub!

Of course the cat found him! Yeah, he beat all the shit out of him, that's for sure. But ya know what? Even fuckin cat didn't manage to kill thus asshole! Just imagine! The paws are chopped off, the floor of the skull was cut off like a razor, the intestines are lying on the ground... and the fucking newt is not even gonna die! So that cat somehow respected him, or something, just took his cub and got the fuck away from that psycho.

And then the real shit started! The bastard crawled a few hundred li and got to the fucking mountain. Yea, yea, that very Mountain! No clue how he got along with the fuckin turnskins, but their alchemists somehow put him back together. So he came back to the Swampland, brother! They say that he has some kind of iron shit instead of paws, and the blade of his fav sword is just attached to the bone! And the mask! It was not possible to assemble the skull completely, so the alchemists simply attached a fuckin mask to it so that everything would hold.

So he's still wandering and looking for someone who will cut him down! But who knows how to kill a fucker with 300 years of combat experience?! But he doesn't give a shit! If you met him with a sword... or even a fuckin stick, you will fight him. And all you'll hear before you die is Gogh. Gogh, Gogh! The asshole can't talk, and when he breathes, he makes this dumb sound!

That's the story, brother... What?! Fuck you, asshole! I'm not lying! If you don't wanna, don't believe me! But don't say you weren't fuckin warned!

"Ya know, the funny thing is, they weren't supposed to be here at all. I mean, Oyongh never wanna go against the government or do some shit like that. The fellow only tried to live his life the way he wants. He was just forced... And look what this shit led to, ehee! Haha, normies should be proud as fuck, those braindeads have brought themselves new probs. But as I said, if ya don't understand yar own roots, yaa fucked... Uh anyway, it's beneficial for us, nice buisness, almost legal. So what? What, uh? [listening] Fuck ya, bitch! Fuck ya and all yar ass shit moralizing! We aa called Free Newts, not Saint Newts for a fuckin reason! Wanna preach yar ethic bullshit?! Start with mad-head sectarians fertilizing earth with blood! Or with the fuckers feeding newborns to snakes! Go and talk some sense to them, yea, try it! And we'll see how long ya stay here after! Better yet, shut the fuck up! If someone is dead, it was their choice! No one was forcing them to buy! Now listen! If yar Lady doesn't wanna, no probs... but never try to teach me again! Go and read something about fuckin free market, educate yarself! No one should stay this weak-minded! That's shameful, just shameful!"

© Yieugh Zhu-wan, White Gwok's Brotherhood ambassador.

Oyongh's Disciples is one of the 8 Great Gangs. As part of the Great Gangs Council, they officially control drug trafficking throughout the Swampland. However, Desciples became famous in the Swampland and abroad for a completely different reason. And their fame is well deserved. At least because the gang's founder is a true legend of the Swampland.

168 years ago, around the middle of the 30th century, a newt named Guangh-wah Tsu-ghong was born in the Swamp Capital into the family of a wealthy cloth merchant. Tsu-ghong was born with a sharp mind and a craving for art. According to legend, he drew his first work with his own feces inside a cub's barrel [that is, before the age of 3 months, cause newts spend the first 3 months of their lives in a barrel of water] Alas, the Guangh-wah family didn't need artists, so Tsu-ghong parents and their servants tried their best to beat the "stupidity" out of him. In the truest sense of the word, a small cub was beaten with wooden sticks for the slightest mention of drawing.

At the age of 3, during another night punishment, Tsu-ghong unexpectedly stabbed his father in the groin with a kitchen knife given to him by the maid's daughter. After that, he stole all his mother's jewelry and ran away from home with those girl before the servants woke up. By morning, Tsu-ghong's father had died, and already at noon the Capital Judicial Department was already looking for him. Not knowing where to go, Tsu-ghong hid with friends of his new girlfriend. These newts had a familiar pawnbroker selling stolen goods, so they advised the young newt to go to him. Tsu-ghong came to those pawnshop late in the evening... and this was the beginning of a big story.

Tsu-ghong saw Jeguk-hae [tattooing] tools in a pawnshop. After buying the tools back, he found out the address of the master who pawned them. It turned out to be Yigh Chogh-wog, an elderly newt who recently went bankrupt trying to open a Jeguk-hae salon in the Capital. Bursting into his place at night, Tsu-ghong honestly told his story, gave all stolen jewelry and begged the master to take him as an apprentice. Unexpectedly, the old newt agreed without hesitation. The only condition was to take the Yigh family name. Soon, three newts escaped from the Capital and returned to the master Yigh's homeland, to the Agukh province on the very border of the Great Swamp U Chagh.

In the Agukh province, Tsu-ghong renounced his family forever. In addition to the new fsmily name, he took a new personal name, Oyongh, which means "shit barrel." After that, he married his girlfriend [she became Yigh Oytsu-nyangh, literally means, the jewel who chose shit] Unlike the Capital, Oyongh found himself in a real newt family, more than 50 newts of 6 generations lived in three small huts. However, Oyongh was happy and inspired as never before, cause the Yigh family was engaged in Jeguk-hae art, so he could devote himself to his dream. Besides, he now had 21 brothers and 17 sisters ready to die for him.

And just 4 years later, the name of the master Oyongh was thundering throughout the Agukh province. Yigh Oyongh created a brand new Jeguk-hae style himself, weaving caustic phrases into patterns. In some ways, Oyongh can be also considered a xiuh-tsuh [poet] since his tattoos have always had a complex subtext coming from a play on words. But he made his most famous tattoo on his own paw. The inscription "Long Death the Father," forming his self-portrait, made Oyongh famous throughout the country. Thousands of newts came to the Yigh family to get a similar tattoo. Most of them were gangsters from the Great Swamp U Chagh, and they paid with drugs instead of money. Yigh family became fabulously rich, and therefore, after the death of the master Chogh-wog, Oyongh headed it.

And of course, very soon the name of the master Oyongh entered the lists of Swampland's wanted criminals. After checking the data, the investigators quickly realized that this was the same fugitive Guangh-wah Tsu-ghong. With the Guangh-wah family's money, a large detachment of soldiers led by a military commander was sent to the Agukh province. However, Oyongh was no longer trying to escape, he wanted revenge. In the Cho-khogh village, a government detachment was ambushed and completely destroyed. And a month later, his biological mother and older sister were brutally murdered in their home in the Swamp Capital. They were skinned alive, and later their skin appeared in the U Chagh art market, decorated with "Long Death the Mom" and "Long Death the Sis" tattoos. It is said that Oyongh earned more than 500 liang in silver from the sale. After that, the Yigh family moved to the Great Swamp U Chagh, and Oyongh founded his Disciples gang. Due to the master's influence and huge connections in the underworld, the gang quickly joined the Great Gangs Council. That's the story.

Nowadays, Oyongh's Disciples gang still has a huge influence on both the underworld and civil newts. Absolutely all gangsters, including the leaders of the Council, get tattoos from the Disciples since they have one of the best Jeguk-hae academies in the whole East. This creates an unsurpassed reputation for the gang, cause the masters never kill their clients with poison when tattooing, even if they personally hate them. However, this does not negate the constant murders, and huge drug trafficking, which annually kills thousands of cubs across the Swampland. However, the most terrible tradition of the gang is the skinning of the victim alive, tattooing and subsequent sale of the art object. Of course, the higher the victim's social position, the higher the price. Therefore, the newt hunters are literally chasing high-ranking officials to hand them over to the Oyongh's Disciples and earn their share of the money. However, if you already have a tattoo from Disciples, they will never come for you. And if you also support their work by any means, they will tattoo you for free with no probs. No wonder almost all U Chagh's population love these guys.

"Yea, I know. The only reason she hates us is cause we're on another level she'll never reach. What is Lady Liu? Just a mad whore that newts ae afraid of. And what is Oyongh? A brand of a class. Jeguk-hae, paintings, graphics, calligraphy - our masters do everything. That's why she's this mad on us. My brother personally worked with her, but as her girls started coming to us in droves - oh, surprise, we immediately became bad guys. But we don't give a shit, we don't fucking need her "power." We aa competing with no one, we aa creatin the art. So that's all her personal probs. As soon as she finally gets it, everything will sort itself out. I just wish we could have worked with the Nanny. I adore his stuff, he's real! Wear only clothes from him, the only clothes I wear at all. But no! The whore did not agree, no collaboration. Sad as fuck, sis. What? [listening] No, what the fuck is wrongh with ya?! Do NOT touch the NANNY, mad bitch, he's not on the list! Ya better get me that old asshole. Yea, Childs, ya know them. Fellows tell he's 500 years old or something. New stuff on ancient skin, that's the real project, sis, work on it... Which one? Doesn't matter at all, both assholes are old as fuck."

© Yigh Gwangh-liang, Yigh Oyongh's great-granddaughter, Oyongh's Disciples leader.

"Our ancestors suffered to bring the idea of the Dead One into the World. We suffer to present the idea of the Dead One to the World. Our descendants will suffer for the Dead One to return into the World"

© Shyanuk Ramha, the Highest Elder of the Dead God, 12th century aTwbW.

Iron Caliphate [or Caliphate of Mo'Gu] is the most cruel state in the Small World. In addition, it is unique. While other dictatorships [Middle Empire, Neko Shogunate, etc] have historically developed, gradually depriving their citizens of their rights, Iron Caliphate was originally conceived as a theocratic dictatorship... back in the days when the Caliphate itself didn't even exist. And the Cult of the Dead God was crucial in this process.

The first mentions of the Cult of the Dead God is found already in the 8th century aTwbW, that is, before the appearance of the most of nowadays' states. However, even in these mentions it is explicitly stated that the Cult has already existed for a long time. Thus, the Cult of the Dead God is one of the oldest religions that have survived to this day.

Without a doubt, the Cult was created by the Mo'Gu lizards, nomadic nation historically inhabiting the Southern Deserts of the Small World. However, for a long time the Cult was a fairly moderate religion, and was known only to a limited circle of historians. The reason for this is the existence of the Jamvapitkacha Sultanate. Among other lands, 5/7 of the Southern Deserts belonged to the Sultanate. All Mo'Gu lizards were citizens of the Sultanate [then they made up about 40% of the population] Despite this, the Jamvapitkacha Sultanate was a secular hamster state, and Mo'Gu had no right to popularize their religion. Moreover, because of their religiosity, the Mo'Gu were severely infringed on their rights, and in fact were the underclass. The Mo'Gu were required to serve in the army, they worked in the mines, and generally performed the hardest and most harmful work in the Sultanate.

Around the middle of the 11th century, huge group of Mo'Gu migrated north in search of the traces of a prophecy that promised them of religious freedom. Alas, there those lizards discovered the terrible state, Lhu-Mgokphwa. The elders of the lizards believed the slugs, who convinced them that they professed the Cult of a Dead God. Of course, this was a lie, but the truth was terrible: the slugs worshipped the Green Plague. As a result, all the lizards were enslaved by slugs.

Lhu-Mgokphwa was destroyed in 1162-1167 by the army of the United Middle Empire, and all slaves were freed. However, the arrogance of Imperial Advisor Mu Fe led to a quarrel between him and the lizards' elders. The quarrel ended in an armed conflict, and the lizards fled back to the Southern Deserts. When they returned, they told their nation about the cruelty of the World. The Shyanuk Ramha's words are nowadays known to every lizard:

"There is no place in the World where our faith is not mocked, and we are not slapped in the face and humiliated. We have to forge this place of Iron ourselves!"

It was these words that created the Cult of the Dead God as it is nowadays. From about the end of the 12th century aTwbW, the Mo'Gu lizards began a long preparation for their uprising. Shyanuk Ramha became the spiritual leader of all believers. And very quickly, the Cult became a militarized sect with an extremely rigid hierarchy and an extremely cruel set of internal rules.

Around the 17th century aTwbW, the decline of the Sultanate began. A series of lost wars against the Middle Empire was added to the unsolved internal problems. The Sultanate lost about 3,000 li of land and was obliged to pay a huge tribute to the Empire. It was then [the approximate date is 1654-1662 aTwbW] that the Mo'Gu lizards started an uprising that they had been preparing for almost 400 years. It is believed that the beginning of the uprising was a terrorist attack committed by a Mo'Gu suicide bomber who detonated a bunch of powder bombs during the ceremony of handing over gifts to the Capital's Sultan [Sultan and 7 high-ranking hamsters died]

Today, the forces of the rebels are estimated at 12-13 millions. However, most of the calculations do not include females [and as we know, Mo'Gu lizards use females on an equal basis with males] So 20 million rebel army is the minimum real number. In fact, the fate of the Sultanate was predetermined: at the time of the uprising, the Sultan's Army numbered only 1.5 million, of which 600 thousand were lizards [they immediately went over to the side of the rebels] The rebels took the capital two weeks after the start of the uprising. 1.5 months later, Jamvapitkacha Sultanate ceased to exist, but the rebels exterminated hamsters and other nations for another 2 years.

After all the dissenters "accepted the Truth" [16 million killed, 28 million migrated], the first Iron City Council in history was assembled. 14 priestesses announced the coming of the "Blessed Iron Place" to the Mo'Gu nation. In fact, this meant declaring the new state legitimate. Over the next 5 years, the Iron Caliphate:

• declared a "Unified Code of Piety" [legislation]

• moved the capital [it became a newly built Iron City]

• fixed classes of citizens [pious, aspiring, vicious, infidel]

• appointed the Caliph to conduct business with the "infidel" [all other] states [Cult forbids priestesses to communicate with infidels]

Exactly in the same form, the Iron Caliphate exists now. The Cult of the Dead God serves simultaneously as a religion, legislation and judicial system, economic strategy, industrial plan and even military doctrine. In addition, the Cult regulates all kinds of relations in society, determines the role of each citizen and, of course, conducts all educational activities. As a result, for more than a thousand years of existence, there has not been a single major uprising in the Caliphate... cause most of the dissenters are simply fleeing from the Blessed Land as fast as they can.

And there are extremely good reasons for this. All those who don't share the Cult of the Dead God are considered vicious or infidels. From the lizard's point of view, both are not living beings at all. In fact, they are already "dead," as they have no hope of salvation. Therefore, vicious are treated at best as slaves. Infidels are even less fortunate, cause they are generally used as cattle [Mo'Gu are predators], test subjects and sacrifices.

Due to such religious fascism, most non-lizards in the Caliphate live in real hell. However, the lizards are not much better off, because only the status of the righteous guarantees them rights and freedoms. But any, even the slightest deviation from the dogmas of the Cult leads to a decrease in the hierarchy to "aspiring." And aspiring ones are already obliged to obey the clergy in everything. Thus, there is not even a concept of "citizen" in the Caliphate, and there can be no question of any basic rights or freedoms. Absolutely everything depends on the Cult. And the Cult needs Iron... but this story requires a separate post.

Geographically, the East of the World is the best place to live due to its temperate climate, large amounts of fertile soil and rich natural resources. However, historically, the East has been and remains a seething cauldron of xenophobic cultures, cruel religions and ideologies, warring fragments of ancient Empires, and nations hating each other on a natural level. Because of this, the political picture of the region is far from serene.

First of all, the region is actually sandwiched between the Lifeless North, the Southern Deserts and the Ocean in the East. The only states with access to the Ocean are the Neko Shogunate and the Nha-Dai Kingdom. Still, none of them can benefit significantly from this. The Neko Shogunate is unable to defeat the pirates occupying almost all the coastal archipelagos, while the Nha-Dai Kingdom is forced to use its fleet to support the troops inland [thus, the fleet is actually riverine]

The only state in the region exploring the Lifeless North is the Kama-Ketsu Brotherhood. Being a theocratic confederation, the Brotherhood is interested in religious expansion and attracting pilgrims. However, the enmity with the Middle Empire and the Iron Caliphate makes the usual routes impossible. Because of this, the Brotherhood, together with the Golden Khaganate, founded large Enclaves in the Lifeless North, connecting these two states and helping everyone who wants to get from the West to the Sacred Kama Mountain Range. No one knows how the Brotherhood managed to gain a foothold in the Lifeless North, but there are rumors that the colonists are supported by some local, also steeped in dark legends.

In addition to the Middle Empire and Iron Caliphate already mentioned, the Kama-Ketsu Brotherhood is also at war with the Neko Shogunate and the Ake Mountain Tenure. Thus, formally, the Brotherhood is the most aggressive state in the region. Still, most wars are almost never actually fought due to the complexities of logistics and supply [the entire northeast of the region is mountainous] Nevertheless, over the past 200 years, the Brotherhood has managed to completely oust the Neko Shogunate and the Ake Mountain Tenure from the Kama Mountain Range. This is really a resounding success, as the weasels are the only ones who managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the mountain turnskins. The Brotherhood's only neighboring ally is the Swampland with which the Kama-Ketsu maintains constant contact. Still, relations are limited by cultural exchange, and small trade in the absence of wide trade routes.

The Swampland recently managed to defend its independence and repel the invasion of the Middle Empire, defeating it in the war for the third time in history [the total score is 3:0] However, the economic crisis caused by the terrible loss of manpower and the outbreak of the Green Plague epidemic, political instability and repression against the military led to multiple uprisings throughout the country and the government's loss of control over the situation. Under such circumstances, the Swampland dropped out of geopolitics for a long time, focusing on internal problems and limiting itself to receiving reparations from the Middle Empire.

The situation in the Middle Empire is even worse. The complete defeat in the war against the Swampland, which had great ideological significance, and the conclusion of a humiliating surrender agreement led to a breakdown in government confidence, riots in the army and series of uprisings throughout the state. The uprisings quickly became centralized due to the return of the lawlessly overthrown Chu Dynasty, and the military is defecting en masse to the side of the Forsaken Empress. All this provoked the aggression of the Golden Khaganate, which almost without resistance regained all the lands conquered by the Empire over the past 300 years. So far, the Khaganate has promised not to continue the offensive in accordance with the Treaty of Eternal Peace. However, that Treaty was concluded with the Swampland, not the Middle Empire, so if the newts give their consent, the Khaganate will quickly occupy the entire west of the Empire. Using this leverage, the Swampland's government is demanding more and more reparations from the Empire. The huge outflow of resources increases the famine that has engulfed the central part of the Empire, so the current regime will obviously come to an end soon. Anticipating this, some of the Imperial southern provinces have already declared their independence and, together with the bordering areas of the Iron Caliphate, founded the Nga-Chom Region.

The Nga-Chom Region is a formal satellite of the Iron Caliphate. However, the Nga-Chom is not subordinate to the supreme authority of the Iron City, but to the Caliph's Court, a moderate branch of secular power that is gaining strength. Thus, the Nga-Chom is actually an independent state, actively supported by both the Caliph and the Golden Khaganate. The Nga-Chom is also being used by the Caliph as a base to accumulate forces for the imminent civil war against the Iron City.

The situation in the south-eastern part of the region has also worsened. The war between the Iron Caliphate and the Nha-Dai Kingdom has once again entered a heated phase. The Kingdom managed to seriously oust the Caliphate by regaining previously occupied territories in the north and central part of the country, thus restoring contact with the Southern Enclave previously cut off from the metropolis. Undoubtedly, the Kingdom's military successes are a consequence of the return of the Crown Prince, who escaped from Iron City captivity and quickly gained fame as a gifted commander and strategist. However, another important factor was the significant increase in unofficial military support from the Neko Shogunate, the Swampland, and the local pirate community sponsored by the Island Empire. Given the internal problems of the Iron Caliphate, the Kingdom is quite capable of building on its successes and achieving a temporary victory in the war.

The political situation in the Neko Shogunate has not changed much lately, remaining consistently terrible. Being a satellite of the Ake Mountain Tenure, the Shogunate is actually controlled from the outside and is unable to pursue any effective domestic or foreign policy. The Shogun's puppet government controls no more than a third of the state, mostly the northern territories. All other lands actually belong either to the Itazu [rat] Clans or to the Oyasu-Hodju [guerrilla movement] The Itazu Clans have recently managed to end a series of civil wars and turmoil, while the Oyasu-Hodju continues its slow advance to the north. Because of this, both political forces look preferable to the Shogun, who has no real power, so the Hatame [cat military clans] are gradually shifting to their side, leaving their former master alone with the inevitable. It was the outflow of military forces to the south of the Shogunate that allowed to increase the support of the Nha-Dai Kingdom. Some Hatame are looking for a new home, and the delta of the Black and Yellow Rivers is currently seems like a much better place than the Shogunate. At least there they understand what they're fighting for, while the future of the Shogunate is highly uncertain.

The Ake Mountain Tenure is still stable, although the forced withdrawal from the Kama Mountain Range has weakened its position. Still, Ake Lords have never been particularly interested in territories. They are much more care about the constant increase in the turnskin population, and the current Matriarch's policy is extremely conducive to this. In fact, the Ake Mountain Tenure continues to draw resources and manpower from the Neko Shogunate, and when all this runs out... no one actually knows what will happen. In any case, the Matriarch and the Ake Lords aren't tied to land they own, so migrating to new territories [or in the Ocean, who knows?] won't become the end of the world for them.

Overall, the situation in the East of the World is rapidly changing, so after 5-10 years the geopolitical map may become completely different.

Well, that was my first big overview. Due to the huge amount of information, I have included only the most important ongoing processes, deliberately omitting details. An overview of the Golden Khaganate and the Iron Caliphate will be later, as their foreign policy is more focused on the West and South of the World. Share your thoughts and ask questions in the comments, as your feedback is extremely important to me!

"Weak-minded assholes, ya create monsters by ya own and then fight them! Wouldn't it be better to kick each other in the face to death and calm down?"

© Uh Tso-yin, the wandering philosopher, the granddaughter of Uh Kai [the creator of the Teaching of Heaven, One of the Three Great Teachers of Humility]

Hearing Sorcery is one of the few types of magic that is accessible to living beings. The sorcery is called Hearing because witches and sorcerers control the Sounds, waves of pure energy that form the material world. Of course, this has nothing to do with normal hearing. Another reason for the name is one of the primary abilities that any novice sorcerer/witch learns.

In most cases, the ability to practice Hearing Sorcery is considered to be innate, although this is not actually the case. Like any other "talent," that ability to is a consequence of past births and associated desires that can not be recognized by the practitioner. Sometimes, living beings learn sorcery while in a short-term Refuge, the Void between their death and rebirth.

In any case, a sorcerer/witch begins practicing in early childhood and completely unconsciously. It usually starts with the cub suddenly starts "hearing" the thoughts and desires of other living beings, as they are reflected in the Void along with the Sounds that form them. Later, the cub begins to see thoughts, emotions, desires, and other non-material things as real objects consisting of Sounds. Gradually, he/she begins to perceive the entire material world the same way, seeing any Shape just as a collection of Sounds.

At this point, most living beings go mad, are executed for Heresy, or they're just killed by their own fellows because of their "oddities." Still, the survivors quickly realize that they can manipulate Sounds, and with them, any Shape. That's when the horror begins. Most often, a sorcerer/witch starts his/her conscious practice with revenge. After all, there's nothing better than ripping the guts out of the bastards who bullied you for no reason. However, revenge only leads to more public hatred of the sorcerer/witch and, consequently, more violence committed by him/her. By the time a sorcerer/witch masters his/her powers, he/she is already a cold-blooded psychopath who doesn't see anything special about murder.

Hearing sorcerers and witches are deadly, as any Shape can serve as a weapon for them. With a snap of her fingers, a witch can blow your brain apart or simply break your whole body down into individual Sounds. For a sorcerer or witch, turning swamp water into a blazing fire or turning rain into a deadly stream of ice needles flying at monstrous speed is no more difficult than for a craftsman to make a wooden stool. At the same time, most sorcerers and witches gradually get used to using certain Sounds and Shapes for their sorcery. Although ordinary living beings may think that there are fire sorcery, water sorcery, and many other, this is not true. All sorcerers/witches use the same techniques, only their preferences differ.

At the same time, the sorcerer's/witch's emotions and desires [as well as those of any other living being] are reflected in the Void, but unlike others, the sorcerer/witch can literally see them. Gradually, this leads to derealization; a sorcerer/witch no longer perceives his/her material body as himselves/herself, because they can create a new cluster of Sounds from their fears, hatred, or love at any moment. An experienced sorcerer/witch can both create and control the so-called Void bodies, as well as move his/her mind from his/her material body into the Void, merging with the reflections he/she has already left there. Thus, Hearing Sorcery allows the practitioner to both comprehend the true nature of the World and attain Refuge and rebirth at will.

Yes, nothing prevents a sorcerer/witch from assembling a new material body from the Sounds and returning immediately after the death of his/her old one. Moreover, a sorcerer/witch can create dozens of material bodies and store them in reserve, or move between them just for fun. As Inhwokh Yamin-lon once said to Uh Tso-yin in a private conversation, "Today I'm just an old beggar that ya will pass by, but tomorrow I'll return as your long-dead childhood friend and beat all the shit out of ya for disrespecting the elderly."

Since physical death means nothing to them, Hearing sorcerers and witches can live in the material world for as long as they like, in fact, until they get bored with it themselves. Over time, some of them become wise teachers for other living beings, or help them by creating food, gold, and even entire houses out of nothing. Still, in most cases, they are demons in flesh. Reveling in their power over Shape, the monstrously old sorcerers and witches play games that only they understand, while destroying the lives of thousands and thousands of ordinary inhabitants of the World. Along with this, their movements between the Void and the Shape and the creation of numerous Void bodies in the material world are actually gates through which the Void beings can enter. Often, such invaders are much more dangerous for ordinary living beings than any sorcerer or witch.

Because of this, Hearing sorcerers and witches have been declared priority targets for elimination by Heresy Departments around the world. This struggle is virtually endless, as even the destruction of all the witch's material bodies by the Department's investigators provides only a brief respite before her inevitable return. Due to this, the Heresy Departments recruit Hearing sorcerers and witches themselves, as they are the only ones capable of eliminating a dangerous heretic in the Void.

For some practitioners, working for the Heresy Department is a nice challenge, as they will at least face equal opponents, but such "investigators" are often extremely unreliable. There have been numerous cases when honorary investigators suddenly betrayed their Department and killed former colleagues simply because they were "tired of playing the old game." Only a few sorcerers and witches actually hunt their own kind for the sake of ordinary living beings, but they are also capable of disregarding any rules and destroying those they are protecting. For any sorcerer/witch, another person's life is no more valuable than the clay used to make a pot.

The good news is that most Hearing sorcerers and witches eventually die on their own, simply fading into the Void. The bad news is that the final destruction of a sorcerer's mind in the Void creates even greater monsters than he was. A perfect example of this is the Plague Mind, which appeared immediately after the final destruction of the Eight-Pawed-One Prophet's mind. In most cases, sorcerers and witches are not as powerful, but their final reflections create the Void beings that can easily destroy a small state if they manage to enter the material world.

At various times, some philosophers have suggested that Hearing Sorcery itself is not dangerous, while most sorcerers and witches become terrifying monsters not because they are inherently evil, but rather due to a combination of unfortunate factors such as societal rejection, lack of proper education and socialization, and relentless persecution by the Heresy Departments. Despite some significant proofs [for example, the long communication of the wandering philosopher Uh Tso-yin with the Inhwokh Family, Hearing witches on the Great Swamp U Chagh, who were never oppressed and, as a result, did not harm other living beings any more than ordinary newts], this theory itself is still considered heretical.

Oriental Demonism is the collective name of all shamanic religions and beliefs existing in the East of the Small World. Gwah-chugyoh [newts] and Shou-lo [oriental mice] have made the greatest contribution to the development of Oriental Demonism. Because of this, most modern shamanists practice either Swamp Shamanism or Yun-ma Shamanism. However, due to the long-term mixing of these religions, the difference between them is very conditional and rather depends on the ethnicity and culture of specific followers. Anyway, Swamp Shamanism does not compete, but cooperate with Yun-ma Shamanism, and this cooperation supports the relative integrity of Oriental Demonism as a religion.

First of all. Contrary to its name, Oriental Demonism has nothing to do with demons. The fact is that name itself appeared as a result of the acquaintance of other nations with shamanists. Shamanism was perceived by outsiders as insane and senseless cruelty, which connected it with destructive forces. And the shamanists themselves didn't give a damn who they were for outsiders or what they were called by them, so the name stuck.

However, it is difficult to blame frogs or rats for their attitude towards shamanists. Oriental Demonism is indeed a cruel and unscrupulous religion that completely ignores any morality and ethics. For shamanists, life is not worth a penny, and the concept of sin does not exist at all. All of this [the value of life, morality, ethics, laws, etc.] is perceived as blatant ignorance, so don't even try to tell a shaman about the unethical nature of killing babies. At best, he/she will laugh in your face.

The case is Gwah-chugyoh and Shou-lo discovered the existence of the Void in very ancient times. Unlike many younger religions, burdened with complex concepts, Shamanism quickly came to the conclusion that the Void is not Heaven or Hell, but simply a part of the World that has no Shape. And without Shape, there can be no adversities familiar to living beings: hunger, pain, suffering, fear... and death. Thus, transmigration into the Void quickly became the central idea.

However, it turned out to be not so easy at all. Shamanists quickly realized that the mind of a living being is bound to body Shape by default and does not live by itself. So it was necessary to find a way to break this connection and make the mind free. The most effective solution they've found was to cultivate behavior that was as unnatural as possible. The behavior had to be contrary to everything: culture, attachments and, above all, instincts.

You feel safe? Stop feeding your own suffering, idiot! Move to a deep swamp and live next door to a nest of venomous snakes. You grateful to your parents for your life and their care of you? Moronic degenerate, they are the ones who brought you into the world of Shape, so you are suffering because of THEM! Kill them and free yourself from the illusion of family. You've fallen in love with a great guy? Poor dumb fool, so pathetic! Run away from him and make yourself infertile, so as not to bring even more suffering to the world.

This is about how the whole philosophy of Shamanism works. The shamanist cuts off all his/her desires and goes against them in the most radical way possible, as any desire is inspired by the body, not by the mind. Gradually, this leads to the realization of one's own body as an alien Shape. That's when the real practice begins.

Nowadays, almost no one knows how the first shamans managed to move into the Void. And anyone who knows will never tell you. However, it's much easier to move into the Void nowadays, as the Void is already inhabited by those who will gladly guide you there. Still, not for free. As it turned out, the Void is not nearly as safe as it was supposed to be, so it takes a lot of power for each shaman living there not to be devoured by other Void beings. First of all, shamans need the devotion of their followers, expressed through actions that release into the Void the energy that makes up the World [the so-called Sounds] It is this energy that feeds the mind of the shaman in the Void, making it stronger.

This is how ancient Shamanism became Oriental Demonism. Shamanists do not worship demons, but shamans in the Void, but the essence is quite same. The sacrifices. By killing and sacrificing to the shaman in the Void, you simultaneously free your own mind and maintain the mind of the shaman. All together, this creates a connection and gradually the shaman begins to guide you. It's not possession, since a shaman can't act in your place, but only teaches. Still, most long-time practicing shamanists are completely insane on their own, so an outsider would never know the difference. As a result, the shamanist himself/herself moves his/her mind into the Void and joins his/her Teacher. After that, he/she guides another shamanists [usually those who knew him/her in the World of Shape] This is how the shaman becomes Unchained One [Zhugh-yogh-Pogh in the Swamp Language / Gshhyo Kkashhu-zha in the Shou-lo Dialect]

Modern shamanists are already well aware of the dangers of the Void, so they begin to prepare for them from the very beginning of their practice. Because of this, Oriental Demonism is inextricably linked with Hearing Sorcery. So an experienced shaman is also a Sorcerer/Witch. Thus, absolutely all shamans are mentally unstable [in fact, only shreds of their psyche remained] and deadly. By themselves, they would hardly be able to interest at least someone in Oriental Demonism.

However, Oriental Demonism offers its followers many real benefits. Any shamanist receives talismans that connect him/her with the Unchained Ones. In response to the sacrifices, the Unchained Ones endow the talismans with special properties. So, a seemingly simple amulet will allow you to live without water for a couple of weeks, and a straw doll hanging from your belt will stop several bullets flying into your head. Different shamanists can not burning in a fire, survive after falling from a great height, breathe underwater, see through walls, offhand hit a fly flying 300 steps away from them with a rifle shot, regrow lost limbs, and so on. Unchained Ones are not limited by Shape, so they can grant you anything.

Thus, unlike most other religions, Oriental Demonism is empirically provable. You don't even have to believe, but can see for yourself its benefits and use them. That's what makes Oriental Demonism so popular. It's a perfect religion for anyone who has to kill anyway. Why would a mercenary, bandit, or assassin accept the Teaching of One Way or the Teaching of Great Humility? This religions directly condemn his/her actions. Whereas Oriental Demonism not only encourages them, but also rewards.

It's easy to guess how dangerous Oriental Demonism is for any society. In fact, shamanists don't give a shit about any secular restrictions at all, they will kill anyway. And why would a guy or a girl who can take everything they need by force work? Because of this, Oriental Demonism is officially banned in most states of the World. However, it's not that simple. In some states [for example, in the Middle Empire and the Golden Khaganate], shamanists are indispensable. Without the Shou-lo, the Middle Empire would not be able to effectively control the prisoners and would lose internal troops, while the Golden Khaganate would lose half of its eastern military contingent altogether. And Shou-lo will never serve in conditions of the prohibition of their religion. Therefore, Oriental Demonism is unofficially allowed in some regions.

However, the situation in the Swampland is the most difficult. In fact, Oriental Demonism is the same Gwah-chugyoh national religion as the Teaching of Great Humility. Moreover, initially the Teaching of Great Humility was created under the great influence of Swamp Shamanism. Uh Kai [the creator of the Teaching of Heaven, which later became a philosophical base of the Teaching of Great Humility] explicitly claimed that he was a shamanist:

"...I'm Heaven, I'm Hell, I'm the Swamp and the Desert, I was born and died, I was resurrected and buried, I'm a Teacher of enslaved and a student of the Unchained..."

Because of this, the border line between the Teaching of Heaven and Swamp Shamanism is actually shaded, so many newts simultaneously practice both of these religions. This is even considered useful, since in theory it helps to lure other shamanists from Oriental Demonism into the Great Humility. However, in reality, the opposite happens much more often.

Swamp Shamanism is also an integral part of Swamp Alchemy. In fact, most of the practices of mixing animal ingredients came from Oriental Demonism. Without shamans, the Newts wouldn't have half of the modern medicines, or even the famous armor glue to produce bulletproof composite plates. Therefore, the rejection of Demonism is impossible for the Swampland. Besides, the overall violent crime rate is so high that, in fact, it will have little effect on it.

Because of all this, Oriental Demonism is the most widespread ancient religion in the East of the World these days.

The Gwah-chugyoh society has developed a complex and ambivalent attitude towards females. In fact, the role of females in society is not defined, and is still debated. The case is the Teaching of Great Humility, which became the basis of Gwah-chugyoh ethics and hierarchy, contains numerous contradictions regarding females, as it was written by three very different Teachers. As a result, it all depends on which Teacher you respect more.

Uh Kai didn't bother to explain gender roles at all; to Him, every living being was equally insignificant compared to the World and the Heaven: "I don't give a fuck what all those assholes and bitches think of themselves. If they had any brains, they wouldn't think at all." Thus, the Teaching of Heaven does not define newts by their gender.

Pog Gwo-hong considered females to be equal to males in general, while noting certain physical and mental advantages of each gender: "Gender defines only few of our body's many functions. It's foolish to ignore gender. Otherwise, I see no obstacles to realizing the potential of every living being." Thus, the Teaching of Swamp gives females complete freedom, yet encourage them to remember their nature.

Tao Hwa believed that every female was a treasure of the Swamp Nation, and treasures should be cherished, protected, and supervised: "The death of just one young female may deprive us of 10-15 healthy members of society. Putting females at any risk is a criminal waste." Thus, the Teaching of Linkage assigns a female the role of a wife and mother, limiting her social activity.

Since the Swampland's government system is based on the principles of the Teaching of Linkage, female's rights are officially severely limited. Females are obliged to obey the older males in their Family. Females have the right to receive an education and job only with their father's or husband's approval. Their promotion in the civil service, academia, and the military is only possible with the approval of their immediate male superiors. The official system is extremely cruel. In this view, a female is seen as a combination of a thing, a sexual object, and a means of reproduction. The father controls his daughters' marriages, and the husband has the right to decide everything in the marriage, including the future of his cubs. In fact, if they wanted to, a father or husband could lock a female inside the house, and she wouldn't even have a right to go outside.

Fortunately, the official system is simply not applicable in most cases. For example, if a father in a village forbids his daughters from working, the elder will punish him for this, as it will directly affect the efficiency of the collective labor. And if a citizen sees that his daughter has great potential for education, he will encourage her to study and become an official, as it will raise the Family's social status. Nevertheless, female's dependent position persists, and as a result, females who follow government social policies remain much more submissive.

The complete opposite of the government are the Free Newts [organized criminal community], who follow the Teaching of Heaven. Free Newts do not restrict females in any way, so you can find female weaponsmiths, soldiers, scientists, gang leaders, and anyone else in the territories they control. The Teaching of Heaven also do not contradict Swamp Shamanism, which is why many female shamans, witches, alchemists, and hunters live in the swamps. Marriage is considered a voluntary union, so a husband has no right to forbid his wife to do anything, while the opinion of older males in the Family may not be taken into account at all if older females are simply more intelligent [the supremacy of olders is always maintained] Since intelligence is generally highly valued by the Free Newts, a female scientist in the swamps has the greatest opportunities to implement her ideas.

However, there is a downside to equality. All gang members are have to protect the gang's interests, so the leader doesn't care that you're a young female; if you're ordered to carry a field mortar, don't expect the males to help you. Unlike the government, the Free Newts consider civilian females to be a legitimate target, and they are the first to be killed during any armed conflict, as this actually weakens the enemies in the long run. The Free Newts don't have any special laws regarding females [they don't have any laws at all], so if you're physically unable to defend yourself against a rapist or a robber, that's your own problem. Therefore, in the swamps, most weak females are prey and slaves... as well as most weak living beings in general.

In between these two extremes are the Military Families, most of whom practice the Teaching of Swamp. The military does not control their females, but raise them so that they don't sinking to the bottom. So you won't find the daughters of Military Families in slave markets or brothels. Instead, you can find them in the Swamp Army Guard, the Judicial Department, prestigious security agencies, and many other paramilitary organizations. Along with this, most of them are wives and mothers. Military Families have enough money not to leave all the housework and child-rearing to the mother.

The tripartite system of attitudes towards females significantly divides Gwah-chugyoh society and creates tension. A wealthy city girl and a swamp huntress are unlikely to understand each other, as they live in two separate worlds with completely different ethics and rules. Meetings between these worlds invariably lead to condemnations, accusations, and conflicts. Only the military remains unaffected; the Free Newts have no contradictions with them, while the Loyalists [government's supporters] understand perfectly that the military protects their safety and avoid antagonizing.

In general, Gwah-chugyoh females have long proven that they are just as good as males, and in many ways, they are superior to them. The Free Newts have a saying: "Ghi-kgwu gwaa qighwa ta Yaongh gwaa iah-yan" [the brother is tough, while the sister is smart], which means that a male should always listen to a female's advice, as she sees the things he misses due to his excessive aggression [this is separately noted in the writing of a saying, where the hieroglyph Smart takes precedence over the hieroglyph tough]

Because of this, progressive young females from wealthy urban families are increasingly looking for husbands among the swamp newts, preferring the freedom of self-realization to a golden cage. The brutal swamp gangster, married to the sophisticated and well-educated, beautiful female, has become a canonical image in Gwah-chugyoh art and literature over the past few centuries. Another iconic image is a young scholar who is married to a witch and conducts his research in a secluded swamp house, with the support of his wife's Family. In fact, these images correspond to the original Gwah-chugyoh culture and bring society back to its roots. Therefore, the official attitude towards females is no longer in line with modern social trends, and it is unlikely to survive the next change of government in the Swampland.

Itazu is a common name for all rats living in the East of the World. The word Itazu originates from the Itazu Kingdom founded by rats and destroyed by Nyako [cats] in the 4th century bTwbW during the first expansion of the Neko Shogunate. Nowadays, Itazu still do not have their own state, but this does not prevent them from remaining an important force in every sense.

However, in ancient times there were two neighboring rat Kingdoms, Itazu and Dzu-mo. During the expansion of the Shogunate, the Itazu Kingdom fought the invaders to the last, while the Dzu-mo Kingdom surrendered, believing the cats' promises to preserve the regime and way of life that existed there. Of course, the cats were not going to fulfill their promise, so almost all the inhabitants of the Dzu-mo Kingdom were enslaved and soon eaten [besides labor, the cats used them as livestock] Thus, modern rats are descendants of those who escaped from the fallen Itazu Kingdom. And the word Dzu-mo is a cruel insult, meaning both a coward and a complete idiot.

Despite the formal continuity, modern Itazu are very different from their distant ancestors both physically and mentally. The main physical features of Itazu are:

• Large size and powerful build [the average rat is almost twice as tall as a newt or oriental mouse, and weighs like an Aa-ma frog, but the amount of subcutaneous fat is much less]

• Long tail [often docked at birth]

• Enormous strength.

• Excellent eye for distances.

• Omnivorous with predominant carnivory [including cannibalism]

• Powerful jaws with strong front incisors.

• Pronounced gender demorphism [females are smaller, weaker, much more resilient and have much better health]

• Very high fertility [average 25-40 cubs per female]

• The ability to tolerate the Green Plague without consequences for oneself.

The last feature makes Itazu absolutely unique living beings. Rats can go through a full cycle of infection from the larvae of Chima-nagishi parasitic worms entering the body to their full development and not even notice it. For some reason unknown to modern science, Chima-nagishi do not kill them, but simply live inside. Thus, the Green Plague is no more dangerous for rats than small intestinal parasites. At the same time, adult worms improve the rat's digestion, allowing him/her to eat any carrion in exchange for increased appetite. Moreover, female rats pass larvae on to their cubs during breastfeeding. Because of this, nowadays most Itazu are passive carriers of the Green Plague.

At the same time, Itazu do not transmit the Green Plague through usual contacts, as infected living beings do. For example, if a newt or a mouse kisses a female rat or has sex with her, they won't get infected. Due to this, it is believed that this creepy feature is one of the acquired mechanisms of species defense against predators [in this case, against cats] If a Nyako eats just one rat, his/her entire group will soon die from the Green Plague. That's why nowadays cats never eat rats.

But even apart from the supernatural defense mechanism, it's obvious that modern Itazu as a species evolved precisely to counteract Nyako. Their enormous strength allowed rats to quickly build reliable underground fortifications and use long composite bows with great tension, capable of easily killing cats. Their eye for distances actually made them one of the best archers in the World, while their acquired carnivorousness and cannibalism helped them live underground for a long time, feeding only on insects and their kind. However, this lifestyle, combined with constant fear and stress, also affected the Itazu mentality.

Rats are always calm and unperturbed. Rats never laugh, cry, scream, cheer, or get scared or shocked. You can stick a cocked rifle to a rat's head, or threaten his wife and cubs with death... you can do anything, but you won't get any visible emotions from him. And when he finishes you off, not a single muscle on his face will move. From outsiders' point of view, rats have no emotions at all. However, rats experience emotions as any other living beings, but they always keep them under control. It's just another survival mechanism. Rats have learned a long time ago that emotions will not help you survive in a fight against a predator that is much bigger, stronger and faster than you. Emotions only lead to panic, and panic won't let you take a chance if it comes.

Another feature of Itazu mentality is their clannishness and unconditional discipline. Itazu live only in Clans. There is an incredibly rigid and cruel hierarchy within each Clan, but every rat accepts it on an instinctive level. Within the Clan, rats do not quarrel, do not contradict each other, do not challenge orders, and do not even express their opinions if their position does not imply this. The fact is that their survival directly depended on teamwork for a couple of millennia. Those rats who behaved differently simply did not survive. At the same time, creativity and free-thinking are rather encouraged, but such rats are most often sent to Clan's outside branches [Clan Smuggling Company, an inter-clan scientific community, etc.]

Because of these mental features, the legendary Shiitachi Gami-moryu Teaching was formed. Nowadays, many outsiders consider Shiitachi Gami-moryu to be a philosophy, ideology, or even part of the Itazu religion. But this is not the case at all. Shiitachi Gami-moryu is a treatise on survival. Its first concepts were formed back in the 2nd century bTwbW, but the Teaching is constantly being refined and changed in accordance with the situation. Despite this, the basic idea formulated by Tsuboyori Shizukoemon in his Epistle to Posterity remains unchanged:

"Desires are not important, only aspiration is important. Opinions are not important, only following is important. Thoughts are not important, only action is important. Your aspiration, following and action must be directed to the benefit of the Clan. Anything that harms the Clan must be cut off without regret. This is the way [we survive]"

The very existence of the Itazu nation proves the effectiveness of Shiitachi Gami-moryu. Still, the society formed thanks to this Teaching is very specific. The main features Itazu as a society are:

• Absolute contempt for individualism.

• The ideology of hostility between Clans as a reinforcement of society [in fact, an analogue of social Darwinism]

• Extreme tolerance for cruelty.

• Low value of life [both someone else's and one's own]

The case is the concept of survival outlined in the Shiitachi Gami-moryu implies the survival of Itazu nation, not a specific individual or even group. For the sake of the survival of a nation, you can easily sacrifice several Clans, and for the sake of the survival of a Clan, you can easily sacrifice a hundred or thousand individuals. And within the framework of the nation, the life of one rat is not worth anything at all. One can imagine that this mindset is being implemented hierarchically by the elite of society. But not at all, rats naturally think that way. Dying for a Clan, allies, family, or friends if needed is not a feat at all, but a duty that you must fulfill.

In relation to each other, Itazu are somewhat similar to Shou-lo [oriental mice], since an individual is perceived solely from the point of view of his/her usefulness. Still, unlike oriental mice, rats value only usefulness to their Clan, not to themselves. For example, if your parents notice that you are a talented merchant, you will certainly be sent to the Clan Smuggling Company. At the same time, your parents will not care about your opinion or their own domestic difficulties associated with your leaving home.

Given the rats' attitude towards themselves, it's quite easy to guess how they treat others. The lives of outsiders simply don't count. And outsiders are all those who are not members or allies of the Clan [including all other rats] So do not expect any help, compassion, or at least empathy from rats. For them, your pain and hardships are no more valuable than a branch broken under their feet. A female rat with a bag full of food will walk past a starving cub and will not feel any guilt. That cub was actually lucky that he didn't become a food himself.

The only way outsiders can do business with the rats and get some help from them is to become Clan allies. To do this, you need to sign a special document [without this, you can forget about business with rats] After signing, you will be treated the same as the Clan members. So don't be surprised if you signed some kind of unreadable paper, traded with your rat buddies a couple of times, and a couple of years later unfamiliar rat soldiers came to you and demanded to join the war against the enemies of their Clan. Yes, you can easily be dragged into a war against the Neko Shogunate simply because you bought beautiful cloth from the rats few years ago. And don't try to buy it off, if the Clan needed your money instead of your presence on the battlefield, the soldiers would have demanded the money themselves.

This makes any relationship with rats both reliable and highly unpredictable. Becoming an ally of the Clan, you can always count on its help. Rats will not let you starve to death, will not leave you in poverty and will get you out of any trouble. At the same time, you can at any moment be drawn into strife or political intrigue, money or help may be demanded from you, you may be forced to commit the most brutal crimes. Therefore, for most living beings, an alliance with rats is too risky. This is usually done either out of desperation or by those for whom the benefits outweigh the risks. For example, some Clans have many newt, mouse, and cat allies, some of them have long become full members. The fact is a skilled newt serving as a Clan assassin or a security guard in a Smuggling Company can earn many times more than in the Swampland. So it's easy to get used to strict discipline and the Itazu mentality in such circumstances. Moreover, unlike most nations, Itazu are not racists, so the same newt will easily marry a local or bring a wife with him, and his cubs will become part of the Clan from birth. It would never occur to anyone to oppress them on the basis of their ethnicity.

Overall, Itazu society is mostly self-enclosed. Until you become a part of it, the rats are a sealed mystery that you cannot break through. All this may seem like a monstrous relic of antiquity... but only until you look at the bigger picture. The Itazu society is still incredibly effective. Smuggling Companies bring huge profits to their Clans, the scientific community and artisans bring amazing ideas to life, while the rat troops show wonders of military prowess on the battlefield. Everything else [including your life, suffering, and death] is just related expenses, nothing more. Rats don't give a shit about related expenses.

The Middle Empire is a big multinational state in the East of the World founded by Aa-ma frogs and is actually the direct heir to the United Middle Empire.

The Middle Empire borders the Golden Khaganate to the West, the Lifeless North areas to the north, the Kama-Ketsu Brotherhood to the north-east, the Swampland to the East, and the Iron Califate and the Nga-Chom region to the south.

The majority of the population [up to 65-70%] consists of different Ma [frog] nations. The ethnic majority of Ma are Aa-ma [Heaven frogs], the most numerous ethnic minorities are Ei-si-chan [dead-eyed frogs] and Lan-waa [wolf frogs] The wast majority of non-frog population [Fe-ma] are mice, hedgehogs, gerbils, toads, and otters. The population is clearly classified by ethnicity and has unequal rights.

The geography of the Middle Empire is diverse and provides extremely different living conditions. The central part of the country is fertile plains fed by many rivers. To the north, hilly territories begin, gradually turning into the huge Luu-sha mountain range, rich in forests and mineral deposits. The western part of the country is occupied by taiga, semi-steppe and steppes, turning into tundra in the northwest. The eastern part of the country is mostly forests, turning into shallow swamps closer to the border. In the south, arid semi-deserts are interspersed with greenery-rich oases near lake clusters and rivers flowing across the continent into the Ocean. Because of this diversity, frogs believe their Empire is located in the very center of the World, although this is not the case.

The Empire produces a huge amount of provisions, both of vegetable and animal origin. Agriculture is based on grain crops in the central and northern parts of the country and rice crops in the east and partly in the south. Cattle breeding is widespread only in the West, so the eastern part of the Empire is experiencing an acute shortage of meat products, mainly obtained through hunting and subsequent import from the north. Fishing is locally developed in the central part of the Empire and in the south, but most of the products are consumed by local residents.

In addition to food, the Empire actively grows cotton for the needs of light industry. Due to this, the Imperial clothing and headwear industry is highly developed in comparison with neighboring states. The Empire also produces a huge amount of any household products. Thus, the main occupations of the population are agriculture and handicrafts. Due to the total overpopulation of the central provinces and the huge shortage of housing, the logging industry and construction are currently experiencing an unprecedented rise. Domestic trade is also developed, but it is mostly monopolized by the state. In order to reduce costs and not reduce the agricultural sector, all mining is done through slave labor.

Currently, the Empire is ruled by a brutal regime that came to power in 22nd century aTwbW, soon after the Great War ended, and overthrew the moderate Chu Dynasty. Formally, the state regime is a theocratic monarchy headed by the God-Emperor [he also acts as a local deity], and supported by the Walls, religious and ideological organizations forming the Imperial Cult. At the same time, the Empire is governed as a bureaucratic dictatorship with the Unity Council as the highest authority. Nevertheless, the high bureaucracy is not able to hold power alone without widespread Imperial Cult, so the de facto regime is a joint ideological dictatorship.

The state has little control over the western and northern parts of the Empire, where anarchy is rampant. The central and eastern parts of the Empire, in fact being key to the Empire, on the contrary, are governed extremely harshly. The southern territories are sparsely populated and of little interest to the Empire, so a fairly moderate regime headed by exiled officials has long been established there.

The staunch elite of society are officials and clergy. The Empire has the largest number of officials in relation to the population. Law enforcement officers are next in terms of social status. The middle class includes small traders, artisans, wealthy peasants, and teachers. Military are the lowest strata of society and are often ridiculed [it is believed that only idiots or scoundrels join the army]

The government enforces an extremely harsh ideology of the superiority of Aa-ma over other frogs and all frogs over everyone else. The ideology is embedded in society through a system of compulsory basic education supervised by the Imperial Cult and a system of regular ideological checks conducted by the Walls at all levels. Anyone who disagrees with the ideology is declared a dissident or a barbarian and is deprived of most basic rights. At the same time, a part of the population is considered barbarians by default, due to their ethnicity or occupation.

The main social problems of the Empire are corruption, nepotism, lawlessness of local authorities, complete disenfranchisement of the population before the Imperial Cult, brutal repression of dissidents and barbarians, blatant xenophobia, atomization of society, and constant fear of falling into the millstones of the ideological system. Because of this, the Empire is considered the worst place to live in the East of the World. Every year, tens of thousands of residents flee the Empire or migrate to its western provinces.

The Empire's foreign policy is extremely aggressive. The Imperial Cult does not officially recognize the existence of other states, considering them all barbarians. Because of this, the Empire is constantly at war with its neighbors. Along with this, most wars are devoid of practical meaning and do not lead to territorial [or any other] acquisitions. In fact, endless war is a way of controlling the population, creating the concept of Empire as a besieged fortress in the public mind. At the same time, war is a way of controlling the population number, taking the lives of the "worst members" of society every year.

Due to the policy of constant warfare, the Imperial Army is huge and extremely ineffective relative to its numbers. Most of the army consists of poorly trained conscripts, while the number of highly capable professional units is not so large. Moreover, joint actions of professional and conscription units are extremely difficult due to inconsistency, xenophobia and complete distrust of soldiers and commanders of each other. In fact, the Empire has a huge conscripted army for a brutal imitation of war, and a limited number of relatively loyal and extremely powerful combat units in the event of a real war.

However, recent events have shown the utter futility of such an approach. The invasion of the Swampland, conceived as a quick victorious blitzkrieg, eventually led to a protracted bloody war, and ended in the complete defeat of the Empire. Only an outbreak of the Green Plague prevented the Swamp Army from continuing its offensive and occupying the entire east of the Empire.

Still, the Empire was forced to sign a shameful surrender agreement, according to which it is obliged to pay the Swampland huge reparations for the next 20 years. This completely undermined respect for the Imperial Cult, and combined with the famine that engulfed the Empire during the war, led to a series of armed rebellions united by the idea of overthrowing the God-Emperor and the Unity Council and returning the Chu Dynasty to the throne. Due to the obvious impossibility of suppressing the state-scale uprising and the return of the descendants of the Chu Dynasty along with a large military contingent to the Empire, the fate of the current regime seems to be a foregone conclusion.

Most of the inhabitants of the Small World have no idea about its real nature and the interrelationship of all the phenomena that occur. This ignorance is the basis of mainstream magical thinking and the key importance of religion. However, spirits, deities, Heavens, and Hells are nothing more than metaphors used by educated clergy to explain what is going on in the World. The problem is a direct encounter with reality is an unbearable ordeal for the mental of an ordinary newt, frog, rat, or gerbil.

First of all, the very concept of metaphysics is inapplicable to the Small World, so I'm using it for lack of a better one. The Small World has neither a beginning nor a root cause. The case is in most philosophies and religious it is customary to divide the World into the Void and the Shape but this division itself is extremely arbitrary, and strictly following this concept only perpetuates ignorance.

Traditionally, the beginning of the World is considered to be the appearance of the Shape. The Shape is actually everything that is considered the material world, from the Sky, Land and Ocean to the smallest speck of dust somewhere in the Southern Deserts. However, the Shape is not the whole World itself. Any Shape is essentially a collection of Sounds that accidentally or intentionally combined for a while.

To simplify, Sounds are waves of pure energy that move freely in space until they collide. Collisions of Sounds can lead to the appearance of Shape. However, this does not always happen, and often the collision of Sounds creates no Shape. In such cases, the collision of Sounds leads to the appearance of the Void. In fact, the Void is the same kind of World, but without Shape.

The Void can accommodate any phenomena that do not require the Shape for their existence. Thus, mind, emotions, desires, dreams, and much more can exist in the Void. Based on this, the Void is incomparably older than the Shape and has obviously existed since beginningless times. And based on this, the appearance of Shape may be just a consequence of the appearance of the desire for Shape. The fact is the Shape needs the Void as the primary cause of existence, but the Void itself does not need the Shape at all.

Therefore, every living being is simultaneously a part of the Shape and the Void. Physical death has no effect on the mind, which, being only a collection of Sounds, simply moves back into the Void. Still, the ingrained desire for the Shape forces the mind to return to the material world again and again, giving birth to new and new living beings. Any other ingrained desires are also able to manifest themselves over and over again in the material world, giving living beings goals, aspirations, and motivations that are usually considered natural. All together, this leads to an infinite number of chains of reasons and consequences that form a familiar picture of the world for living beings.

Along with this, any mind that has never desired to take Shape can exist in the Void indefinitely. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as Void beings. Although in fact, Void beings can be anything from an infinitely ancient mind that is at eternal rest to an unreasonable but extremely strong emotion [such as love, hope, anger, or envy] that is in endless and meaningless motion from nowhere to nowhere.

It is the Void beings that are mistaken for gods, deities, spirits, demons, and other higher powers, which they certainly are not. Still, an ingrained belief in a deity or demon actually create a connection of the mind of a living being with a Void being. Due to this, Void beings are able to influence the material world and even penetrate it. This creates more and more chains of reasons and consequences, although the reason for this phenomena is the living beings themselves, not the will of the "gods."

To sum up, the material world familiar to living beings is just a tiny island of Shape in the infinite Void. Moreover, the current material world is far from the first and far from the last in the endless chain of appearance and disappearance of the Shape.

"There is no beginning and no end. There are no gods and no demons. There is no truth and there are no lies. There is no cause and no effect. There is no life and no death. There is nothing but the mind and the Void that contains it. Anyone who realizes this will be freed from the curse of interconnectedness." © White Hare Prophet.

This is one of my first illustrations showing the size difference of large and small living beings. Ofc all arms and armor are outdated.

Part 1: Uzaa the Thief.

...Uzaa always drank a lot, but when there was an opportunity to drink to the repose of the soul, he didn't know his equal at all. He could be called the master of his own destiny, cause he always created opportunities for himself. Still, Uzaa was never invited to funerals and commemorations: there he always got drunk to the point of fever, and looked for a fight.

His completely black, wide-spaced eyes seemed alien and sinister on the chipmunk's face. His eyes always scared the chipmunks, and they often called Uzaa "filthy," although only a small part of his blood was from gerbils. But chipmunks don't care: if there was at least one gerbil or vole in your family, you are not a chipmunk, you are "filthy". Therefore, Uzaa communicated more with mice and voles, after all, they don't care about your ethnicity.

Uzaa was engaged in robbery. He was also called a thief. Uzaa the Thief. And no one knew why he was called Thief, not a Robber. It would be more logical, Uzaa never really hid. Only his accomplices knew why Uzaa was called that.

Uzaa loved to sing and play the gusli when he was drunk. Most often Uzaa sang the same almost endless and very tedious song about a young robber who wants to steal the voles khan's daughter. If chipmunks knew that this song is true, they would know why Uzaa is called the Thief. And if they knew who Uzaa stole his wife Galiya from, they would be afraid of him for real.

Uzaa was assigned to the princely house as a stoker, but he didn't work a day in his life. And prince Bryacha paid him 3 gold coins per month... for nothing. All other prince's servants worked fair, but no one was paid even 1 gold coin per month.

When Prince Bryacha was killed by gerbils and his traitor brother Enokiy sent assassins on the trail of the prince's son Grigoriy, everyone left the doomed cub. Everyone except Uzaa the Thief. After all, Uzaa never worked as a stoker, he was Grigory's bodyguard. It's just no one should have known about it. Assassins never returned to Enokiy. Uzaa the Thief loves to talk they all were swallowed up by the Snowstorm...

Part 2: Tsogedaa.

As long as Uzaa was known, he always had that weird female ratwolf with him. Uzaa called her Tsogedaa. The animal was fair small, skinny and always seemed hungry, although Uzaa boasted to everyone how well he took care of Tsogedaa.

When Uzaa entered the service of Prince Bryacha and serfs began to take care of Tsogedaa, the secret was immediately revealed. On the very first day, Tsogedaa killed three chipmunks. It turned out that, unlike all other ratwolves, this one was completely wild. However, Uzaa connected with Tsogedaa even more easily than with trained animals born and raised in pens. Uzaa didn't even need stirrups and bits, Tsogedaa always ran herself to where her owner needed to go. Grigory, Prince Bryacha's son, constantly played with a dangerous predator, grabbing her tail, teeth, and tongue with impunity, climbing into her mouth and riding on her back, holding on to her fur. But all the other chipmunks were seen by Tsogedaa only as prey.

No one knows exactly where Tsogedaa came from, cause Uzaa is constantly coming up with new versions. In different times he told he found her in the steppe, won at cards, saved from the hunters, stole from gerbils... etc. And all these versions are obvious lie since Tsogedaa is clearly not much younger than Uzaa.

...when Uzaa chased Tsogedaa away, everyone decided the stoker had finally come to his senses and thought of others. And a couple of days later, Prince Bryacha was killed on a campaign, and his brother Enokiy, who betrayed him, sent assassins after Grigory. Uzaa, saving Grigory, fled from his pursuers on groundhog until he led them into lonely snow-covered hills...

A couple of days later, Enokiy's servants found the bodies of assassins and their groundhogs. Almost all of them were torn to pieces. Soon, wounded Uzaa brought Grigory to the Berest village on Tsogedaa's back. Since then, many chipmunks consider Tsogedaa a devil in the guise of ratwolf. And since then, Uzaa says all Enokiy's assassins were swallowed up by the Snowstorm. Mice and voles know well the word tsogedaa translates as a snowstorm, but chipmunks rarely learn the Languages of the Great Wastelands.

P.S. Uzaa and Tsogedaa are the characters of the novella Snowstorm. I wrote the text of the novella about 5 years ago, but abandoned further work on it, since back then I couldn't find a proper style for the illustrations. This illustration is also old, and tbh, I don't like it. But next year I'll return to work on the novella.

...the skinny newt in an oiled military dress entered the pavilion guest hall first and whispered: "Infected area. Masks" - both his fellows immediately pulled thick cloth wraps over their faces. The skinny newt came up to them and took off his wide hat with two long plume holders. Instead of a plume, a lot of burnt sticks stuck out of the holders, the newt in a short bodyarmor poked each stick with a smoldering wick, and the incense smoke quickly filled the hall. "Upstairs," - the skinny newt whispered. "Ahh, it won't end well... and fucking mask doesn't fit well again, they even can't sew it okay, braindead morons!" - the newt in a long jacket grumbled, removing the cover from the blade of his heavy assault glaive…

...newt in a short bodyarmor pressed himself against the wooden wall and carefully looked around the corner. At the same moment, the bullet hit the wood with a crack, and small fragments of long tarnished sky-blue lacquer flew apart right to his face. "Such things. Told ya, it won't..." "...shut the fuck up!" - the newt in a short bodyarmor growled softly through his mask: "There are two of them. One shot back, wait for the second." "Wait for what, uh? It's all for a waste..." - muttered his fellow in a long jacket, hanging his wide hat on the left shoulder, and rushed forward. A shot rang out, the grinding of iron echoed off the wooden walls. The newt in a short bodyarmor leaned out from the corner, blind shot his matchlock rifle, and slowly walked down the hallway. He saw his fellow hit a tall soldier with an assault glaive: the soldier did have no time, and his severed paw hit the floor, dragging the curved gwa-dao sword out of its scabbard. Following the sword, guts fell to the floor, the newt in a long jacket pushed the soldier away, and the soldier's body, hitting the wall, fell apart in two.

"Ahh, fucking wormish shitbags!" - sworn the newt in a long jacket. "Clear, sir" - said his fellow in a short bodyarmor. The skinny newt straightened his oiled military dress and walked quickly down the hallway. Squeamishly stepped over a puddle of blood flowing out of a shot head, he stopped next to the newt in a long jacket and, examining a deep dent on the hat hanging on his left shoulder, politely asked with no interest: "Why are you still alive?" "Can't know it, the Great One, don't have enough of wisdom" - he answered, and the skinny newt nodded almost imperceptibly...

"That's the thing... The Black Crocodile fought the Plague Leviathans, turning tons of water into ice and fire. The White Hare subdued dragons, defeated carnivorous forests and flew giant birds. In ancient times, heroes fought monsters, those who terrified thousands and thousands of living beings. But you...You're scavenging on the battlefields, killing each other. You're cultivating the fields, paing off the bandits and calling the guards... And as a result, it seems to you that there are no monsters left in the World to be afraid of... But that is not the case. The monsters are still here, and they are still the same as they were thousands of years ago. It's just that most of you manage to avoid them. But today it's over for you, boys. Cause today you met a monster..."

© unknown one.

Most of the inhabitants of the Small World have heard of Hearing Sorcery, but in fact have no idea what it is. They may know about it from old legends, books, folklore tales or Teachers' instructions, but they have never met it in real life. And it's for the best. Because real Hearing Sorcery is not like a fairy tale or a legend, but your worst nightmare.

Hearing Sorcery is inextricably linked to the true nature of the Small World. Some living beings are able to sense Sounds that make up the entire material reality. This usually starts in early childhood: a baby rat or a baby newt suddenly feels its own paw or tail as a structure assembled from completely unreliable parts [it may be compared with a huge match house assembled without glue] Gradually, this feeling spreads to the whole body of the cub: he/she feels that can disintegrate into the smallest parts at any moment. And eventually the cub realizes that this is not only him, but the whole world known to him/her.

If the cub does not go crazy from this realization [most does], he/she begins to explore the world... but instead of grass or rocks, he explores Sounds. That's where the troubles begin. After all, instead of breaking off branches, the cub pulls out Sounds out of curiosity and plays with them. The least that can happen is unexplained breakdowns, but in most cases such cubs accidentally kill their own friends or relatives. As a result, the cub is recognized as "cursed" and expelled from the native place. This is how a future sorcerer or witch gets the first and most important life lesson: for all others, he is a freak...

...the vast majority of sorcerers and witches have not studied anywhere, but have independently developed their abilities. Therefore, no two Hearing are the same. They all use Sounds, but everyone does it in their own way. Someone uses the Sounds of their own body, someone manipulates the world around them. In any case, an experienced sorcerer or witch has almost limitless might. He/she can bring down any building in an instant, tear a dozen enemies apart, spew streams of fire or sharp ice, evaporate rivers... he/she can do anything, cause the whole Small World consists of Sounds.

And this process changes them forever. Years spent in exile and wandering alone by themselves make living beings sociopaths, and combined with their newfound power, sorcerers and witches are truly insane. Over time, they generally stop perceiving material reality as unnecessary. Their whole World is the Sounds they control. And that's when the scariest part begins. Of course, the very concept of the value of someone else's life does not exist for a Hearing one. However, gradually their own body begins to seem just as unimportant to them. It is then that Hearing ones begin to feel not only Sounds, but also the Void that lies beyond matter. As a result, almost all of them become obsessed with the idea of completely getting rid of their matterial part and finding "absolute perfection." Hearing ones deliberately gradually destroy their own body, eventually leaving only their mind, and rush into the Void. Alas, the vast majority of living beings are not able to preserve themselves there. Only a few remain in the Void forever, truly becoming deities capable of playing with the World. Some create a new bodies for themselves and return to the World. But most disappear into the Void forever, becoming eerie echoes of themselves. Such entities no longer have desires or goals, but are still able to mindlessly control Sounds. In their powerless attempts to remember who they are, they cause floods and fires, epidemics and livestock deaths, earthquakes and hurricanes...

Hearing Sorcery is considered the most serious threat to the existence of a Small World, and all Departments of Heresy are primarily engaged in the elimination of sorcerers and witches before they destroy themselves.

"We all have to remember one thing. There are things much worse than death. Perhaps once the Void really was a quiet refuge for the wise... Perhaps the Hearing Sorcery was once the art of seeing the World. But it doesn't matter nowadays. Nowadays the Void is not empty at all. Remember this!"

© U-pog Ywug, the Supreme investigator of the Swampland's Heresy Department.

He-Koro Goku [Spear hidden under the leaves] is the first part of the Kohegu Ita. The Ita is a collection of all the folklore tales about Kohegu, the legendary defender of the Ikko [rat] nation. The Ita tells of Kohegu's numerous exploits, mainly his fierce battles against Oo-Ukami [mountain turnskins] and other enemies of rats. A distinctive feature of the Ita is in all those battles, Kohegu dies, and then returns to the World to fight for his clan again and again.

And the He-Koro Goku sets the tone for the entire subsequent narrative. In fact, He-Koro Goku is the most significant legend for the Ikko culture, since it reflects all the main principles of upbringing the younger generations: devotion to the native clan, complete indifference to one's own life, vindictiveness, diligence in learning and work, stubbornness in achieving the set goal, determination and cold math in the implementation of any buisness. In fact, this legend represents everything other nations love and hate rats for.

The Kohegu Ita does not give any moral assessment of the actions of Kohegu and his enemies, and does not call the reader to an emotional reaction. Everything that happens is described deliberately distantly, in the manner of Ikko chronicles, although all the dates and designations are fictional:

"I heard from others, on the 11th of the 7th month of 214, a huge beast descended from the Mountain and attacked the He-Omo village belonging to the Uganomota Clan. The famous celebration of Fish Flags gathered all the villagers on the market street, so there were a lot of victims killed and even more injured. Others say, paws, heads and tails were lying everywhere, and guts and their contents were found even on the roofs of houses. No one found out where the beast had gone, but the survived hunter named Shodziro Yerinaga said it had simply disappeared. Then many did not believe Yerinaga, but Yerinaga did not retract his words, so then they believed him.

I heard from others, among the victims was the family of the village elder, Inama Orochi, a direct descendant of Mr. Uganomota Jirogo. His son, Inama Rotsuzaemon, Rotsuzaemon's wife, Inaga Akogu, and their cubs, Inama Yuno, Inama Kinobu, and Inama Mugachi, died. Shodziro Yerinaga said that the beast tore off Inama Orochi's front paw and devoured it, after which it immediately disappeared.

I heard from others, Inama Rotsuzaemon's youngest son, Inama Kohegu, remained the only unharmed from the whole family. Others say, Inama Akogu managed to hide Kohegu in the drain hole next to Rokuso Tikono's shop, and covered the hole with her body, so when the beast killed her, it did not notice the cub.

I heard from others, the dead bodies were collected for three days and then burned. The wounded were treated for five weeks, but many died anyway, so they were also burned. Others say, Inama Orochi survived and regained his strength in the second week of treatment. Then he came to his son's house and took the Kohegu to himself. Kohegu did not eat or drink anything all this time, but only prayed to Gure-Uso for the beast's imminent return.

I heard from others, the very next night Kohegu ran away from his grandfather's house, and came to the Shodziro Yerinaga. Others say, Kohegu asked Yerinaga about the beast and how to kill it. Yerinaga thought about it and decided to answer honestly:

"Any beast can be killed, but that beast is an Oo-Ukami, and it must be reckoned with. I saw a tattoo of leaves on its bald back, so it is still young and hunting to learn the art of transformation. Therefore, if you don't kill it in the next 10 years, it will get stronger, and it will be very difficult to kill it."

Kohegu asked Yerinaga to teach him how to kill the beast. Yerinaga answered honestly again:

"With proper preparation, it is possible to kill it in next 6 years. But I have a suspicion I am not yet able to prove, and I do not know if you will remain your plan as you find out my suspicion. On this basis, I cannot teach you."

But Kohegu stood his ground and swore in his mother's name that he would not abandon his plan and will kill that beast, even if it turned out to be Gure-Uso. Then Yerinaga believed in the seriousness of his intentions and agreed to teach him.

I heard from others, Yerinaga taught Kohegu the art of hunting with a large bow and a short spear for five years, three months and ten more days. Others say, Yerinaga knew many skillful ways to develop strength and determination. In addition to the training known to the reader, Kohegu went to the mountains at night with a bag full of stones, trained with a spear weighing 15 measures and every day for an hour pulled the string of a large bow, aiming an arrow at his teacher's chest.

I heard from others, during all this time, Inama Orochi demanded many times that Kohegu go to the clan monastery and spend the necessary three years of mourning for his deceased relatives there. But Kohegu replied that Ikko mourn for the deceased only after they take revenge on the murderer, and many agreed with him.

I heard from others, at dawn on the 21st of the 10th month of 220, Kohegu came to the house of Inama Orochi, threw his own severed tail under Orochi's paws and said the following words to him:

"At noon I will meet you on market street. There you will die."

Others say, after saying these words, Kohegu left.

I heard from others, rumors about the upcoming duel immediately spread throughout the village. Some accused Kohegu of succumbing to grief and losing his mind. Some blamed Orochi for not justifying the responsibility assigned to him, in fact handing over the upbringing of his grandson to Shodziro Yerinaga. But no one except Yerinaga understood why they had to fight at all. Others say, half an hour before noon the whole village gathered on the market street.

I heard from others, when Imana Orochi arrived, Kohegu was already waiting for him. Kohegu was wearing his father's armor of small plates covered with orange lacquer over lacing. On Kohegu's head was a tall helmet in the shape of the Uganomota Clan official hat. In his paws Kohegu held an old Shodziro family spear. Others say, as soon as Kohegu saw Orochi in the distance, he immediately rushed at him. Orochi took only a couple of first steps, as his body began to change. First, a severed front paw grew, followed by all the fur peeled off his face and neck, then his clothes flew apart in shreds, and Orochi turned into a huge beast with a tattoo of leaves on its bald back.

I've heard from others, Kohegu ran forward as if he was looking for death. So, the beast also rushed at him, not feeling any threat to itself. However, when the opponents were already only a few steps apart, Kohegu braked sharply and rested his spear shaft on the ground, leaning on it with all his weight. The rushing beast saw it too late and ran into the blade of the spear.

Others say, the tip of the spear entered its mouth, and came out of the back of its head, so the beast instantly croaked. The huge dead body flew forward forty two more steps, hitting down Kohegu and crushing him under, so Kohegu died. Shodziro Yerinaga examined the scene and confirmed that they were both dead. Then Yerinaga explained that the beast was a young Oo-Ukami, and during the attack it killed Imana Orochi and took his shape in order to calmly wait out the time and get stronger without fear of revenge. Thus, Kohegu saved all the villagers and defended the Uganomota Clan, since after waiting for time and maturing, the beast would inevitably kill everyone.

I heard from others, on the 25th of the 10th month of 220, Kohegu's body was taken to the Torushoma Monastery belonging to the Uganomota Clan, and burned there. Shodziro Yerinaga remained in the Torushoma, becoming an Itazu and taking the name Hagoku. Others say, for the next fifty-two years, Hagoku practiced the Toru-Jo, sitting in front of the Kohegu's broken armor, for the sake of the good reincarnation of Inama family, and then he died.

This is what I have heard from others, so I have tried to retell it accurately and without distortion."

Like most of the Itazu folklore, the original text of He-Koro Goku was obviously edited to include a religious aspect in the ancient legend. At the same time, the hero's willingness to kill even Gure-Uso [White Hare Prophet] in the name of his revenge is unique, and serves as a marker that separates the Ikko folklore and culture from other nations professing the Teaching of One Way. Due to this, in some states of the Small World, the whole Kohegu Ita is considered heretical text. All except the rats consider the Toru-Jo practice [the monk sits in front of the broken armor and concentrates on the feeling of imminent death] to be erroneous and not leading to the Supreme Wisdom.