Lost Isles- The Poru of Komadas


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	Poru . . The race of the poru began 40,000 years ago in northern Komadas, when the Ekkerite sect of the aoru broke away from their home and journeyed south in search of longevity, power, and a return to the former glory of the aoru. Their exodus led them to the slopes of Mount Omatsu, which Teijian preached was the greatest source of power on Komadas. Over the next year, the renegade aoru, now called poru, searched and found tunnels into the mountain, which led them to its fiery, explosive center. There, the poru found power, and evil, beyond all expectation. Over time, the poru, with their new religion, their new ways, and their new world, discovered the mastery which their aoru cousins had lost. They gradually began living longer lives, and they were able to tap into the wells of magical forces that resided deep within the mountain. Their new god led them, fed them power and longevity, and altered their forms to better survive their inferno surroundings. Their new god was Marubiliss, demon lord of the pyre, who resided within the heart of Omatsu.
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	Though Marubiliss is evil, and led the poru, the poru’s hearts did not completely darken as a race. Rather, the influence of the demon affected the poru by making them forget, over time, where they came from, forgetting that they were part of the world, separating them from all knowledge of their roots and heritage. They forgot their former connection to the Lai, replacing it with the demon’s own spirituality of power and fire. The poru’s image was changed to reflect their new lord. Even so, the poru are a civilization where children are born and raised, matings arranged, food and resources gathered, crafts learned, magics mastered, long lives lived, and above all, great homage, praise, and sacrifice given to Marubiliss. Everything about poru life revolves around the demon lord. The poru can no longer tolerate the cooler surface temperatures outside of their deep, magma-fed homes. Their ventures outside into the surface world are short excursions, for patrols, and subsequent raids. The poru attack aoru and human towns and caravans for valuable goods and food, as well as slaves for sacrifices for Marubiliss. The poru carry molten-forged weapons, see very well in sudden light shifts, and are masters of the forces of heat, fire, and all things black. Few aoru and humans have survived to escape captivity by the poru: those few that have escaped tell barely credible stories of a rich and beautiful city under Omatsu, with lava rivers and graceful architecture, and terrifying bloody sacrifices to the dark demon Marubiliss. No one is quite sure the full extent of the poru civilization, but explorers and scholars are certain that the poru numbers exceed those of their aoru cousins. The poru can be seen anywhere under the surface of Komadas, where tunnels connect to Omatsu, and are heated enough to support poru life at optimal conditions. Superheated subterranean cavern systems have been located in the southernmost part of the island and underneath Fever swamp.