"Worry not, little one, you won't be starving with me..." 

For being biologically close to aquatic creatures they caused qualms among other tribes at first, but today Dova are known as the Sea People and Ghosts of the Ocean, yet not in a foul way. Even so Dova openly show preying aggressiveness towards less intelligent species, they are actually one of the kindest of all tribes, cheerful and blithe in mind, holding heads high, altruistic and first to sacrifice themselves for another kin. Almost motherly they are protective of smaller sistren. Whence it often feels like they treat us as children, and view all our actions as mere childsplay. They even accept hostility so easy as such – once you declare Dova an enemy, then without question they will see themselves as your enemy, but they will not see you as their enemy, and so facile it is to end a conflict just by accept their friendly hand. No matter what we do – they are gentle and benevolent to us.

During early Age of Crumbling Dova contributed greatly to the people who lived around Sea of Birth, and other tribes commend them for it. At the times when survival was harsh and people were lingering into superstition, other tribes were telling stories to their kids about Ghosts emerging from seas, so they are not afraid to seek aid from the Sea People who come to help – who are to protect from evil creatures of the Ocean, and to feed when you hunger, and to rebuild during disasters. Parables and myths of their deeds remain till this day, thus many folklore figures are based on ancient deeds of Dova kin.

One of such legendary folklore figures would be the generous Ghost of Grandma Zanada Graoza, a gift-giver emissary of Allmother. At the last night of every month she would reward virtuous kids who listen to their parent, emerging from earth and ground as if it is ocean and leaving presents under beds they sleep; but those kids who dare to stay awake would disappoint her and be dragged into bottomless abyss of the Ocean for punishment. Of course the more helpful and obedient kids were to parents, the great was her present. So it became a long-lasting tradition for parent to reward their children under disguise of Grandma Zanada.

At some point Dova started to migrate and spread to other coasts and isles. A great deal remained on shores around Waist and Thigh Regions, but more were settled on Tail Archipelago. This was Her crumbling Gorgeousness for the longest period, with many emergent problems. Aside from foraging of native stubborn trees, continuous large-scale agriculture is barely possible in soil quality so sterile; no serious towns would stand for long before earth crack under them; and while fishing was already dangerous near these islands, it become even more straining when Serpent’s spawn begun setting lairs there. Other tribes adjourn any attempt to settle on Tail Archipelago even into current Age, except for Dovas: they are people of action and obstinate courage. Dova spirit is made of contest and rivalry against the nature and existence itself, challenging the tremendous or dying while trying – “The worth of our lives should be measured by scars” they say, and fortunately for them there is no greater challenge right now than the Ocean… and what slumber deep beneath it… Besides, they wanted to have at least some hunting grounds they can have all for themselves.

There, on Tail Islands, they would organize as nomadic culture: a few villages were build with a handful of families to permanently live and take care of shores, while the rest would regularly move between these villages following seasonal fish migrations, forest fruitfulness and Envasion occurrences. Although, as Dova populations grew, some clans didn’t stay there for long either and traveled beyond. Many nations and states claim to be the first to settle on various coasts, but eroded sites of primal villages built by Dova ancestors can still be discovered, with no burial grounds or traces of mass extinctions found – Dova themselves believe that their ancestors didn’t find these beaches inspiring enough to stay there, so they returned.

***

Massive frills, for which Dova are called Ghosts, are very light and have a natural use in water: while lagging behind they conceal movements of arms and disorient prey at the moment of an attack, though arms are mostly used to grab and hold onto prey before biting it with deadly jaws. Dova can propel themselves really fast by utilizing quick wavy mirrored movement of their twin tails, in which case these frills make Dova visually longer and bigger, deceiving other predators on where to bite… before it is already too late.

On land Dova secrete oily sweat to protect their skin from drying out; they are in constant need to be moisturized, and so Dova tribe don’t live in areas and cities where they are not guaranteed to get access to water on demand, or at least humidity is high enough and rains are regular. Temperature is not much of a problem for them as blubber layer may easily lose or gain fat to adjust for different regions and seasons.

Dova do have a set of gills, but just to help them stay submerged for longer – not live underwater like some believe. They can freely swim deep for over an hour without relying on gills, and for almost three hours if actively use them (but with modern diving gear they can stay underwater indefinitely). Dova capable of that because their bodies maintain high amount of myoglobin, and a greater volume of blood than it actually seems, and since Dova depend on their twin tails to swim – these muscles as well accumulate more myoglobin to stay fresh for prolonged periods.

As a protection for their vast and powerful circulatory system Dova developed strong immunity against many natural toxins, paralyzers and unnatural-made poison. Some ancient text say that Dova could consume Umbral flesh that of Jealous Beastiary raw and survive. It is impossible to confirm if it is true, since this practice of eating Serpent’s offspring became culturally loathsome in Meority long time ago and claimed to be heretical by Herquisition, but Dova are ones to rarely become Envious.

***

Having mention that, the same antitoxin production in Dova bodies also have a side-effect of overdosing organ systems with hormones for a very extended time, and results of that is as well drastically different between futales and females.

Futales feel rising urge to proof the quality of own might, to show themselves as the absolute hunters and protectors. When hormones are low they just flex their muscles, test limitations of own physique or spar with each other; but it doesn’t mean they will not challenge an othertribe sistren when they see one as a worthy rival, and whether one wants it or not Dova always go all in; but if you truly win though, you will earn their lifelong respect… and even longer line of new challengers. However when hormone dosage is really high – Dova futales depart their homes to hunt. They may swim for weeks and hundreds of kilometers to find the biggest ocean monster and tote its carcass back to flaunt own performance, but if another futale brings a greater game they may sail to hunt again for even bigger prey, missing for weeks again or dying deep in the ocean, which they still accept as a fitting result to own weakness.

Females are prone to hunt for sea creatures themselves, but under hormonal high they have an urge to be mothers and nurture kids. However, if Dova females yet childless, her brain will be wired to treat smaller othertribe sistren as own children. In this states she will mentally cling to one or two and be protective of them… very protective… too protective. Dova females would not cosset you, but rather prefer to chain you to a wall in a hidden room somewhere in the forgotten lands, where no evil can find you and you can’t harm yourself; never leaving you alone, constantly looking at you not being hurt, carelessly feeding so you not hunger, warming you with a hug of own body so you do not shiver from cold. Their motherly treatment will never end, but if it does then it is just temporarily, because when the next cycle starts she will run to find you and only you, in fear of missing her only dear “child”. If you meet such Dova, her watch over you will never end until you life as perfect as she deems, and then she will stay there forever to make sure it all remain perfect. She be very obsessed and jealous if you interact with anyone else, maybe for an exception of a spouse, but even then she might not like her and attempt to drive away the unworthy. Non of these are theories, considering a few infamous known cases... and who know how many more unknown cases.

Elders try to convince youngsters to reproduce first and only then care about bravery, yet as a result of these frequent and irregular hormonal spikes, where substantial number of young futales are absent during female Estrus cycles or dying on hunts before passing down genes, while females themselves are missing somewhere taking care of othertribe “children”, Dova population is not only stagnated, but in the last two centuries it dwindled due to exponentially increased Envasions. Today Dova are the smallest of Eight Sacred Tribes. In fact their numbers would already reach lower than that of some subservient tribes if not for Military Entente between Feet Republic and Free States of Tail Archipelago.

Cursed image of a High Abomination of the Cult of Slug; Eight times redrawn and purified by Herquisition; First depicted by a Martyr 1324, let her repentance and sacrifice be the forgiveness for past betrayal.

***

“Smells like wet fire… like a putrescent brine... darkness everywhere… but it is not absence of light, it is miasma… I hear thunderstorm, but see no lightning... I see nothing... but I see umbral blood vessels... so swollen that they spread, outreaching outside… Rotten leaves grow where arteries burst with thunder… it is sacrilege rot... and own blood is worn like a dress... veins converging into a knot… pulsating like a heart, all-thinking, always-knowing, Narcissistic about own existence… carried by two bodies... but there was more… there is more… there will be more… they are inside veins, not blood… faces of parasites, constantly changing in their Arrogant expressions… myriad… merging… still in process of merging... but never... It spreads bloody tendrils towards me… I refuse… it doesn’t care… it wants to know me, so it can remove me from the existence… because it doesn’t like that there is something else in here... but it already knows about me, from the future where I don’t exist anymore… It consumes all the darkness around itself, blaming everything that ever existed and don’t exist anymore… but… Darkness is oozing from it, stench of black nothing… It survives on slurping its own rot...”

Cursed murmurs of a Martyr 1317, let her repentance and sacrifice be the forgiveness for past betrayal; Eight times rewritten and purified by Herquisition; describing unholy visions of a High Abomination of the Cult of Slug.

We are born from Her flesh, and when we die we return to Her flesh – with all our substance, with all our memories, with all our emotions.

Meora remembers Her every dear child. All we achieved, all we experienced, all we dreamed about – She remembers it all, our Allmother. This memory of us is what we call a Soul.

Sometimes Meora may shows us apparition of dear to us, who are already part of Her, to comfort our life, but as well through the Gift we can conjure these memories of our ancestors – in a shape of phantoms and ghosts they will appear. Moreover there are rumors of places where souls roam free like Her misbehaving children, when their own death is mere nothing compared to ardor of reasons to stay alive and play around.

 Was it your will or not, to sense the Evil is to be corrupted by it. When you witness its ugly form, when you hear its nauseating howls, when you smell its sickening stench, when you read its foul words and messages... Your being becomes tainted by it one way or another, and thus more susceptible to the Serpent.

It is not a sin, but it is… bewailful. Remedy Engifted can cleanse your body and purify your mind, but the fact of being touched by the corruption even once is enough to never be pure again. And some Herquistion members believe that even be informed about existence of the Serpent means to be tainted by Its influence.

It is why many dither to even consider fighting the Jealous Beastiary or Heretics, a fear. Likewise their sovereigns and leaders who would rather avoid tainting own people and ask only a few to sacrifice own purity in extermination of the most acute pestilent nests while awaiting greater heroes to conquer what is much further.

Though some sistren see it as a proof a true guardian, who truly sacrificed themselves to the cause. It is how the Red Capes and Knights of Creation are eventually forced to join Ordono Kerno and bear their bells. After years of fervently slaughtering Traitors and Envious Beastiary they get soaked in corruption, so deep it is that no Purification nor Cleansing can save them anymore – a doleful sacrifice… a sacrifice they do to protect the rest of us, so we never get corrupted even slightest.

Yet peaceful civilians are never safe: Envious and their Cults always try to poison waters, food and air just by mere existing. They whisper cursed words when you sleep, enough to reach your ears for you to remember them. They make you see visions on walls and paintings you shouldn’t. They never stop… but it is our duty to Meora to stay as pure as she created us – Gorgeous in body and Joyful in spirit, and we can not falter.

An uncontrollable Aura of change surrounding high-grade Engifted, which alters the reality into what it shouldn’t be, driven by their broken sanity an understanding of the world.