In the Beginning
In ancient times, Kugona was a simple religious settlement built near a sacred spring, the meeting place for wandering tribes with a deep connection to the earth. In time, those tribes coalesced into a single unit, which built Kugona into a massive, beachside city. The sacred spring still sits in the city center, blessing the residents of Kugona with peace and health.
Kugona itself occupies a massive peninsula to the south of Almira. The city and its surrounding area are full of gravel beaches, lush wildflowers, and small sunny groves of apple and pear trees. Flocks of seagulls, thrushes, geese, and herons fly over peaceful wooden jetties. Otters and seals hunt for fish and oysters in the clear waters, while deer and foxes move peacefully among the sparse trees and abundant flowers.
Kugona itself occupies a massive peninsula to the south of Almira. The city and its surrounding area are full of gravel beaches, lush wildflowers, and small sunny groves of apple and pear trees. Flocks of seagulls, thrushes, geese, and herons fly over peaceful wooden jetties. Otters and seals hunt for fish and oysters in the clear waters, while deer and foxes move peacefully among the sparse trees and abundant flowers.
Three Rulers
Kugona is a triachy. Each of three monarchs who rule this natural paradise are chosen by the earth, the sea, or the sky. While all Kugonans follow the rule of the three monarchs, most pledge themselves to the sea, sky, or earth, and the corresponding ruler.
The first is the Benevolent, a monarch chosen by the earth for their kindness and wisdom. When a benevolent dies and a new benevolent must be chosen, each person who believes themselves worthy comes to the sacred spring at the center of Kugona. The earth itself chooses the successor, blowing a lotus from the sacred spring towards the new benevolent. The days between a Benevolent’s death and a new Benevolent being chosen are considered to be incredibly unlucky, and most people stop their work for the duration of this time.
The second ruling figure in Kugona is known as the Denga, or Sky Child. A denga is born at the exact moment the previous Denga dies. The newborn is chosen by the sky itself from amongst all mortals on the Material Plane. Members of the Lotus Covenant, a monastic order to the south of Kugona, find the newly born denga with their divinations and bring them to Kugona to study and rule. A denga is marked with pure white skin and lightning tattooes. They often find themselves drawn to disciplines that utilize their inherent connection to the sky, such as stormborn sorcerers and sky druids.
The third ruling figure is the Ni’la. The Ni’la is delivered to Kugona in a basket of reeds from the ocean itself. Many families search desperately for the child when it is to come, that they may have a hand in raising the next ruler. A Ni’la is born when the ocean sees fit. If another Ni’la is currently in power, they must cede the throne to the new child, though they often remain as an adviser.
The first is the Benevolent, a monarch chosen by the earth for their kindness and wisdom. When a benevolent dies and a new benevolent must be chosen, each person who believes themselves worthy comes to the sacred spring at the center of Kugona. The earth itself chooses the successor, blowing a lotus from the sacred spring towards the new benevolent. The days between a Benevolent’s death and a new Benevolent being chosen are considered to be incredibly unlucky, and most people stop their work for the duration of this time.
The second ruling figure in Kugona is known as the Denga, or Sky Child. A denga is born at the exact moment the previous Denga dies. The newborn is chosen by the sky itself from amongst all mortals on the Material Plane. Members of the Lotus Covenant, a monastic order to the south of Kugona, find the newly born denga with their divinations and bring them to Kugona to study and rule. A denga is marked with pure white skin and lightning tattooes. They often find themselves drawn to disciplines that utilize their inherent connection to the sky, such as stormborn sorcerers and sky druids.
The third ruling figure is the Ni’la. The Ni’la is delivered to Kugona in a basket of reeds from the ocean itself. Many families search desperately for the child when it is to come, that they may have a hand in raising the next ruler. A Ni’la is born when the ocean sees fit. If another Ni’la is currently in power, they must cede the throne to the new child, though they often remain as an adviser.
Communal and Cosmopolitan
Kugona is both deeply communal and radically cosmopolitan. Kugonan ethics draw heavily on their history as an amalgam of tribes and on their connection to the earth. All are welcome in Kugona’s family, if they are kind and good. Out of all of Almira’s cities, Kugona takes in the most refugees from the predations of the Palace of Sin. Kugona’s diet, architecture, fashion, and even spellcasting are distinctively influenced by the city’s blend of natural history and urban industry.
Diet and Agriculture
Kugonan diets consist mainly of seafood and venison, as well as local fruits, vegetables, and edible wildflowers. A staple of Kugonan cuisine is Souto Wehove, which translates roughly to “fisherman’s soup” in Sylvan. A good souto wehove contains a myriad of different shellfish, including clams, lobster, and oysters. The soup’s broth includes edible wildflowers and apples, creating a sweet and decadent broth with rich colors. Souto wehove is served with “flowerr bread,” a thick country bread made from a flour of ground, dried wildflowers which thickens the soup’s broth when the bread is dipped.
Fashion
Dresses woven from living dune grasses, massive flowers used as fashionable umbrellas, and even stylish clothing for pet leshies are some of the hallmarks of Kugonan fashion. Fashion forward Kugonans are well known for their hair dyes, nail polishes, lip rouges, and even skin coloring made from the region’s vibrant wildflowers. Pets such as leshies, dogs, herons, turtles, or even seals and foxes are highly fashionable. A well cared for pet is a sign of personal goodness and selflessness. Like Kugona’s citizens, such pets are often clothed in dazzling outfits of dyed, woven grasses and preserved wildflowers.
Architecture
It has been said that the apples and pears of Kugona are the King and Queen of fruit, for their taste and their place in Kugona’s architecture. Houses in Kugona are small, often white constructions scattered across the beach’s dunes, wetlands, and orchards, connected by dusty winding roads and boardwalks. Each house incorporates at least one apple or pear tree in their design, gracing corners, bursting through roofs and floorboards, even securing the glass of windows. These curling trees are well maintained and many are thousands of years old.
Spellcasting
Kugona’s spellcasters often commune with nature and spirits to power their spells, becoming sages, druids, shamans, and sorcerers. They often use the city’s famous wildflowers as components in their spellcasting and their spells take advantage of the wild dune grasses, the crisp sea air and the push and pull of the waves.
The Lotus Covenant
While the Lotus Covenant is most well known for its sacred duty of finding the Denga, the sky-born ruler of Kugona, this monastic order also communes with local spirits to ensure that this pristine natural setting is well protected. The diviners and seers of the Lotus commune with the spirits of nature in order to see the weave of time and fate, and call upon these spirits to defense the city of threats. Members of the Lotus Covenant often remain in their monastery of granite and marble, located directly south of Kugona.
Diet and Agriculture
Kugonan diets consist mainly of seafood and venison, as well as local fruits, vegetables, and edible wildflowers. A staple of Kugonan cuisine is Souto Wehove, which translates roughly to “fisherman’s soup” in Sylvan. A good souto wehove contains a myriad of different shellfish, including clams, lobster, and oysters. The soup’s broth includes edible wildflowers and apples, creating a sweet and decadent broth with rich colors. Souto wehove is served with “flowerr bread,” a thick country bread made from a flour of ground, dried wildflowers which thickens the soup’s broth when the bread is dipped.
Fashion
Dresses woven from living dune grasses, massive flowers used as fashionable umbrellas, and even stylish clothing for pet leshies are some of the hallmarks of Kugonan fashion. Fashion forward Kugonans are well known for their hair dyes, nail polishes, lip rouges, and even skin coloring made from the region’s vibrant wildflowers. Pets such as leshies, dogs, herons, turtles, or even seals and foxes are highly fashionable. A well cared for pet is a sign of personal goodness and selflessness. Like Kugona’s citizens, such pets are often clothed in dazzling outfits of dyed, woven grasses and preserved wildflowers.
Architecture
It has been said that the apples and pears of Kugona are the King and Queen of fruit, for their taste and their place in Kugona’s architecture. Houses in Kugona are small, often white constructions scattered across the beach’s dunes, wetlands, and orchards, connected by dusty winding roads and boardwalks. Each house incorporates at least one apple or pear tree in their design, gracing corners, bursting through roofs and floorboards, even securing the glass of windows. These curling trees are well maintained and many are thousands of years old.
Spellcasting
Kugona’s spellcasters often commune with nature and spirits to power their spells, becoming sages, druids, shamans, and sorcerers. They often use the city’s famous wildflowers as components in their spellcasting and their spells take advantage of the wild dune grasses, the crisp sea air and the push and pull of the waves.
The Lotus Covenant
While the Lotus Covenant is most well known for its sacred duty of finding the Denga, the sky-born ruler of Kugona, this monastic order also communes with local spirits to ensure that this pristine natural setting is well protected. The diviners and seers of the Lotus commune with the spirits of nature in order to see the weave of time and fate, and call upon these spirits to defense the city of threats. Members of the Lotus Covenant often remain in their monastery of granite and marble, located directly south of Kugona.