House Mollusca
Mollusca Plate by Moonflower
An Announcement from Regent JaySeaBoom: In addition to the known, underwater halls and caverns of Zafforza, ancient sections of underwater city have recently been discovered. Amazingly, much of this underwater city is habitable by air-breathers. These newly discovered areas also contain inscriptions that give us more information about our Molluscan heritage. They tell us of the incredible efforts of the first Cosmic One to obtain and install the ancient city of Atlantis in the Zafforza Trench, and journal their early struggles here on Earth. The inscriptions also explain how modern Molluscan diversity began and flourished. Please see our official history annals for more detail. Our air-filled halls and caverns beneath the sea that are at the center of Zafforza today are one small section of what once was the capital palace of Atlantis. Due to a variety of events, much of the original city was hidden from us for some time. But in recent years, we have begun to rediscover and repopulate it. Much of our dense human populace at the center has begun to move out into other enclosed sections of the city. We have renewed a system created by the first Cosmic One for raising certain sections, so that they may be inhabited above the surface for a time. The architecture that remains in these areas was beautifully preserved, and we look forward to enjoying it and sharing it with guests who may come to visit or seek refuge with us. Now that we are aware of its history, we can begin to take full advantage of our wondrous inheritance. I encourage all Molluscans, and welcome guests, to explore and enjoy our beautiful home.
Structure
House Mollusca is generally ruled by a Monarch, known as The Cosmic Kraken. However, at the time of the loss of The Cosmic Kraken-Coffee Quills in the Third Word War, the Heir Starborn Striker was unable to assume the role. Former Inky Commander Daciana Wolfkeeper became Regent for a time, until she was needed elsewhere. On July 1, 2023, then-Inky JaySeaBoom stepped into the role of Regent.
The Regent rules in the Monarch's place until such time as they are no longer needed. The Heir is next in the hierarchy of power. Each are guarded by the Order of Inkies.
History
When the first Cosmic One came to Earth, sometime during the neolithic era, they decided to make their home in the Pacific Ocean, because there they could hide from the view of regular humans, and it was large enough to contain them in their original, nascent capacity. So they found a trench, already of considerable size, and expanded and reformed it to become their home. Eventually, this would become known as the Zafforza Trench.
However, they were lonely and bored, and actually liked humans, despite their tendency to be afraid of the Cosmic One. So they decided to try and bring some humans to live with them. Despite their Cosmic efforts, the first few humans did not fare well beneath the waves. So the Cosmic One paused their work. They rested, and reached out with their thoughts, mental tentacles feeling their way around the planet, over its land masses, and through its oceans and seas. And they found something.
Out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, they found an underwater city. No human or demi-human life remained there at the time. But it was big, beautiful, and perfect. The Cosmic One decided to move the abandoned city to the Zafforza Trench, and rebuild it so that humans could keep them company. Inscriptions that still exist in the city today, name it Atlantis.
What powers did they use to accomplish this task? No one yet knows. How did they arrive on our planet? That too remains unknown. But the adaptation of Atlantis to the Zafforza Trench is inarguably a feat of tremendous power, and explains much about the Zafforza Trench and Molluscan people of today.
The inscriptions inform us that, after moving the great island city to the Zafforza Trench, the first Cosmic One once again attempted to populate their new home with humans. This time, it worked. Mostly. They learned that humans needed air, and that occasional sunlight and vegetation helped them to thrive. So The Cosmic One sealed much of the city against the ocean water, and filled it with air. Other sections of the city were designed to occasionally be raised to the surface and could be farmed or otherwise inhabited above water for a time. Even others were left open to the watery depths of the ocean, and a few had special access points where water and air met. Thus, the creatures of the ocean also made their home in Zafforza. Over the millennia, many different types of humans found their way to Zafforza. Though it seems those with some literomantic ability flourished best in this unique environment.
We do not know what happened to the first Cosmic One. But we know they found a way to pass their Cosmic powers forward, and through some combination with the literomancers, aquatic creatures, and other humans, we have the Molluscans of today. The Cosmic Kraken-CoffeeQuills was themselves a direct descendent of the first Cosmic One. But likely, so are many others, albeit less directly.
The philosopher Plato wrote about Atlantis around 360 BC. He said that its founders had been demigods who established an utopian civilization with a great capital at the center of a series of concentric islands. The islands were separated by moats, and the whole had a subterranean canal across it, that linked them all to the center. The air-filled halls and caverns beneath the sea that are at the center of Zafforza today are one small section of what once was the capital palace of Atlantis. Due to a variety of events, much of the original city was hidden for some time. But in recent years, it has begun to be rediscovered and repopulated.
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This article is a work in progress, and may be subject to changes.
This article is part of a series related to streaming the Game of Tomes. For more information, see Streaming Game of Tomes.
What is Fish Shall Never Fry
Founding Date
1 November 2020
Type
Geopolitical, Great house
Demonym
Molluscans
Leader
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Location
Related Traditions
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments