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Notes from WTB Staff:
- Worldbuilding Prompts will be moving to a sidebar within the next few editions so that we can include more unique worldbuilding articles!

con·lang
/ˈkänˌlaNG/
a language that has been artificially created; a constructed language.
Definition from Oxford Languages and Google

The name Jiduan comes from the name of the original feline ethnic group that settled in the city-states of the gulf. The Jiduanis, as they were known, were a collection of traveling merchants and statesmen whose presence in the region gave it its moniker. Although Jiduan does not encompass the entirety of the Jiduani Gulf, the country is named after the gulf regardless. Read more about Jiduan on Urth Tepwiki.

On a not-so-far star system, there lives a lone planet named Setera 45xb. For explorers, this place is known for its scenic nature and odd wildlife. But few creatures are as iconic to Setera 45xb as the species living on the southeastern coast of the continent: the Uniguals! As soon as I heard of them, I wanted to speak to one, but, despite my best translation efforts, it doesn’t seem they have the ability to make any noise other than clicks and rattles. These strange creatures, who are usually around the size of a household cat, do little more than sit around and make concussive clicks while rattling their heads at each other.

Their faces seem to be a sort of mask that they customize with paints and clay. Every Unigual has a unique mask, and from what can be seen, they don’t have a real face under it. The masks are treated as their genuine faces, and breaking one is considered taboo. Once a child grows old enough, the ability to create their own mask is treated as a rite of passage. As Uniguals grow older, they may choose to alter their masks as they see fit, or even create new ones so they can have some variety. Some Uniguals have an impressive collection of masks that they choose from, not unlike how we choose an outfit to wear every morning.

In addition to masks, Uniguals like to express themselves with accessories such as belts and necklaces, and they like to cut and shape their hair too! They purchase jewelry from the Azers to their west, only choosing to wear the highest quality jewels that they can get their hands on. Their bodies vary greatly in color. Some come in bright red, others in a jet black, but earthlier tones, such as darker browns and muddier yellows, are most common! Although every Unigual has their own unique mask, Uniguals of the same clan (especially if they’re of high status) have recurring motifs in their masks and accessories.

Breaking the mask of another is considered one of the most horrid crimes to the Uniguals, but not all Uniguals have chosen to abide by that rule. An infamous warlord named Zudi of the Thousand Faces was rumored to have broken the masks of many, hence his title. Eventually, however, it is said that from the weight of the crown on his head, his own mask cracked and fell apart. Zudi lost his power over the Coast of Igual, and the Uniguals went back into their old Clan System of governance.

Out of Character Anecdote!:
if you’re curious, this is what the Sculpted Uniguals look like without their masks! (Yes, the mask is actually removable on the real sculpture!)

For the sculpture, it’s held up with a strip of Velcro, but the actual Uniguals don’t have anything! It’s just a blank slate behind the mask.

When I first made the Uniguals, I was just learning how to create sculptures of the creatures on Setera 45xb, so I made many choices that I now realize to be mistakes! I created the Uniguals out of porcelain, with a cut styrofoam interior. It was very difficult to create the Uniguals this way, as the thin limbs and neck of the Unigual make for easy breaking points. The hair was a pompom bought from a fabric store that I cut to fit around the cranium of the sculpture. Lastly, the mask was made as a separate thing that was added on at the final moment. If I were to go back in time and redo the sculpture, I would likely use a wired armature bulked out with aluminum foil, and create the body using a mixture of super sculpey for the main body and head and the more flexible cosclay for the thin limbs!

Natural disasters are an interesting type of nation roleplaying that few are eager to delve into. It requires extensive research into the underlying elements that combine to cause these natural disasters, intricate planning of the actions of one’s own nations and the complex consequences of such events, and if involving other nations, demands coordination among roleplayers to paint a coherent timeline of events as the natural disaster plays out. However, when executed properly, natural disaster roleplays can be the foundation for other interesting political or economic changes a country experiences and be quite enjoyable for all those involved in it.

The same cannot be said for the citizens of Malvekia, who for the first time in the nation’s history experienced the fury of the hurricane. Malvekia, a peaceful coastal country located right above the equator of Valsora, was not what comes to mind when one thinks of natural disasters. Apart from the annual monsoon season that brought flash floods or storm surges and the occasional forest fire, natural disasters were never a fear that hung over the Malvekian people. But that all changed one cloudy afternoon on the 10th of November, when meteorological stations along the coast reported anomalies in the weather data from the usual monsoon weather. Many hoped that the abnormal data would be an outlier or caused by faulty equipment but their worst fears were realized when satellite imagery painted a clear picture for them. A storm had been forming over the North Demetric Sea, and it seemed to be heading here.

Government action was immediate, as the country had never faced down a hurricane throughout its entire history. Entire communities were evacuated, rivers and embankments reinforced with temporary flood defenses, and search and rescue teams were placed on standby for when the storm hit. The military was activated, alongside Civil Defence volunteers, to provide assistance to federal, state, and local authorities for the monumental effort to be undertaken by them. They only had days before the hurricane, dubbed Hurricane Scylla after the legendary sea monster of Greek mythology, made landfall on Malvekia’s shores.

Hurricane Scylla finally made landfall in the early hours of the 14th of November, bringing with it gale-force winds and storm surges 3-metres high. For almost 12 hours Scylla wrought destruction wherever she went, tearing through neighbourhoods and cities alike before finally leaving northbound towards the island nation of Leiland. Though preemptive action managed to reduce potential casualties, the same could not be said for the economic damage brought by Scylla. Storm drain systems and flood defenses unequipped to handle the wrath of a hurricane left cities inundated in floodwater, entire communities levelled, and coastlines littered with debris and refuse. Casualties are in the low hundreds, although many still remain missing as rescue workers and survivors picked through the rubble left behind by the storm.

The situation was even worse for Leiland, a low-lying group of islands to the northeast of Malvekia well-known for its status as a global financial center and tax haven while being less well-known for its near-dictatorial authoritarian rule. Overnight Leiland’s flood defenses failed and dykes gave way to the relentless pounding of the hurricane, sweeping away entire towns and coastal centers unlucky enough to be standing in the path of the hurricane. Fatalities are estimated in the tens of thousands, although many fear that the number might be higher as thousands remain unaccounted for, trapped and buried beneath the rubble and mud. What was left soon devolved into a humanitarian crisis, as essential infrastructure failed, supplies dwindled, and a Leilish government that paralysed by the disappearance of its President and the death of the Vice President alongside many Members of Parliament in a freak accident during a session hearing. Anarchy reigned supreme for a few short days before an international coalition of nations from across Valsora joined forces in delivering humanitarian aid and manpower to the chaos-stricken nation. The situation remains stable, so far.

As the hurricane returned to where it came from, survivors were left picking the pieces of what remained in the aftermath of the hurricane. Malvekia, though its population were left largely unscathed, not only has to begin the painful process of reconstruction but also now contend with the developing humanitarian crisis unfolding across the coast as refugees flee violence and instability from a crumbling island nation. Not only that, the smell of something fishy fills the air as faulty storm drainage infrastructure and poorly built embankments have people up in arms at something sinister happening behind closed doors. For now, Leiland is barely holding itself together via a stream of humanitarian supplies and peacekeeping manpower from generous nations. But will it be enough to keep the peace and rebuild what was lost? Only time will tell how this situation plays out, and whether the combined efforts of Valsora will culminate in a peaceful resolution to this tumultuous situation.