Rzecz przetłumaczona przez Kasię:
How Albion looks:
Two suns shine upon it, so there is always day. Albion is a kind of an island-mountain. All of the country is a gigantic cliff, apart from the minimal amount of plain by the Interior and hundreds of meters lower, by the Eksterior. To the sides of the hill, there are two enormous waterfalls. Albion is a truly beautiful place and so legendary on the rest of Turblanda, that it is almost half-mythical. Some matters are exaggerated in the stories of poets. If one was to describe Albion with colors, white, blue and green come to mind instantly. The sky is rarely visited by clouds and everything seems to be in bloom constantly. Wonderfully clean streams flow in the, untouched by human hand, but not wild, forests, among which massive ruins of simple buildings of unknown purpose can be found. They are made of milky, smooth rocks, just like now, the houses of the Albions, but in a completely different style. It is said that Albion is the last place on Turblanda where unicorns and Pegasus live in the forests. Apart from the trees, there are vast areas of juicy, green, grasslands on which (or on the white cliffs) Albions looking for a peaceful environment for their herds of sheep settle. The sheep are one of the few animals kept on the island at all. The wool from Albion is known and famous in practically every country. The cities have tall lithe buildings made out of white stone; big surfaces of glass, gigantic windows and a general love for space is very typical of Albion. It is also interesting that each dynasty has two capital cities in its district: on the flat part by the Interior and by the flat part by the Exterior. Both have absolutely the same city planning.
How the Albions look:
Basically, the Albions can be divided into two groups; Crystobalite, as the ones with gems, pearls or crystals in their bodies are called and the argiles, earthen, that is all the rest, that resemble humans a lot more. The stones of the Crystobalites are incredibly rarely finished with sharp edges, almost always they are round, half round, cylindric versions of the stones that can be found in natural conditions. For example, the Baronessa Ruckeshtzyt has two tiny round rubies on her cheeks and one more in the middle of her lower lip. As she has a very high position in the hierarchy, she also has a lot more rubies in her body than the ones of a lower rank in the Ruckeshtzyt dynasty: quite big flat rubies on her arms, five on each (placed symmetrically and from the smallest at the top of the arm to the biggest at the bottom); her fingernails are also made of ruby.
Dynasties:
Nameryd – Sapphire
Lendalfin – Diamond
Bianco Margerid – White Pearl
Nero Margerid – Black Pearl
Rukeshcyt – Ruby
Machocyd – Almadine
Spessartyn – Spessartine
Ember – Ember (“amber”)
Vasslare – Anyx (“onyx”)
Kalhai – Tarquoise (“turquoise”)
Immercyt – Jodaite (“jadeite”)
Allocor – Emerald
According to a common view, they are not equal; eventhough Albion is divided into twelve equal, long strips of land, five dynasties rule financially in an obvious way: Namarid, Lendalfin, Bianco Margerid, Nero Magerid and Ruckeshtzyt. I emphesise the financial and influence aspect, as that is why Albion is so powerful. There are practically no wars or an army, as wars are only led in an economical level. No one proclaims war to take land from another dynasty; the real income is from trade with the rest of the world. The minerals on this 'halfmountain' are spread almost geometrically equal, in horizontal strips of land, therefore, another reason for war, does not exist. If there are any conflicts, it is among particular, high ranked, members of dynasties. What rules is intrigue and attempts at confusing Dynastic Ambassadors in other countries or a race for information on orders or trades.
The society:
Apart from a loose society of merchants, sheepfarmers or (in a lot smaller amount), citizen, there is something like a highier caste: the twelve dynasties, which rule and control trade – something that in another country could be called nobility or aristocracy. To this caste though, not only particular people from the dynasty belong, but also all the possible family, so usually most of the people living in the capitals and a small group, spread out in the district of the dynasty. Between the ones considered to be a part of the dynasty and the ones not in it there is a very complex hierarchy, dependant on the financial influence. It is not really possible to go around that boundry, but the next generation can always climb higher, so a son can be in a higher caste than his father, if he earned enough, managed enough trades for the dynasty, etc. Then, during a special ritual, a year after the child is born, more jewell is embeded into its body than his father had, what automatcally places him higher and is a simbol of satus (a child is born with some amount). That is also why the Crystobalites are so fond of showing the 'jewelerry' embedded into their skin; Their clothes often have specially designed decortive slits in the places of the jewells.
Hierarchy:
The highest position in each of the twelve dynsties belongs to the Baron and his son, if he has one. His wife has the esquire – Baronette and a daughter would have the title of Baroness, but they do not have any influence on ruling. Lower are the financial advisors (there are many and each one of them has his own domain), the Dynastical Ambassadors in other countries and their families – which means quite a big group. Than there are the great and influential merchant families. And lower (what is actually still not such a bad position) is all the rest, that belongs to the dynasty of the particular Baron. Absolutely out of politics and decisions are the Albions not belonging to any of the twelve dynasties.
The division is quite clear; The Albions with jewells in their bodies belong to the dynasties and they make up almost half of the society. They mostly live in big cities. Because, under no conditions, there can be a marriage between the Crystobalites from different dynasties, hierarchy allows i.e. Marriage of the Baronette with the son of a very important merchant. Though usually marriages try to be kept in similar circles of influence.
Relationships between different dynasties cannot be, so jewells are not mixed. It is not even a question of aesthetics or superstitions but of the health of both the Albions involved. It is commonly known that the jewels of different dynasties push eachother away and there is not only a doubt that a child would be born healthy, or if it would be born at all, but in a long lasting relationship it could also affect the adults involved.
Main products:
- wool: Albionian textiles are of extlemely good quality, but most of all, they are famous because the albionian artists can weave bits and pieces of different jewells into the fabric, creating garnments which are often unique works of art. Even the tanelves, in love with the designs of their own craftmen, eagerly buy albionian clothes – especially when it comes down to rich, decorated gown, or whole sets of costumes. In most of the well developed countries of Turblanda, clothing imported from Albion is considered to be the peak of social snobism.
- jewellry, crystals; incredible round versions of gems, stones and crystals.
The Crystobalite magic
A specific albionian magic is the magic of jewells. Very strong and instinctive, because of the assimilation into the body. The gems of Albion don't have one particular attribute, it is always a set of combined specialities. All those attributes can occur together, alone, more or less. Not only the skills presented but many many more form the same types of magic...
The Crystobalite magic does not use up the energy of the organism. It is natural, instinctive and does not need any external power. Simply, if overused, the power, is sucked out of the stones themselves, and they need time to regenerate.
All Crystobalites have a certain ability for healing to a certain degree. Not when it comes to heal diseases but to heal open skin wounds. It is connected to having the jewels in the body, which in certain magical situations can move inside the body. It is natural for the skin and muscles to crust where the tissue is broken.
Bianco Margerid – magic of white pearls:
Dreams – according to the status in the hierarchy, the abilities have a different level, but their type of dream magic is mostly about dream fantasies. Sometimes into the future. An Albionian can have the ability to look into someone else's dreams. Not into the shallow part of chaotic thoughts and mythals but into the true dream desires. He will usually not be able to change them or interfere with them though.
Fantasies – the pearls stimulate the imagination of the bearers. It does not alway mean floating in the blue with no purpose, though many Crystobalites of the Bianco Margerid dynasty have a tendency to muse or create art. There are different variations but pearls, with their magic, make the owner feel that his dreams are a lot more real, red and achievable. Thanks to that assurance, the Albions of Bianco Margerid often strive for their goals with lots of stubbornness , they are sure they can achieve it. Thanks to that According to the variation of owned powers, one of the skills is seeing through the dreams of others. Those shallow and those deep. They can be clear thoughts and images, but they can also be small feelings of what a person might want.
Shine – sometimes, when magic is used in a very intensive way, their skin seems to have a pearlescent shine.
Nero Margerid - magic of black pearls:
Mirrors – Allows to modify a persons reflection. In water, in a mirror etc. It can also give the ability to touch someone through touching their reflection.
