Almea
Almea is the Verdurian name for the conworld created by Mark Rosenfelder. Maps, history, etc. can be found at http://www.zompist.com/virtuver.htm . This constructed world is highly detailed, and has a written history that spans thousands of years.
Sapients of Almea
Many separate sentient species live in the world of Almea, including humans.
Humans, Icëlani, and Flaids
The humans, or uesti, of Almea are very close in appearance to terrestrial humans. However, they do have a deal less bodily hair, a different musculature with more surface fat, wider hips, flatter noses and ears, very large eyes, less prominently colored lips, and a more bluish complexion (uesti run from a golden color near the poles, to an olive brown (or reddish or greyish) in the latitudes of Verduria, to a dark bluish brown near the equator). Uestu feet are wider than ours, and sport only four toes, which are much less separated than ours.
The flaids are related to the uesti, but are much taller, and have large, flat heads and large feet. They are indigenous to only one island in all of Almea, being Flora, which is north of Verduria.
The icëlani are the most primitive. They have no technology, agriculture, writing, and their art and language skills are rudimentary. Although they are sometimes called 'nymphs' or 'elves', a better interpretation is that the icëlani represent something close to the form of the first hominids from which their brothers have diverged -- they are a sort of living australopithecus.
Elcari and Múrtani
The elcari are the most removed of their aquatic origins. They have adapted well to mountains and deserts, and their skin is hardy and thick. Elcari are able to go a week without water, and their oversized noses have adapted to allow them to breathe without losing moisture. They are small, like the icëlani, but very muscular.
The múrtani are considered to be a seperate species than the elcari by most Almeans, but this is inaccurate -- the two people are even interfertile. They, too, are adapted to dry climates, and their bodies are similarly built, but with some exceptions: large, pointed ears; a more elongated face with a sharp chin; and hornlike knobs at the top of the skull.
Ilii and Ktuvoki
The ilii are larger and heavier than humans, and they have a shiny, greyish or greenish skin. They are completely hairless, and appear wet even when perfectly dry. The main habitat of these people is the ocean's continental shelf, which they settled, allowing men to inhabit the land. The bulk of the ilii diet consists of plants grown on the sea floor, which are harvested to feed the towns, villages, and cities that rest on the sea floor as well. All through Almea's history, the ilii have outmatched the humans in technology.
The ktuvoki evolved from sharklike predators, but they are no longer sea-dwelling; now sending most of their lives in swamps or wetlands. These creatures are taller than a man, are bulky and muscular, and have fearsome teeth and claws. A frill of small tentacles protrudes from their hairless heads, and the skin on their chest and back is thick and strong enough to resist a knife or arrow. Like the ilii, the ktuvoki remain able to breathe on land and in the water, but cannot tolerate desiccation.
Gdeoni and Kushaki
Gdeoni, or giants, are extinct hominids that once lived in the plains and savannahs where they hunted large game. They were hominids, at least twice the height of an adult human. Some Almean authors say that they are merely creatures of legend, and never really existed.
Kushaki, or ogres, are also spoken of by Almeans. They can be compared to the giants as the múrtani can be to the elcari. Their historical nature is even more doubtful than the gdeoni.
Almea+400
In 2020, Rosenfelder announced Almea+400, which takes his conplanet 400 years later into the future -- roughly equivalent to A.D. 2200 on Earth.
External links
- Almea
- Virtual Verduria
- The descent of lesüasi, an account of the various sentient species on Almea
