On the Ragged Perimeter

Maluna is commonly represented as a kingdom bounded by mountains, waste, sea and disputed ground. Such maps are useful for teaching geography to children, collecting duties from merchants and reassuring officials who prefer every danger to occupy a coloured shape on a page, but they are less useful at the borders themselves. Maluna's outer limits are not simple divisions between one jurisdiction and another, they are active fractures in natural law, each marked by a condition that resists measurement, habitation and ordinary sense. 

Together they form a ragged perimeter around the known kingdom; whether that perimeter confines Maluna or protects it remains a matter upon which no responsible scholar should pretend certainty.

The most intimate of these boundaries lies within Badarr itself; Ebbsfloe was once a proud district of blue-timbered buildings, canals and stone bridges which is now enclosed behind high walls because of the Gloom. The affliction began as a soul-devouring plague raised by cultists whose patron survives only in damaged invocations. The Order of Symphora destroyed the ritual chamber and its occupants, yet the Gloom had already entered the soil, masonry and recollection of the place. Undead walk its streets, corpse-flowers open in alleys and hallucinations invite the unwary towards whatever end they most fear or most desire. Paladins maintain the walls and conduct their cleansings from the Grand Symphoran Cathedral. Mercenaries, cult remnants and those survivors who have ceased to regard either group as unusual continue to live within. The Order admits that the Gloom cannot be cured by its present methods.. it therefore calls containment a victory, as such institutions often must.

Beyond the Farsi Peaks, the Edgelands arrive less decisively. A silver-grey mist waits among the trees and advances most readily when attention has turned elsewhere. Within it are memory-leeches, sound-echoes and pulses of strange luminance which have been compared to a heartbeat. Prolonged exposure does not always kill. It may instead remove names, loosen memories and return a traveller who answers correctly while remaining wrong in some less negotiable respect. Edgebeasts, mistwalkers, rootkein and the thing called the Howling inhabit the region. No expedition has mapped its centre because routes alter, distances fluctuate and maps themselves do not remain dependable. Thaumaturges have compared the mist to Soul-warped Glamour that learns the intruder through breath and remembrance. This theory remains speculative, which has not prevented several colleges from arguing over priority.

The Fog of War which covers the Endless Battlefield is often compared to the Edgelands' mist, though the resemblance is chiefly visual. The Edgelands diminish the self through forgetting and the Fog replaces it. Those who enter may experience dread, battle-frenzy and memories belonging to soldiers dead for generations. Spectral companies charge, retreat and die in cycles which neither victory nor exhaustion interrupts. Survivors have grieved for comrades they never met and confessed to crimes committed before their birth. The land remembers violence with sufficient force to distribute it among strangers. Its source is said to be the Assault Palace, a moving siege fortress that ruined Galiria and now proceeds with patient hostility towards Badarr. The Fog follows it like weather following a mountain, though mountains in general give us the courtesy to remain where placed.

Beneath the kingdom lies a second boundary, if the word beneath retains its usu

al meaning there. The Moonfault Depths were enlarged through centuries of mining, particularly for daltium. Daltium extraction opened routes to mutation, corruption and Rancour. The Shroud permits workings impossible elsewhere, including certain restorations of the dead, but it also presses upon mind and Soul with the weight of an old grievance. Those who claim to know what waits at the lowest reaches have not produced evidence that survives scrutiny or, in several cases, daylight.

Beyond the Darman Range stretch the Truska Wastes, also called the Scablands. Their Haze is dry and sharp, distance alters within it. Mirages persist after the heat changes and sometimes display an interest in the observer. Travellers report oases that grant visions, offer choices or vanish once an answer is given. There are accounts of a city made from sand and mirrors, though no two returnees agree upon it. Some do not return with the same face. Crown agencies are rumoured to monitor the region. Despite the Haze, settlements endure beyond the mountains. People trade, raise families, cultivate wells and conduct ordinary disputes beneath a sun that may not always be singular.

The surrounding seas provide the final visible boundary. Coastal waters are dangerous in familiar ways while the stormbelt begins roughly fifty miles from shore and proceeds into difficulties for which sailors have fewer useful names. Winds and tides behave with apparent intention, ships vanish or return altered and most charts become unreliable in the extreme. Some theologians describe the ocean as a single ancient intelligence, others maintain that the stormbelt contains something worse. 

These borders differ in substance but not in conduct. The Gloom feeds upon sorrow, the Edgelands loosen identity, the Fog of War imposes violence, the Depths punish intrusion, the Haze distorts possibility and the Brine is a ceaseless appetite. Maluna therefore persists within a ring of conditions that cannot be conquered and can rarely be understood. 

On Pickpocktopi and Octopunchers

(This one was a reader request! Anyone with any requests can feel free to reach out!)

Pickpocktapuses, or pickpocktapi, are small to medium-sized octopoids with soft bodies, large eyes and eight flexible arms lined with suction cups. Their colouring changes readily to match stone, sand, weeds, wood, coral and so on, allowing them to remain nearly invisible while still.

Each arm ends in a small handlike formation with four fingers and an opposing thumb. These hands are disturbingly similar to those of a person and possess enough strength and control to open buckles, untie cords and remove objects from pockets without attracting notice.

The creature is highly intelligent and quick to learn. A Pickpocktapus that has once observed the opening of a latch or other close will usually require little instruction before attempting the same itself.

Pickpocktapuses inhabit tidal pools, coastal shallows, reefs and deeper water near seagrass beds. They favour rocky or sandy bottoms where narrow crevices provide secure dens. Most remain hidden during daylight and emerge when boats, swimmers, shoreline markets and other marks become active. Harbours with busy docks are particularly attractive as they provide food, discarded objects and a steady supply of stuff. Pickpocktapuses adore stuff.

Pickpocktapi feed upon shellfish, crabs, small fish and whatever edible matter they can remove from containers. Their hands allow them to pry open shells with unusual efficiency and to manipulate tools found nearby.

They also collect objects with no obvious use. Coins, rings, keys, buttons and gaming pieces are commonly found within their dens, arranged among shells and polished stones. Whether these items are chosen for value, shine or the inconvenience caused by their loss remains uncertain.

The species has earned its name through repeated theft and a general penchant for larcenous behaviour. A Pickpocktapus may anchor itself beneath a pier or boat, extend one or more arms above the water and remove small items while the owner remains unaware.

Several have been observed working together. One distracts the victim by splashing or tugging at clothing while another attends to the purse. Attempts to train them for theft have been made in many ports and prohibited in nearly as many. The principal difficulty is that a trained Pickpocktapus seldom distinguishes between its handler’s property and anyone else’s.

They may be caught with baited pots, strong nets or enclosed traps containing bright objects. Open baskets are unsuitable, as the animal will usually solve the matter before reaching shore. A captured specimen should be kept in a lidded container secured by more than one fastening. Knots, simple latches and loose stones are temporary objections at best.

The flesh resembles that of other octopoids and may be boiled, fried, grilled or added to soups and stews. It is firm, mildly sweet and requires tenderizing before cooking. The hands are considered a delicacy in several coastal societies. They are usually fried whole or simmered in spiced broth, though some diners find the resemblance to their own anatomy less than palatable.

Pickpocktapi have little lawful practical value beyond food and study. They do not normally attack people, though the beak can deliver a painful bite when the animal is cornered. The greater danger lies in lost keys, missing knives and opened containers aboard a waterfaring vessel.

Anyone encountering a Pickpocktapus should first secure all valuables and only then attempt to drive it away. A captured animal should be searched carefully before release, as swallowed coins are uncommon but concealed ones are not.

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Octopunchers are medium-sized octopoids with broad heads, large eyes and eight long arms lined with powerful suckers. Their colouring ranges from bright red and orange to mottled brown or green, allowing them to blend among coral, stone, weeds and other cover before striking.

The ends of the arms are unusually muscular and can be curled inward into tight knots resembling fists. An Octopuncher uses them to deliver rapid blows against fish, crabs and other prey, stunning or breaking them before consumption. The strikes are swift, accurate and considerably stronger than the animal’s soft body would suggest. Larger specimens have been observed cracking shells, breaking thin bone and knocking fish senseless with a single blow.

Octopunchers inhabit tidal pools, shallow coasts, reefs, seagrass beds and deeper rocky waters. They favour places with secure dens and open feeding grounds nearby, particularly crevices beneath stone or shells large enough to conceal their bodies. Most remain hidden until prey comes within reach, then extend one or two arms from cover and strike before the rest of the animal becomes visible.

Octopunchers feed upon fish, shellfish, crabs and other octopoids. They are patient hunters but unusually willing to pursue prey that resists them. The species is also strongly territorial; an Octopuncher may challenge another of similar size by raising its arms, changing colour and striking the water or nearby stone.

Unlike most octopoids, Octopunchers have been known to approach swimmers, divers and fishers who enter their territory. They appear especially likely to confront anyone carrying a spear, hook or other object that might reasonably be mistaken for a challenge. A specimen preparing to attack will usually darken in colour, spread its arms and strike nearby surfaces as a warning that should be taken quite seriously.

Octopunchers are caught with baited pots, heavy nets or spears aimed behind the head. Hooks are unreliable as the arms may seize the line and pull it apart before the animal is secured. A captured specimen should be stunned or killed promptly. Even outside the water the arms remain strong and may deliver repeated blows to hands, faces or anything else brought within reach.

The flesh is firm, rich and well suited to frying, grilling, braising or stewing. The heavily muscled arm tips are considered the best portion. They are commonly sliced, coated in garlic and breadcrumbs and fried until crisp. Slower cooking softens the thicker sections and allows them to absorb sauces and spices.

The arms should be tenderized before preparation. Beating them against stone is traditional, though some cooks object to the appearance of returning to the animal’s methods.

Octopunchers have little practical use beyond food and study. They are not generally fatal to people, though a blow from a large specimen may break fingers, split lips or render a swimmer briefly senseless.

Anyone confronted by an Octopuncher should retreat without striking back. A captured specimen should be kept away from the face and secured before any attempt is made to remove hooks or cut the arms.