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Once upon a time all Chromatic used to be the simple quadrupedal creatures very similar to those that are now described by their more advanced kin as the Vu-Koko. They were mildly intelligent, able to communicate simple things between each other with the infantile form of the language later to be called Yammer. They used their No (hair-like tentacles) to manipulate living energy to act as caretakers for the environment around them, maintaining the delicate balance of life. Due to this, the island teemed with life all year around. The Chromatic only consumed what they needed to live by physically eating via mastication, like all other animal life. Their third-eye, or Na was only used to observe the environment around them, and to share dreams and few basic telepathic impressions with fellow Chromatic. The Chromatic were always very curious about any being that visited their island from the sea. For a while, they happily coexisted with humans that made their homes there on the island. The human tongue in particular inspired the sounds of the Chromatic’s first written language, Kinaso. They grew in affection for the humans, and the humans returned their friendship. Chromatic would often help them hunt and made assisted in the development of their cities while still minding the delicate environment. In return the humans would share with them flora and fauna from their native lands. The duty of a Chromatic was to expand and care for the environment, so they were always excited by the opportunity to watch a new plant grow. Over time, the island became an amazing eclectic mix of life from all around the world that, without the unique care of the Chromatic, would have become unstable and died. |
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As Chromatic grew in intelligence from the enrichment humanoids brought to them, they also grew in curiosity. Centuries after the first meeting with humans, a small family of Chromatic attempted to communicate with humanoids using their Na and its unique telepathic abilities. It was a tragic incident. Although they had pure intentions, four of the seven Chromatic attempting to join minds with their subject accidentally consumed some vital part of the victim’s intellect, resulting in the victim’s death. There was a frightened outcry among the humanoids in the months following, and two of the offending Chromatic were killed, along with countless others. The Chromatic were easily exterminated once found, having had no natural predators and very little experience defending themselves. |
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After only a year of fighting on and off, things returned to an uncomfortable peace. The relationship between the races was now shattered, and they coexisted only by avoiding eachother. Despite the conflict, the Chromatic population was mostly preserved.
The five surviving Chromatic of the original seven found that they had acquired intelligence and skill surpassing that of any of their kin. Advanced Chromatic historians have named them according to their acquired intellect. Two of the five are notable: One Chromatic found he had aquired most of the information in a human’s motor cortex, and was capable of unusual balance and movement. He has been dubbed Kiviso (roughly meaning The Complete Understanding of Willpower). The second had consumed her victim’s leaning center for language, and understood a good bit of elvish and common as a result. She is now referred to as Kisoso (roughly meaning The Complete Understanding of Learning/Understanding). The other three Chromatic, Kiniso, Kivoso, and Kisiso, acquired less distinct skills. This discovery marked the beginning of a divide that would slowly grow between the Chromatic and the humans, and eventually between the Chromatic and themselves. Humans began disappearing. For some time, these disappearances occurred regularly, as humans leaving into the brush to hunt or gather would never return home. Tensions grew, as the humans were quick to blame the Chromatic for their slowly dwindling population. These accusations were not unfounded or incorrect, as power-hungry Kiviso and a small group of rouge Chromatic had begun to intentionally consume human’s intellects. These Chromatic quickly grew smarter and more formidable as they tested the limits of their Na and No. |
| Before war broke out again, a plan was made by the humans to leave the island in search of greener pastures. Kiviso and his group learned of plans from the memories of a victim, and set a perimeter up around the shore. Using their No to manipulate the living things filling the sea around the island, the rogue group of Chromatic slowly created a storm to force the humans to stay. Trapped and hopeless, the humans lashed out once more, killing countless Chromatic, most not associated with the rogues acutally responsible for their entrapment. Unlike the first fight, this one was a heavy blow to the primitive Chromatic population. One by one, the numbers of the humans dwindled as they were discovered by rogue Chromatic and eaten, until there numbers were too thin to continue fighting. |
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For six generations afterward, the tiny remaining human population lived huddled together, frightened, in small settlements, heavily protected by walls and whomever they could spare to be a guard. If any Chromatic was seen approaching a human city, they were killed instantly. Despite their best efforts, humans woke up to see their family members and loved ones had mysteriously taken in the night.
Meanwhile, the group of rogue Chromatic had grown and taken on a new form. Chromatic conceived by parents who had been eating human intellects were born with wildly different anatomies, becoming bipedal - their very genetic structure having been mutated by their new “diets”. They overtook an abandoned human city, and began to thrive as an entirely new race. The primitive Chromatic felt strong pangs of grief for their broken relationship with the humans, and for their own kin diverging, but were powerless to communicate with the humans, as they would have been killed instantly. Understanding these changes as another evolutionary step and called themselves the Vu-Yunu “Spirit of our White Being”, and created a cultural hierarchy for themselves. Those Chromatic that remained primitive simply continued to care for the island despite their decreased numbers. During this time, the health of the island of Vuronu suffered greatly. The advanced Chromatic only cared to tend to the wild around their city, and let everything else do as it naturally would, throwing the balance. The primitive Chromatic couldn’t give enough care to every part of the island now, and eventually the Black Lands began to form. Desperate to compensate, primitive Chromatic began overwork the areas that were still fertile, creating the Green Lands, and ultimately throwing the island desperately out of balance. |
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Weak and demoralized, the resident human population was ravaged by disease created by the unnatural and crowded conditions in the new Green Lands. The advanced Chromatic had to rely and newly arriving shipwreck victims for food, which came fairly often, as the storm created around the island had been and enhanced to draw in curious explorers. Over time, however, word of mouth spread on the mainlands that anyone who ventured out near the area of perpetual storm would never return. Shipwrecks have now become few and far between and the advanced Chromatic began to starve… |
| The campaign picks up where the backstory left off. To begin the campaign, none of the party will know the backstory of the island, or about it’s inhabitants – but they will come to discover key points as the campaign progresses. |