Itum
Itum is the entire country and continent that the game Tailraise takes place on.
They are a combined country made up of several provinces that bound together to combine into one nation, ruled by a council made up of leaders of various guilds that control different regions/provinces around the land.
They are a high-tech nation and a vast superpower in the world, their technology far more advanced than any other country due to the vast riches of resources, along with the only nation with access to essence.
Provinces
- Teakwood - province containing the town of Twigleaf (current playable area and starter city).
- Other provinces exist, each with unique landscapes and different guilds in charge. Details to be revealed later.
Arcalis / The Core
Located right in the middle of the continent is the high-tech capital of Itum, Arcalis, which is commonly referred to as The Core.
- High-tech capital of Itum
- Seat of the guild council
- Origin of the magitech golems in each province
Surveillance State
Itum can be considered a surveillance state due to the way they enforce that every citizen is implanted with an ID chip for tracking. This allows them to know who you are and access terminals around the world, allows golems to scan your ID to determine if you are using an unauthorized imprint, and more.
The justification for this is that because anyone can become anything, it is much harder to detect fraud, mistake identities, and more, so they have gone to the extreme in order to know who every citizen is.
The ID chip is magitech; infused with essence. Part of the reason for this is that it helps to stabilize your imprint and ensure you maintain your form, as a safety measure.
Even with this technology, other nations refuse to allow anyone from Itum across their borders, effectively making it impossible to return from where you came once you are implanted with an ID chip.
History
Pre-Barrier Era
Before the barrier, Itum was not a single nation, but a patchwork of nation-states loosely held together by guild influence. Essence was poorly understood, and early attempts to harness it for power or technology were unstable and dangerous.
The original Council of Five rose during this time, urging for unity and stronger protections as foreign nations sought to gain control over their resources. Each counciler carried a different philosophy on how to safeguard Itum, but together they laid the foundation for what would become centuries of isolation.
The Barrier
The Barrier Protocol sealed Itum from the outside world for centuries. Official records say it was a protective measure, shielding citizens from foreign powers that coveted essence. In truth, the process was rushed and misunderstood; the magitech involved was irreversible, and the promised shutdown mechanisms never worked.
Isolation wasn't a choice anymore. Inside the barrier, Itum had no contact with the ousdie world. Society adapted, developing strict imprint regulations, new hierarchies, and surveillance systems to counter crimes made easier by shapeshifting. Over time, each nation-state joined together and unified as Itum.
When the barrier finally collapsed, Itum emerged to a changed world. Other nations saw them as unstable, alien, and dangerous; all due to essence. Despite Itum's attempts to open its borders, foreign powers refused and rejected any attempts at diplomacy. Anyone implanted with an Itum ID chip was abrred from crossing, condemned to exile within the continent.
Trivia
- Itum's capital, Arcalis, is named after HD 131496, an evolved subgiant star, which itself is named after a mountain peak in northern Andorra where the Sun shines through a gap twice a year at fixed dates, leading to its use as a primitive Solar calendar.