I would like to add something to this discussion in regards to the setting and description.
First, regarding the Laanx gender change. Having undergone the change and being referred to as a "he", "his", and "himself", we suddenly have this:
"Laanx spoke, showing completely his true essence. - I'm Laanx - she said - and I'm your god."
And then back to the "he", "him", and "himself" again...
Now regarding the glyphs.
"Laanx, young and very pretty, had fascinated the ancient Vodùl and he'd taught her that the energy of the crystal could be used to create life. She wanted to make Talad happy, for he was more restless and found the wait more unbearable then she did. To surprise and amaze him, she drew the incommensurable power of the azure crystal as much as she could and, in secret, mimicked the rituals of Vodùl to give life to some creatures reproduced in her image."
"Talad gave up any hope to be reconciled with the old friend and, now alone, turned his thoughts to the people left in the town they had created. He called it "Hydlaa", the name of the most powerful glyph, that Vodùl had revealed to Laanx and that led Talad to ignore prudence to satisfy his pride. Waiting for the day when the other peoples would come, he forged magical power into many shapes, suitable to be used by the mortals to help them to survive underground: he created the Glyphs."
If Vodul only revealed the existence and name of the "Hydlaa" glyph to Laanx, how would Talad know its name and even its existence to name a city with it, especially if Laanx used the power of that glyph in secret? There was no indication that Laanx has ever revealed it to Talad, since those actions were quickly followed by Talad's foolish creation of his own. Keep in mind that the colonizers have only translated the name "Yliuakum" and not "Hydlaa" from an inscription. It seems unlikely that Talad would be aware of the glyph's existence when he wasn't even aware of the Stone Labyrinths with other creatures already in them.
Also, strange that it says
"he created the Glyphs", when other glyphs like "Hydlaa" have already existed before. Perhaps,
"he created his own glyphs" would be more appropriate.
Now to add to the "conflict between some races" discussion. From Stonebreakers and dwarves description:
"They have a strong pride that sometimes develops into feuds with other clans or other races. They tend to be suspicious and quarrelsome towards other races that are taller than they are."
"Their pride an temper often gets them into fierce fights. This may be the explanation for the legendary stubbornness of the "short people"."
So, they even have problems with other clans, let alone other races, the obvious
other clan being the Hammerwielders.
And now regarding the
origins of Lemurs. This is from the Lermurs description:
"Everyone knows that the Lemurs were the first of all races to settle in Yliakum, and they are proud of it. The legends tell that their origins of the Lemurs are connected to a huge city located in the depths of earth, abandoned from a widespread disease. No one knows how to reach this city or if anyone still lives there. All lemurs share a sense of loss for their mysterious, distant homeland."
This is obviously referring to Kadaikos. However, the history tells us this:
"Blinded by the possibility of creating a new world, the young gods Laanx and Talad didn't ask any other details, or pay much attention to the warnings. Therefore, they used their powers to enlarge the niche and created the huge cave comprised of eight levels."
"To surprise and amaze him, she drew the incommensurable power of the azure crystal as much as she could and, in secret, mimicked the rituals of Vodùl to give life to some creatures reproduced in her image. The new people matured and reproduced, they were nice-looking and had a quiet behavior, like their creator, and they called themselves "Lemurs"."
That means Lemurs have lived in Yliakum for a while, maturing and reproducing.
"She retired to wander in the Stone Labyrinths, and many Lemurs went with her."
"After many generations of the Lemur had passed, Laanx wandered into a cave that was hundreds of times bigger than the one he created, where beings without a name dwelt. At the top he spied a huge stalactite that occupied one third of the vault, and which produced a thin rain of clear water. It was the conic block of rock that held Yliakum."
This means that Lemurs not only lived in Yliakum for a while originally but also in the Stone Labyrinths.
"At the middle of the cave, he saw a deep lake full of life, whose shores were a fertile soil. The Lemurs believed that their god had led them to a new home. Their praises and thanks to Laanx echoed in the cave and many sacrifices were made. In that moment Laanx became aware of the presence of his followers, and he was stricken by their faith and ingenuity. His heart became a little softer, and he gave his people many powerful and useful things to brighten the cave and make the lake and its shores a place to live. The Lemurs multiplied rapidly, built the ten towns of Kadaikos, and they became a prosperous and numerous populations."
This clearly states that Kadaikos was Lemurs' new home and not their origin as their description states. Unless, of course, Lemurs have somehow completely lost history of their origin and rely on inaccurate legends that only go as far as Kadaikos.
Also, the history states:
"After many generations of the Lemur had passed, Laanx wandered into a cave that was hundreds of times bigger than the one he created..."
If this is in reference to Yliakum, then it wasn't solely created by Laanx but by both, Talad and Laanx, as it states here:
"Therefore, they used their powers to enlarge the niche and created the huge cave comprised of eight levels."
Unless it's in reference to some other cave that Laanx created while traveling from Yliakum to Kadaikos. But why would Laanx do that, if he wasn't even aware that some Lemurs followed him until they all arrived to Kadaikos?
Not trying to nitpick, just contributing to an interesting discussion.
