The Creation of Catarika and Rakia

Once upon a time, there was a man and his wife. This man was named Jinjo and he was the seer of all things good in the land called Tia. His wife was named Co'colee'' and she was the seer of beauty and nature in the land called Tia.

Now, at the time, the world in which they lived was forming. All the great races of the world were being created but progress would take many years, for this was the Era of Creation. In fact, this era was just beginning, and Jinjo and Co'colee'' weren't sure how they got to Tia; they just knew that they were the rulers of a great people.

They did know that they would eventually be responsible for one or more great races. One fine day, long ago, Co'colee'' gave birth to to beautiful twin sons. She named the first one Rancem and the second one Rinniken. As they grew older, they became seers of the animals, as they were born into the royal family. Their appearances were rather unfinished. They both looked identical and had no hair, no color in their eyes, and in fact just a hint of facial features. They truly were blank canvases and knew that because they were so unfinished that they would become fathers of two great races.

As time went on, Rancem and Rinniken gained very distinct likes and dislikes. They both had a favorite animal which seemed to do as they said. One day, Jinjo knew that it was time for creation and called his two sons to the great stone. They stood across from each other at the stone with their father standing to the north. Jinjo knew what his sons would become and he had to explain to them what was to happen.

Rancem and Rinniken noticed two markings on either side of the stone. Where Rancem was standing he could see a marking. Rinniken could see a marking. Jinjo then explained what was to happen.

"I have been watching you, my sons, and I am pleased. You have done well in the eyes of your father. The time has come for islands to form and new races to take root. Rancem, your symbol is the ears of a dog. You represent the people of the dogs and your appearance will be such. Rinniken, your symbol is the ears of a cat. You will become the father of the cat people."

As Jinjo spoke to each brother, the animal they would represent began to flock towards them. The brothers began to change. Rancem began growing coarse, straight black hair like the hair of the dogs. His eyes became big and round and turned a beautiful dark navy blue. His nose became very broad and he began to grow very tall. With a flash of bright light, his senses changed. His eyesight became keen, his hearing was good, and he had a dog-like aura about him. His skin darkened slightly to match the coat of the dogs he grew to love. After this final change all the dogs who had gathered turned into people like himself. Rancem could not have been more happy or proud and looked over his new people with a loving smile. Then he watched silently as the change happened to Rinniken.

Rinniken watched with growing excitement as a large army of cats began to flock towards him. He began growing straight, shiny black hair like the sleek fur of the cat. His eyes turned dark brown and and became turned up in the corners and were very cat-shaped. His nose became straight and slightly turned up at the end, representing the straight nose of the cat. His height was not as tall as Rancem's by any means for the cat is smaller than the dog. He watched as all the cats around him turned into the first generation of the new race.

After all this change happened, the twin brothers looked quite different from one another. Jinjo knew this so he gave them both something. With another flash of light, they began speaking in a common tongue. Many of the words and phrases were common but they had their little diffrernces to make them unique. The biggest difference between the two languages was how they were articulated in the mouth. Rancem spoke at the back of his throat while Rinniken spoke it towards the front of his teeth.

The two brothers said goodbye to each other as crowns were placed upon their heads by Co'colee''. The two races, facing each other, knew that soon this moment in history would be but a story, however they were gifted by Jinjo with an undying sense of brotherhood and friendship. After all was spoken, Jinjo raised his staff and pounded it into the ground.

The large stone split through the middle and the while stone broke away from the land of Tia. The two races waved as the new islands drifted away to the west and east. After many days and many nights, the two islands stopped. As they did, they began to take shape. Rinniken's island grew very big, as cats tend to live alone and like a big open space. Two great lakes formed and the island gained the likeness of a cat's face. Rancem's island was smaller, for dogs live in packs. The island took a dog-shaped appearance.

Now that everything started happening all at once, with all of the island's formation, Rancem and Rinniken and their tribes just watched in awe for many days. From here, the ancient story separates into two.

Rancem's Island
Rancem and his people watched as their island began growing odd fruit trees. There were fruits shaped like stars, circles, triangles, pyramids, and more. There became slight mountains to the north and great rivers began to flow about the island. The temperature became very warm and humid and great misty clouds covered the great vastness of trees. Now that all was set and done, the people of Rancem had to organize.

Under Rancem's direction, they built a castle upon the mountain that overlooked the ocean. The city that was built around the mountain, facing north for Jinjo's position at the great stone, was known as Inyun, the Rakian word for Jinjo. The island and country itself became known as Rakia, the Rakian word for Rancem. A new star in the clear night sky signified to Jinjo and the world that Rakia was established.

Rinniken's Island
Rinniken and his people watched in wonder as many great trees grew tall. These trees held many types of fruits which they were to eat. A great mountain formed and others around it formed as well. Rinniken, having a love for natural wonders, made many neat things in the mountains including big acoustic caverns, shining rocks, and even a mountain with a river going through it, to humor his people. The temperature became very warm with some rain to keep things from getting way too hot. The geography of his island was very vast, from grasslands to farms to mountains and rivers to swamps. His island had it all and it's one of the reasons it is so diverse.

After the country was mostly established, Rinniken settled along the western lake which was called Amiumuri. He helped build Niallidan Castle which remains today. The country became known as Catarika, which is a derivative and not unlike a "pet name" of Rinniken. The people called themselves the Ketah which evolved into the word Catin over time.