The name "Srinala" is a blending of the Babelite words for Life (Rinala) and Death (Sunala), to make a hybrid word that implies a state of both at once. This is distinctly different from the concept of "undeath", or, that is, animated corpses produced as a result of necromancy, or found in the form of "ghosts" and "revenants".

In Babelite history, there have been claims of "miraculous" births, whereby a child would be born to the Eeee who was essentially comatose, forever sleeping, yet still living. Whatever historical basis there might be for such stories, the tradition has evolved that Life Magic has been used by "hedge wizards" amongst the Sunala priesthood to see to it that an Eeee child is born in the image of Sunala. Traditionally, this means having black fur, white head-hair, and pupil-less white eyes. (This would imply that the child so born is blind.) Also traditionally, the child's wings are shredded, preventing flight, and in the fashion of sacrificial maids who are compelled to hurl themselves off of cliffs or tall buildings.

Sometimes, the child is born in a comatose state, and is declared to be "Srinala" - both a title and name, for such a child born this way is not permitted to be known by any other name. Such a child is incapable of caring for herself, and is generally supported by magical means as well as dedicated care. She is considered to be a good omen and a bringer of blessings to the village ... or, perhaps more accurately, a boon to turn away curses from Sunala upon the village. At some point during young adulthood, the Srinala is to be sacrificed during a fortuitous alignment, usually as part of a magical ritual, to bring some sort of favor upon the people (or, again, to turn away curses). It is unthinkable that a Srinala should be allowed to turn old, or - more likely - to die of natural causes.

Srinala also occupy another role in the worship of Sunala, in that it is believed that they lack souls and therefore may serve as a vessel for the souls of the departed to inhabit, before they are taken into oblivion at last by Sunala. In the presence of a priestess, a Srinala may speak, purportedly possessed by a departed spirit, and offer counsel to the living. (College Esoterica writings on this phenomena subtly suggest that this may be an application of Life Magic to use the Srinala like a puppet of sorts, or perhaps that the priestesses may dabble a bit into other spheres of magic in order to get the desired result.) Beyond speaking, however, the Srinala is never supposed to be animate in any other way, for it is believed that would compromise their unique position on the threshold between life and death.

Minor kingdom on the surface, once ruled by the line of Xante, south of the Nordika region, possibly near Half Valley on the Seaborne Reach. It fell into in-fighting a few generations ago, and even in its height had limited contact with the outside. It was reported to have limited use of technology or magic, and had no clearly dominant species in its population.

According to legend, this was the site of the conflict between King Xante and Lord Calderas, in which the Compass Rose was rumored to have been called in to deal with a confrontation over the minor fiefdom of Gessershire -- and in which the Compass Rose also purportedly met its doom. Given the legends that have sprung up around the Compass Rose over the years, there are some who hold that the land of Stalwirland is fictitious.

Some of the fiefdoms believed to make up Stalwirland included Gessershire, Xanashire (site of the king's estate, Falcon's Watch), and Tectishire.

Sunala is the Goddess of Death, and a matron of assassins. She is believed to devour the souls of her prey, giving them utter annihilation rather than the afterlife. Nonetheless, sometimes condemned criminals or wounded soldiers will pray to her, begging her for a quick death, seeking annihilation rather than the horrible, slow deaths they expect to face.

Despite her role, Sunala is depicted as a beautiful woman (by Babelite standards), with beauty rivaling that of her older sister, Inala.

In Babelite myth, Sunala is the only goddess of the seven that is spared from ever being subjected to getting killed off at the hands of the others. It is suspected that if someone were to introduce a story that did portray Sunala as dying, he or she would receive a personal visit from some priestesses of Sunala intent on purging this "heresy".

Sunala is also the name of a mountain located outside Babel, which houses a shrine to the goddess of the same name. It is not much of a secret that the priestesses of Sunala are often hired to perform ritualistic assassinations, though their services generally do not take them outside of Babel itself, and they never act against the ruling house of Babel (i.e., the Sabaoth, the High Prince, the High Princess, or whomever might hold the throne).

The rune that represents Sunala in Babelite script is also known as "The Corpse".

As might be discerned from its name, Sylvania is full of forests, the bulk of its land still being untamed wilderness, though cultivated areas are dominated by farmlands. While most modern structures in Sylvania are wooden, it is known for its ancient castles, most of which are nothing but crumbling ruins today. Some decades ago, Sylvania was wracked by several disasters -- plaque, widespread fires, war and famine -- which decimated its population and crippled its ruling structures.

Sylvania shares Chronotopia's knack for having particularly foul weather, with sunny days being the exception. Its scattered populace is dominated by Rhians, Korvs and a subrace of the Eeee. Scavengers and raiders occasionally present a problem to Gallis and Chronotopia, and its government seems to have very little ability to control its own people, so it is not on good terms with any of its neighbors.

By tradition, Rath'ani (raccoons) are most dominant in the Technopriest hierarchy, though there are also several Eeee and members of other races as well.