Encyclopaedia Elyden #25 - Aethios

Here's the 25th Encyclopaedia update for your perusal, based on the map of the latest Atlas map of Aethios. I've also added a simple PDF, aswell as just listing all the entries here.

Please let me know what you think and let me  know if there's any mistakes or typos as these entries are heading straight to the Encyclopaedia at the end of the month :)  

You can keep up with these entries by looking for the  'Encyclopaedia Entries' tag.  

If you have any queries about any of the following entries, please don't hesitate to ask :)
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ABAKETH: fortified settlement in the far N of Aethios. It is located in the region of Dagesareth and its main industry is the quarrying of soul stones on an industrial level (Pop. c. 8,000). 

ABUNA: priestly caste in Aethios who emerged following Aethiosi release from vassalage in 3810 RM, becoming its rulers.

When Korachan declared war on Aethios in 2943 RM following the completion of the Dam of Aesapia, people became disillusioned with the Church of the Machine, which until then had been its main rel. They could not understand how a god shared between Aethios and Korachan could lead the latter into battle against its own worshippers. They forsook worship of the Undying Machine and toppled its churches, allowing them to be reclaimed by nature. 

The Abuna evolved from the leaders of the animist movement that emerged from this time, who returned to a worship of the r. Shibboleth, in the guise of St. Shibboleth, as it had been corrupted millennia before by Korachani censors. The river Shibboleth was returned to a place of prominence in their worship, becoming the head of a cycle of nature spirits, at the centre of which was the Atramenta - an antagonist that represented temptation and corruption.

With the Aethiosi vassalage to Sarastro in 3379, the Abuna diminished, remaining as the leaders of a mystery cult that grew in the shadows of their Sarastroan oppressors. By the time of Aethiosi independence in 3810 RM, the Abuna emerged as leaders who abolished the Aethiosi Royal House, taking control, becoming its rulers in what is today known as the Holy Republic. 

ACATAS: ancient people that repopulated the N - E of Sammaea in c. -1500 RM following the Shadow War that led to the Fading of the Fourth Age. Its people would settle the span of the r. Shibboleth occupied by what are now the S of Aethios and the N of Rhinocoloura. 

ACTANORS: 1. plains and river basin in the N - E of Aethios, flanked by the Aram Mtn. to the west and the great Growing Mtns. to the E. The plains are named after the ancient city-state that preceded the extant capital of Ethand and are renowned for their beauty (being as the r. Narrati, one of the largest tributaries of the r. Shibboleth, flows through the plains) and ancient scattered remains believed by most to belong to the aiklahs.

2. (Dem. Actanorsi). Extinct ntn. in the N of Sammaea that existed between c. -850 and 2547, ending when the Korachani exile Ethand renamed the capital and surrounding lands to Aethios, though many current commentators claim that culturally, Actanors was supplanted by Aethios at least 200 years earlier, in c. 2300 RM. See Vol III: Extinct Nations and Realms. 

3. Once-capital of Actanors, it emerged in c. -900 RM and remained a major city, waxing and waning under different guises, to this day. It was capital of Aethios until 2943 RM, when the ruling city was moved to Ethand (2) (Pop. c. 28,000). 

ADUMBRAESK: 1. a corruption of an older imperial term originating in c. 400 RM, ‘A’ Umbriska’, meaning ‘against the shadow’. The word is mostly used in reference to the Ba’athi caste of Atm. wardens (known locally as the Telraas) whose study of and work in combating the Atm. led to the creation of the first siphon engines in -92 RM in the city of Alba. Following the imperial dominance in the region in 634 RM, the word Telraas fell into disfavour, replaced by Adumbraesk. Those in the order who remained and claimed loyalty to Korachan were effectively merged with the myriad hierarchies and ranks of the technarcane orders.

2. ruined Fourth Age tower on the E periphery of the Bleeding Plains in the W of Aethios. The place is slowly sinking into a morass of shadowstuff that has already claimed the steel colossi that once guarded it.

AEGNORS: fortified city in the far N - W of Aethios, close to the border with the Umbra Sokhar. It is home to a mil. order clad in softsuits that venture W into the region of Dearth to hunt Atramentally corrupted creatures that might pose a risk to Aethios.  (Pop. c. 28,000). 

AESAPIA: 1. dam built across the r. Shibboleth in Aethios in 2943 RM, following close to a century of construction. The completion of the dam changed life in Aethios, providing the entire ntn. With hydroelectric power, but in so-doing the flow of the r. was irrevocably altered, leading to ntns. downstream of the dam, such as Paraiya and Lidea, suffering greatly as a consequence. 

Korachan declared war on Aethios following attempts at dissuading it from constructing the dam, and managed to destroy it 3017 RM. the destruction of the dam caused untold damages to both Aethiosi and Korachani cities and thousands are thought to have perished by its flooding waters. 

Even though the course of the r. Shibboleth was restored close to a millennia ago, the changes caused by its damming was great and in some cases, irreversible. Merills, which swam upstream to l. Siballa to spawn, were unable to do so for 6-decades, leading to their near extinction, from which they are yet to recover. The sight of them slamming their bloodied and broken bodies against the dam was one that featured in many pieces of art from the day. Even now, for a distance of over 200-miles upstream from the location of the broken dam, the land is grey and lifeless, a fact exacerbated by the encroaching shadow in the region of the Bleeding Plains.

Today the remnants of the dam still stymie the flow of the r. Shibboleth, and merills find it difficult to make their way up the concrete remnants 

2. Artificial l. caused by the damming of the r. Shibboleth (1). Despite the dam’s destruction in 3017 RM, a small l. still remains just upstream of the dam’s remnants.

3. city constructed at the edge of the above dam (1). At its peak, just before the destruction of the dam, it boasted a population of close to a million, but it is now greatly diminished, though still draws electricity through hydroelectric means. (Pop. c. 90,000).

AETANORS: small fortified city in the N of Aethios, along the Arami road, linking the c of Aethios to the N - E (Pop. c. 12,800). 

AETHIOS: ntn. in the N of Sammaea, positioned S of N’rach, E of the Umbra Sokhar, W of the Growing Mountains of Mulciber, and N of Rhinocoloura. The name Aethios was first used to describe the people surrounding a 1,000-mile stretch of the river Shibboleth in 2543 RM by the expatriated Korachani Patrician Ethand. This followed decades of conflict in the region and led to  the unification of its people.

The damming of the river Shibboleth in 2943 RM saw the Royal House of Ethand reach full power, under whose aegis its cities prospered, but the damming led to a declaration of war by the Korachani empire, and the eventual destruction of dam. The region remained independent until the Reformed Empire of Sarastro, hungry for lucrative Aethiosi soul stone mines, declared war, eventually forcing the Royal House into a vassalage that lasted for centuries, before Sarastro lost interest due to more pressing matters in the N. A priestly caste called the Abuna fought for independence, gaining it in c. 3810 RM, abolishing the Royal House of Ethand.

This led to the formation of the Holy Republic of Aethios in 3817 RM, which remains in control to this day, under the counsel of the Abuna, whose spiritualist beliefs are the backbone of the kingdom..  See Vol III: Extant Nations and Realms.

AETHIOSI: The language spoken in Aethios and Rhinocoloura. It originated from Gibeahn, though has many Korachani influences from the days when the Church of the Machine was a dominant religion there. See Vol II: Languages of Elyden.

AETHIOSI ANIMISM: the main rel. In the Holy Republic of Aethios. Originally worshippers of the Undying Machine, the people of Aethios forsook the teachings of Rachanael after the Korachani empire attacked in 2943 RM following the completion of the Dam of Aesapia. The destruction of the dam destroyed many cities and killed innocents in their thousands, causing many people to become disillusioned with their deity, who was also the deity of the armies that had attacked them, and caused the destruction of the dam.

After the war was won the people of Aethios toppled all churches of the Undying Machine, and left them to be reclaimed by nature. This was originally unintentional, but as the ruins were reclaimed by nature, it became a symbolic gesture, one hat reminded them of the strength of nature over corruption. This was a powerful notion, as Aethios had struggled against Atramental corruption for some time, and people began to worship nature as a triumphant force.

Before the coming of Korachani missionaries to their lands, the ancestors of Aethios worshipped the r. Shibboleth as a deity and source of life, and they found themselves returning to this. The r. once more became prominent in their worship, becoming the head of a cycle of nature spirits, at the centre of which was the Atramenta - an antagonist that represented temptation and corruption. 

Shapers became its priests, known as imamni, reviving an old tradition that had been abandoned with the dwindling of the Sephian caste’s power in Aethios. These shapers would become the Abuna, who would eventually go on to liberate Aethios from Sarastroan subjugation in 3810 RM, becoming the rulers of the new Holy Republic in 3817 RM. See Vol IV: Religions and Cults.

AETLIS: settlement in the c N - E of Aethios, in the S - W face of the Aram Mtns. (Pop. c. 8,000).

AGORNA: fortress in the far N of the Zolandeth region in the c N of Aethios, perched on the S slopes of the Agrabu highlands. The fort was constructed in c. 1600 RM after increased N’rachi raids in the N territories of Aethios. The fort remains in use and has grown into a small settlement, though N’rachi territories have retreated N since its construction (Pop. c. 2,000).

AIKLAH: One of the many children of the Demiurge Arimaspi. They are humanoid in shape, with striking avian features; stiff mane-like feathers covering their necks, and the backs of their arms. Their faces are muzzled by short powerful beaks and large expressive eyes, their scaly are limbs nimble and adept with both tools and weapons.

They are believed to have been relatively common at one time; and their remains and past ruins dot Aethios, the W of the Growing Mountains of Mulciber, Rhinocoloura as well as the far N and E of Mharokk, possibly marking the extent of their previous domains. However, if they were once numerous, their numbers are now few, and they are only rarely seen by merchants travelling the E reaches of the Salt Road; their indistinct shapes flitting through the scrub and rough terrain of the Growing Mountains and Aethios.

They are now sedentary creatures, rarely leaving the cover of the hills they call home; distrustful of outsiders and adept trackers – few who see them do so without them knowing.

Some red stone idols have been enoucntered in the S–W of the Growing Mountains, covered in guano and bone-offerings; though it seems as though such sites of worship are temporary – constructed by groups who settle in an area, and then abandoned as they move on. See Vol II: Classification and Taxonomy of Life: Haghor.

AKHET: granite mtn. in the S–W of J’thana, bordering c E Aethios.

AMHAD: fortified city in the N of Aethios. In antiquity, it was home to knights that crusaded into the Umbra Sokhar, to combat the effects of corruption. The tradition has since died out, though remains a potent cultural marker to its people. The city was abandoned in c. 2940 before completion of the dam of Aesapia, though following its destruction in 3017 RM was slowly repopulated due to its strategic point where the r. Shibboleth meets l. C’khmar (Pop. c. 69,000).

ANCHIAUS: low long Mtn. range in Sammaea, forming a border between the Umbra Sokhar and Aethios. 

APENATI: r. flowing W for over 500-miles from sources in the Growing Mountains of Mulciber, before meeting its distributary, the r. Raseleth, at l. Emahom, in the plains of Aramor.   

APHAEN: fortress in the far N of Aethios, that is built atop a ruined fort that once formed part of the Aphaeni Wall that was built in c. 2950 RM to defend against Korachani attacks from the N. 

APHAENI WALL: wall in the N of Aethios, constructed in c 2950 RM following the declaration of war on Aethios by Korachan in the wake of the construction of the Dam of Aesapia. Though helpful in the defence against Korachan, the wall now lies in ruins, most of it reduced to rubble and dust.

APHAERNA: city in the E of Aethios, in the S of the plains of Actanors. Like many settlement sin the region, it is known for its large herds of aurochs. It is also known for its library of ancient books, many of which are bound in human flesh. The script in the books is unknown, and their origins are likewise a mystery (Pop. c. 32,000). 

ARAM: major Mtn. in the N - E of Aethios, and source of the r. Narrati. 

ARAMI: (8,600-ft.) highest peak of the Aram Mtns. in the c N - E of Aethios, its red rocks and sheer W-face visible for miles around.

ARAMI ROAD: trade route linking the c of Aethios to the N - E, passing N of the Aram Mtns. 

ARISTH: city in the S - W of Aethios. It is known as the sole major city in which the shamanic tradition once common to the Radnor territories survives. The shamen form a ruling class, and every season a shaman is sent to the capital in Ethand to advise the council of the Abuna (Pop. c. 30,000). 

AROMUR: arid plains in the S - E of Aethios, crossing the Tropic of Rah, extending across the border with Rhinocoloura. The plains are notable for the major confluence where the r. Apenati meets its distributary, the r. Raseleth, at l. Emahom. 

ASHABANOR: settlement in the S of Aethios, near l. Emahom, along the course of the r. Raseleth. It is known for its reed gathering (Pop. c. 6,000). 

ATENORS: 1. Pass in the N - E of Aethios, between the Sesam and Aram Mtns. 

2. Small city in the N - E of Aethios (Pop. c. 18,000). 

ATHAPEN: expansive dry badlands region dominating the W of Aetios. 

AXIA: 1. city in the N of Aethios, W of the Aram Mtns. (Pop. c. 40,000).

2. region in the N of Aethios, dominated by mesas and strange rock-formations.

BAHERG: settlement in the S - E of Aethios, along the S - E shore of l. Nura (Pop. c. 5,000). 

BERETLIS: settlement in the S - E of Aethios, just S of l. Emahom (Pop. c. 5,000). 

BERETTI: r. in the W of Aethios, flowing E for 430-miles from sources in the Anchiaur Mtns. before meeting its distributary, the r.Shibboleth. The r. Flows through the Atramentally-tainted region of the Bleeding Plains, which turns the water to a thick ichor that does not flow, allowing only a trickle of largely untainted water to escape into the Shibboleth.  

BESPAD: r in the N - E of Aethios, flowing E of 400-miles from sources in the Sesam and Aram Mtns. before meeting its distributary, the r. Narrati.

BETHET: Small Mtn. in the N of Sammaea, forming a natural border between the S of J’thana and the N of Aethios.

BLEEDING PLAINS, the: expansive Atramentally-tainted region, around 60,000 square-miles in size, dominating a large swathe of land between the Umbra Sokhar and the r. Shibboleth, in the W of Aethios. The region appeared in c. 1000 RM, in what is now known as the Sloecrux, and has slowly grown since then, its E-most periphery getting dangerously close to the r. Shibboleth.

What should be a fertile savannah is instead a barren, cracked wasteland, with Atramental ichor seeping through to the surface, tainting the land. The region is entirely inhospitable to normal life, though has attracted weirdlings from the W as well as grotesques and degenerates. Other flo. and fau. Is either corrupted or adapted to such life. A single known structure, a Fourth Age fort known as the Adumbræsk, is known to exist on the E periphery of the plains, predating the tainted region’s appearance.

There is some debate amongst scholars as to the effects on the r. Shibboleth, should the expanse eventually reach it, and Its E-most reaches are protected by further expansion by an  array of siphon engines known as the Siphon Wall

BUNDI STAFF: common accoutrement of the shamanistic sphere in the Radnor region of Aethios, said to complement the shaman’s abilities, like a focus.

BURASAFTA: settlement in the E of Aethios, to the S of the region of Actanors. It is known for its large cattle ranches (Pop. c. 8,000). 

CAIGG: (180-ft.) expansive waterfall in the S of Aethis, at the confluence of l. Emahom, where the r. Apenati meets its distributary, the r. Raseleth. The waterfall is considered one of the most beautiful sights of the natural world and is a source of great pride to the people of Aethios. 

COVENANT OF THE MOUNTS, the: treaty enacted between Actanors, Arkos, a newly independent J’thana, and Siriphagos following the failed Korachani attack of Siriphagos, which ended in 2109 RM. The aforementioned ntns. signed the treaty in 2111 RM, which served to bring them closer together, safeguarding trade relations and establishing a Mil. code of alliance for combatting outside threats, such as the tribes of Mulciber or other opposing ntns.. The Covenant broke down in c. 2300 RM as the quarrelling of Aethiosi states led to a resurgence in Auereni activity against Siriphagos and Arkos.

DAGESARETH: dry region in the N - E of Aethios, forming the N - E-most part of the badlands of Zolandeth. The region is famed for the large quantities of soul stones that are found there, which are mined on an industrial scale by Aethios. The region is peppered with open cast mines that are operated by slaves (the mining of soul stones is delicate and machines would likely destroy as many stones as they uncover) who dig and search carefully. The entire region is heavily guarded by mil. and mercenary presence all the way to the city of Gobai, which prepares the stones for storage and export. 

The region lies close to the border with Barathea, which itself controls a small portion of soul stone reserves, leading to clashes between the two, as Aethios claims all soul stone reserves in the region.

DAGGAL PLAINS: region surrounding the r. Shibboleth, crossing the border between Aethios and Rhinocoloura. The region is sparsely populated, and home to diverse wildlife. 

DALAL: city in the N of Aethios, in the region of Actanors (Pop. c. 40,000). 

DHABB: massif in the far S of Aethios, forming part of the border with Rhinocoloura.

DJELOT: a caste of wandering storytellers, musicians and historians common in the N - E of Sammaea. Djelots are almost invariably loners, moving from settlement to settlement, sharing songs and stories in return for food and accommodation. They are highly respected within the society of Aethios, where they are thought to have originated, though form a crucial part of oral culture in other ntns. In the N - E of Sammaea including Mulciber, Siriphagos, Arkos and the S of Sarastro.

Though traditionally laymen with regards to the Firmament and the Atramenta, many are known to be shapers, possess minor supranatural abilities, they use to help those they encounter.  

Some djelots have been known to wander into the darker lands of Kharkharadontis, some of them emerging untouched by the great taint that lurks there.

EBEDORNA settlement in the N -E of Aethios, along the course of r. Bespad (Pop. c. 6,500). 

EDENORS: settlement in the N - E of Aethios (Pop. c. 9,000). 

EDERNA: ruined city in the c N - W of Aethios, abandoned in c. 3040 RM after the destruction of the dam of Aesapia in 3017 RM. The settlement dwindled in size in the absence of l. Aesapia and was eventually abandoned, its people scattering to nearby cities 

EDRAM: major fort in the N of Aethios, guarding the soul stone quarries in the Dagesareth region. 

EISHETH: 1. (B. 969 RM) Princess exiled from her home in Aethios following a political coup and the overthrowing of her family from power in 993 RM. She wandered around the N–E of Sammaea until she discovered a ruined colossus dedicated to an unnamed power in c. 1000 RM with her followers. She began worshipping it as a dei. and eventually founded the Temple of the Volute in Naareth in 1002 RM.

2. following the founding of the Temple of the Volute and her becoming the first Matriarch of the temple, Eisheth slowly began to change. Perhaps it was the discovery of the Volute or some other malignant power at work, but her body began to mutate  and, over the years, she became a corpulent creature barely recognisable as human; the grotesque embodiment of the Naarethi martriarchal tradition. To remain alive, her body was fed with Atm. forces and enhanced with technarcane orthoses, her distended body constantly giving birth to Naarethi drones. She became the centre of the rel. of the Volute, becoming known as the Heart of the Volute; the name of her temple in the Lathmm highlands, where she is interred.

None outside the ranks of the Hierodules and Matriarchs are allowed to see her body, though it is believed that she is still alive.

EMAHOM: 1. l. in the far S of Aethios, forming the confluence of the r. Apenati with its distributary, the r. Raseleth, in the arid plains of Aromur.

2. (D. 2987 RM) Ruler and explorer of ancient Aethios, who lives on in the memories of the Aethiosi as an explorer who navigated the r. Raseleth to its source in the Ugostauth Mtns. dying there in 2987 RM. 

ERUKH: settlement in the N - E of Aethios, in the E-face of the Aram Mtns. It is built atop an ancient ruined aiklah aerie, and is now renowned for its roc breeders (Pop. c. 7,000). 

ESTARATTI: r. in the E of Aethios, flowing W for 360-miles from sources in the Growing Mountains of Mulciber, before meeting its distributary, the r. Narrati.

ETHAND: 1. (B. c. 2261 – ?) half-plagi Lidean exile. An umbraphage, he became a negus of Aethios in 2543 RM, bringing the people of Aethios together. Worship of the Undying Machine prospered under his rule and as a show of strength to the empire that had exiled him, Ethand oversaw the damming of the Shibboleth in 2943 RM, where he was elected archnegus. The damming of the r. caused the Korachani empire to declare war on Aethios, culminating in the destruction of the dam and disintegration of Aethios in 3017 RM. Following this, Aethios would never be as prosperous as it once was and Ethand remained archnegus only though his longevity (increased by his technarcane augmentations) and the iron grip with which he ruled. He disappeared in 3027 RM, and his fate remains unknown.

2. capital city of Aethios since 2943 RM, when the capital was moved there from Actanors following the completion of the Dam of Aesapia. It was named after the-then ruler of Aethios (2). It is known for its hanging gardens and indoor pools, which are fed by complex pneumatic systems that draw on the waters of the r. Narrati (pop. c. 450,000).

FANAIA: city in the E of Aethios, along the course of the r. Narrati. It’s a bustling metropolis, small for its population, and known for its glassworks, made with fine sands sourced in the r. Narrati (Pop. c. 38,000). 

FANNORS: city in the S of Aethios. It is known for its glass production (Pop. c. 29,000). 

FATHERS AND MOTHERS: also ‘Untu Nata’. Antiquated name used in much of the N of Sammaea, to describe the Two-and-Twenty worker gods of myth, making the term synonymous with that of Demiurge.

FOUNTAIN OF VOL, the: also ‘Vol’. Fountain in Actanors, built over a natural spring in c. –100 RM, and became famed for never running dry. A local legend emerged from this fact, claiming that Actanors would be safe, so long as its waters still flowed.

In 2942 RM the waters of Vol ran dry, and many foresaw the end of Actanors and its culture. Confirming this belief, less than a year later, the capital was moved to the city of Ethand, and the city of Actanors was allowed to dwindle, marking a cultural transition, and what many truly believe was the transition of the empire of Actanors into the Kingdom of Aethios.

GALAN: settlement in the S - W of Aethios, in the region of Athapen. The settlement is known for its monitor rearers, who train monitors used by mil. forces that patrol the W border with the Umbra Sokhar (Pop. c. 8,000). 

GENUREN: also ‘Monolith of Genuren’. Large monolith, some 300-ft. high in the S - E of Aethios, carved, in situ, from the pink stone of the region, possibly from a natural rocky pinnacle. It dates back to the Fourth Age or earlier and glass artifacts found near its base were attributed to a culture that faltered in the wake of the Shadow War that ended the Fourth Age.  

GERESAH: abandoned settlement in the W of Aethios, in what is now the Bleeding Plains. It was abandoned in c. 2800 RM after the aforementioned Atramentally-tainted region expanded beyond its borders.

GEITRA: major city in the c N - W of Aethios, around 25-miles from the r. Shibboleth. It is a hub of the raw umbra trade, and umbra siphoned from the Bleeding Plains is pumped 100-miles north to the city, where it is processed and pumped to other major cities in the region. It is also a major producer of shadowsteel, where imported iron is turned turned into an alloy with umbra, that is used in construction and other civil engineering projects (Pop. c. 180,000).  

GOBAI: large fortified city in the c N of Aethios. Its primary industry is the study and refining of soul stones unearthed to the N in Dagesareth. It is a city of universities, scholars, shapers, philosophers, not to mention the technarcanists who put the soul stones to use in archaic engines. It is also heavily fortified and guarded by private armies that serve the magnates that control the soul stone reserves, which are stored there to create artificial scarcity within foreign ntn. (pop. c. 80,000). 

HAMAGIA: city in the c S - E of Aethios, along the N - W-most shore of l. Nura. It is a place of relaxation, where the Abuna and others of wealth retreat to in spring to enjoy heated baths (Pop. c. 28,000). 

HESON: major fort in the N of Aethios, guarding the soul stone quarries in the Dagesareth region. 

HOLY FATHER: also ‘Holy Mother’. name of the head Abune in the Holy Republic of Aethios. The current Holy Mother is Allara. 

HOLY REPUBLIC: the government of Aethios, as formally acknowledged by foreign ntns. since 3817 RM following a reorganisation of its nine states by the Abuna, who gained power after its independence from Sarastro in 3810 RM 

HOSETA: city in the c. N - W of Aethios, at the confluence where the r. Narrati meets the r. Shibboleth. The r. is too wide, and its span too erratic to be crossed by a bridge, and the city operates an extensive system of pulley-based barges to span its two sides (Pop. c. 35,000).

HUSGAPIA: fortified city in the c W of Aethios, at the E periphery of the Atramentally-tainted Bleeding Plains. It is home to Atramental shapers who study the effects of the plains and work towards stopping its advance  (Pop. c. 28,000). 

IMAMN: (plr. Imamni). Spiritual leaders in Aethios, often Onésimus or Set. They tend to see trees as holy objects which embody the spirit deities of Aethiosi Animism.

JAKA: Shale wasteland in the S–E of the Umbra Sokhar wastes, in Sammaea, just W of Aethios. The desert is the domain of Herensuege, scion of the Demiurge Ashterath, and is largely inhospitable to life, though some saurholm tribes and degenerates do manage to eke out a living here, paying blood tributes to the scion. They are a nuisance to the people of Aethios, and its W borders are constantly patrolled from incursions.

KARSIGHOR: Mtns. serving as a border between the S of Aethios and the N of Rhinocoloura.

KENNORS: settlement in the S of Aethios. It is a major source of granite in the region (Pop. c. 6,000).

KERATON: karkadanni enclave in the far E of Aethios. Individual karkadanni are known to sometimes travel the Salt Road, offering their services as guards. It is thought that many such guards originated from the enclave of Keraton, though little else is known of the city, and few are those who know its exact location (Pop. c. unknown). 

KHUNRATH: arid highland plateau in the N - E Rhinocoloura, stretching across the border into the S - E of Aethios. The plateau is expansive, measuring some 250-miles from W-to E, and ends in various shallow escarpments that taper in the N at the Aromur. The region is peppered with the ruins of the ancient Fourth Age city-state of Tiamat that dominated the region, close to the extant mud-fortress of Thiamit.

KRURSTA: city in the far S–E of Aethios (Pop. c. 18,200).

HOUSE OF THE DJELOTS: large hostelry in the city of Ethand in the N - E of Aethios. It serves as a hub to djelots, who in their travels of N - E Sammaea often return to the House, bringing news of the world at large, and filling the annals of its halls with new knowledge to educate their peers. 

JOCAETH: Mtn. range in the S of Aethios, Stretching N for  325-miles from the border with Rhinocoloura.

LENALAT: 1. Pass to the S of the Anchiaus Mtns. that leads from Aethios W into the Umbra Sohar. The pass is guarded by a large fort (2).

2. major fort in the S - W of Aethios, at the edge of the Athapen badlands, overlooking the Lenalati pass W into the Umbra Sokhar. The fort home to troops that patrol the border atop well-trained monitors. 

LEST: settlement in the N - E of Aethios (Pop. c. 8,500). 

LIDONUSAN PLAINS: expansive plains dominating the N of Aethios, to the E of the r. Shibboleth. The plains are dry, but not arid, covered in sparse vegetation and scattered scrub woodlands that increase in density to the N. 

LLAL: city in the N - E of Aethios, known for its many granite quarries (Pop. c. 16,500).

MALAEGAN VALLEY: large valley stretching for some 450-miles around the r. Narrati in the c of Aethios, in the N - E of Sammaea. The valley is sparsely populated and is home to thriving wildlife, ranging from kataphrants, bromaa, cheiropters, Hayavars, monocerouses, sunbaskers, and diphdas, amongst many others.

MAMMEN: expansive roughlands forming a natural border between the Umbra Sokhar, Aethios, and Rhinocoloura.

MENAPIA: small city in the c N of Aethios (Pop. c. 20,000). 

MENENORS: city in the c of Aethios. It is known for its glass production (Pop. c. 27,500). 

MENERAND: settlement in the N - E of Aethios (Pop. c. 6,000). 

MERENAI: abandoned settlement in the W of Aethios, in what is now the Bleeding Plains. It was abandoned in c. 3750 RM after the aforementioned Atramentally-tainted region expanded beyond its borders.

MONAPIA: city in the S - E of Aethios (Pop. c. 30,000). 

NOSETH: fortified settlement in the far N of Aethios. It is located in the region of Dagesareth and its main industry is the quarrying of soul stones on an industrial level (Pop. c. 10,000).  

NARRATI: r. dominating the E of Aethios, flowing for over 1,000-miles from sources in the Aram Mtns and the W of the Growing Mountains, before meeting its distributary, the r. Shibboleth, at l. Nuras. The land surrounding the r. is amongst the longest permanently-settled in the region, and is home to many major cities, particularly since the growth of the Bleeding Plains to the W has forces many people E. 

NDAMAN: settlement in the far N - W of Aethios, W of the city of Aesapia (Pop. c. 8,000). 

NE’ARIM: in Aethios, caste of warrior-sages descended from the now-extinct Sephian shapers. They were instrumental in defending Aethios against Imperial explorers and incursions during the early days of the Korachani empire, in c. 500 RM. The name is still used today, though it is now used synonymously to represent members of the police force, and few members, if any, are known to be shapers.

NEGUS: noble caste in Aethios. The caste enjoyed great wealth and influence in the latter days of the Royal House of Ethand, but lost much of that power in 3810 RM, after the Abuna abolished the Royal House. Following this the Negus remained as landowners, though they new reached the affluence that their ancestors were renowned for.  

NEPIA: small city in the c of Aethios, close to the confluence where the r. Narrati meets the r. Shibboleth. It operates a ferry linking it with the city of Hoseta (Pop. c. 14,750). 

NINTH: small fortified city in the S - E of Aethios (Pop. c. 15,000). 

NURAS: l. in the S - E of the ntn. of Aethios, forming a junction where the r. Rauti meets its distributary, the r. Narrati.  

ORDER OF THE UNMOVING HAND: Karkadanni monastery in the far S of Aethios, in the N foothills of the Shoar roughlands, where they train in the titled martial art that minimises movement and whose practitioners claim it can be fought blindfolded.

OTHOLOSH: only major city in Aethios situated to the W of the r. Shibboleth. It is connected to other cities to the E by ferries that cross the Shibboleth (Pop. c. 115,000). 

OTLIS: small city in the W of Aethios, in the region of Athapen (Pop. c. 14,000). 

OTONORS: abandoned city in the W of Aethios. It was once a growing city that appeared on the shore of l. Aesapia, which appeared following the damming of the r. Shibboleth in 2943 RM. The destruction of the dam in 3017 RM stymied the growth of the city, and within decades it was struggling to maintain its population. It was dwindled greatly after this, and was eventually abandoned in c. 3050 RM.  

PHAGASRIA: city in the N - E of Aethios, in the region of Actanors (Pop. c. 35,500). 

PURSON: half-buried idol in the c N - W of Aethios, in the scrub of Salasah. The idol, its features indistinct in its decay, is surrounded by the ruins of an ancient mud-brick settlement and the half-petrified corpses of its inhabitants preserved like statues. The ruin is attributed to the Salasahi empire of the late Fourth and early Fifth Ages, though there is little explanation for the state of its corpses.

PYRAMIDS OF MALPHIG: series of steep-sided pyramids, in the c. S - W of Aethios. Numbering in their dozens, each is about 20-ft tall, with a doorway leading to what is thought to be a tomb. They are thought to date back to an ancient late Third Age culture that is now forgotten, and they are crumbling and overgrown with shrubs and vines, largely ignored by the people of Aethios. 

RADNOR: region in what are now the S of Aethios and the N - W of Rhinocoloura, that between c. 1500 - 3200 RM was famed for its Atramental shamen, who ruled the region, which had until then remained distinct from Actanors and, later, Aethios, though by c. 3200 RM all but its most remote settlements had been assimilated by the Royal House of Ethand. Today, under the auspices of the Holy republic, its remaining shamen are protected as a relic of a lost age. Today the city of Aristh carries the legacy of these shamen, and it is the only city in Aethios in which the shamen thrive, and they are a ruling class.   

RAHETOSHOT: plagi city common in Korachani myth by way of native N’rachi, Paraiyan and Aethiosi legends. Whereas many scholars and explorers maintain that the city itself is factual and that the legends surrounding it are merely fabricated or aggrandised, most place the city firmly in the realm of myth.

Rahetoshot was once a grand metropolis, the centre of the Plagi race. The cult of Rachanael has its roots in the city and in the days of the Demiurges, this was the seat of his power. Following the banishment of the Demiurges to the material plane Rachanael became desperate to regain his lost power, stopping at nothing to accomplish his goals. His children were forgotten, used as little more than pawns and tools in his power games, and their empire grew weak, the Plagi bitter at their perceived abandonment in favour of the weaker humans, who would eventually become Rachanael’s adoptive children (as evidenced by the Korachani empire, and previous, similar empires in past ages).

Slowly, the metropolis died, its people leaving, its districts crumbling in their wake, until little remained save the corroded walls of empty citadels and echoing halls. Those who remained in Rahetoshot became insular, and bitter, rarely leaving their rotting metropolis, choosing instead to brood over their inequities. The millennia of seclusion and the acrimonious madness that has consumed the descendants of these people them have changed them, body and mind. Such bitterness, married with the depravities of the Atramenta have given rise to a wretched race of twisted beings that revel in pain.

Some postulate that Rahetoshot may be synonymous with the Plagi city of Kharakhara. (pop. unknown).

RASELETH: major r. in N - E of Sammaean, flowing from sources in the Ugostauth Mtns. before meeting its tributary, the r. Narrati (itself a tributary of the r. Shibboleth) in Aethios. 

RAUTI: r. in the c E of Aethios, flowing S for 175-miles from sources in the Aram Mtns. before meeting its distributary, the r. Narrati, at l. Nura.

REDASNETH: fortified settlement in the far N of Aethios. It is located in the region of Dagesareth and its main industry is the quarrying of soul stones on an industrial level (Pop. c. 7,500). 

RIBAOR: settlement in the N - E of Aethios, along the course of the r. Estaratti. It is known for its cattle ranches (Pop. c. 10,000). 

ROYAL HOUSE OF ETHAND: the royal house of Ethand in Aethios, founded by the Negus Ethand in 2561 RM, following his ousting of the Sephians from power. The Royal House of Ethand would go on to rule Aethios until 3810 RM, when the Abuna managed to gain independence from Sarastro, executing the royal family and its relatives in a week of bloody fighting in its cities, effectively ending its rule and bringing about the Holy Republic of Aethios, that was officially recognised in 3817 RM.

RUTAHASHA: trade city in the far N - E of Aethios, not far from the border with Siriphagos. It is a major trade centre, with trade houese controlled by Siriphagan merchant lords (Pop. c. 75,000). 

SAHATI: r. in the S - W of Aethios flowing N for 375-miles from sources in the Anchiaus Mtns. and the Mammen roughlands, before meeting its distributary, the r. Shibboleth.

SALASAH: 1. region in the c N - W of Aethios, known for its stone Fourth Age ruins and pylon like milestones, all of which are forgotten, and half-buried in the hard soils of the region. Amongst them are crumbling temples that were once part of a sensate cult, one of which remains intact, if ignored.

2. An ancient empire in the N - E of Sammaea that survived the Fading after the end of the Fourth Age, before faltering between -1500 and -1200 RM. It was ruled by an ancient sybaritic scion, who exiled large swathes of people for their beliefs. These exiles would, alongside immigrants from Gelhana and the Acatas people, go on to found Actanors. 

3. city in the c N - W of Aethios, named after an ancient Fourth Age empire of the same name (2). The great Temple of the Elements in the c of the city was built atop a cathedral of the Undying Machine that was abandoned following war with Korachan, which itself was built atop the ruin of a Fourth Age sybaritic temple that was part of the Salasahi empire (Pop. c. 44,800).

SCIBARA: l. along the course of the r. Narrati in the c of Aethios. 

SCIDRA: 1. In the Mythologia Elyden, the legendary son by rape of Volupis and Terath. He was raised by humans, and learnt of his divine heritage (his parents being both scions, born to Demiurges) anly after his adoptive mortal mother was slain by the Demiurge Sybaris. He forsook his divine heritage and wandered Elyden, eager to forget the evil the Two-and-Twenty were capable of, instead relishing in the beauty of the world and helping other mortals in abandoning the yoke of the Demiurges.

2. fortified city just S - E of l. Scibara, close to the r. Narrati in the c S - E of Aethios. Its inhabitants claim ancestry from the divine-born legend Scidra (1) in possibly the Second Age or early Third Age, making it one of the oldest cities in Elyden, if the claims are true. The city was once a thriving independent metropolis, controlling the r. for hundreds of miles up- and down-stream as the ntn. Of Actanors grew around it in the early Fifth Age. Its history is now lost to most, though fragments of the ancient city remain outside the extant borders (Pop. c. 60,000).

SEBROT: abandoned settlement in the W of Aethios, in what is now the Bleeding Plains. It was abandoned in c. 2200 RM after the aforementioned Atramentally-tainted region expanded beyond its borders.

SEPHIAN: caste of shapers native to Actanors (present-day Aethios) that appeared in c. 950 RM as a response to increasing Atamental activity in the region. They were well-schooled and knowledgeable in the way the Atramenta manifests in the Mortal realm, and specifically in the region surrounding their homeland. They were a policing force across Actanors, their duty to defend against Atramental corruption in all forms. 

By c. 1175 they had evolved into a governing entity that oversaw the leadership of individual cities across the empire, acting as advisors to the ruling council. Over the next millennium they would gain more influence and would become the rulers of Actanors, but the arrival of the expatriated patrician Ethand to Actanors in 2543 RM saw him opposing their rule. By the time of his founding of the Royal House of Ethand, the Sephians were no longer shapers and remained only as advisors,  disappearing bu c. 2750 RM.

From their ranks would emerge the Ne’arim, a more martial caste that would take over their classical policing duties, whilst eschewing their Atramental knowledge. 

SESAM: flat-topped Mtn. in the far N - E of Aethios.  

SHIBANORS: settlement in the c S - W of Aethios, 25-miles N - E from the r. Shibboleth (Pop. c. 6,000). 

SIPHON WALL, the: large array of siphon engine sin the W of Aethios, positioned between the E-most reaches of the Bleeding Plains and the r. Shibboleth. The array serves to slow the spread of the Atramentally-tainted region as much as possible, as its  effects on the waters of the Shibboleth could be catastrophic if the Bleeding Plains are allowed to reach it. The region is heavily fortified and guarded by entire regiments of the Aethiosi army.  

SLOECRUX: the centre of the Atramentally-tainted region known as the Bleeding Plains, in the W of Aethios. It is the first recorded region of Atramental-taint recorded in what would eventually become the Bleeding Plains, in c 1000 RM. Where temporary travel in the Bleeding Plains is possible through the use of hardsuits, the level of taint in the Sloecrux is so extreme that no life is thought to dwell within, though the region has thus-far never been explored in full.  

SOLSTICE TEMPLE: ancient temple in the far N–E Aethios, just half a mile E of the Salt Road. It is occupied only seasonally, by neguses of major settlements, who travel there with their most trusted cohorts to take part in a secretive ritual. The temple dates back to before the spread of the Church of the Undying Machine to Aethios in c. 450 RM, and was abandoned following the construction of the Cathedral of the Machine Ascendant in 589 RM. It was rebuilt after people of Aethios forsook the Church of the Undying Machine in the wake of Korachani attacks against them in c. 2950 RM, and remains in use to this day.

ST. SHIBBOLETH: saint of the Korachani empire, canonised in 503 RM as a means of propaganda to to quell resistance to conversion to the Church of the Machine by missionaries sent there, beginning in c. 450 RM Shibboleth is now the patron saint of Aethios.

SUMNETH: fortified settlement in the far N of Aethios. It is located in the region of Dagesareth and its main industry is the quarrying of soul stones on an industrial level (Pop. c. 10,000). 

TABORS: major city in the E of Aethios, along the course of the r. Narrati. It is a major industrial centre, and is well known for its multi-tiered public baths and hanging gardens (Pop. c. 180,000). 

TEMPLE OF THE ELEMENTS: temple dedicated to Aethiosi Animism in the city of Salasah in the c N - W of Aethios. The temple was built atop a cathedral of the Undying Machine that was abandoned following the war with Korachan that ended in 3017 RM, which itself was built atop the ruin of a Fourth Age sybaritic temple that was part of the Salasahi empire.

TEMPLE OF THE MACHINE ASCENDANT: temple in the N - E of Aethios, built by a populace newly-converted to the worship of the Church of the Undying Machine in c. 2100 RM. The temple was a monolithic edifice half hewn from the red granite of the Bethet foothills, and half built from off-cut granite. The place is a sprawling labyrinth of catacombs and vaulted crypts that reach deep into the hills. Some chambers are filled with centuries-old machinery, a few of which are still maintained and guarded by demiurne adepts and their dvergai servants, that remained in the temple even after Aethios abandoned its worship of Undying Machine following the end of its war with Korachan in 3017 RM. 

TERATH AND VOLUPIS: the tale of Terath and Volupis is one of immense age, dating back to the First Age of Moral life. Somehow it is still told in regions of N Sammaea, particularly in Aethios, though to what degree time has corrupted it is unknown. What follows is a transcript of the tale as told by an Aethiosi djelot:

When the world was new, its skin only freshly shaped; the harsh caress of time still unfelt, there were the Fathers and Mothers. Seven mortal children were gifted to each of the Fathers and Mother by the Sire, but they were lesser offspring of greater parents. The true scions of the Fathers and Mothers were those born of a union between the mortals and Fathers and Mothers. Two such scions were Terath and Volupis. Volupis was lustful and while he could lay with any woman he wanted, he desired only Terath, whose vestal beauty was second only to her Mother’s. Terath refused Volupis seven times before he took her forcibly. Terath was distraught and cried herself into an early grave, where her eyes became the spring of a great river. In the river was born the unwanted child Scidra, who forsook his father’s line and wandered the land, spreading joy and merriment.   

The Æthiosi tale differs from other, more reliable accounts of the story, in a few notable instances. The river mentioned in the story is almost certainly the Shibboleth, which is commonly attributed to the Demiurge of the same name. The story seems to overemphasise the wanderings of Scidra, perhaps in homage to the Djelot; himself a person who spreads joy through his tales. 

THIA: 1. l. In the S of J’thana, largely surrounded by the century plant f. of Malu.

2. ruin of an ancient Actanorsi city, in the far S of J’thana. The city was abandoned in c. 1200 RM following an outbreak of Atramental plague, and the S advance of aanth territories. 

TIAMAT: an expansive city-state that once dominated the lands of the S Aromur plains and Khunrathi shelf between c. -2000 and -1600 RM, in what is now the border between the  S - E of Æthios and the N - E of Rhinocoloura. At its height in c. -1900 RM, the city’s influence extended as much as 250-miles in all directions, though its discovery of the Idol of Baphomet in c. -1750 would eventually lead to its downfall. The people’s worship of the idol would elicit a dream-murmur from the dormant Demiurge, which corrupted them fully. The plains to the N - W of the city-state housed a great cathedral-monument, in which the Idol was kept, though a Firmamental explosion of enormous magnitude towards the end of the Shadow War destroyed the structure, severely damaging the city itself, leaving the immediate surroundings scarred. The Idol was somehow recovered, and later appears in Rhinocolouran history as a national heirloom. The city-state of Tiamat lingered for some years following the conclusion of the Shadow War, though by then it was a tomb, its buildings abandoned, its people withered from the devastations of the war. The present-day mud-fortress of Thiamit is named after it.

TOHAT: settlement in the S of Aethios. It is a major source of granite in the region (Pop. c. 7,500). 

UANNA: 20-mile long l. in the S of Aethios, forming a part of the course of the r. Shibboleth. It is known for the jelly-like waters that form its E-most shores, which are home to degenerate merill ascetics who cultivate the jelly-like waters for use in communion with their god, Shibboleth. 

UAS: small fortified city in the far E of Aethios, built atop an ancient aiklah aerie in the W-reaches the Growing Mountains, beyond the borders of Mulciber. It was once part of the Salt Road, though the trade-route has since moved E, leaving the city cut-off. It was once much larger, its trade halls bustling with activity, though they now lie empty, filled with beggars and the destitute (pop. c. 13,000).

UMBRATOPHHEN: lit. ‘burning shadow’. An Atramental volcano (linked through underground channels to the Bleeding Plains to its N) in the W of Aethios that has poisoned much of the land to the W, rendering the area inimical to life, with raw umbra erupting intermittently from its jagged peaks., releasing large quantities of shadowisps N - W on prevailing winds, bringing with it poison rain. 

The volcano erupted to devastating effect in 3810 RM, leaving much of the W of Aethios blanketed in a thick layer of Atramentally-tainted ash that has gone on to corrupt the flo. and fau. that has made contact with it, leaving a large part of the ntn. uninhabited. 

ZALKAH: independent aiklah settlement in the far S of Aethios, in the region of Dhabb. The settlement is heavily fortified by steep-sided cob walls, and protected by cliff peaks that are unassailable by humans. Aiklahs based in this settlement harass nearby caravans heading S to the Salt Road (Pop. c. unknown). 

ZEHETI: Fortified city in the far S of Aethios, along the border with Rhinocoloura. Though relations bewteen the two ntns. are strained, the city maintains regular Trade with the S (Pop. c. 35,000). 

ZEUL: small city in the c N - W of Aethios. It was once situated at the edge of the l. Aesapia, which appeared upstream of the eponymous dam, though the eventual disappearance of the l. following the dam’s destruction in 3017 RM lead to the city’s dwindling. It survives to this day thanks to the internal trade-route that links the N - W of Aethios with the S (Pop. c. 14,000). 

ZOLANDETH: semi-arid rocky region in the far N of Aethios, characterised by flat-topped buttes and crumbly mesas. The region is noted for its large numbers of soul stones, particularly in its N - E-most reaches, which is known as Dagesareth.