Encyclopaedia Elyden update #20 - miscellaneous

Here's the 20th Encyclopaedia update for your perusal, based on no region in particular, this includes a lot of updates I recently made to the encyclopaedia. 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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Also, here's a quick update on the encyclopaedia itself- It's moving along, but slowly. I'm not really concentrating on getting particular letters done. I'm constantly adding to it as I make new maps and add history to the world, making sure that these new entries are properly-formatted, and I'm also updating other entries in between.

It's taking a while, but I want it to be as complete as possible before I make it available. Rest assured - patrons at the Acolyte tier and higher will be given access to the full PDF for free once its done and if I ever print it I'll give discounted access to patrons at the Shaper tier. Demiurge patrons will be sent the printed book for free for their loyalty. I'm really hoping to get this done within a year. 

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WEEPING PLAINS, the: mildly Atr. Active region in the W of Pelasgos, covering 3,000-square-miles of gently sloping plains E of the Sea of Cypria. The region emerged in c. 3200 RM E of the settlement of Bassorah and has steadily grown since then, and is characterised by a moisture that clings to the terrain throughout the year. 

Effects of exposure are relatively mild - small fau. are most-affected, with many growing disfigured or dying from over-exposure. Mortals travelling quickly through the region suffer little ill-effects other than headaches, and a foul taste in their mouths, though those who spend longer in the region report aching joints, bleeding eyes and noses and dim headaches that persist for days after they leave the region. Food, particularly fruit, eaten in the region is said to taste sour, and food grown there is much worse.

Few, if any, settlements of note now exist within the region, and many have been abandoned since its appearance, and Bassorah, currently a few miles outside its range of influence is thought by scholars to only have a few decades before it finds itself within the Weeping plains. 

VIRACOCHAN TOWER, the: ancient fortress in the c S - E of Pelasgos, to the S - E of the Bathakol Mtns. once controlled by an org. of lore-masters now known as the Rustmen. It was a repository of lore during the first centuries of the Korachani empire’s influence in Pelasgos, famed for its metal tablets, on which were recorded the histories of the Inner Sea, including rel. that were condemned by the Church of the Machine. The tower was destroyed by Iconoclasts in 214 RM, its majority of its tablets melted as scrap. Some scattered tablets remain littering the vicinity of the tower, rusted beyond recognition. The order of loremasters that called the tower home was disbanded, its members scattered across the E of Pelasgos, where they remain to this day as a caste apart from others, living in ghettos, searching their homeland for any trace of the metal tablets their ancestors once guarded.

TWILIGHT STATES, the: decadent empire on the W-coast of Llachatul, S of the Vorandine and W of Raong. It is a depraved realm, ruled by the corrupt and debased descendants of scions and otherworlders. Though known as a vastly rich realm, its resources are all but spent, its lands outside its cities wasted. Its people are proud and do not seek aid from other ntns. outside of what their wealth can buy. Its cities are slowly waning as its people dwindle, losing themselves in vices and carnal pursuits. See Vol III: Extant Nations and Realms.

MANDIBULA: metropolis and capital of the Twilight States. Once coastal, it is now linked to the sea through a series of massive canals and boat lifts that stretch 7-miles to the coast and are maintained at great coast. The city itself is sprawling and dominated by spire-like city-blocks, interspersed with grand opera houses, public halls, stadia, and other places of entertainment for its decadent denizens (Pop. c. 220,000).

HECATOMB: also ‘City of Sacrifice’. City in the Twilight States, known for its rel. fanatics and the wholesale ritual sacrifices that take place there, either of livestock or willing individuals, who are normally burnt alive in honour of their sleeping dei. (Pop. c. 32,000).  

ETIOLA: blighted ruin on the Twilight States. It was, at one time, one of the region’s most decadent cities, and  became deserted in a matter of months to a horrific plague that left the city a tomb, populated by the twisted survivors who are today shunned by the Twilight States.

LASSITOR: also ‘the Sleeping God’. Dei. of the Twilight States. Its worship has been corrupted from its original form into senseless rituals of excess that include willing ritual sacrifice and convoluted traditions, the origins of which few people can trace.

IBBLIS: also ‘City of Despair’. City in the Twilight States. It is the only current source of iron ore in the Twilight states, and has steadily grown in size, power and decadence over the past decades as other sources have been consumed. Unfortunately, the city is positioned above an area of Atr. influence that renders the sky dark, the air cold and musty, and influences the moods of those who live there, seemingly sapping any sense of joy and pleasure. As a result, the people of Ibblis (or at least those with the means to) fill their lives with increasingly powerful stimuli in an attempt to elicit any emotional response. Its nobility, wealthy from the iron industry, have grown particularly depraved in their tastes and are renowned across the Twilight States (Pop. c. 40,000). 

HAMAL: halfblood whose blood is a good coagulant and healing agent. Most houses of this bloodline have been hunted into extinction or slavery, where they are interred within heart engines where their blood is slowly collected. The one remaining free house is based in Tetra in Parthis and is relatively well-known, but very influential within the body-editing industry that is prevalent there. See Vol II: Anthropeidos.

GRAROW: also City of Ashes. City in the N - W of the Desolation of Astudan. It was razed in a Korachani crusade and razed to the ground in c. 2600 RM. It is now buried, though the bones and rusted weapons of its people still litter the countryside around the old ruin 

TESSIA: in many N Sammaean myt. and legends, a many-armed weaver-god of the ancient days. It is thought that Tessia may be a corruption of ancient worship of the Demiurge Sybaris, who may once have been worshipped as an aspect of creation. Though no-longer worshipped, knowledge of Tessia is widespread amongst many N Sammean societies, and she is considered a patron of weavers and potters. See Vol IV: the Gods and Religions of Elyden.

ETHARIC’S LIGHTS: large will’o’wisps seen over large bodies of open water such as the Seas of Mirovea and Mymerea, or the Bathashal Ocean. They are often called this by those familiar with sea legends of the Inner Sea, and are named after an infamous pirate of legend. 

IMPERIAL THEATRE OF PENUMBRAL ARTS: large theatre and performing arts company based the city of Korachan, in Korachan. It is named after the region in Kharkharadontis immediately surrounding the Black Fountain, and most of its performers are Penumbrists of varying degree, shaping during their performances, which attract audiences from outside the empire.

NU AMAHITA: extinct sea dei. across the region of the Pantheon Isles to the N of the Tharacassan Waters off the E-coast of Llachatul. The Isles were visited by Korachani explorers in c. 1525 RM, who brought with them missionaries who brought the Church of the Machine to the region, corruption Nu Amahita into a saint of the Undying Machine. Worship of the entity as a god slowly returned to the region, though the imperial veneer forced upon it remains in most cases. See Vol IV: the Gods and Religions of Elyden.

IRON ANGEL, the: (B. 1241 RM) Technarcane and biomechanical construct, representing the pinnacle of artifice required to create Sicthainen techna during the golden age of the Korachani empire. The construct takes the form of a metallic angel, with expansive functional blade-like wings, built over the mutilated core of an otherworlder. The angel is autonomous and has its own consciousness. It wields the Sword of Judgement and carries the shield known as Aegis.

Commissioned by the Archpotentate Malichar following his return to power in 339 RM, the creation of the Iron Angel took over 2 centuries to complete. It was, at various points in its career, a champion of the Atr. archlictor of the Order of Lictors, and personal carnifex of the Archpotentate. Today it is head of the Order of Carnifexes and answers only to Malichar, or, in his absence, the Consulite. It was sent to the E by Malichar himself at the onset of the Great War in 4007 RM.

Its creation paved the way for the creation of more affordable sicthainen techna across the Korachani empire, though it has never been surpassed as some techniques are lost to present artificers.

SWORD OF JUDGEMENT: the sword carried by the Iron Angel, and constructed from a particularly rare form of meteoric iron from the W-most reaches of the Kharakharadontid desert. 

CARNIFEXES, ORDER OF: org. order of executioners in the Korachani empire. The order appeared following the creation of the Iron Angel in 1241 RM and is similar to the Order of Lictors, though differs in one important aspect - it is answerable only to the Archpotentate Malichar. The order has stood continusoulsy since its inception some decades after the creation of the Iron Angel and maintains only seven members at anytime, the leader of which is the Iron Angel herself. Members are drawn from the various imperial institutions and beyond, and can be of any race, including halfbloods, otherworlders or manufactured beings such as Sicthainen Techna. (It is even rumoured that a Scion once served as a carnifex). Little else is known of the order, including its base of operations.

KURGAUSS, the: legendary figure common across most of c Llachatul. The Kurgauss is a monstrous humanoid figure that stalks the wintry landscapes of Llachatul, searching for the lost and forsaken. Some he helps and others he kills, seemingly at random. It is said that he can be appeased by a hot drink made from rosemary and thyme, the latter of which is relatively rare in the cold N where he is more-commonly mentioned. See Vol II: Legends and Folk Tales from around Elyden.

VALAMIR: 1. ancient bridge in the S of Hoamm (originally the Sof Korachan), just S–E of the city of Palun, constructed between 101 - 117 RM by the proxy ruler Ruggorath.

It was no secret that few in court approved of his appointment, despite him being personally chosen as a relatively unknown shaper by the Archpotentate Malichar himself. After a particularly trying meeting between him, the Seven and the Consulite, he was called out for being a pretender, that he was not fit to rule, and that the people would only follow him if he could walk across the Bay of Gress, implying that it would never happen.

Taking the insult as a challenge, he ordered the construction of a massive bridge spanning the steep sides of the bay. It was a monumental task that took decades to accomplish. Ironically, Ruggorath disappeared under suspicious circumstances in 105 RM, before the bridge was completed. By that point so much money and resources had been pumped into his vanity project that construction continued, albeit at a slower pace, and it was completed 12-years later, upon which point it became a major route connecting the disparate sides of the S of Korachan.

Receding sea levels have today left the bridge 20-miles from the coast, stranded, and largely useless. It remains now, ruined, disconnected from the ancient roads that it once served, a memory to the hubris of the empire.

2. A small settlement now exists at the base of the above bridge, with many structures constructed from stone and rubble recovered from the old bridge. Some dwellings have also appeared on the sides of its walls, which have been hollowed out in the search for new materials (Pop. c. 800).  

HARPY: a corrupted form of al akhi, harpies can be likened to humanoid vultures. They have keen eyes, seeing particularly well during dusk and dawn, and hunt at those times. Though incapable of flight, their forelimbs have feathers, with razor-sharp edges they use when attacking prey. They are common in Chthyrid and the N of Korchan and, increasingly, in Varr, though are not native to those regions - they were brought N by Korachani explorers returning from expeditions to Kharkharadontis between c. 1300 - 1500 RM, and escaped, slowly spreading to those lands.

Many have adapted to subterranean lives, where they crawl around, using little energy, eating decayed flesh and fungi. Most of these subterranean harpies, colloquially called crypt harpies in the Korachani empire, have lost their feathers and have developed pale, near-translucent, skin. See Vol II: Classification and Taxonomy of Life.

NEPHILIA: strange myt. creatures mentioned in apocryphal texts of the Mythologia Elyden. Little is known about them other than what vague mentions of them are made in the Mythologia Elyden. It has been postulated that they are the first forgotten scions of the Demiurges, or that they are entirely unrelated, possibly akin to the mesochthons. See Vol IV: the Mythologia Elyden.

HASTANAL DAGGASH, the: major fortress constructed by the Demiurge Rachanael early during the Demiurges tenure over the mortal races, before bitterness fully engulfed him. The fortress is a testament to the sheer power and scope of his original creations and sprawls for dozens of miles in all directions. It was once a stronghold of his children, the plagi, guarding their N-most domains. Today it is broken, mostly reclaimed by the lifeless sands of Kharkharadontis, though is still monolithic, drawing awe from those few who have seen it.

After many years of use as a fortress, around which a large city had grown, Rachanael began expanding the fortress, adding expansive crypts and large towers. Within, he placed those he looked upon with favour,  promoting them to positions of power and influence. Thus slowly it became a prison to the powerful, and many plagi flocked to it to never leave. It was within its confines that the plagi became xenophobic and aversive to sunlight. Under rachanael's aegis, the plagi of Hastanal Daggash forsook the divine claim of the other Demiurges, who they were led to believe were lesser brethren of Rachanael, unworthy of the name Demiurge.

The place became a prison to not only the plagi, but to Rachanael himself who sank deeper into his anguish and bitterness, from which he would emerge only before the onset of the events that led to the Shadow War.

SAKORAMAND: also ‘the City of Dreams’. Large independent city in the N–W of Bror that is known for its dream-walkers and oneiric manifestations. The city lies above a Fir. leyline favouring oneiromachy. As a result it has a higher-than-normal population of shapers who can manipulate dreams and dream-matter. It is common for people to keep as pets dream-creatures, for instance, and dreams are a major industry here – with dream peddlers competing to offer the most attractive dreams (or horrific nightmares, to be inflicted upon one's’ enemies), and information-brokers have crafted inventive ways of extracting and planting specific information. .   

Less well-known is a documented dreamscape that lies scant miles from the city, which is thought to be responsible for the dreams that are so easily manipulated and evoked in Sakoramand. The terrain here is mutable to some shapers and though largely hospitable, it is known to erupt in nightmarish conflagrances periodically, where even the most docile of its dream creatures are warped into monstrosities.

The city is well-guarded from these manifestations by a competent corp of trained oneiromachers, who serve as psychic guards, based in pylon-like structures that are specifically-placed throughout the city and its immediate environs (Pop. c. 128,000).  

ISPEIA: (B. 2248 - D. 2349 RM) Almagesti solipsist whose tenets inspired the foundation of the org. that would later become known as the Acolytes of Ispeia.

ACOLYTES OF ISPEIA: named after its founder, the Ispeian solipsists seek perfection of the self, often eschewing life outside their immediate reach entirely. By default, most Acolytes of Ipseia are rich, with servants attending to their needs as they lose themselves in their own thoughts. Though regarded as an org. there is little in the form of leadership, and most members only maintain contact through correspondence, if even that.

The org. was founded in the city of Almagest in c 2280 RM, by the solipsist patrician-princess Ispeia. It gained a small following in the subsequent decades, with Ispeia becoming a cult leader, though as members became more engrossed in the self, any sense of cohesion dissolved. Despite this, the tenets of Ispeia have slowly spread to other major cities around the Inner Sea, finding a major foothold in Ketesh.

IDOL OF THYM: An ancient relic of the Sovereignty of Thym and ancestral crown of its ruler. It was found in the plains of Basti in the N of Mharokk in c. 500 RM. It changed hands various times since then and is now part of the personal collection of Queen Hetepheres, currently on loan to the Museum of Past Ages in Hetepheropolis.

BASTI: dry plains in the N of Mharokk. Plains are known for their many ancient Thymi ruins, most of which are unrecognizable and half-buried. 

MUSEUM OF PAST AGES: archaeological museum in Hetepheropolis, Venthir, containing artifacts and treasures from across Elyden, some of which date back to the Third Age of Mortal Life. Amongst the artifacts on display is the Idol of Thym - the ancestral crown of the ancient Thymi emperors. 

THEMISTARCHUS GATTART: (B. 2783 - D. 2839 RM) famed Korachani archaeologist from the city of Heresi. He travelled far, and became famous for the ancient tombs and temples that he explored across the Korachani peninsula, as well plagi ruins in the Umbra Solare and the N of Kharkharadontis. He died rich and beloved by the people of Korachan for his daring exploits, which were fictionalised in small serials that were popular across the Korachani empire.

SONG OF ACCAIA: a threnody dating back to c. 450 in the S of Pelasgos. It remains popular today, and has been adapted to operas and plays across the Korachani empire. The Song of Accaia details the lament of the maiden Accaia, who is beset by multiple tragedies before her death.