Encyclopaedia Elyden Updates Vol 16

Here's the 16th Encyclopaedia update for your perusal, based on my recent map of Cyhlagharr. 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 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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ACAMAS I, KING: (B. c. 3888 - D. 3968 RM) king of Cyhlagharr who inherited the throne in 3902 RM. He was assassinated in 3968 RM by what are thought to have been Parthisan spies in a bid to destabilise Cyhlagharr. His son, Acamas II, inherited the throne and was able to maintain order.  

ACAMAS II, KING: (B. 3937 RM) King of Cyhlagharr, who rules from the Palace of Tyraghon in the capital city of Cyhulir. He inherited the throne from his father in 3968 RM following his assassination by what are believed to be Parthisan spies. He was able to maintain order, even improving the Sovereign nation’s economy, though its policies and culture remain taboo to most outsiders.  

ACAMAS’ FIELD: major arena in the city of Gyrgylla in the c E of Cyhlagharr. It hosts events and games, including slave battles, pitfights, and other forms of ritual combat that are enjoyed by oghurs. It can seat over 15,000 oghurs and sees a great deal of tourism from other cities in Cyhlagharr.  

ACRCIN: settlement in the c S of Cyhlagharr. It is known for its tanning of ankyloura hides, which are used throughout Cyhlagharri society (Pop. c. 3,000). 

ADAGRIN: city in the E of Cyhlagharr, along the banks of the r. Orgda. A massive alchembral explosion in 1008 RM left the city ruined, the waters of the r. Orgda tainted for years later. The city is now ruined, having slowly crumbled into the r. over the ensuing centuries.

AGRNN SOUND: major inlet in the W of Cyhlagharr, stretching for 170-miles inland.  

ANGRDA: isl. fortress in the Gulf of Ophar. Following the successes of Cyhlagharri attacks against Opret that culminated in 729 RM with the razing of effectively the entire ntn. the oghurs established a port and fortress N of the plains of Enduragh, from where they could launch occasional culling parties and slaver raids against the remnants of the Opretian people. In 754 RM the port was severely damaged by Parthian forces during the oghur war against Opham.

The fortress fell into disuse following a Atm. disaster around the Cyhlagharri city of Halgdaggr in 1008 RM, though it later became the foundations for the Azasaothi fortress of Dasos.

ANGGRSA: sulfur mines in the region of Angrdur in the W of Cyhlagharr (Pop. c. 3,000).

ANGRDUR: coastal volcanic plains in the N of Sammaea, forming the E-coast of Cyhlagharr, characterised by treacherous black basaltic and igneous coasts peppered with small volcanic cones. The region is inimical to life, the sulfuric gasses that suffuse the air there killing anything that wanders there. The Cyhlagharri treat the region as a testing ground for young champions.

ARARDRIN: 1. Ridge in the S of Cyhlagharr forming an extension of the Nghalleal Mtns. reaching N into the wastes of Odulroa serving as a border between it and dry lands of Ygralla 

2. road linking the the fortress of Arardrin in the S of Cyhlagharr to the city of Scynagra, via the wastes of Ascoryca.

3. fortress in the S of Cyhlagharr, in the S-most point of the Arardrin Ridge, where it meets the Nghalleal Mtns. It is built over an ancient offering pit to the Cyhlagharris dei. Ishata.  

ASCORYCA: blasted region of badlands in the S–E of Cyhlagharr, to the E of the wastes of Odulroa. Like Odulroa, it is in the rainshadow of the Nghalleal Mtns. and is dry sterile, a wasteland of rock pillars from which wafts an Atm. haze that hangs like a deathly pall over the earth.

The natives of Cyhlagharr shun the region, using it as a place of punishment for those transgressing its laws, and it is littered with the tattered remains of past exiles.

The S of the region is dominated by the Atr. wasteland known as Hacha Nur, that was caused in 1178 RM, during the height of the war between Cyhlagharr and Chegrint, by a shaper who could not control its powers, resulting in a massive Atr. explosion that devastated the region, killing all present there. 

BATUDRL: fortified settlement in the c N of Cyhlagharr, along the course of the r. Lysingr (Pop. c. 6,000). 

CELAENA: 1. Atm. tainted region in c N - W of Cyhlaghar, covering some 2,600-square-miles. Any mortal, even the hardy oghurs of Cyhlagharr, that wanders within the region grows sick over a period of a few hours, its body growing weak and rapidly degenerating, withering and dying if exposed for less than a day..

The land in this region is riddled with hollows; the rock reduced to brittle duststone beneath which are reserves of umbra that seep out, further tainting the region. The skies above Celaena are dark and peppered by violet lightning that poisons the air.

2. r. Just S of the above region in the c N  W of Cyhlagharr, flowing for -miles N - W from sources in the Grcauthairm massif, emptying into the N - E of the Sea of Imerril.

CHRNITACHAGRS: Atr. tainted mud-marsh in the c S - W of Cyhlagharr, dominated by fumaroles. The region, consisting of some 10,000-square-miles, is inhospitable to mortal life and is shunned by the oghurs of Chylagharr. 

COLOSSUS OF FALLDRG: ancient oghur colossus in the c W of Cyhlagharr. It depicts the oghur brothers Dugrn and Malgra, who are said to have founded the Fourth Age oghur ntn. of Falldrg from which Cyhlagharr is descended. The statues are some 100-ft. high and are made of a dull metal that is oxidised with time. It is largely ignored by the people of Cyhlagharr, who have little thought for their ancestry, and its base is overgrown.

CYHLAGHARR: 1. peninsula in the N of Sammaea jutting N into the Inner Sea, forming the Sea of Danael in the W and the Camarinal Sea in the E. 

2. ntn. in the N Sammaea occupying the above peninsula. It is the only known oghur nation and is well-known for its slavers and pirates that are a plague to small coastal settlements around the Inner Sea. See Vol III: Extant Nations and Realms.

CYHULIR: fortified capital city of Cyhlagharr, located 100-miles upstream of the r. Phygra’s mouth at the coast of the Camarinal Sea. It is ruled by king Acamas II, who rules from the Palace of Tyraghon (pop. c. 410,000).

CYIPHYR, THE TREE OF SKULLS: Flo. gigantic twisted tree in E Cyhlagharr. Skulls were once used as offerings in an ancient rel. of the region, affixed to the tree, which then grew around them, its bark encompassing the skulls until they were consumed by it. Over time the roots of the Rel. the tree were forgotten and it remains now, almost dead, abandoned, the souls of thousands tied to its form.

CYRGYLA: fortified coastal settlement in the E of Cyhlagharr, in the far W of the Gulf of Ophar. It is known for its tanning of ankyloura hides (Pop. c. 2,500).

DACHRATU: badlands region in the N – E of the Surrach and S of Cyhlagharr, that’s largely abandoned, save for the city-state of Taraceh. The region was, between c 1150 - 1180 RM site of a major conflict between Chegrint and Cyhlagharr.

DASOS: Azasaothi fortress, to the W of the plains of Enduragh, built atop the ruins of a Cyhlagharri isl. Fortress abandoned in c. 1008 RM. 

DOGRDIN: sulfur mine in the E of Cyhlagharr in the region of Angrdur (Pop. c. 2,200).

DRBAND: rocky highland region along the W-coast of Cyhlagharr.

DRGRAD: E-most major massif in the N - E of Cyhlagharr.

DUGRN: 1. major city in the N of Cyhlagharr (pop. c. 110,000).

2. Granite monument in the above city in the N of Cyhlagharr.

3. One of two brothers, the other bein Malgra, who together founded the ancient oghur ntn. of Falldrg.

DURUN: ancient ruined tower in the far N - E of Cyhlagharr, in the E-face of the Rgwerotha Mtns. It was once a major outpost for Cyhlagharri armies, though is now ruined, muct of crumbled into the sea below.  

EDDRADN: city in the c W of Cyhlagharr, in the far S of the Angrnn Sound, at the mouth of the r. Onnegr (Pop. c. 30,000).

EDRALLA: coastal city in the far N of Cyhlagharr, overlooking the Sea of Danael (Pop. c. 14,500). 

EDUSCIN: caravanserai in the c S - W of Cyhlagharr connecting the W-most city of Gyaltsa with the cities in the c of the ntn. (Pop. c. 6,000). 

EGHURR: fortified coastal city on the E-coast of Cyhlagharr, at the mouth of the r. Orgda. It is known for its shipyards and harbour (Pop. c. 20,000).

ELANRIN: major city in the c E of Cyhlagharr, known as a centre of the slave-trade. Outsiders are not allowed in and little is otherwise known about it (Pop. unknown).

ESCARYAD: city in the W of Cyhlagharr left ruined by the ongoing war with Erebeth.

ESCYNUR: monolithic fortress in the W of Cyhlagharr, on the periphery of the contested lands with Erebeth.

ESCYRAD: massif in the c N of Cyhlagharr.

FALLDRG: Fourth Age Oghur ntn. from which the extant ntn. of Cyhlagharr owes its ancestry. Falldrg is said to have been founded by two brothers, Dugrn and Malgra, whose descendants divided the land in two after their death. It eventually crumbled into many warring states towards the end of the Fourth Age, eventually leading to a loose coalition of oghur warlords in the first millennium of the Fifth Age, which preyed on surrounding ntn. The Kingdom of Cyhlagharr would eventually rise from this coalition in 932 RM. See Vol III: Extinct Nations. 

FAMMORDRAN: major city in the c of Cyhlagharr (Pop. c. 45,000).

FARGLIA: fortified coastal settlement in the E of Cyhlagharr, overlooking the entrance into the Gulf of Ophar (Pop. c. 3,000).

FAUGL: 1. Dry canyon in the S of Cyhlagharr running for some 60-miles. 

2. subterranean necropolis located in the bottom of the above canyon in the S of Cyhlgharr dating back to an unknown Third or Fourth Age culture. It is made up of many hewn vaults and corridors, each of which contain  many row upon row of niches, each of which originally contained canopic jars, lacquered skulls, mummified idols and other funerary paraphernalia. It is shunned by the oghurs of Cyhlagharr. 

GANT: r. in Ophar, flowing N for 125-miles before joining its distributary, the r. Ophra. 

GLAURNN: fortress in the S - W of Cyhlagharr, in the E-face of the Nghalleal Mtns. 

GRARRD: city in the S–E of Cyhlagharr along the banks of the r. Satryan, that is known for the high-number of hydrocephalic birth defects and the raw, usually untrained Atr. abilities that some such individuals display. The city is ruled by a caste of these hydrocephalic shapers, many of which are incapable of unaided physical activity due to their weak bodies, but whose Atr. skills mark them above others. The city is alone in Cyhlagharr in that its leaders are not autocrats, but the most regarded of these shapers (Pop. c. 38,000).

GRCAUTH: massif in the E of Cyhlagharr, forming a natural extension of the larger Grcauthairmm massif to the W. The massif is ancestrally a place where young oghurs from surrounding regions would perform their transitory quests.

GRCAUTHAIRM: massif dominating the entire c N of the Cyhlagharri peninsula, around 64,000-square-miles in area. It serves as a major boundary within the ntn. Dividing the largely arid S from the rocky elevated N. 

GRRGAN REEF: expansive reef off the W-coast of the Cyhlagharr, in the Sea of Imerril. It is around 130-ft long and prohibits entrance into the Sea of Imerril from the N or W, focing ships to enter from the S and S - W. 

GYPS: fau. giant vulture native to the dry plains N of the Nghalleal Mtns. in the S of Cyhlagharr. The birds grow to have a wingspan of 12 - 15-ft. and were trained by falconers. Though the tradition has largely died out, it survives in the region of Ygralla. See Vol II: Classification and Taxonomy of Life: Sudek.

GYRGYLLA: major city in the c E of Cyhlagharr, along the banks of the r. Satryan. It is known for its large arena, known as Acamas’ Field, which hosts gladiatorial games that are popular throughout Cyhlagharr. This is most famed such arena in Cyhlagharr and sees a lot of tourism from other cities, and has many balconies that are owned by oghur nobles, including the royal box owned by Acamas II himself (Pop. c. 50,000). 

HACHA NUR:  Atr. wasteland in the S of the region of Ascoryca in the S–E of Cyhlagharr. It was formed in 1178 RM, during the height of the war between Cyhlagharr and Chegrint, by a shaper who failed to control their powers, resulting in a massive Atr. explosion that devastated the region, killing all present there. The explosion played a large part in ending the war. The region is shunned today.

HATOKR: large plains dominating the W of Cyhlagharr, covering 50,000-square-miles of land. The grasslands are relatively featureless and flat, sloping gently towards the coast of the Sea of Imerril from the foothills of the Nghalleal Mtns. The N - E of the plains end at the Agrnn Sound and their W-most reaches are at the contested region. The region is home to most Cyhlagharri farmlands.

HMORMAI: fortified settlement in the N - W of Cyhlagharr, to the N of the Sea of Imerril (Pop. c. 6,000).

HURSORYAN: major area dominating the c and S–W of Cyhlagharr. It is in the rainshadow of the Nghalleal Mtns. and is very dry, with few settlements of note. Geologically, it serves as a link between the Nghalleal Mtns. in the S and the Grcauthairm massif in the N - E.

IMERRIL: shallow sea dominating the W-coast of Cyhlagharr, around 300-miles long. It forms the S-most part of the Sea of Danael. Its S -W -most reaches are at the contested area between Cyhlagharr and Erebeth.

KANGLIRIT: 1. Isl. off the E-coast of Cyhlagharr and home to the pirate-city of the same name.

2. pirate settlement, on the above isl. off the E-coast of Cyhlagharr (Pop. c. 12,000).

KORDRIN: small city in the N - W of Cyhlagharr (Pop. c. 12,000).

KRYSIDRIN: fortress in the S of Cyhlagharr, in the N-face of the Nghalleal Mtns.

LAEGRCALL: also ‘Tower of Windows’. Large weathered basaltic pylon in the c N of Cyhlagharr, in the S-face of the Grcauthairmm massif. It is 80-ft high and characterised by many niches in all its faces, each of which contains the gilded mummified non-oghur remains. The monument’s origins are unknown, and clearly date back to the early Fourth Age, if not earlier, due to the bodies it contains. 

LYSINGR: major r. whose many distributaries dominate the N of Cyhlagharr. It flows N - W for 525-miles from sources in Rgwerotha Mtns. and the Escyrad massif, before emptying in the Bay of Scenea.

MAGRLIR: settlement in the S of Cyhlagharr, in the region of Ygralla, known for its gyps trainers (Pop. c. 1,500).

MALGRA: one of two brothers, the other being Dugrn, who together founded the ancient oghur ntn. of Falldrg.

MANN UYGR: settlement in the c S of Cyhlagharr (Pop. c. 3,000).

METGRA: small city in the W of Cyhlagharr, 15-miles E of the Agrnn sound. The city is known for its many fortified homesteads and farmlands surrounding it, which are largely worked by human slaves (Pop. 12,000).

MT. ENDR: (11,100-ft.) volcano in the S–W of Cyhlagharr, in the N reaches of the Nghalleal Mtns. The volcano’s last recorded eruption was in 2399 RM, with lava flows reaching over 1-mile N–E. It has been largely dormant since that time, though it is not uncommon to see low rumblings and steam rising from its low peaks as far as 60-miles to the E.

NALCR: Mtn. range forming an extension of the Nghalleal Mtns N into the S of Cyhlagharr.

NGLILIA: fortified coastal settlement in the W of Cyhlagharr, overlooking the Sea of Imerril. It is known for its farmlands (Pop. c. 7,400).

NGODRIN: small fortified city in the W of Cyhlagharr, overlooking the Agrnn Sound. It is known for its thick heady wine and is surrounded by dozens of vineyards that are worked by human slaves (Pop. c. 14,000).

NTHAEGOM:badlands dominating the S-face of the Grcauthairm massif in the c of Cyhlagharr. The region is uninhabited and it noted for its sprawling rock formations. 

NURIA: 1. r. in the E of Erebeth, acting as a border with the W of Cyhlagharr. The r. flows for 1,500-miles N–E from the N-face of the Nghalleal Mtns. before emptying into the Sea of Danael at the delta of Tatria. It is oneof very few r. That flow N from the Nghalleal.

2. braided river and part of the r. Nuria, in the S–E of Erebeth, covering around 1,000 square-miles. During seasons of heavy rain the region swells into a seasonal l. The war between Cyhlagharr and Erebeth saw much fighting in this region, leading to the spread of disease which remains rife there to this day.

ODRAND: one of many major massifs in the N - E of Cyhlagharr, just to the E of Cyiphir, the Tree of Skulls. 

ODULROA: dry wastes dominating the rainshadow of the Nghalleal Mtns. in the c S - E of Cyhlagharr, merging into the blasted badlands of Ascoryca in the E.

ONNEGR: r. in the c W of Cyhlagharr, flowing W for 250-miles from sources in the Grcauthairm massif, before emptying in the Angrnn Sound.

ONNURR: coastal fortified settlement in the W of Cyhlagharr, overlooking the Sea of Imerril. It is known for its deep vaulted harbours (Pop. c. 18,000).

OPHAKR: r. flowing N - E for 592-miles from sources in the N–E of the Nghalleal Mtns. before meeting its tributary, the r. Opret. It forms a border between Cyhlagharr in its W and Ophar to the E.

The r. is dominated by the Atr. region of Hacha Nur, which covers about 115-miles of its course, ending 110-miles upstream from its meeting with the r. Opret. The appearance of this area in 1178 RM rendered the r. lifeless and left many of the settlements that once thrived on its banks deserted and ruined. This taint continues downstream after the convergence with the r. Opret, all the way to its delta in the Gulf of Ophar. 

OPHRA: 1. r. in N Sammaea, forming a border between W Ophar, and the S - E of Cyhlagharr. The r. flows N for 500-miles from sources in the Yggathalur Mtns before emptying into the Gulf of Ophra.

2. gulf of water, forms the S - W -most part of the Camarinal Sea.. It is around 350-miles long and 60-miles wide at its widest part, separating the ntns. of Cyhlagharr and Ophar. Its waters are relatively deep and haven’t changed much in the millennia, despite Elyden’s slowly retreating waters.

3. in the myths of the Parria, a scion of Demiurge Avraham.

ORGDA: (lit. life) r. in the E of Cyhlagharr flowing for 310-miles E from sources in the Grcauthairm, Grcauth, Odrand and Drgrad massifs, before emptying into the Camarinal Sea. The capital city of Cyhulir was founded on its banks. Its waters became tainted in 1008 RM following a massive alchembral explosion that left the city of Adagrin ruined, though over the centuries, the taint has slowly abated.

ORGLDIA: city in the S - E of Cyhlagharr, in the S - W of the Gulf of Ophar. It is widely-recognised as the slaver capital of Cyhlagharr and is known for its large harbours and slave trading-yards, where exotic slaves acquired from distant lands are sold and traded (Pop. c. 180,000, excluding slaves).

OSCYLLR: mining settlement in the c N - E of Cyhlagharr. It is known for its iron mines (Pop. c. 15,000).

OSSYR: 1. Sheltered bay in the N - W of Cyhlagharr, forming part of the Sea of Danael.

2. large coastal city in the N - W of Cyhlagharr, overlooking the above bay. The city is renowned for its slavers and piratism; its many fast ships preying on sea-trade and coastal settlements in the W waters of the Inner Sea, venturing as far was the Gate of Erebeth and even beyond into the Sea of Serpents. The city is renowned for its massive coastal fortifications and the natural levees that guard its W face, making it highly defensible.   

It was regraded and relocated after the sea levels lowered drastically by c. 3200 RM and again in 3650 RM (pop. c. 290,000).

PALACE OF TYRAGHON: the sovereign palace in the capital city of Cyhulir in Cyhlagharr. It is named after an ancient Cyhlagharri warlord, and is famed for the blue crystal that crowns its roof – a prize taken from an ancient lighthouse in Aquariia.

RGWEROTHA: coastal Mtns. in the N–E of Cyhlagharr. It is known for its many coastal towers that look out to the N–E, most of which are now in ruin, no longer needed.

RSHOKRKHOAB: sparse dry f. in the c of Cyhlagharr, S of the Nthaegom massif. 

RTUOR: small city in the W of Cyhlagharr, 65 miles S - E of the contested region with erebeth. It has become a major recruitment ground to the Cyhagharri in recent years, and most industries have been converted to maintaining the armies stationed there (Pop. c. 14,000).

RTURIN: 1. isl. 74-miles off the N coast of Cyhlagharr.

2. Coastal ortress on the above isl.

SATRYAN: major r. in in S–E Cyhlaghar flowing for 640-miles from multiple sources in the Grcauthairm, Grcauth, and Hursoryan Mtns. before emptying into the Gulf of Ophar.

SCENEA: bay in the N - W of Cyhlagharr and terminus of the r. Lysingr. It is known for its many isl. Many of which were formed by silt deposits carried by the above r. 

SCYNAGRA: fortified city in the c S - E of Cyhlagharr, in the dry region of Odulroa. It is a major manufacturer of sulfur and pyrite, with great numbers of slave-forces employed to extract the material (Pop. c. 15,500).

SENESCENEA: 1. Dreamscape in the N - W of Cyhlagharr, surrounding the eponymous city. The region is believed to surround the languid corpse of an unlocated unnamed Scion, believed to be the offspring of the Demiurge Nergaal. The terrain of Senescenea is characterised by its stickiness, and, in places, its tar-like substance. Though prolonged exposure to it is dangerous, the material, known as senescin, is, when distilled and purified, a potent analgesic and coagulant. The most concentrated areas are mined by the oghurs of Cyhlagharr, mostly using slave-labour.

2. City in the heart of the above region, in the N - W of Chyhlagharr, known for its senescin mines. The senescin is purified in great manufactories outside the city, and sold to other cities in Chyhlagharr. Small amounts are sold at great price, largely to the Korachani Empire, where it used in the creation of haemonculi and other vat-born creatures. The city exists solely to exploit this unique resource, and it has a vast slave-population that toils ceaselessly in the senescin industry (Pop. c. 48,000).  

SENESCIN: supranatural resource found in very limited quantities in some dreamscapes across Elyden. It is most abundant in the Senesenea region in the N - W of Cyhlagharr, after which it is named. In its natural state the substance is like black tar, and is produced naturally by chemical reactions of dream-ores on contact with the air. The substance is sticky to the touch and toxic, though if distilled and purified, is known to have mild analgesic and potent coagulant properties, which are exploited by widespread industrious  

THAGRINN: f. in the N - E of Cyhlagharr.

TIAMUTH: shipwreck in the Grrgan reef off the W-coast of Cyhlagharr, in the Sea of Merril.

TOWER OF WINDOWS, the: see Laegrcall.

TUDRN: fortified settlement in the W of Cyhlagharr, overlooking the Sea of Imerril (Pop. c. 5,000).

YGRALLA: region in the S of Cyhlagharr, N of the Nghalleal Mtns. It is dry and known for giant indigenous vultures, known as gyps, that were traditionally trained by falconers. Though the tradition is on the wane, the settlement of Magrlir remains a major centre of gyps training.