Scatter Map

It might look like a pile of needles, it might feel like a pile of needles, but it is not a pile of needles!
It is a map...made from a bunch of needles.
~ Honorary Clan member Damlara Kyrel

Made from the unaligned splinters of a Chthonian Spiral, the so-called Scatter or Pin Maps are highly specialized, arcane navigation tools that are used to map out and navigate through areas with extremly unstable and spatially distored geography, such as the Shifting Lands or the Spiraling Depths.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Even a child can throw the pins of a Scatter Map and even a clueless fool can read something within the pin's patter.
Yet only a Darkpath Roamer is able to show you the difference between the correct and the safest path.
~ Gug'gol, Darkpath Roamer

On a very general level Scatter Maps work quite similar to a magnetic compass, with each chthonian pin essentially acting as an analog to the magnetic needle of a regular compass. Yet unlike regular compass needles, the pins of a Scatter Map don't move on their own when exposed to a changing spatial field. Instead, they merely totalizing these numerous forces into a complex dimensional vector, known as the "Distortion Spin".
In order to be able to read this Spin, the pins have to be infused with trace amounts of either a chthonian or a chaotic element, which temporarily disrupts the spatial interlace between the pin and the warped space around it, which in turn causes the pin to move in the opposite direction of its current distortion spin. By infusing several pins in a complex, sequential order, this then enables one to create a snapshot of the spatial distortions that acted upon the local environment within the last few moments.
On the basis of these snapshots, a trained individual is then able to make educated guesses about the distortions occurring in neighboring areas, which in turn enables them to predict a relatively safe path towards these areas, as long as they move in a swift but controlled manner, before further spatial distortions render their predictions unusable. Because of this reliance on up-to-date and local data, Scatter Maps always have to be made de novo while traversing an area affected by a spatial distortion and can therefore never be made in advance.

Reading a Scatter Map

While regular maps are usually "read" by simply looking at them, such sight-based methods would be rather useless for the Golotian Darkpath Roamers, due to the fact that their species doesn't possess a head and therefore also lacks a -mundane- sense of sight. Additionally, the Spiraling Depths are also shrouded in supernatural darkness, which effectively renders anyone that enters it completely blind.
Because of this, the Golotian and by extension anyone that learns how to use a Scatter Map, instead rely on their sense of touch in order to "read" the map. Given the fact that the Golotian's sense of touch is quite sensitive, they are able to feel various different "pin properties" -known as the Five Scatters-, which enable them to make highly predictive and accurate "Spatial Forecasts".

Ugnol Guaglu ("Turned Way")

Out of all the Five Scatters, Ugnol Guaglu is by far the easiest to determine, as it simply refers to the spatial orientation of a single pin and can, therefore, be felt similar to the needle of a compass.
Yet given that one has to feel the orientation of the pin without moving it, even this seemingly simple task requires a considerable amount of finesse.

Unagg aglgom ("Lenght of Shades")

Despite commonly being translated as the "length" of a pin, Unagg aglgom doesn't actually refer to the actual physical length of the pins, as these remain uniform among all pins. Instead Unagg aglgom refers to the pin's perceived length, which is a result of the interaction between the pin's own spatially warped shape and distorted environment.
Given that even minute differences the perceived length of a pin can lead to vastly different ramifications for the final forecast, the analysis of the pin's Unagg aglgom has to be done with the utmost care.

Gon ogngal ("Pin Skin")

In addition to a pin's orientation and its perceived length, Gon ogngal is the third property which can be obtained from a Scatter Map's pin. It refers to the overall texture and surface texture of a pin, which gives information about the distribution of the spatial vectors that created the pin's current Distortion Spin.
Due to the fact that the Golotian's sense of touch is far more sensitive than that of most other species, they are able to feel even highly nuanced differences in the pin's surface texture, which in turn grants them a sizable advantage in determining the Gon ogngal of a pin.

Amgaoon golanmagug ("Branching Rivers")

Unlike the previous Scatters, Amgaoon golanmagug doesn't refer to a certain property of an individual pin, but rather takes the overall appearance of the entire map into consideration, with the numerous crossings and overlaps between the pins being of particular importance, as they contain valuable information about the position of particular stable or unstable routes.
Given that a Darkpath Roamers usually have only a relatively short amount of time to commit these complex patterns to memory, a fast and precise working memory is one of the essential prerequisites for their profession.

Guolagla gloonagll ("Shifting Heirloom")

The fifth and last of the Five Scatters, Guolagla gloonagll refers to the sequential order in which the various pins regain their spatial interlace, once the elemental infusion of the map wears off.
Based on how fast and complex these patterns are and how much they differ from the initial infusion patter, a trained individual is able to deduct the average validity period of his next Spatial Forecasts, which is an incredibly vital piece of information as out of all errors that a Roamer could make none are graver than to put trust in a prediction whose validity has already expired.

Manufacturing process

It's quite easy, once you know what you are doing.
~ Darkpath Roamer Gug'gol, when asked about the creation process of a Scatter Map

The core pieces of a Scatter Map are the so-called "Chthonian Pins" or "Night Needles", which are pin-shaped fragments of a Chthonian Spiral that have retained the Spiral's naturally distorted spatial dimensions.
They consist of a strange substance known as Ogla-gu ("Molten Shade"), which is a hyaline substance that accrues as a byproduct during the creation process of a Laurasian Artifact via the Arcane Art of Fossilcraft.
Given the fact that the Golotian regard Chothonian Spirals as the mortal remains of the Martyred Goddess, it is not surprising that the exact manner in which Ogla-gu is shaped into a bunch of Chthonian Pins is a tightly guarded secret of the Clan's Darkpath Roamer.

How to Scattermap

Item type

Navigational Aid / Instrument

Rarity

Scatter Maps are usually only seen in the possession of the Darkpath Roamers of the various Golotian Clans, given that they are perhaps the only individuals in all of Cenorad that are trained to correctly use them.

Weight

Commonly 1-2 kg, though high-resolution maps can weight up to 25 kg.

Dimensions

The individual pins of a Scatter Maps are usually 15 to 25 cm in lenght.

Base Price

You wouldn't put a monetary value on the scared remains of a martyred goddess, would you?

Prime Pin

The so-called Prime or Seed Pin is usually highly ornate Chothonian Pin, which serves as the primary conduit for elemental energies into the other Pins of the Scatter Map and which therefore plays a crucial role in determining the appearance of the Scatter Map's infusion pattern.
As the Prime Pin is therefore exposed to a far higher amount of elemental energies that all other Pins, it commonly takes on a different coloration, which corresponds to one of the five the Chthonian Elements.