Wayitnayark (/waˈjitnaˌjark/)
A settlement long lost but rediscovered recently in the Fourth Age, the discovery of Wayitnayark has caused quite a stir in the mostly-stagnant research of niskhi mythology. Or, perhaps more accurately, in deciphering the roots of their most common piece of shared mythology: Those Who Came Before.
Almost all niskhi cultures share a creation myth of sorts, which speaks of near-deities who once shared the planet with them, but who sacrificed themselves to free the niskhi from some sort of oversight or control. Though the nature of what, exactly, the niskhi are freed from, or how it is done, varies greatly, the beings who freed them are a surprising constant. Some suggested that this means that it must've happened in the distant past, when the niskhi were still new to their planet, but they never could come to a satisfying conclusion. After all, no one could determine what these near-deities were supposed to be. No trace had ever been found on Niskhisima about a second intelligent species, bar the ancestors of the niskhi themselves.
Until the discovery of Wayitnayark.
Until the discovery of Wayitnayark.
History
Known only as a ruin, and one so old it has almost entirely deteriorated, little is known about Wayitnayark itself. Even the name itself was given by the modern niskhi, meaning "long ago lost city", though some prefer to call it Amumahu, or "found city".
Ravaged by time and the planet's uncontrolled magic outbursts, little remains of the once-massive city. Its scale suggests it once housed many, and some suggest it may have even been the capital, though doubts about that claim remain. What is clear about it, however, is that it wasn't built by the niskhi or their ancestors. No, the city was clearly built by, and for, an intelligent but non-humanoid species. This species had once shared the planet with the ancestors of the niskhi, but had gone extinct thousands of years ago, wiped out without a trace.
The discovery of Wayitnayark and the unknown species that inhabited it fanned the flames of discovery all over again. Here was proof that the niskhi did share their planet with a second species, one whose advancements would surely have painted them as near-deities to the newly-evolving niskhi. And with no trace, no sign of them remaining in the current day... had they really sacrificed themselves so the niskhi could live?
Impact
The discovery of Wayitnayark during the Fourth Age has had significant impact on studies regarding not just the past of Niskhisima, but of the galaxy as a whole. The planet was known to be an exception to the Progenitors Vita-harvesting machinery, and for long enough that the overabundance of Vita had led to the native niskhi to evolve adaptations to it. Since their discovery in the Second Age, this had been a point of discussion. If the Progenitors were so desperate for Vita that they seeded life across the galaxy, hand-picked for high Vita production, then why would they leave a planet as high in Vita as Niskhisima alone? And now the answer appears to simply be: they didn't. Though it's impossible to say for certain, with how little is known about the people who shared a world with the niskhi, many of the things that are known, or known to be highly likely, are adding up to a frighteningly clear picture. Back in the days of the yuhalms, their planet wasn't a mess of Vita, as it was all drawn away by one of the Progenitors Vita-harvesters, same as the rest of the galaxy. The yuhalms figured this out, however, and managed to destroy the machine without drawing the attention (and thus, the ire) or the Progenitors themselves. The Vita flowing back must've caused a backlash, leading to the uncontrolled natural magic that takes place now, leading to the niskhi evolving adaptations to the dangerous environment... and the yuhalms, unable to adapt quick enough, going extinct.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
Distant past
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