The Kylithotal Empire
Stars guide us to where the Great Plan can come reality.
The jungle sings with the hum of life the very vines vibrating with its energy. An insect of alarming size buzzes through the air and I push on. It is not these that I worry about but the gigantic saurian beasts and dinosaurs that stalk the jungle paths. I step from the foliage onto a cliff and stare down at the waterfall city of Yinx and its high stone temples. The sprawling markets and harbour are a match for any of the great cities of the world, but something is wrong. A darkness hangs heavy over the city and I feel trepidation. I will not find the answers here, and fear if nothing is done, these saurians may not live to fight with us in what is to come.
Amongst the saurians there are the fanatical and faithful. The faithful saurians see the faith as a blindness to the truth of the world but still worship Kelaksha, attend the religious holidays and carry Scales of Kelaksha with them on adventures or into battle. The fanatical saurians are servants of the Voice, bending to every request and will he has. Following blindly. A dangerous situation during the years when the Voice and Emperor are not the same entity.
These two positions are often the same person, with the Emperor being selected as the Voice. They are in a better position to control and guide the empire in the direction of the Great Plan. However, during trying times these often become different saurians as the Emperor may not have time to commune with Kelaksha. At times even generals have been chosen as the Voice and lead from the front of wars and engagements. The role can land with anyone and shifts every 11 years to suit what is best for the Empire at the time. It is incredibly rare for the Voice and Emperor to clash on any level, though such a period is ongoing at the moment.
The Empire: Founding
Created shortly following the birth of Kelaksha as told in The Tale of the Lizard Queen. The empire flourished in the humid jungles of Xieyin. They found kinship with many of the scaled creatures upon the island and bonded with them, using the great dinosaurs and beasts to help build their kingdom. Though here they found their eternal enemies, the Szenthians and war soon followed. Though they shared a bloodline, the Saurians could experience emotion and build bonds with animals, something the Szenthians never could. The Szenthians however saw the Saurians as a mutated branch of themselves, born of a corrupted being. The different Saurian clans united beneath one banner to eradicate this threat to their existence and during the war the Empire was founded. Created in war and blood.Faith
The empire of the Saurians is rooted in their belief. The tales of their people that many see as myths and legends are as real to them as the jungle on their doorstep. They revere the god Kelaksha almost to a fault and many spend their lives in service of the 'Great Plan'. A belief that their god drives their people towards a utopia or ascendency. Though since Kelaksha perished in the Age of Desolation they are only able to glean his desires through the current Voice of Kelaksha, a chosen champion that spends much of their life communicating with Kelaksha's spirit and interpreting his plan for them to carry out. This means their society and lives revolve heavily around faith and belief.Amongst the saurians there are the fanatical and faithful. The faithful saurians see the faith as a blindness to the truth of the world but still worship Kelaksha, attend the religious holidays and carry Scales of Kelaksha with them on adventures or into battle. The fanatical saurians are servants of the Voice, bending to every request and will he has. Following blindly. A dangerous situation during the years when the Voice and Emperor are not the same entity.
Capital
The holiest of cities within the empire is the temple city of Yinx. It sits upon stepped cliffs where the great river from the jungle diverges just before hitting the sea. This means the city, entirely made of large quarry-cut stone, is layered over several rivers, waterfalls and rocky outcrops. This city holds over 80,000 residents in and around it and harbours many ships. From the city's topmost tier ships are launched along the Coilfang River, carrying and receiving goods from the other cities in the nation, for travelling in the jungle is perilous and slow even for those who know it well. The river is the lifeblood of the Kylithotal Empire and the city of Yinx it's heart. This city was built upon the site from The Tale of the Lizard Queen where she first birthed all the races of scales, and for this reason is revered above all else. It is here that both the Emperor and Voice reside, sitting upon two separate thrones in two separate locations.The Emperor and Voice
The Emperor is the prime position in the government. They are responsible for military, diplomatic and civil action, leading the Kylithotal Empire in all ways. The Emperor is chosen after the passing of the previous, though often the Emperor will choose a favourite to replace them. This does not always guarantee their succession, as they still need to be approved by the high council, though the Emperor's selection is a heavy swing in their favour. The Voice of Kelaksha is responsible for the spirits and beliefs of the populace. An important role in a society that considers faith the cornerstone of their culture. The Voice often spends time in solitude communing with the spirit of the great god Kelaksha and interpreting his idea for the Great Plan. They then enact this plan in the best way possible, with any aid freely given by the Emperor.These two positions are often the same person, with the Emperor being selected as the Voice. They are in a better position to control and guide the empire in the direction of the Great Plan. However, during trying times these often become different saurians as the Emperor may not have time to commune with Kelaksha. At times even generals have been chosen as the Voice and lead from the front of wars and engagements. The role can land with anyone and shifts every 11 years to suit what is best for the Empire at the time. It is incredibly rare for the Voice and Emperor to clash on any level, though such a period is ongoing at the moment.
A Threat to the Empire
The saurians of Kylithotal are in great danger. Their current Voice of Kelaksha has been supplanted by an imposter from their greatest rivals, the Szenthians. They used dark magic and trickery to alter the will of Kelaksha in choosing his last voice and since that day ten years ago have been subverting the Great Plan with their own. This has caused a rift in the people of Kylithotal as those loyal to the Emperor and those loyal to the Voice have become enemies of a sort. However, the Szenthian magic has also sickened the Emperor beyond the healing abilities of the Saurians. During this time many Saurians loyal to the emperor, or who discovered the truth, have been exiled or fled, and formed a nation on the islands of eastern Xieying called 'The Okalotan'. They seek to gain enough power to return and remove the duplicitous Voice of Kaleksha, but time is running out. For the Szenthian's true purpose has been to twist the Saurian's faith into something beyond evil. They have begun performing Blood Rite Sacrifices with traitors and prisons, but it isn't enough. To fuel these rites they have raided into other nations or contracted slavers to fill their prisons for gold. The Szenthian's true purpose is to use these practices to defile the god Kelaksha, turning him into a powerful reincarnation of Lashiaz, the Blood Serpent and destroying the saurian race, before moving on to the rest of the world.A Tale of Venya
Learn more about the world, its history and the factions here.
Comments