Alanthan'aravaut
Megalopolis and Capital City-State of the Kelpeater Empire
Also known as the Heart of the Dominion and the Promise Upheld, Alanthan'aravaut was an enormous, continent-spanning metropolis and capital city-state of the Kelpeater Empire throughout the First Age of Waking Materia. The towering city was the seat of government of its God-Emperor, Inum'indiron'aravaut (sometimes shortened to Ina'ut). Though highly authoritarian and with a tightly-controlled culture in many respects, the First Empire was a cosmopolitan, multispecies alliance; more diverse than most Third Age Materians could even fathom.
Alanthan'aravaut means "The Great Promise Upheld" in the Kealpeater tongue, a reference to one of Ina'ut's divine titles, "Child of Promise". The nation's demonyms are usually Alanthian or Empyreal and its main language was the now-extinct Thaulan, from the Kelpeaters' native name "Ula'thau'la".
Nearly all of Alanthan'aravaut was annihilated by the Deluge, save for stretches of highlands to the far Voideast of the plane, including the Sultanates of Emeralda and Furia in what is now modern Khayyam and outskirts of the Emerald Expanse of what is now Marai. These regions probably correspond to the Alanthian polities of Sulei'eron'dur and Atmashurat'nor, respectively. Other survivors who happened to be on the unaffected, upland fringes of terrestrial Materia were either assimilated into other cultures or began new ones increasingly divorced from Kelpeater culture. Much of the knowledge that remains of the empire is blended irreperably with hyperbole, outside folklores and simple mistellings.
Between the Deluge and the ensuing societal chaos in the Second or "Lost" Era, a vast percentage of first-hand records from Alanthian society have been lost. Furthermore while printing presses existed, books tend to decay with time, making inscribed objects—for example stelae, pottery, temple friezes and kudurru waystones—to be especially important.Architecture
See also: Imagery of Alanthan'aravaut (External)Alanthian architecture was generally geometric and brutalist, with Ina'ut and his various figurehead royalties (Šaru'um and lesser Luga'al, see Rule, below) favouring colossal ziggurats, pyramids and more complex polygonal structures for their bases. As Materia was still a waterworld even before the Deluge, massive canals and aqueducts were built to feed the generally centralized settlements. Plant life was common and robust even in the most metropolitan areas.
Rule
The Kelpeater Empire was a true necrocracy and absolute monarchy, ruled unquestioningly by its God-Emperor and Lich King, Inum'indiron'aravaut. The lesser Lichlords were given the title Šaru'um ("Great Lord") under Ina'ut, who bore the title Šar'šara'ani ("Lord of Lords"). Though the Šaru'um were given some leeway to rule their fiefs and carry out personal projects, any action taken in Alanthan'aravaut at minimum required alignment with Ina'ut's divine edicts, if not his outright approval.
Most of the ruling Lichlords were probably of Ula'thau'la heritage (Ina'ut was known to be distrustful of non-Kelpeaters), with the possible exception of Šaru'um Na'ashu, who was generally portrayed as taller and more lithe than her stouter contemporaries and most obviously without the second pair of vestigial arms. However as the Lichlords were highly mutable, with entire "wardrobes" of bodies for various uses, there is no truly reliable way to discern their heritage.Politics
Alanthan'aravaut was so expansive, it was divided into dozens of smaller polities, which were run on behalf of the God-Emperor by ministers known as Luga'al (Thaulan: "Worthy One"). As a result these polities were officially called Tuku'luga'al ("Trusts in the Worthy"). Early Second Age historians equated the Luga'al with the powerful Lichlords who served directly under Ina'ut, however growing evidence suggests the position was more a glorified administrator, not heroic enough to be granted lichdom. At any rate, an incomplete list of Alanthian polities are as follows:
- Sutkagan'dor
- Sulei'eron'dur
- Anum'attumat'nor
- Atmashurat'nor
- Nettru'vandran'dor
- Sassura'atu'[unreadable]
- Inun'thianin'dor
- Nana'aya'[unreadable]
Culture
It appears the Military caste, which was uncontroversially the summit of Alanthian society, was the only one with access to printing presses, and as such the vast majority of surviving writings are military in nature (e.g. descriptions of battles, statements of victory, plans for conquests, or treatises on martial philosophy). However, a great deal of nuance has been unearthed in recent decades, as the the Sunken Expanse retreats and new ruins are revealed.
As it turns out, one main issue with preservation was the fact that, while they had rich and unique cultures, the non-military (and therefore lower) castes had no access to printing presses in First Empire society, and thus their cultural transmission was largely verbal or musical. One tome on domestic etiquette has now been discovered, which includes a long treatise on making sure to wear colours appropriate to your social merit. Though rich in poems and plays and compositions, which were seemingly permitted, there was also a large preoccupation with avoiding Dominion attention. Only those with direct connections to the Military caste seemed to be given some level of social leeway.
The caste system was so strongly represented by worn colours that demand for imported dyes rose sharply across the planar region, creating a near-two-century-long epidemic of piracy and trade war in the Sulatian Eighth, collectively known as the Dye Wars.Religion
In Alanthian society, rule of the Šar'šara'ani God-Emeror, and under him the Šaru'um Lichlords, was absolute, though worship of other, minor demigods was permitted, namely a sizeable pantheon of deceased heroes, some but not all of whom were Lichlords. They typically represented more specific gifts or virtues and were prayed to in that context. The most complete list of historical Šaru'um and other divine heroes is found in the Ka'un Apocryphon, a relatively intact tome recovered from a tell outside the Sultanate of Typha in Khayyam. Major heroes listed in the Apocryphon include:
- Ilu'shuma, Dominus of Fire
- Ava'araca'al, Dominus of Deltas
- Na'ansheluka'ar, Dominus of Inspiration
- Leila'an'attar, Dominus of [unreadable]
- Ina'anmartu, Dominus of Sieges
- Setra'kusha'ana, Dominus of Horizons
- Marduna'ilit, Dominus of Crossroads
- Ean'attuna'irsu, Dominus of Good Health
People
See full article: Sapient Species of First Age MateriaAlanthan'aravaut included many species from several planes, spanning the distance between Lorgain and Waking Materia. The Ula'thau'la, or Kelpeaters, comprised the core of the Empire since its origins as nautical reivers in northwest Egwain. Prior to emigrating from their home plane, the empire recruited (by force or finance) other Egwithian species such as the Ghent, the Aikyo and the Heartlanders, as well as standard multiplanar species like Meranthic human-elves, Halflings, Aselu, et cetera.
During their travels from Egwain to Materia, they also formed fragile cultural partnerships with non-Egwithian races, including the Qufit, Onidoshi, Pukwudgies and others.
Profile: An antequated sketch of Alanthian Kelpeater noble's garb, with the typical red skin from their titular diet. Early scholars were not aware Kelpeaters had a secondary, vestigial pair or arms, so the drawings lack them.
Profile art credit: Kazuma Kaneko
Banner: The King of Kings, Inum'indiron'aravaut (Centre). The great civilization of Alanthan'aravaut (Left and Right).
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