HamSandLich
MEAT WIZARD
- Location
- Somewhere in NOVA, possibly, maybe, presumably
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Mount Metrykhas, an Aspiring Omphalos
In the mountains far to the south of Ember, there lies an extinct dome volcano, so immensely broad at the base that it takes days to walk around. It is Mount Metrykhas, considered holy land by the city-states and tribes of the Metrykhastan region. The immediate vicinity is unusually fertile for the far South, home to alpine forests and meadows teeming with game. Though far, far smaller than the Imperial Mountain, it is the largest mountain for miles, dominating the region's skyline. Its lower slopes are dotted with villages and shrines where communities of mystery cultists make offerings to the beings who dwell higher above. The caldera peak, several days climb from the mountain's base, houses a wonder unlike any for miles in all directions, a shining manse-city where the gods of the land, The Praxic Chorus, dwell in opulence. It is the House of Praxis, and the Metrykhani mortals believe it to be heaven itself.
Atop the mountain's peak, the climate is temperate despite the altitude, the weather yoked to the will of the gods. The city rivals those of the early First Age, built with wonders salvaged and reverse-engineered from the ruins of past epochs. Gods and their demigod offspring walk its streets and recline in its salons, attended by comely men and women given as tribute by the city states who worship them. They relax in temple manses where entire lineages are born and die in their service, and tend to their domains with ingenuity bordering on recklessness. Here, the deities of the land hold court and plan their ascension to new heights of power. They are proud and sure of their might, and in this degraded age, they see no reason why they shouldn't be, having subsumed the lesser spirit courts of Metrykhastan through duels, bureaucratic manoeuvring, and outright warfare. They are young by divine standards, and unusually powerful for their age.
The Birth of the Praxic Chorus
Among the spirit courts of Creation, it is said that ten thousand gods died in the twin apocalypses that slew the Shogunate. The true figure may never be known, but regardless of precise numbers, countless areas were left without divine oversight by the time the Scarlet Realm drew its first breath. The corruption in Yu-Shan left the Terrestrial Bureaucracy in shambles, some spirit courts losing contact with Heaven that has not been re-established to this very day. New gods continue to appear, born of divine couplings and ascended mortals, but many are denied the guidance of their elders. Spirits that have never known otherwise thoughtlessly disregard the Laws of Heaven and seek to rule over mortals and recklessly expand their purviews. Given how their distant elders in Yu-Shan often do the same, they reason that they have a right to as well. One such spirit court, The Praxic Chorus has gone beyond even that, having decided that if Heaven shall neglect its duties, then the gods of the land shall assume its authority instead.
The Praxic Chorus began as an alliance of young deities, none older than the Late Shogunate. Isolated from the other spirit courts of the South, it was they who drove back the lingering pockets of Raksha in the region and salted the shadowlands, who burned the plague corpses that lay rotting in the fields and taught the feral mortals of the land what it was to be more than beasts. And for these great deeds, the saw no recognition, no reward from their elders and peers. Heaven rotted from within as it does to this day, while the Censor of the South vanished only to be replaced by a distant and corrupt successor. It fell to them to wrangle the spirits of the land and tend to the fundament of Creation in the region.
From almost nothing, they built up the Terrestrial Bureaucracy of Metrykhastan, shepherded the elemental essence back to normal, and brought the devastated mortal population back from extinction. They have grown mighty and proud on the prayer of both mortals and their divine subordinates, for they are the only significant godly powers for hundreds of leagues in all directions. From the First Age ruins of the land, they have wrought wonders and horrors the likes of which have not been seen in the distant South for millennia. They send token obeisance to the Directional Censor and Yu-Shan, but none among them are truly loyal to the Celestial Bureaucracy. They bide their time and increase their strength, hoping to one day secede from the hierarchy of the divine and form a new paradigm. They are the Praxic Chorus, and throughout the deserts and mountains of the far southeast, none dare question them.
The Order of the Chorus
The Praxic Chorus began as a fellowship of young, heroic gods, and though centuries have passed, they are youthful still. They have an energy that many gods of their standing lack, unaffected by the ennui of ages. They divide themselves into four ranks.
The least of the Chorus are the Hemidaevae, the god-blooded offspring of the other ranks of the Chorus. They serve their parents as messengers and champions, projecting the Chorus's power in village-states and city-states as high priests and founders of noble lines. The most favored of them reside in the House of Praxis with their progenitors. Some are viewed as mere servants or pets by their parents, others are beloved(and sometimes spoiled) children who are greatly cherished by their deific parents.
The second and largest tier of the Chorus are the Daevae, the minor spirits of the land, such as Field Gods and Elementals. The upper echelons of the court routinely redistribute worship to them to buy their loyalty, and many have gone their entire existences knowing nothing else but the Praxic Chorus. This rank also includes unique servitor deities attached to the Chorus, such as the militant Stymphalian Legionnaires and the clandestine Praxic Witnesses.
The third tier of the Chorus are the Musae, including city and river gods as well as powerful personages such as Enrathos, God of Metrykhani Cuisine and Assassins, and Zagoris, Princess of Young Love and Spurned Lovers.
The fourth and highest tier are the Praxides, the founders and rules of the Praxic Chorus. A dozen strong, the five most prominent are as follows:
Bellovartin, Lord of the Utmost Heights, God of Mount Metrykhas, Metrykhastan, and Metrykhani civilization. An androgynous being with the horns of a mountain pronghorn, they wield the Fulcrum of Kings and the Firmament Piercing Bow. They were the first of the Praxides, born from the spilled heartsblood of the previous god of Metrykhastan. Metrykhani legends say that Bellovartin sacrificed their personal enlightenment to hold up the sky when the chaos beasts from beyond existence invaded Creation.
Ereilla the Seeker, Goddess of Metrykhani trade, travel, thaumaturgy, and arts. Her robes are patched with silk squares and hold bags of gold-dust and spice hanging from silver cords. It was Ereilla who deciphered the relics of the Before, bringing wonders to the land and loaning them to the Metrykhani in exchange for worship and obeisance. She can grant beauty in exchange for wealth, and wealth in exchange for beauty. Messengers and travelers pray to her at crossroads and her priests collect tolls at bridges and mountain passes.
The Grim Carnifex, God of Metrykhani war, crime, executioners, and athletics. He lets none but his clergy and mystery cultists know his true name, and hides his face behind a war-mask made from the fused shards of broken swords. He looks kindly upon both bandits and those who slay them. During his festivals, condemned criminals participate in athletic games in hopes of commuting their sentences, while his priests execute those who come in last place.
Nanco Athora, Goddess of Metrykhani fields, fertility, health, husbandry, and the wilderness. An estranged Daughter of Ahlat (an actual daughter, not a devotee), she came to Metrykhastan to make her own way in the world. She demands a variant of the hecatomb where farmers release a hundred animals into the wild to become feral, and later hunt them down over a span of days. A special rite among her cult occurs when she blesses them with a beastfolk child, who is raised in splendor and ritually sacrificed by hallucinogen overdose at the end of their twenty-first year.
Etnac, the Beckoning Dragon, Shepherd of the Dragonlines. A Lesser Elemental Dragon of Fire, Etnac oversees most of the local dragonlines and keeps the elementals of the region in check. Fire-Shrines and sacred ash-piles dedicated to the dragon dot Metrykhastan, and the Metrykhani pray to Etnac to keep the heat of the land at bay.
The House of Praxis
Ere the Contagion, the only building atop Mount Metrykhas's peak was a fortress-manse of the Realm Before, a god-king's sanctum that had been forgotten for centuries. When the Balorian Crusade spurred the deities of the land into action, one of the Praxic Chorus's first actions was to plunder the manse. The youth of the Praxides meant that none had sworn oaths to leave the manse alone. In its depths, they discovered wonders and horrors beyond their (then) imagination, taking note of everything they found. Eventually, they were able to recreate much of the manse's artifacts and geomancies (though the manse's higher mysteries continue to elude them). Today, The House of Praxis rings the lake at the center of the caldera, the shores hosting the sanctum-palaces of the Praxides. The city has been enchanted such that spirits may materialize for merely a fraction of the motes they would normally require. The House of Praxis incorporates many of the Chorus's discoveries, making it equal to some of the greatest Dynastic Estates and even cities of the early First Age.
The caldera is forbidden to mortals who are not guests, offerings, or high ranking priests of the Chorus. Pilgrims may ascend the mountain, but only to certain heights, their level of access often corresponding to the size of the offerings they have made. A militant order of god-blooded exists to enforce this taboo, inhabiting fortified towers along the mountain's upper slopes. Those who wish to treat with the gods of the Chorus directly must secure permission from the religious communities who guard the mountain's base. Only the wealthiest or most devoted may ascend to the peak. They often offer their sons and daughters as servants to the gods, leaving them in golden fetters and chained to gilded posts upon the slopes.
The Metrykhani mortals who reside there are often pampered pets in awe of their masters. Those mortals who are expelled from the mountain(whether out of some crime or by whim of the gods) sometimes descend into deep melancholy or madness, trying to recreate the luxuries they have experienced. Entire generations of mortal priests and godblooded descendants have spent their lives within the House of Praxis, knowing nothing other than servitude, luxury, and esoteric worship.
In the halls of the House, the Praxic Chorus scheme against other spirit courts, and(to a lesser extent) each other. Musae and Daevae walk its streets and speaking manses amidst clouds of incense and fawning worshippers, retreating to their sanctums when they tire. Some temples host austere deities and their ascetic clergy-slaves, while others hold orgiastic debaucheries where god and mortal chattel cavort away from the eyes of the greater Chorus. Wondrous mechanisms keep the temple-city clean and luxurious, easing fatigue, conjuring viands, and keeping the air faintly sweet. In the barracks of the city the Grim Carnifex drills his Stymphalian Legions in preparation for invasion of the southern deserts. Eriella the Seeker toils away at her next feat of artifice in her quest to make the House of Praxis surpass Yu-Shan. Bellovartin holds court in the Great Hall of Praxis, the same manse in which the Chorus first discovered the wonders of the First Age, conferring with priests and servitors on how to administer their soon to be vassals.
Metrykhastan
Arid and mountainous, the land of Metrykhastan is nonetheless far more fertile than the surrounding regions, a byproduct of the Praxic Chorus. Hardy plant life dots the region, while rivers flow from mountain sources into the valleys. The days are hot but the nights are cool. Without the "benevolent corruption" of the region's gods controlling the weather and fertility, the land wouldn't be able to support even half its current population. Its extreme distance from Creation's center allows the gods of the Chorus to rule as they do, but also isolates it from other lands. Contact with anyone more distant than desert and mountain tribes is sporadic.
All in all, the Metrykhani civilization encompasses around half the surface area of the average Realm prefecture and has a population of at most a fourth of one. The people live in village confederacies and city-states, the sandstone bricks daubed with bright red and orange dyes. They herd sheep, goats, lamas, and hardy oxen in the mountain pastures and valleys, and grow millet, potatoes, grapes, and maize in terraced fields. Their mastery of bronze and iron allows them to dominate their surroundings at the edge of the world, fending off wyld barbarians and raksha (though often with divine help in the case of the latter).
The mortals of the land were nearly wiped out by the Great Contagion and Balorian Crusade. Almost their entire culture was built from the ground up by the Praxis Chorus, partially out of self-interest, partially out of generosity. They have little knowledge of the outside world, and what tales they do have are fanciful and sometimes condescending. The Chorus has worked prayers to their collective body into the local Firetongue dialect, which has drifted greatly from the southern standard. Religion naturally plays a heavy role in their society, with each home having a small shrine to at least one deity. Festivals and religious rites occur often, from bacchanalian mystery rites to sacred games to the sacrifice of lions(and sometimes unfortunate humans).The Metrykhani believe they are a lucky people, blessed by their proximity to the home of their gods. Nearly every city-state boasts a noble lineage claiming descent from the Praxic Chorus, and the gods of the land can be regularly seen on the roads and in city squares. When going to war, they wear bronze armor and wield war-picks designed to punch through skulls. Their nobles ride giant pronghorns bred for speed and surefootedness. There are many cities in the region, small by the standards of the Realm and other places, but considered massive compared to the crude mud brick villages of its neighbors.
Intrigues and Mysteries
The city-state of Zulco is known for its architects and sculptors. The ruling noble family is descended from the city-father, and they loan the services of their masons to other cities in exchange for foodstuffs, raw iron, and promises of neutrality. While digging the foundation for the Tyrant of Mancapolis' palace, a Zulcoan builder discovered an orichalcum sun-shield, covered in wax seals and crumbling prayer strips and brought it back to her home city. The Zulcoan Overlord and the Tyrant of Mancapolis now squabble over ownership of the shield.
The city of Pacchnus is currently being besieged by the Arcoan League, a confederation of village states. The nobles of the city are torn between militants who advocate a more austere war footing and idle socialites who wish to continue their lavish existences as if nothing were wrong.
Konis, Thirdborn Princess of Cyrres, sulks in her father's palace. She dreams of becoming a great warrior and teacher of heroes, but her family plans to offer her to the gods of Mount Metrykhas as a servant. She has recently begun to glimpse red stars in her eyes while gazing into a reflective pool, only for them to vanish when she looks closer.
Erellia the Seeker created the wonders of the House of Praxis using ancient relics from before the Contagion. She will richly reward any Metrykhani who brings her word or examples of new caches of wonders, after a subtle interrogation of course.
The last remnants of the pre-Praxic heresy of the Noomantic Fold lurk in the shadows of Metrykhastan. The priests and god-blooded of the Praxic Chorus occasionally launch inquisitions to root out the infidels, ignoring territorial borders and jurisdiction with the sanction of the gods.
A dehydrated man in tattered robes has wandered into the land, discovered by a family of shepherds. He claims to be a monk from a distant empire of dragons, but he slips into and out of consciousness, suffering the effects of severe heat stroke and starvation. The shepherd's youngest son swears by the gods that he saw the man surrounded by lightning from a distance.
Through careful and illicit deals with other deities, the Praxides have secured a single portion of the Exigence. They have yet to Exalt a champion, but they prepare to send missionaries and Stymphalian Legionnaires to expand their influence further to the East, and may soon have need of an Exigent of their own.
In the mountains far to the south of Ember, there lies an extinct dome volcano, so immensely broad at the base that it takes days to walk around. It is Mount Metrykhas, considered holy land by the city-states and tribes of the Metrykhastan region. The immediate vicinity is unusually fertile for the far South, home to alpine forests and meadows teeming with game. Though far, far smaller than the Imperial Mountain, it is the largest mountain for miles, dominating the region's skyline. Its lower slopes are dotted with villages and shrines where communities of mystery cultists make offerings to the beings who dwell higher above. The caldera peak, several days climb from the mountain's base, houses a wonder unlike any for miles in all directions, a shining manse-city where the gods of the land, The Praxic Chorus, dwell in opulence. It is the House of Praxis, and the Metrykhani mortals believe it to be heaven itself.
Atop the mountain's peak, the climate is temperate despite the altitude, the weather yoked to the will of the gods. The city rivals those of the early First Age, built with wonders salvaged and reverse-engineered from the ruins of past epochs. Gods and their demigod offspring walk its streets and recline in its salons, attended by comely men and women given as tribute by the city states who worship them. They relax in temple manses where entire lineages are born and die in their service, and tend to their domains with ingenuity bordering on recklessness. Here, the deities of the land hold court and plan their ascension to new heights of power. They are proud and sure of their might, and in this degraded age, they see no reason why they shouldn't be, having subsumed the lesser spirit courts of Metrykhastan through duels, bureaucratic manoeuvring, and outright warfare. They are young by divine standards, and unusually powerful for their age.
The Birth of the Praxic Chorus
Among the spirit courts of Creation, it is said that ten thousand gods died in the twin apocalypses that slew the Shogunate. The true figure may never be known, but regardless of precise numbers, countless areas were left without divine oversight by the time the Scarlet Realm drew its first breath. The corruption in Yu-Shan left the Terrestrial Bureaucracy in shambles, some spirit courts losing contact with Heaven that has not been re-established to this very day. New gods continue to appear, born of divine couplings and ascended mortals, but many are denied the guidance of their elders. Spirits that have never known otherwise thoughtlessly disregard the Laws of Heaven and seek to rule over mortals and recklessly expand their purviews. Given how their distant elders in Yu-Shan often do the same, they reason that they have a right to as well. One such spirit court, The Praxic Chorus has gone beyond even that, having decided that if Heaven shall neglect its duties, then the gods of the land shall assume its authority instead.
The Praxic Chorus began as an alliance of young deities, none older than the Late Shogunate. Isolated from the other spirit courts of the South, it was they who drove back the lingering pockets of Raksha in the region and salted the shadowlands, who burned the plague corpses that lay rotting in the fields and taught the feral mortals of the land what it was to be more than beasts. And for these great deeds, the saw no recognition, no reward from their elders and peers. Heaven rotted from within as it does to this day, while the Censor of the South vanished only to be replaced by a distant and corrupt successor. It fell to them to wrangle the spirits of the land and tend to the fundament of Creation in the region.
From almost nothing, they built up the Terrestrial Bureaucracy of Metrykhastan, shepherded the elemental essence back to normal, and brought the devastated mortal population back from extinction. They have grown mighty and proud on the prayer of both mortals and their divine subordinates, for they are the only significant godly powers for hundreds of leagues in all directions. From the First Age ruins of the land, they have wrought wonders and horrors the likes of which have not been seen in the distant South for millennia. They send token obeisance to the Directional Censor and Yu-Shan, but none among them are truly loyal to the Celestial Bureaucracy. They bide their time and increase their strength, hoping to one day secede from the hierarchy of the divine and form a new paradigm. They are the Praxic Chorus, and throughout the deserts and mountains of the far southeast, none dare question them.
The Order of the Chorus
The Praxic Chorus began as a fellowship of young, heroic gods, and though centuries have passed, they are youthful still. They have an energy that many gods of their standing lack, unaffected by the ennui of ages. They divide themselves into four ranks.
The least of the Chorus are the Hemidaevae, the god-blooded offspring of the other ranks of the Chorus. They serve their parents as messengers and champions, projecting the Chorus's power in village-states and city-states as high priests and founders of noble lines. The most favored of them reside in the House of Praxis with their progenitors. Some are viewed as mere servants or pets by their parents, others are beloved(and sometimes spoiled) children who are greatly cherished by their deific parents.
The second and largest tier of the Chorus are the Daevae, the minor spirits of the land, such as Field Gods and Elementals. The upper echelons of the court routinely redistribute worship to them to buy their loyalty, and many have gone their entire existences knowing nothing else but the Praxic Chorus. This rank also includes unique servitor deities attached to the Chorus, such as the militant Stymphalian Legionnaires and the clandestine Praxic Witnesses.
The third tier of the Chorus are the Musae, including city and river gods as well as powerful personages such as Enrathos, God of Metrykhani Cuisine and Assassins, and Zagoris, Princess of Young Love and Spurned Lovers.
The fourth and highest tier are the Praxides, the founders and rules of the Praxic Chorus. A dozen strong, the five most prominent are as follows:
Bellovartin, Lord of the Utmost Heights, God of Mount Metrykhas, Metrykhastan, and Metrykhani civilization. An androgynous being with the horns of a mountain pronghorn, they wield the Fulcrum of Kings and the Firmament Piercing Bow. They were the first of the Praxides, born from the spilled heartsblood of the previous god of Metrykhastan. Metrykhani legends say that Bellovartin sacrificed their personal enlightenment to hold up the sky when the chaos beasts from beyond existence invaded Creation.
Ereilla the Seeker, Goddess of Metrykhani trade, travel, thaumaturgy, and arts. Her robes are patched with silk squares and hold bags of gold-dust and spice hanging from silver cords. It was Ereilla who deciphered the relics of the Before, bringing wonders to the land and loaning them to the Metrykhani in exchange for worship and obeisance. She can grant beauty in exchange for wealth, and wealth in exchange for beauty. Messengers and travelers pray to her at crossroads and her priests collect tolls at bridges and mountain passes.
The Grim Carnifex, God of Metrykhani war, crime, executioners, and athletics. He lets none but his clergy and mystery cultists know his true name, and hides his face behind a war-mask made from the fused shards of broken swords. He looks kindly upon both bandits and those who slay them. During his festivals, condemned criminals participate in athletic games in hopes of commuting their sentences, while his priests execute those who come in last place.
Nanco Athora, Goddess of Metrykhani fields, fertility, health, husbandry, and the wilderness. An estranged Daughter of Ahlat (an actual daughter, not a devotee), she came to Metrykhastan to make her own way in the world. She demands a variant of the hecatomb where farmers release a hundred animals into the wild to become feral, and later hunt them down over a span of days. A special rite among her cult occurs when she blesses them with a beastfolk child, who is raised in splendor and ritually sacrificed by hallucinogen overdose at the end of their twenty-first year.
Etnac, the Beckoning Dragon, Shepherd of the Dragonlines. A Lesser Elemental Dragon of Fire, Etnac oversees most of the local dragonlines and keeps the elementals of the region in check. Fire-Shrines and sacred ash-piles dedicated to the dragon dot Metrykhastan, and the Metrykhani pray to Etnac to keep the heat of the land at bay.
The House of Praxis
Ere the Contagion, the only building atop Mount Metrykhas's peak was a fortress-manse of the Realm Before, a god-king's sanctum that had been forgotten for centuries. When the Balorian Crusade spurred the deities of the land into action, one of the Praxic Chorus's first actions was to plunder the manse. The youth of the Praxides meant that none had sworn oaths to leave the manse alone. In its depths, they discovered wonders and horrors beyond their (then) imagination, taking note of everything they found. Eventually, they were able to recreate much of the manse's artifacts and geomancies (though the manse's higher mysteries continue to elude them). Today, The House of Praxis rings the lake at the center of the caldera, the shores hosting the sanctum-palaces of the Praxides. The city has been enchanted such that spirits may materialize for merely a fraction of the motes they would normally require. The House of Praxis incorporates many of the Chorus's discoveries, making it equal to some of the greatest Dynastic Estates and even cities of the early First Age.
The caldera is forbidden to mortals who are not guests, offerings, or high ranking priests of the Chorus. Pilgrims may ascend the mountain, but only to certain heights, their level of access often corresponding to the size of the offerings they have made. A militant order of god-blooded exists to enforce this taboo, inhabiting fortified towers along the mountain's upper slopes. Those who wish to treat with the gods of the Chorus directly must secure permission from the religious communities who guard the mountain's base. Only the wealthiest or most devoted may ascend to the peak. They often offer their sons and daughters as servants to the gods, leaving them in golden fetters and chained to gilded posts upon the slopes.
The Metrykhani mortals who reside there are often pampered pets in awe of their masters. Those mortals who are expelled from the mountain(whether out of some crime or by whim of the gods) sometimes descend into deep melancholy or madness, trying to recreate the luxuries they have experienced. Entire generations of mortal priests and godblooded descendants have spent their lives within the House of Praxis, knowing nothing other than servitude, luxury, and esoteric worship.
In the halls of the House, the Praxic Chorus scheme against other spirit courts, and(to a lesser extent) each other. Musae and Daevae walk its streets and speaking manses amidst clouds of incense and fawning worshippers, retreating to their sanctums when they tire. Some temples host austere deities and their ascetic clergy-slaves, while others hold orgiastic debaucheries where god and mortal chattel cavort away from the eyes of the greater Chorus. Wondrous mechanisms keep the temple-city clean and luxurious, easing fatigue, conjuring viands, and keeping the air faintly sweet. In the barracks of the city the Grim Carnifex drills his Stymphalian Legions in preparation for invasion of the southern deserts. Eriella the Seeker toils away at her next feat of artifice in her quest to make the House of Praxis surpass Yu-Shan. Bellovartin holds court in the Great Hall of Praxis, the same manse in which the Chorus first discovered the wonders of the First Age, conferring with priests and servitors on how to administer their soon to be vassals.
Metrykhastan
Arid and mountainous, the land of Metrykhastan is nonetheless far more fertile than the surrounding regions, a byproduct of the Praxic Chorus. Hardy plant life dots the region, while rivers flow from mountain sources into the valleys. The days are hot but the nights are cool. Without the "benevolent corruption" of the region's gods controlling the weather and fertility, the land wouldn't be able to support even half its current population. Its extreme distance from Creation's center allows the gods of the Chorus to rule as they do, but also isolates it from other lands. Contact with anyone more distant than desert and mountain tribes is sporadic.
All in all, the Metrykhani civilization encompasses around half the surface area of the average Realm prefecture and has a population of at most a fourth of one. The people live in village confederacies and city-states, the sandstone bricks daubed with bright red and orange dyes. They herd sheep, goats, lamas, and hardy oxen in the mountain pastures and valleys, and grow millet, potatoes, grapes, and maize in terraced fields. Their mastery of bronze and iron allows them to dominate their surroundings at the edge of the world, fending off wyld barbarians and raksha (though often with divine help in the case of the latter).
The mortals of the land were nearly wiped out by the Great Contagion and Balorian Crusade. Almost their entire culture was built from the ground up by the Praxis Chorus, partially out of self-interest, partially out of generosity. They have little knowledge of the outside world, and what tales they do have are fanciful and sometimes condescending. The Chorus has worked prayers to their collective body into the local Firetongue dialect, which has drifted greatly from the southern standard. Religion naturally plays a heavy role in their society, with each home having a small shrine to at least one deity. Festivals and religious rites occur often, from bacchanalian mystery rites to sacred games to the sacrifice of lions(and sometimes unfortunate humans).The Metrykhani believe they are a lucky people, blessed by their proximity to the home of their gods. Nearly every city-state boasts a noble lineage claiming descent from the Praxic Chorus, and the gods of the land can be regularly seen on the roads and in city squares. When going to war, they wear bronze armor and wield war-picks designed to punch through skulls. Their nobles ride giant pronghorns bred for speed and surefootedness. There are many cities in the region, small by the standards of the Realm and other places, but considered massive compared to the crude mud brick villages of its neighbors.
Intrigues and Mysteries
The city-state of Zulco is known for its architects and sculptors. The ruling noble family is descended from the city-father, and they loan the services of their masons to other cities in exchange for foodstuffs, raw iron, and promises of neutrality. While digging the foundation for the Tyrant of Mancapolis' palace, a Zulcoan builder discovered an orichalcum sun-shield, covered in wax seals and crumbling prayer strips and brought it back to her home city. The Zulcoan Overlord and the Tyrant of Mancapolis now squabble over ownership of the shield.
The city of Pacchnus is currently being besieged by the Arcoan League, a confederation of village states. The nobles of the city are torn between militants who advocate a more austere war footing and idle socialites who wish to continue their lavish existences as if nothing were wrong.
Konis, Thirdborn Princess of Cyrres, sulks in her father's palace. She dreams of becoming a great warrior and teacher of heroes, but her family plans to offer her to the gods of Mount Metrykhas as a servant. She has recently begun to glimpse red stars in her eyes while gazing into a reflective pool, only for them to vanish when she looks closer.
Erellia the Seeker created the wonders of the House of Praxis using ancient relics from before the Contagion. She will richly reward any Metrykhani who brings her word or examples of new caches of wonders, after a subtle interrogation of course.
The last remnants of the pre-Praxic heresy of the Noomantic Fold lurk in the shadows of Metrykhastan. The priests and god-blooded of the Praxic Chorus occasionally launch inquisitions to root out the infidels, ignoring territorial borders and jurisdiction with the sanction of the gods.
A dehydrated man in tattered robes has wandered into the land, discovered by a family of shepherds. He claims to be a monk from a distant empire of dragons, but he slips into and out of consciousness, suffering the effects of severe heat stroke and starvation. The shepherd's youngest son swears by the gods that he saw the man surrounded by lightning from a distance.
Through careful and illicit deals with other deities, the Praxides have secured a single portion of the Exigence. They have yet to Exalt a champion, but they prepare to send missionaries and Stymphalian Legionnaires to expand their influence further to the East, and may soon have need of an Exigent of their own.
Last edited:
