I know what you're thinking- "What kind of name is 'Khthon', Weomur?" "How do you pronounce that name, Weomur?" "Do you know how many licks it takes to get to the tasty lava-filled center of a Khthon pop, Weomur?" Well, this page shall answer all of these questions and more!
Eventually, there will be a map here. But right now there isn't. But there will be! Trust me! Really! I'm working on it right now and it's even vaguely accurate! The handwriting is bad, though. >_<
Author: Weomur
Appears In: Villain
Pronunciation
"Khthon" comes from Greek- that's why it's so weird. It's pronounced keh-thon. Like Cthulhu… or… wait. Does anyone actually know how to pronounce that?
Location
Khthon isn't particularly close to any other existing (inhabited) planets, although it is dimensionally close to the world where Aster is located.
Continents/Climate
Khthon is not a small world, after all. In fact, it's a very, very big world- slightly larger than Earth, which is pretty large, considering. Most of it consists of two major continents- one in the north, one in the south- and many islands around and between the two. It is a water-rich planet, consisting of about 83% ocean. The atmosphere is thick and oxygen-rich, providing for a very wet and stormy climate; although this makes building precarious, it also keeps the surface vibrant and green, with few deserts. It is relatively new geographically, with many large, jagged mountains and a great deal of forests and flatland in between. There are many volcanoes.
On a slightly larger scale, Khthon only has one sun and one moon, along with a comet (period of 14 years) that typically comes into viewing range during the fall. It is the second planet from the sun, with an elliptical orbit much like Earth's; however, the years are slightly longer, and summer and winter temperatures are slightly more extreme. (astro-read: Khthon's axial tilt is in the ballpark of 26-27 degrees, and it has an orbital period of about 1.2 Earth years. Its moon is composed primarily of iron and silicon, with a thin atmosphere of oxygen and helium, and its sun, like our own, peaks in the yellow-green area of the visible spectrum. This sun has a larger volume than our sun, but about the same mass and a lower surface temperature. It is fairly active and solar storms are pretty frequent, so even the southern areas of Khthon experience some fantastic auroras!)
History
Dinosaurs do not exist on Khthon. There are no dinosaurs. This is sad.
The reason why there are no dinosaurs is because Khthon is not a standard planet. It didn't just "come to be" through random astrological happenstance, but rather was formed by an immensely powerful deity (or astral power—however you'd like to put it) for which the planet is named. Khthon crafted the planet out of gas and stardust and seeded it with thousands of plants and creatures, as well as humans- much like the Christian God. She watched over her creations for thousands of years, studying their behavior and growth, remaining a passive observer in all affairs, unbiased.
As time passed she began to witness a certain phenomenon. The humans, encouraged by their intelligence and ingenuity, began to advance. They developed their own cultures, their own beliefs, and soon the planet fell into chaos and war. Disturbed by the events taking place on her soil, Khthon created a pantheon of Essences- creatures formed of pure element that existed for the purpose of keeping peace in the fledgling world. Each element had its opposite, and when too much of one took root, then its rival would restore the balance. Chaos fought Order, Fire fought Water, Light fought Darkness. And out of their struggles emerged peace. Content with her creations, Khthon sank into slumber, binding her lifeforce to the world which took her name. Each Essence, too, bound itself to a mortal form, seeking to maintain a firm link to the corporeal realm in order to better understand its enemy. For many years, all was well.
This peace did not last. Although the Essences were ordained to always compete with their rival, they fought within limits. When Water extinguished Fire's sacred flame, however, the battle became personal. After that, war began in earnest. Essences recruited their once-peaceful followers to the cause of war, each forming their own mighty nation that clashed with all the rest. But in their quarrels, they still kept the balance, and so Khthon still slept, undisturbed by what battles took root above.
One day, however, Darkness's mortal form died. Normally, each Essence would simply seek out a new child, an unborn baby into which it would feed its powers, but Darkness did not return, and remained lost for over a hundred years. In this time, Light formed for herself an empire, a utopia of thought and reason which came to conquer half of the mortal world. In this time, there was an uneasy peace between the Essences as each sought that they, too, would not disappear.
And though there was peace, the world was unbalanced… and so Khthon awoke again. She consulted with the Essences Fate and Chance, who, for the first time in many years, worked together to find the lost Essence. Together, they discovered Darkness, and sought to bring him back…
…Which is where Villain begins. Sorry, not telling you any more until you read it! :P (Or, well, read what little there is.)
Nations
Elaphros
Elaphros is a massive empire found on the western edge of the northern continent; its influence has spread all across the enlightened nations of the world. It is possibly the oldest nation in the world, and has a great deal of history.
- Architecture- Elaphros's architecture is largely designed to impress. Marble and copper are prevalent materials in Elaphrian construction, and buildings are usually tall and straight, with sharp, perfect edges. Many are whitewashed. Due to the importance of art in Elaphrian culture, many buildings have designs worked into the stone, some of the more elaborate ones even telling stories or depicting the family that lives there.
- Capital- Elaphros is named for its capital city, a sprawling utopia located on the western coast. This city is surrounded by fertile farms and grasslands. The river Mithra flows just to the north, emptying into the ocean in a dazzling waterfall. Elaphros itself is renowned for its colleges, especially of art and science; the city is remarkably peaceful for such a large establishment, with a very low crime rate. This could be connected to the city's almost ruthless judiciary system and avid law enforcement.
- Art- Elaphros's art shows a strong running theme of rebirth and redemption, with the sun being a common element in many pieces. Elaphrian artists favor smooth, curving lines to show a streamlined vision of the world, not as it is, but as it should be. Elaphrian art is also very colorful, with especially vivid reds, oranges, and blues, making for especially striking sunset paintings. As mentioned earlier, art is of great significance to Elaphros's culture, and is especially important in religion. Most Elaphrian art has a religious meaning to it, and although other art is created, it is not nearly as well liked. Most Elaphrian art establishes itself in frescoes, paintings, and wall carvings.
- Government- Elaphros is ruled by a king (who also serves as the religious leader, like the Pope) presiding over a council of higher nobles and priests who make the day-to-day decisions around the city. In short, it is something of a theocracy/bureaucracy/monarchy hybrid. Judges are also very powerful in Elaphrian government, creating something of a middle-class elite that has a great deal of influence in the Council. It should also be noted that the king, as well as being a religious leader, is a military leader as well. This places a great deal of power in him; however, as all kings for the last 300 years have been "Light-bound", it is generally accepted that all decisions made by the King are done with the consent and desire of Light.
- Culture- The culture of Elaphros is exotic and diverse, enlivened by trade and commerce. Think Constantinople during the Comnenian dynasty. There is a relatively low poverty level, although there are still beggars and orphans in the streets, just as there would be in any city. Elaphs (or Elaphrites, as some call them, although this is something of a derogatory term) regard their religion very seriously, and although they are relatively tolerant of other religions, the religion of the Great and Holy Light springs up in all sorts of unexpected places. (I believe that there may actually be a fresco of the Light Rekindled in a brothel on Curas Street.) Religion in Elaphros is VRY SRS BISNESS, and even those who do not follow the Great and Holy Light are expected to be incredibly devoted and to show their devotion in any way they can.
Except for Darkness-cults. Elaphs really don't like Darkness-cults.
- Religion- Their two chief weapons are surprise and fear, fear and an almost fanatic devotion to the Pope- no, wait, let's start that again. The chief religion of Elaphros, as you have seen earlier, is that of the Great and Holy Light, which owes its allegiance to the Essence of Light, who is believed to be a goddess. (See Religions- Great and Holy Light)
Epis
Epis, jokingly referred to by its one-time inhabitants as "The Kingdom of Darkness," was an ancient civilization in southwestern modern-day Elaphros, which is mostly comprised of flatlands and swamps. Although technically part of Elaphros, the citizens of Epis are so isolated from the rest of the empire that they are something of an independent group.
- Architecture- Although modern Episian architecture is really nothing more than wooden huts on stilts, old manuscripts and remnants of what appears to be a great city- now little more than a large village- reveal that the architecture of ancient Epis was rather elaborate, somewhat similar to older Elaphrian designs. Blocks taken from the remains of a historical Episian city, Scuro, are crafted from dark granite and limestone, with some marble; however, there is considerably less stone than might be expected from such a large establishment, and it has been theorized that many of the lower-class Episian buildings were made mostly of wood, which would be much easier to find in the swamp.
- Capital- According to manuscripts, the capital of ancient Epis was the aforementioned city, Scuro, which is now little more than a large trading village near the western coast, along Shadow Bay. Placed as it is, in a section of woodland where a river meets the ocean, it was likely once a very prosperous place, and the village of Scuro remains rather well-off today.
- Art- Ancient Episian art tends to be made up of classic geometric shapes- namely squares, circles, and triangles- carved into wood and stone, with many human figures in tight, forced poses. The few paintings and frescoes that still remain are surprisingly realistic, with very deep shadows between foreground objects. Snakes and serpents also appear to be a repeating image.
- Government- Today, the people of Epis operate under an loose, feudal sort of system, with a sort of "lord," called an Anekath- plural Anekathen- governing over a group of local villages. Although the government of Elaphros disapproves of this, thus far it has done little to change the practice. Ancient Epis was an aristocracy, with aforementioned Anekathen representing their district in a council that met in the capital city.
- Culture- The people of Epis are paranoid and reclusive, rarely interacting with foreigners in any matters other than trade- thus making it difficult to gauge their culture and traditions. Each village or district appears to have their own local customs and beliefs, often related to the surrounding environs, whether flatland, swamp, or forest. The people are close-knit and unlikely to associate with others, even from nearby Elaphrian towns.
- Religion- The ancient patron god of Epis was Darkness, and although modern-day Epis is part of Elaphros, many locals still practice the ancient beliefs. (See Religions- Cult of Darkness.)
Demographics
Coming soon-ish
Language
Coming soon-ish
Currency
Coming soon-ish
Religions
- The Great and Holy Light
Members of the Church of the Great and Holy Light call themselves Light-touched or Enlightened, and worship Light and all her doings. (Because Light frequently manifests as female and binds to females, she is commonly referred to as a female, even though "she" is, in truth, completely genderless.) Light is, of course, the manifestation of pure light, which Light-touched believe is synonymous with pure goodness. According to the Church of the Great and Holy Light, at the beginning of time, even before Kthon created everything, she sought to ease her loneliness, and so created Chaos. Chaos, however, spent its days in folly and sin, and so the despairing Kthon created a new companion: Light. Light and Kthon created the world together, and when Kthon formed the other Essences, she allowed Light to continue without a counterpart, for Light was the true measure of the balance of the world. When Kthon finally slept, it was Light who became the leader of the newborn powers. Some, however, were jealous of her- Chaos, Death, Anger, Lust, Hate, and Fear, who became known as the Six Demons of Darkness. Together, these dissenters plotted and schemed, and out of their evil words sprouted a new power, profane and unnatural: Darkness. Although it was weak at first, the Demons saw Darkness and recognized that it could be a powerful tool, and so they cultivated it in secret, to be their secret weapon against Light. But once Darkness finally became strong enough to attack Light head-on, he enslaved the Six Demons and set them to be his servants. Then he launched his dread campaign. Light, who had foreseen this, summoned to her side six allies: Order, Life, Peace, Kindness, Love, and Bravery, who were later christened the Six Saints of Light. Together, they waged a fierce and bloody battle which lasted many, many years, and for a time it seemed that the Darkness would win. But the slumbering spirit of Kthon lent its power to Light, and at last she vanquished the last of the evil armies and stood prepared to strike down the blight once and for all. Still, the Darkness was clever- very clever. Just as Light raised her sword to strike, Darkness cried out, "O merciful Light, she who is loved throughout the lands, wouldst thou so strike down your own brother?" (Chances are people didn't actually talk like that.) In pity, Light lowered her sword, and the Darkness took the opportunity to slay her. The moment that he did, all light vanished from the world, and the sun was hidden behind a shroud of cold darkness that poisoned the land. For six days Darkness ruled, and for six days the Demons drank their fill of human suffering. Desperately, all the people repented of their sins and prayed for Light to protect them. And then the shroud passed from the sky, and Light appeared again, dressed in glittering white. She drove Darkness and his Demons to the end of the earth. The rest of the Book of the Sun is mostly about repentance and things like that, as in any holy book.
In the Church of the Great and Holy Light, as is the case with many of the other northern Khthonian religions, Light is often perceived as having multiple "forms" throughout the course of history. The most important and influential are as follows:
The Golden Light: Light's original form, the one that she bore when she was first created by Khthon. Very few religious images remain from this period, but most modern artists render this form as radiant in flowing golden robes and carrying a golden scepter. Ended when she was "slain" by the Darkness. (Exact date unknown)
The Light Rekindled: Light's reborn form, which came to be after the people of Khthon repented and pleaded for her return. The Light Rekindled is usually depicted as wearing bright, almost blinding white, with a sword in one hand and a torch in the other. Ended some 900 to 1500 years later, when a resurgence of the Cult of Darkness dominated the Church of Light.
The Light Undaunted: The form of Light that came to be worshiped after Dark domination and during the subsequent Episian empire. Interestingly, the Light Undaunted is often pictured as wearing elaborate, almost dark clothes, blindfolded and mourning for her fallen country while fighting against the demons of Darkness. Ended approximately 2,300 years later, when the Episian Empire fell and Darkness was banished.
The Light Triumphant: This form of Light was "born" after the banishment of Darkness and the rising of the New Elaphrian Empire. Artists show her clothed in royal blue robes, tied at the waist with a golden cord, with a book in one hand and a golden crown on her hair, which is so elaborately curled and styled that some artists go so far as to fill almost the entire fresco with her flowing locks. This is the Light which is worshiped by Elaphros and other Enlightened individuals across the world when Villain begins.
- The Cult of Darkness
Ah, the Cult of Darkness. Easily one of the most eccentric of the northern Khthonian religions, the Cult of Darkness is as much a way of life as it is a religion. Drawing its authority from the ominously-named Tome of Shadows (which, interestingly, consists more of codes of conduct and paeans than history), the Cult of Darkness is the "rival" religion to the Church of the Great and Holy Light, and worships the entity Darkness. A very close-knit and superstitious religion, the Cult of Darkness will not automatically recognize converts; rather, those who wish to convert (or children and young adults who desire entry) must go through an elaborate series of rituals solidifying the individual's personal relationship with the Darkness and his shadows. These rituals often vary depending on the location, the time period, and even the individual; one of the more common trials is to leave an individual in a dark room for four days (with, of course, ample food and water), cut off from all human interaction so that they may reflect upon their lives and grow more comfortable with the Darkness. Although joining the religion may be difficult, the rewards are often considered to be great. Members of the Cult of Darkness hold certain privileges among their fellows, from discounted prices in shops to access to certain elite establishments- even to appropriately-named "shadow cities" that exist in many larger, non-Episian settlements. In Epis during its time as an Empire, members of society were not even considered to be full citizens until they went through the trials and took the oaths that allowed them into the Cult of Darkness. The basic religious views behind the Cult of Darkness are quite simple: "He who seeks knowledge in Light is blinded, but he who searches in Darkness sees all." Essentially, they believe that the other Great Spirits (especially Light) are liars and hypocrites who pretend to greatness and goodness while simultaneously seeking to undo the Balance. Although the Darkness is, indeed, a self-professed liar, he is also considered to be honest in that he admits to his own hypocrisy. The Darkness is also seen to be the most powerful and to hold the greatest potential among the Numina, and is known for bestowing favors upon his most ardent followers; some of his greatest priests have been said to hold extraordinary powers, from being able to see in the dark to glimpsing the future. Essentially, members of the Cult of Darkness follow the enigmatic spirit because they believe that he is a lesser evil and because of the intimate contracts and, indeed, friendships he enters into with his followers. (Darkness is easily the most personable of the Great Spirits, who, though contemptuous of humans, is not above using them to achieve his own means.) They go by no real collective name, although members of the Cult will often refer to one another as "Brother" or "Sister". More recently, however, they have taken to calling themselves "Shadows" or "Darklings." (Note: Not to be confused with the derogatory terms "Shade" and "Darkie", coined by Enlightened crusaders during the fall of Epis.)
In the Cult of Darkness, as is the case with many of the other northern Khthonian religions, Darkness is often perceived as having multiple "forms" throughout the course of history. The most important and influential are as follows:
The Darkness Unborn: In its short historical section, the Tome of Shadows states that long before Khthon began to shape the world, a brief flash of light heralded the beginning of time, followed by an aeon of darkness. At this time, the Darkness that exists in modern times was nascent and unformed, yet to be given life by Khthon; it is uncertain why it is included as a "form" in the Tome of Shadows. Some theologians have speculated that the information was included at the behest of Darkness himself. It is depicted in art as a swirling vortex of shadows, with a pinpoint of light at the very center. Ended when Khthon first sought to create the Numina of the world. (Exact date unknown)
The Living Darkness: As the name suggests, this form of Darkness came to be when he was first created and set into motion by Khthon herself. The Tome of Shadows only briefly describes it, saying, "And Khthon raised Her hand, saying, "Let Him that dwells in the Dark of the Night begin," and the Darkness lived, and He was Living, and so reigned over His people for an eternity. But She That Blinds feared and envied Him, and so shone brilliantly across the land, and She reigned over His people for another eternity." Artists depict the Living Darkness as an emperor with no face, wrapped in a dark cloak and stretching his hand to cover the sun. Interestingly, the period of the Living Darkness is not considered to have ended in the time of the First Elaphrian Empire, but rather the New Elaphrian Empire, not only making The Living Darkness one of the longest existing forms of any Numina, but also indicating that Epis still held considerable power during the time of the First Elaphrian Empire. Ended some 6,000 years after its creation with the rise of the New Elaphrian Empire and the disappearance of Darkness.
The Fallen: (c-c-c-combobreaker! ahem…) The current form of Darkness. At the rise of the New Elaphrian Empire, the Episians and Darklings of the world were not quite so fatalistic as as the Enlightened in terms of their "broken and mourning deity"; rather, they perceived the Darkness as having been banished by Light, and, thus, must be actively seeking to return. Due to an oppression of the Cult of Darkness under the rule of the New Elaphrian Empire, few explicit paintings of the Fallen exist; however, a sort of code seems to exist among the few Darkling and Episian painters who still remain, and small paintings of the Fallen can be found in the backdrop of other paintings, often a cloaked man standing in the shadows or walking away from the painted scene, looking back in contempt. These small likenesses can be used to identify a Darkling artist, and paintings containing them are often placed in windows, identifying "safehouses" where persecuted Shadows can take refuge.
The Darkness Rising: Although this form has yet to exist, it was prophesied by the last High Priest of the Cult of Darkness that their deity would someday return, more powerful than ever. The prophecy was actually a brief portion of an inspirational sermon spoken on the day of the Elaphrian invasion. "Children of the Dark One, despair! For He has fallen and we are left to stand in the coldness of the Light. But lo, when the sun has reached its peak then will clouds undoubtedly cast their shadows before it. For is it not when the light is brightest that the shadows are the deepest? Yea, behold, for when all is lost, the Darkness shall Rise Again, and his people shall reign o'er the earth as kings." Dramatically, the High Priest died of a heart attack moments after speaking the words, leading many to believe that he had briefly glimpsed the future, as the Priests of old were known to do.
Technology/Magic
Coming soon-ish
How many licks does it take to get to the tasty lava-filled center of a Khthon pop?
About 5,475, although I hear that Cthulhu can take it in three.
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