OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Sub a fun location for rp.
Image Credit: Here. Here.
Canon: N/A.
Permissions: Permission for Spirit d-Emitters from original submitter here.
Links: To Hell and Back, Kar'zun, Eldorai Exodus, Emissaries of Illyria, Eldorai, The Harrowed, Kaeshana, Harbingers of Twilight, Raekana, Yohara Taenasi, Ashiranism, Siona Vaerum, Shadow Knights (lore submission), Rise Against Tyranny, Kaida, Angelii, Santaissa.
SETTING INFORMATION
City Name: Gethsemane
Classification: Ghost City
Location: Netherworld
Affiliation: Ruled by its denizens, and the city itself. Shadow Knights and Emissaries of Illyria control a section of the city, but are not dominant.
Population: Moderate
Demographics: Gethsemane is overwhelmingly populated by Eldorai. There is a culture of xenophobia against humans, who are not particularly welcome. That said, this varies based on zone, as which are under the sway of different Eldorai factions. Some are very xenophobic, while others are quite tolerant or wary of outsiders, but willing accept those helpful to them. One can also find a small Kar'zun population. The 'sentient city' keeps careful track of its population.
Wealth: Low, but with potential for improvement. Galactic Standard Credits are worthless. The same applies to credits in general. No merchant will accept them. However, Gethsemane has a barter economy. Thus services and goods are traded at negotiated rates. It is a pre-modern economic system that relies on reciprocity. Since necessities are largely be provided or rendered unnecessary, it is heavily based on exotic items. Enchanted crystals and metals touched by the Nether energies have become a form of currency. The malicious ones trade souls or mortals to possess, but these are not easy to find.
In a way, death has become the great equaliser. A resident might have been a noblewoman, a high-ranking prelate or even the Star Queen in life, but they obviously could not bring their treasures with them after they died. Some former leaders have been able to make something out of themselves. These enterprising shades buy and sell things to the living and make deals with other spirits. However, other formerly wealthy Eldorai have been unable to adapt after finding themselves on the same level as the peasants and proles they once scorned. Some of the denizens cling to possessions that remind them of what they owned in their mortal life. However, even former Star Queens find that they cannot bring their wealth with them into the afterlife. In a way, death is an equaliser. Regardless of whether she was a wealthy noble lady, a dirt poor peasant or a terrorist in life, everyone is essentially an outcast here.
That said, artisans, alchemists, blacksmiths, seamstresses and so on can now theoretically apply themselves to craft forever, assuming being in the Netherworld does not drive them mad. Former farmers seek out other careers since you obviously do not need food in the spirit world. This takes getting used to, though poor Eldorai peasants might appreciate no longer being under the thumb of rich landowners. Eldorai are hardly welcoming to foreigners, but Gethsemane has trade relations with the Raykkan nether colony Mobius One. The extreme traditionalists turn up their nose at trading with these strange aliens, but the more flexible are more practical when it comes to the acquisition of resources.
Stability: Medium. It is not a place of chaos and anarchy, but the environment and layout of the city keeps shifting. This obviously has a negative impact on stability, making things very transient and potentially dangerous for travellers unfamiliar with conditions in the ghost city. Within the 'zones' of the city itself, apparitions from different eras of Eldorai history have taken control, shaping them in accordance with their vision.
This means Gethsemans essentially has competing regimes, ranging from monarchy to radical republicanism or theocracy. Some are welcoming to outsiders, if wary of them, while others are not a place a traveller would want to visit. Thus there is a law within these sectors, even it may be rule by law rather than rule of law. The sentient city is a balancing factor that just wants people to be happy, but though it is sentient, it is still learning and does not yet understand the world that well.
Lilea Ayreon, a former Grand Seraph who lived many centuries ago, has formed a policing and security force called the Defenders of the Closing Night. They claim not to answer to any faction, but to the 'city' as a whole. Lilea was influenced by the sentient city's psychic field, as well as her own guilt about not being able to prevent the calamities that befell the Eldorai. The city itself probably does not quite understand what it is doing.
Regardless, the Defenders strive to be a neutral force that keeps the peace, enforces basic laws and defends the city. The train station is one of the areas guarded by them. The former Angelii is very law-abiding and quite determined to go after lawbreakers regardless of faction. She has a strong mental connection to Gethsemane, but sometimes the advice and instructions from the city require a lot of creative interpretation. Diya Taldir, the mother of Kaida Taldir, works for them in a bureaucratic capacity. In life she worked in local administration before dying in a flood. For all of Gethsemane's internal divisions, the denizens of the city are very united in opposing outside threats.
Freedom & Oppression: Gethsemane does not have a single absolute ruler. Rather each major 'zone' of the ghost city has a set of autonomous rulers, who often vie for influence, with beliefs ranging from absolute monarchy to revolutionary republicanism or theocracy. Thus the city has been divided along ideological lines. Some groups cling to the old ways of the Eldorai, with all the racism, misandry and rigidness this implies. Some apparations claim to be ancient Eldorai saints, martyrs or even deities. The Defenders of the Closing Night seek to enforce a common set of rules, acting as a neutral security force. There is also a tribunal headed by Draera Halnari, an Eldorai advocate who was murdered by the Matriarchy's secret police because she supported fair treatment for the Kar'zun and opposed her nation's racist policies.
The transient nature of the city can allow people to slip away from disagreeable conditions. A number of zones try to stay out of the disputes about who is queen and just get on on with life - or existence as the case may be. However, the true 'ruler' of Gethsemane is the city itself. It is sentient, but still learning and in the process of figuring out how the world works. Thus its moral code is a work in progress. Gethsemane does not exert direct rulership, but it can nudge people in certain directions through its psychic field. Some have identified the voice they sometimes hear with that of Ashira or other deities. Gethsemane does not quite understand this, but while its influence can have harmful consequences, it is not malevolent. It just wants to exist. Sometimes Gethsemane takes it upon itself to remove harmful, destructive individuals or teach them a lesson so that they change their ways. It is not malevolent and just wants people to get along, but lacks maturity at present.
Description: Gethsemane is located within the depths of the Netherworld. A forest called the Shadelands lies adjacent to it, populated by a variety of dangerous creatures spawned by the psyche of those who intrude upon it. Gethsemane itself is surrounded by walls. Towers watch over the gate. On the surface, the place seems normal, with a ziggurat made of black stone at the heart of the town. The perceptive observer will note that the corresponding ziggurat in old Santaissa was made of white not black stone. Gethsemane is far larger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Indeed, logically it would be impossible for its denizens to fit so much into such a narrow space. Moreover, while it resembles a city on Kaeshana, one can find buildings and monuments from different cities and even eras of the Eldorai homeworld.
One can walk down a street and behold an image of tranquility and prosperity from old Kaeshana, and then one suddenly finds oneself surrounded by ruins, with shattered walls and dead or twisted plants. Then one suddenly sees the denizens of Gethsemane going about their daily business. Souls from various eras of Kaeshana congregate here. Some are remarkably lucid and capable of civilised interaction - or devious plotting in the best tradition of the Eldorai's Byzantine court politics. Others have been driven mad...or believe they are still alive, following the same daily routine as in life. A visitor may come across strange crystals. They sprout like obscene purple and blue spikes. To those with the Force the taint of wild energy surrounds them. Some are broken, but most are unhindered. In places they have grown through stone and houses and walls like they are nothing. The city itself is virtually impossible for a mortal to map accuratey because it is very transient.
Moreover, the 'sky' is very alien. The stars and constellations change every night. There are no landmarks, just different views of different stars. In reality, it is the view of different doomed planet's night skies. Sometimes denziens behold a red comet. There are people who claim that Gethsemane has a will of its own. Some believe it is a manifestation of the souls residing here. Some of the devout, who have maintained their faith in the realm of the dead, call it the will of Ashira or Illyria or something more insidious. Either way, there always seems to be a presence. Sometimes it is as simple as a whisper, a flash of insight, a nudge to to undertake or refrain from a certain course of action or the feeling that one is being watched.
Opinions on the nature of their existence vary among the denizens of Gethsemane. Some believe that this is not the true afterlife, but something akin to purgatory. In their view, the Goddess is testing them or they have to undertake a quest in order to be granted a place at her side. This has spawned a number of cults. Others have disavowed the old religion and adapt a more secular stance or have decided to accept their new state of being. Particularly idealistic types strive to build a better world in the realm of the dead than they could in the material world of the living.
Particularly devout Ashirans pray for deliverance, believing that their stay in Gethsemane is a test they must pass before they join the Goddess in heaven. Sometimes, their prayer seems to be heard as the spirit is raptured, though that might just be joining the Cosmic Force. But the denizens of the city must beware Nether monsters which consume spirits. Some orthodox Ashirans see this as a failing or flaw which causes the Goddess to punish them. Both these events happen at random seemingly so the spirits are confused by Ashira's great plan. As is every one.
The Harbingers of Twilight first came across Gethsemane when several of them were raptured during the Netherworld Crisis. With the help of Yohara Taenasi, an Eldorai scientist, they have established a small outpost in the city. The renegades have used technology developed by her to stabilise and 'lock' in a central area so there is no instability there. This has created a pocket of stability in a city that is fairly transient, though it is still characterised by its share of oddities and bizarre phenomena. The Harbingers worship Illyria, the Goddess of the Underworld in Eldorai mythology. Thus their mission here takes on a religious note. Some believe they can use it to commnune with her.
Yohara does not share their faith, considering it an outdated superstition, but she was raptured during the event and has been fascinated by the Netherworld since then. She treats it as an alternate plane governed by natural laws that differ from those of the mortal realm, but can nonetheless be understood through the scientific process. For this reason, she is interested in acquiring items or metals touched by the Nether. It would be incorrect to say that these Shadows rule Gethsemane. Rather they have reached an accommodation with some of the special interest groups.
Each 'zone' of the ghost town has period appropriate apparitions who claim authority. Some of them are pre-fall priestesses or noblewomen, whom the Shadows obviously cannot talk to. However, there are also denizens from post-apocalyptic Kaeshana, who are more sympathetic and also include Shadows who perished during the Battle of Kaeshana or when the homeworld was dragged through the Nether. There is even a small group of Kar'zun, who have united under a leader to protect themselves.
These groups are bound together in an shifting network of alliances, rivalries and intrigues. In a way, trying to rule over the denizens of a ghost city is easier because at least they do not need food, so one does not have to worry about the harvest. At the same time, the presence of people for different eras makes things more complicated. This applies in particular when several former Star Queens run into one another and each insists that her claim is the legitimate one. However, none of them wield total control over the city. The city itself does. It maintains a balance.
One of the leaders is the former Star Queen Anais III, born Elayne, the last surviving daughter of Anais II 'The Conqueror'. She was intended for the priesthood but in the last years of her mother's life she was rapidly trained to be queen. Sadly, tragedy struck and cut her reign short before it had truly begun. Her ship was lost in a bad storm and the Queen and her husband Caradoc were lost at sea, drowned in the storm.
As Queen she did not have much time to show herself, but the time she had she showed she was intelligent, a thoughtful lawgiver and even somewhat progressive. People, especially in the Time of Troubles, looked back to it as a moment in time cruelly snatched away which could have been great, but ended being tragic. Her shade is upset about what happened to her people and her daughter. In a way, she blames herself for many of the woes which befell her people because the Matriarchy which emerged from the Time of Troubles was very different from the one which entered it.
Her shade's appearance can be likened to one who is underwater. It looks like water is waving her hair, as it was at sea that she was lost. In her sphere, Anais tries to be a just ruler and watch over the dead in the way she could not do for the living. Her sphere is a monarchy, but governed by the principles of enlightened despotism. She is aided by a bureaucratic apparatus and an advisory council. Ironically, some Eldorai reactionaries who flocked to her court have turned away because the queen is not who they imagined her to be.
In death Anais III has been able to reunite with her daughter Celestyne, known as Anais IV ‘the Proud’. As a ruler Anais IV was prideful, somewhat unstable and paranoid. Her attempts to control the scheming nobles through repression and heavy taxation led to civil strife. When the Kar'zun invaded, she was murdered by a cabal of nobles. This ushered in the Time of Troubles. The passage of time and her reunion with her mother have mellowed Celestyne, causing her to reflect on where she went wrong. The city helped arrange their reunion. It just wants people to feel happy, but sometimes does not understand what that means.
Another figure from Eldorai history who has a lot of influence is Gethsemane is a former noblewoman turned heresiarch called Aedema Cytani, the founder of the Illyrian heresy. She was a granddaughter of Queen Esterlae I. Her family was supplanted by Rinnea Kaldis. Aedema was one of the eight Cytani claimants who were defeated by the 'usurper'. She was forced to renounce her royal title and confined to a monastery, where she was isolated from contact with the outside world.
She experienced a spiritual crisis and came to believe that Ashira did not work through the Star Queen and that the true power was in Illyria, goddess of death and the underworld and rebellious daughter of Ashira. Over time her believers became the original Dashdae Eldorai. The heresy became popular among the smallfolk. They spawned violent insurgencies against Church and State. Finally Aedema was captured. She was burnt at the stake, but her elemental powers allowed her to overcome the fires, so she had to be shot by firing squad. Illyrian rebellions would continue to be a threat to the established order. The hair of her spectre looks like it is on fire.
As the first Illyrian, Aedema founded the heresy that ultimately spawned the Harbingers. However, she is weirded out by her 'followers', who idolise the Force-Dead and do not like Force-Users much, as they consider them susceptible to the manipulations of Ashira. Her fate has left her bitter and angry. Not just about her 'followers', but also that she is trapped and cannot pass through to the Final Gate for judgement by the Dark Queen Illyria. In a way, Aedema wants to meet final death. She has reluctantly assumed a position of leadership for the Illyrians and other renegades. She is weirded out by her followers in the material realm, but working with them is a way to uncover the mystery of the city and seek out the Mistress of the Underworld.
She works together with Lysae Tarinn. In life Lysae was an Eldorai rebel and the composer of the revolutionary song 'Rise Against Tyranny'. She was a prominent member of the Green Ribbons, a radical egalitarian movement. Ironically, Lysae was assassinated on suspicion of not being 'enough of a rebel' and having 'reactionary sympathies', according to a cadre of extreme anarchist rebels. She has a scar where her throat was slit. She finds this very irritating. The Shadows have appropriated her song and treat her as a martyr. Lysaea finds that these latter-day Green Ribbons are not radical enough, but talks to them.
Tirathana VI has also found her way into the city. In life she was an ultra-conservative reactionary who ruled with an iron fist. Fearing that contact with the outside Galaxy would cause the Eldorai to turn away from their traditions and destabilise the ancien régime, she suppressed any form of dissent that threatened to damage the willow palisade of isolation. In so doing, she helped pave the way to the many calamities that befell the Eldorai.
The present Star Queen of the living is one of her daughters - and was once exiled by Tirathana on false charges. She still struts around giving orders and thinking she is still queen despite all evidence to the contrary. Tirathana likes to rant about how she would make the Eldorai great again if she were alive and that they would have never become the lackeys of the humans under her rule. Malya Helindan is another of the denizens of Gethsemane, but she does not aspire to rule anyone. Malya was one of the very few Eldorai who became Jedi. She returned to Kaeshana many centuries ago, requesting access to the Arithdae Dae. This is a sacred relic of the Eldorai. Malya had come across the true origins of her species, but this ran afoul of orthodoxy.
So overnight there was a break-in and the Codex was stolen. Suspicion fell on the outsider and so Malya was attacked. She managed to defeat her attackers, but was mortally wounded and perished in space. Malya is a bitter and often frustratingly cryptic woman. She has continued uncovering mysteries though. Fittingly, she has figured out that the city is sentient and not the voice of Ashira or any other deity. So she has started trying to teach it about life so that it can understand its 'citizens' better.
POINTS OF INTEREST
The Shadelands: A shifting mirage of dangerous biomes filled with myriad trees and shadowy predators. These creatures are manifestations of whatever terrifies the person who enters the shadowy forests. Sometimes one hears faint whispers in the Shadelands, but often it is deathly silent. There are tales of treasures that supposedly lie within the Shadelands, but who can say whether they are real or illusions? Travellers must beware spatial distortions. Time and place are very relative things here. Some of the areas covered by the Shadelands once featured buildings and habitational areas, but they were swallowed by nature.
The Crown District: Named after and resembles the old commercial district of Santaissa. This is the main promenade for merchants, street vendors and the like. All manners of exotic items can be purchased here, though one must beware of pickpockets. However, the district is fairly transient. Sometimes it resembles Santaissa's commercial area at its peak. Then one sees bombed-out buildings and ruins. Credits are worthless, but enchanted items such as crystals serve as a form of currency. Barting also works and the occasional mirage. Overall, this place is quite lively, if a bit weird.
The Black Palace - Resembles the ziggurat that used to house the Star Queen and the government. However, that palace was made of white stone, whereas this one is black. Historically, the old ziggurat was completed during the reign of Ariane II. Most items were evacuated before the cataclysm, but a mob broke in and looted and burned much of it. Later in the war it was fought over by both sides and during the transit through the Nether its once white stones were turned a scorched black and the structure was broken into pieces. This explains the colour of its Nether twin. The palace has a grand appearance, but shows signs of damage. Sometimes one can hear the voices of past Star Queens. Anais III has taken up residence here with her daughter. It was much smaller back in her day. Sometimes the exterior shape of the ziggurat seems to shift to its original, less grandiose size. Then it is bigger on the inside.
Stone of the Ascension - Supposedly the site where Ashira ascended to heaven, this is a large stone raised high into the air in front of the Palace. This perfectly formed and smooth white stone was raised up to protect it and was once covered with a gilded reliquary of immense size. Every queen would be proclaimed here by the chief minister who would stand on the small balcony around it. In the old times the crowd of worshippers would hear proclamations from here.
The Stone and its housing was constructed by Anais I. After the time of troubles it was reconstructed and endured until a mob stripped the gilding from it - finding ironically that much of it was painted bronze. The stone itself was cracked during the cataclysm, a fitting symbol. However, in the Nether only half the stone is ever there - the rest was actually saved by some enterprising true believers and taken. The real one is now in the possession of Vaena Cadalthor.
Junction of the Abyssal Engine - The train station. A place of trade with hell train Mobius One, but also a place for new arrivals. Many myths of old feature a ferryman on a boat, but people have moved with the times and now they have a phantom train, with a conductor as the conveyor of souls. The spectral conductor seems a bit creepy and sinister, but is actually quite amiable. After all, they are supposed to guide lost souls. They can assume a form the individual soul is comfortable with, which means that age, gender, species and so on vary. Their true form is deeply disturbing. The conductor gets very angry and scary if someone breaks the rules or intruders try to subjugate a soul. Then it turns out that they are a powerful entity.
Their job is to convey the souls to the city, and they will do that. What happens afterwards is not their concern. The train station is neutral ground, and so violence is not allowed. It is a bad idea for passengers to try and exit the train before it has reached its destination. The station features offices to welcome and process new arrivals. It is under the protection of the Defenders.
The Orpheum - Eldorai love oral poetry and theatre. The strange nature of the Nether city can make the theatrical plays and musical performances downright surreal. It is said that the singers and acting troops cannot just captivate an audience, but pull them into the world their songs create. The sentient city takes an interest in the guests - and in the emotions the music stirs inside them.
Palace of the Rightly-Guided Sovereign: In truth, this is the old Venari estate in what used to be the Palladium District. After being kicked out of the ziggurat, Tirathana VI took up residence here. The mansion was in poor shape, so she had it rebuilt. She has done her best to make it look lavish. This is not really necessary because ghosts do not need places to sleep or eat, so amenities are not required. However, it is tradition and to her that is part of being a queen. She needs to be surrounded by luxury, even if she cannot really appreciate it anymore and cramming so much shiny stuff into the place just makes it look tacky. Priestess Narithaya, an orthodox, racist cleric who was killed by a Kar'zun she had abused, has become her 'chaplain'.
High Chamber: Formally called the Chamber of Ardarvia's Divine Grace, though that name is used less frequently now. This is the old justice building. It still looks quite baroque and features many inspiring paintings about what happens to evildoers who are cast into hell. Considering the circumstances, this is quite ironic. The sentient city uses it as a courthouse. One may receice visions of dramatic court sessions and trials that took place centuries ago, or come across shades testifying against a magistrate who wronged the public and was somehow dragged to Gethsemane. Draera Halnari is one of the chief justicars. She gets to be the judge in death she was not allowed to be in life.
The Broken Port - The Lion's Gate spaceport was a relatively new fixture of Santaissa, built when the outsiders started to appear. Disdained by many it was still vitally important and took up a large part of old wetlands and forest felled to add this vast area. During the war it was extensively bombed, fixed up during the occupation and then abandoned when the cataclysm came. In the Nether only ruins are really seen as it didn't have the time to really fix itself as an echo. Some of Lysae's followers have set up a propaganda station here.
The Mysterious Yedai Repository - Resembles the broken Ossus Library. The Eldorai were isolated for many centuries, and only a tiny fraction of their population has had contact with Jedi. So the ways of Jedi and Sith alike tend to confound them. Yohara has spent a lot of time trying to unearth mystical secrets here. The ziggurat looks like it is cracking and flaking away. Indeed, it even looks like it is starting to disintegrate in the wind.
The Palace of Fire - Looks like the Aldera Royal Palace. Few Eldorai had ever been to Alderaan, so it took the denizens of Gethsemane a while to figure out where this strange building came from. The palace is not always there, but appears from time to time. Somehow there is always space for it, even if this means that other buildings on the premise suddenly vanish and reappear in a different area. When it does, it resembles the royal palace circa 0ABY, and looks like it is on fire. Anyone who approaches will feel the terror and hear the wails of the poor souls who perished when the Death Star annihilated Alderaan. If one lingers long enough, one can see a moon-sized battle station looming over the palace, with a bright beam emanating from it. This is a mirage, but can be quite disconcerting to look at.
Cathedral of Ashira - Resembles the grand cathedral that once stood in Santaissa. By the time of Tirathana VI's death it was so large was bigger than the ziggurat and citadel combined in sheer area if all buildings were included. The Cathedral was turned into an impromptu homeless shelter and soup kitchen before the cataclysm, and much of it fell. During the war it was bombed and the vast vaulted domes and spans broke.
By the time of the transit through the nether it was a pile of rubble. Its appearance is rather transient. Some visitors claim to have received visions of Ashira - or Illyria. The imprint of Gethsemane is rather strong here. One of the wings of the Cathedral is completely intact, being miraculously free of damage. Indeed, a strange light emanates from it and sometimes the church looks iridescent. This area features an eternal flame, which burns brightly at all times. The shades of the devout still gather there praying for salvation from Ashira.
From the Darkness I cry to you, oh Lady of Light
Hear my prayer, I beg, listen to my plight
As I, the wretched of the earth await
In hope that you oh Mother of Creation will take me in holy state
Ironweal District - A large industrial area. In real Santaissa, many low class citizens were drafted here for factory labour in the new industry. It is still the industrial centre of the Nether city. Among other things, crystals are harvested here.
The Angel's Watch: This was the main barracks and Angelii compound. It is a fine, if blocky building not far from the Cathedral. The Defenders of the Closing Night have taken up residence here. They strive to keep order and protect Gethsemane as a whole, claiming no allegiance to any party other than the city itself.
The force includes former Angelii as well as rebels. For some service in the force is a form of atonement to make up for having been unable to uphold the peace in life - or for having played a role in breaking it. The Defenders are exhorted to be above sectarianism. The imprint of Gethsemane is particularly potent here.
The Citadel of Iron - The old Citadel was the HQ of the old Eldorai war machine. It was built in a manner similar to the larger palace it once adjoined. Now though usually it is ruined. The real one was badly damaged by the cataclysm and the war with the First Order. Now its old form rarely appears. Here one can still hear the sounds of spectral fighting and see the shades of the fallen locked in combat. The Shadow Knights have set up an outpost in the Citadel. Yohara has a laboratory where she studies Nether phenomena. The Shadows have access to a few Spirit d-Emitters to repel aggressive spirits.
The Crimson Gate - Once one of the gates of Santaissa's walls it later became a large circular arch. On here the banner of the Queen would be raised when war was at hand. After the Final War the banner was removed from here and moved to the palace. However it was still used for proclamations...and more grimly as the site of public executions, since it was close to the markets. The condemned were either immolated, hung or simply thrown from the top of the five story structure. The area in front of it was used for the burning of heretical literature. And heretics too sometimes. It's one of the few structures to have survived relatively intact even through to the present, though in the Nether it is haunted by the shades of the many killed there.
Aedema Cytani and Lysae Tarinn have set themselves up here. This place is where the pulse of the living city is greatest. They make a point of staging ceremonies to honour those who were once martyred here. Aedema's acolytes have constructed a small Illyrian shrine. It features various murals to honour the martyrs. The renegades like to sing 'Rise Against Tyranny'. Fittingly, the song was composed by Lysae.
Wall District - this used to be the place where most of Santaissa's inhabitants lived. It had the less flattering nickname of 'Blacktide' because of the occasional floods of the river which would inundate the lower sections, causing disease. Ironically this got quite gentrified near the end as people moved out to the new districts. In Gethsemane, the nickname has become reality. Blacktide looks like it has been flooded. And occasionally one might see spectral corpses floating in it. It is said that those crossing the water may sometimes be assailed by the spectres of those they wronged in life, but more benign contact is also possible.
SECURITY
High
- The transient nature of the city complicates defence, but also provides a significant obstacle to enemy attacks. Unlike external intruders, the inhabitants are familiar with the way the city can shift and are able to use it to their advantage. After all, it can be very confounding for an enemy when the layout suddenly...shifts.
- Aside from militias, Gethsemane also has a regular security force in form of the Defenders of the Closing Night. It includes a cadre of Force adepts of varying skill and experience. The Shadow Knights maintain a defence force around their outpost. It is worth noting that many of the inhabitants of Gethsemane are shades, and thus require different methods to destroy them than living beings. The city is surrounded by a wall and the adjacent Shadelands house various dangerous creatures.
- As elaborated above, Gethsemane is essentially a sentient eldritch entity. It has the ability to manipulate the spatial distortions, mental and tectonic shifts in the city. It does not have complete control over this because it is still growing up, but can use it to its advantage. Sometimes an intruder suddenly finds themselves somewhere very different...or gravity works in mysterious ways around them. Moreover, it can use the psychic field to influence others or gather information.
NETHERWORLD INFORMATION
Gate: Features a gate connecting it to Mobius One.
Lucidity: The degree of lucidity varies strongly. Overall, Gethsemane can be described as disjointed, though there are pockets of stability and lucidity. Generally things appear normal at first. Visitors will find themselves within what looks like a traditional Eldorai city. People who are native to Kaeshana or visited the planet prior to its many calamities will recognise familiar landmarks.
However, as time goes by, things become more transient. It will become apparent to the perceptive visitor that some buildings in Gethsemane are from entirely different areas and cities on Kaeshana, not to mention historical periods. Moreover, the landscape shifts depends on where one walks. Some places it is the old Kaeshana, then the devastated, then the war zone, then the Nether twisted mass. Sometimes you'll walk down a 'street' and go through all the zones, seeing ghosts from all those zones one after another. The juxtaposition of beings from various eras can produce a surreal experience. For instance, an Eldorai commoner or rebel who died in the cataclysm may find herself in the same place as an Angelii from the reign of Ariane the Conqueror. Tectonic shifts and spatial disturbances can also occur. This may, for instance, mean that distances seem to change and landmarks appear to change place. This can be very confusing and dangerous. Overall, things are rarely what they seem here and it is a challenge even for unusually strong minds. The laws of physics are not always obeyed.
Similarly, the geometrics are sometimes warped. For instance, a visitor may realise that it is physically impossible for something of this size to fit into a structure, which turns out to be bigger on the outside than its innocuous exterior would suggest. Sometimes the interior shifts, too. The passage of time can assume a dream-like quality, which can leave a visitor with a vague recollection of how much time has passed or what they did the day before.
Some say Gethsemane has a will of its own or, in the case of the devout, that it is in fact the will of Ashira, Ardarvia or Illyria. The city lies adjacent to a dark forest called the Shadelands, which is a shifting mirage of dangerous biomes filled with myriad trees and shadowy predators. These creatures are manifestations of whatever terrifies a visitor. Sometimes one hears faint whispers in the Shadelands, but often it is deathly silent. The Force can be helpful in navigating Gethsemane, but also deceptive. A Force-Sensitive may receive what purports to be the telepathic message of a friend, but it is in fact the Nether.
Gethsemane itself seems to be alive, with a will of its own. In short, the city is an eldritch entity. However, it is not evil, though it operates with a different set of priorities than normal people would. It wants to continue living and experience the world. Sometimes it nudges people to do something, but it is more like a precocious child observing the world and trying to figure out what makes it tick and what drives people to do this or that. It gathers data, and protects the ecosystem since that is essentially its body. The sentient city does not really understand what life is like and is growing up.
This can make its actions mercurcial. It can be capricous, but then help a lost soul reunite with their loved ones and protect them from harm. It projects a psychic field that can be felt by the denizens, though it does not touch the Force-Dead. In a way, all the people in Gethsemane unknowingly contribute to its growth by providing it with data when it reads their thoughts or observes their actions. Gethsemane has noticed that some of the denizens seem to have equated it with a deity like Ashira or Illyria. It does not truly understand this though and finds the Eldorai's theological disputes confusing. In all fairness, they are confounding. Gethsemane has excluded some extremists from residence in the city because it accurately concluded that their presence would only cause harm and that they would not be happy unless they hurt people.
Hostility: The behaviour of the denizens of Gethsemane varies. Some of the Eldorai native to this place are remarkably lucid, for good or ill. A significant number of them have managed to retain their sanity and have set up what passes for a functional society, albeit a divided one. This means that, for instance, a visitor will come across traders offering their wares, police officers keeping the peace, priestesses proselytising etc. In short, a functional society exists, once one gets over the fact that most of the people living here are essentially spirits. It can be a bit of a surreal experience to run into Ashiran and Illyrian martyrs or saints disputing the finer points of dogma, or nobles arguing about precedence and who was the rightful queen. Some denizens are, in fact, unaware that they are in the afterlife and carry on with a centuries-old routine.
However, others have succumbed to madness and are dangerous to visitors. This applies in particular to those who have become lost in the struggles of the past, and are fighting battles that ended a long time ago. They may identify visitors as their hated blood enemies. However, not all malevolent spirits are openly hostile. The most malicious are manipulative, trying to lure visitors to their doom. The city has been divided into different spheres. These tend to be ruled by the shades of prominent figures from Eldorai history, which means that laws and customs vary. A city-wide security and defence force strives to keep the peace.
If a traveller happens to run into people they knew in life, conversation might ensue. Assuming they have retained their sanity, they may approach the traveller and ask questions about their life. In short, they will grill the traveller on what the living have been doing since their passing. Of course, running into someone whose death one caused will be unpleasant. The Emissaries of Illyria, an Illyrian sect that is part of the Shadow Knights, have established an outposts of sorts. The effort is spearheaded by the Harbingers of Twilight, a martial order of Force-Dead warriors. Other Shadow Knights consider them crazy, brave, blasphemous or all three. They have managed to make agreements with some of the denizens.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Death has always been a constant in life. For some, it is not the end. Indeed, for a number of Force-wielders, it seems to be but a brief detour before their soul hops into the next body. However, the vast majority of the Galaxy's population does not have this luck. When they die, most stay dead and become part of the cosmic Force. Some, however, are caught by the Netherworld of the Force. In many ways, the Netherworld mirrors the material realm, though it is twisted and more often than not the laws of physics are turned upside down. It was perhaps inevitable that the shades populating this shadowy realm would form their own societies. Gethsemane is one of them. Of course, Eldorai have been mortal just like anyone else, and so their souls have entered the Netherworld since their species came into being. However, Gethsemane itself is a fairly young city.
It came into being as a consequence of the cataclysmic event called the Second Akala Crisis. Out of spite and madness, the ancient Kwa princess Akala plunged the galaxy into chaos. Billions of people vanished in an instant, awakening in the manifold realms of the Netherworld. At the same time, she opened various portals from the Netherworld to the material world, breaking down the barriers that separated both realities. Some of these Netherworld Rifts persisted after Akala was finally killed and her reign of terror was brought to an end.
Naturally, Kaeshana, homeworld of the Eldorai, was not left untouched by the crisis. Indeed, it led to civil strife, as the raptures caused a breakdown of law and order, with many viewing them as a harbinger of the end of days. The massive influx of souls created Gethsemane. Eldorai souls - of those who had died centuries ago and those who had been raptured - were drawn to this place.
At the time it was but a small village, an oasis in a sea of madness. However, it strangely resembled old Kaeshana. Thus it provided shelter for many confused souls. One of the raptured was Yohara Taenasi, an iconoclastic Eldorai scientist. She wrote an account of her time in the Netherworld after she managed to return to the material realm. Understanding the realm of spirits would soon become an obsession for her. Moreover, Gethsemane itself was alive. At the time, the psychic field it projected was weak, but it grew in power and range with each soul that entered. More souls migrated to Gethsemane after Kaeshana was devastated by an asteroid collision. Then came the Battle of Kaeshana, and finally aftershocks from the Netherworld Event caused the planet to be dragged through the Netherworld. For a while, Gethsemane merged with Kaeshana.
When the planet was expelled on the other side of the galaxy, near scoured of life, many of the souls that had once inhabited it remained in Gethsemane. And what had once been a mere village had become a sprawling city, featuring monuments and landmarks from various eras. Many of the most prominent resembled those that had stood in Santaissa, the former Eldorai capital. However, others were of an entirely different origin and had no connection to the Eldorai. All the while, the city grew and morphed. Some people who had been raptured during the Netherworld Event but, for this or that reason, had been unable or unwilling to return to the material realm, also ended up here.
Naturally the mingling of so many souls from different periods and groups caused strife. Tirathana VI was the first to make the claim that she was the rightful ruler of Gethsemane and all Eldorai. Many disagreed with this claim - especially shades of dissidents who had been persecuted by her, not to mention other former Star Queens.
Anais III politely pointed out that Tirathana was a Queen among many, and not even the greatest. The shades of rebels congregated around revolutionaries like Aedema Cytani and Lysae Tarinn to wage a people's war in the underworld. Of the two leaders, the latter was the more enthusiastic, while the former was shaken by being unable to submit herself to the judgement of the Dark Queen Illyria. However, the city had a mind of its own.
The sentient city was eventually able to use its psychic field to somewhat hamper the ability of the various groups to fight each other. However, since it was still growing in awareness it did not understand fully what it was doing. Thus it was more of a subliminal influence. But some shades that listened to it long enough took it upon themselves to enforce basic laws, feeling compelled to keep the peace in the underworld city.
One of the old players who tried to worm her way into a position of power was Nadira Vylranna, Tirathana's former Keeper of Secrets. The wily spymaster was a master of intrigue and plotted to take control. However, while the sentient city was immature, it could also theoretically learn anything it it looked. Her malice and intrigue were deemed to be naughty. However, rather than be destroyed, Nadira was punished by being made mute so that no one, spirit or mortal, could hear her lies. This seemed like a suitable punishment to an immature overlord.
Naturally, intrigue and factionalism continued behind the scenes. But spirits are quite difficult to destroy for good without special weapons, which posed a barrier to one leader having the ability to attain total control. Eventually Gethsemane made contact with outside parties. A group of Shadow Knights launched an expedition, accessing the Netherworld through one of the remaining portals. The Harbingers were looking for comrades who had been lost in the cataclysm. The Shadows' scientific advisor Yohara wanted to acquire knowledge of the Nether to further her studies and sate her insatiable curiosity.
They found a city of the dead. After initial clashes with monarchist groups - and revolutionary ones, ironically - calmer heads prevailed. It was quite a culture shock for the Harbingers to meet the founder of their religion. For her part, Aedema was weirded out by her followers. They clashed violently with Tirathana's acolytes, for she had ordered their deportation from Kaeshana decades ago. They lacked the means to take the city though. Negotiations with the parties that claimed to speak for the city produced an uneasy equilibrium. Queen Anais, who unlike Tirathana was wise enough to not claim to be the ruler of all the Eldorai, helped arrange a truce of sorts.
The Shadows disliked monarchies, but were not anti-authoritarian to every monarch and leader, just ones which wanted to control them. So as long as Anais tried to make no claim on them and gave them space they negotiated with her not as queen but as a representative of the city. Much to their surprise, some of the Harbingers discovered that she was easier to have a civilised discussion with than some of their rebel sistren. The Shadows equipped some of their warriors with Force-Imbued weapons to serve as a deterrent against hostile shades, as otherwise the latter would not feel that threatened.
Grand Seraph Lilea Ayreon, once Grand Seraph of the Angelii many centuries ago, heard the voice of the sentient city. She felt compelled to keep the peace she once failed to. To that end she founded a group called the Defenders of the Closing Night. They would serve as a security force not beholden to any of the riven parties and enforce basic laws. They took up residence in the old Angelii barracks.
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