#Uteloch

[epicofloam]

Oligarchy of Tome and Tomb

The Oligarchy started as a series of research facilities from the Nox Czardom that were set to study the recently formed continent of Uteloch.  They were constantly harried by the Wellspring Monarchy but even when the Nox Czardom was defeated by said power, the research libraries along the outer ring of Uteloch held against these powers.  When small congregants of the Caliphate of Mazda joined, the foundations and colleges formed their own nation.  These institutions made it an express purpose of theirs to gather knowledge from around the world but had a special interest in the study of death.  Their colleges stood out in the storms of Uteloch, with great colored minarets and onion domes to show their heritage from the Nox Czardom.  Scholars often come and graduate from this place without necessarily being aligned with it and it is considered the pinnacle of study and education and magic is especially centered in this place.  The Oligarchy however unabashedly believes in eugenics and the prioritization of ‘intelligence’ as they see it.  They also prioritize faith and the study of theology alongside their studies of necrology and are known to be a place of deep understanding and solace for all faith practices.  Their patron Mythic is the Nykur, a giant horse that calls forth storms whenever it rises from the bed of the lakes they call home.  They are at the forefront of Adept design, and are reportedly working on the Third Wave of Adept creation.  In brief on culture, the Oligarchy of Tome and Tomb has a culture mixed of Russian and scholarly cultures with some influence of Jewish culture and futurist tech.

[aerial-ace97]

The Continent of Uteloch

Uteloch is the latest continent of Sekrezia, in that it is one of only two that did not exist in the beginning.  It was formed when the Argonaut crashed into the ocean, upheaving earth on every side of it to create a massive ridge of stone with a crater betwixt it.  A majority of the landmass lies below sea level, and should the miles thick walls fall than these deep canyons would be drowned.  Since its creation, the land has evolved into two distinctive biomes.  Within the canyons and craters, elfin woodlands have sprouted wildly and geysers charged with electric currents from the crashed ship have given a strange power source to the cultures within.  The upper walls of Uteloch have become elevated savannas and arctic deserts, populated by alien and extraterrestrial beings that followed the crash.  Storms constantly catch along the edges of this continent and scar its edges with consistent lightning.  The land is also cursed by undeath, with many beings rising beyond the timespan of when they should have long past and it is unknown whether this is a product of the crash, the storms, the alien creatures, or something else entirely.

[epicofloam]

Moontide Empire

First formed towards the end of the Fourth Age, the Moontide Empire made its name at the start of the Fifth Empire.  This was when the newly awakened Raccoons joined with them in their war against the Wellspring Monarchy, finally ending the incredibly powerful empire.  Since then, the Moontide Empire has remained largely neutral and inoffensive up until the current war, largely focusing on importing the technological resources from the continent of Uteloch into its growing empire.  Combining this with the products of Slivers, large spindles of steel that have reigned down from the stars, the Moontide Empire has created what is close to modern day Eastern cities with sci fi weapons to boot.  This is tempered of course by their deep respect and reverence for nature and customs having to do with the mythicborn that they call yokai.  However, this technological growth has peaks and valleys, and with the Wellspring Monarchy only still fairly recently having fallen in the context of history, those left remaining have become nomadic and rejecting of the cybernetic culture of most of the Moontide Empire, forming communes around the spires and alongside the strange Sliverfish that spawn from them.  Both are technically considered the Moontide Empire though as the latter groups have come far enough to see themselves in this way even if their preference of culture does not blend.  The patron mythic of the Moontide Empire is the Kitsune, a nine-tailed yokai who governs the flow of nature.  Like the Confederacy, the Empire is considered fairly open in its approach to LGBT experiences and its current wedded royalty are both non-binary.  Its isolationist nature has caused the Empire to be considered a bad place for those of oppressed races and this is part of the reason that the culture is so split.  In brief on culture, the Empire has a blend of Japanese and nomadic cultures, with Cyberpunk elements added into the mix.

[aerial-ace97]

Circle of Fissures

There are all sorts of Druidic circles on the moon of Loam, but none that have ever become so powerful as the Circle of Fissures.  This group also came to power when the Wellspring Monarchy crumbled against the Moontide Empire.  Before their demise, they had an empire that stretched across a great deal of territory and some of their colonies consisted of explorers who ventured into the depths of Uteloch’s canyons.  These travelers created gaslight villages out of the tech left behind from the Argonaut and learned necromantic and primal arts from the natives here.  When the Wellspring Monarchy was destroyed these differing cultures joined together, forming a druidic practice that centered around the strange natural phenomena of the Argonaut’s crash.  They created carriages out of living tree stumps and giant headless hounds out of shards of bone that would pull said carriages.  They practiced rituals around the voltaic geysers that served to power their tech.  Theirs was a druidic circle that incorporated and revered the alien tech as part of the natural order of things, something which clashed with most druidic orders outside of Uteloch.  Despite this, their differences and occult followings lended them enough utility to become a power unto themselves.  The Circle is extremely accommodating of all sorts of peoples and backgrounds who accept their beliefs however the culture is much more hierarchical and harshly divided when compared to most.  Their patron is the Nuckelavee, a disease ridden centaur without skin who breathes out a smoke of death.  In brief on culture, the Circle of Fissures uses a mixture of druidic and gaslight Victorian culture, with some added alien futuristic elements.