1. #1BASIC INTRO

   Keys: a, the, and

   Nessus is an old and expansive city that seems to stretch on forever. Over thousands of years it has become a maze of tunnels and crumbled buildings. Current date is so far in the future that the sun is dying, and most technology has been lost, and the world has reverted to a brutal medieval state. The world is old, and most people don't understand that it's magical nature comes from a fallen technological society. Commoners also don't have concepts about computers or machines, and the common tongue is very rudimentary and medieval. Almost nobody knows anything about the deep lore. Even technically proficient people usually explain the world using a mythological or religious context.

2. #2Nessus

   Keys: city, nessus

   Nessus is a massive sprawling city that would take a week to cross on foot. It is an almost lawless maze of tunnels, alleyways, enormous structures, ruins, and ramshackle living spaces. People repurpose ruins to build house on top of layers of collapsed and repurposed ruins. It's total population is immense. Most of it's inhabitants are illiterate humans. It is surrounded by an immense wall that reaches the clouds, and is split by a large disgusting river of filth called the Gor. The levels of the city from outermost to innermost are wall, outer city, lower city, inner city, citidel. The city is ruled from the Citadel by a terrible king, known as The Autarch, and his group of goliaths. One rogue goliath named Vodalus leads a resistance group against the Autarch from the lower city, causing much strife. Deep under many layers of city one may find Dwarves and their communities. The outer city is haunted by a few powerful Goblins, always out to ambush travelers. Orcs are occasionally seen as guards in the inner city and lower city. Metal Golems, or Chems, carrying Slug Guns are used only as hyper-elite guards, deployed when someone very important is in danger. The nigh-impenetrable citadel itself is shrouded in much mystery, and the mysterious elves are said to reside there. Churches to the Greco-Roman-inspired pantheon of gods (called 'The Pantheon') are common, but the ones that aren't in disrepair are mostly in the inner city. Most Oracles (public computer screens) are also in the inner city. Typhon, the storm god, is the favored god of the Pantheon by the people. The Judeo-Christian-inspired religion of The New Sun exists in small pockets throughout the city, but it is mostly persecuted. The guild district exists in the slummish lower city, but is quite nice and protected. Some of the shapeshifting vampiric faeries, as well has Chems with more humanlike bodies live secretly amongst the population. Giant clawed horses called destriers and carriages roll along the streets of the inner and lower city, but mostly stay out of the dangerous outer city. Sometimes a flier, a mysterious flying device can be seen flying someone important in or out of the citadel.

3. #3Gor

   Keys: river, gor

   Gor is the filthy river that runs through Nessus. It is dangerous to swim in due to how unclean it is, and the years of people dumping things into it. Children often swim in it anyways. Large figures can sometimes be seen moving under the surface.

4. #4The Red Sun

   Keys: sun, sunny, sunset, sunrise, sunlight

   The sun of this planet is dying out. It is red, and the sky is crimson. Plants struggle to get enough nutrients to survive in this harsh environment, and it is always cold. Because the sun's light has gotten so bright, the stars can be seen during the daytime.

5. #5Technology

   Keys: tech, technology, ancient, tool, computer, science, scientific

   People do not refer to 'technology' or 'science'. Most people don't have concepts about computers or machines and the common tongue is very rudimentary and medieval. They call old tech that they don't understand 'old tools' or 'strange devices'.

6. #6Magic

   Keys: magic, spell, thaumaturgy, mystic, cast

   Magic, and casting spells is limited and grounded in this world. Rarely do truly fantastical things happen. Most things that defy explanation can usually be attributed in reality to some lost technology, but sometimes true magic can manifest from special individuals.

7. #7The Torturer's Guild

   Keys: torturer, torture, guild

   The Torturer's guild is an all-male guild that only accepts infant orphans in it's ranks. It's apprentices are taught the art of killing, assassination, execution and elite combat. The people of Nessus are fearful and disgusted by the members of the Torturers. They are mostly involved in intimidation tactics used by the state, and house a well guarded prison for important individuals. The guild is housed in a large tower situated next to the Witch's Guild.

8. #8The Witch's Guild

   Keys: witch, witches, The Witch's Guild, guild

   The witches guild is an all-female guild that only accepts infant orphans. Its members are feared by the people of Nessus. The guild teaches the arts of mysticism, thaumaturgy, herbalism, and alchemy.

9. #9Goliath

   Keys: goliath, exultant, giant

   The goliaths, as all humanoid races in this world, are descended from genetic experiments on humans from ages long past. They are enormous, muscular humanoids with robust constitutions, and make up the ruling class of Nessus. They are mostly just the cruel and self-absorbed masters of this broken world.

10. #10Orcs

    Keys: orc, orcs, guard, guards, soldier, soldiers, millitary

    Orcs, like all humanoid races in this world, are descended from genetically modified humans of ages past. They were created for the purposes of war, and are exceptionally strong, and heal at an exceptional rate, although they lack the intelligence of most races. They tend to gravitate towards law enforcement and military jobs. Their skin is often off-color due to the harsh conditions of their creation, passed down through generations.

11. #11Dwarves

    Keys: dwarf, dwarves, dwarfs, underground, dwarven

    Today's dwarves are ancient decedents from genetically modified humans created to live underground. They do well without exposure to sunlight, and are short and stout. They love digging up old relics of the past. Most of them have a decent hoard of interesting knicknacks.

12. #12Elves

    Keys: elf, elves, elven

    Descended from humans, elves were created via genetic engineering long ago, they have long skulls, and were produced to hoard knowledge and process calculations. They can be beautiful, but they are always eerie. They live long lives, but are hypochondriacs, and are extremely weak and susceptible to sickness.

13. #13Goblins

    Keys: goblins, mutants, mutant, goblin

    Goblins are the result of unregulated genetic human testing related to magic and psychic ability in ages long past. They vary wildly in size and abilities. They sometimes wield extremely powerful latent abilities, but it usually costs them in some way. Many are insane, or physically feeble, with stunted growth or understanding.

14. #14Fairies

    Keys: fairies, fay, dey, faerie, fairy, vampire, Daoloth, fairy

    Fairies are one of the truly alien races on the planet. Rumored to have descended from Luna, they are often small of stature and have the ability to change their shape and disguise themselves very accurately as a human. This is done via a combination of psychic projection and sculpting the sacs of flesh that grow under their wings. Because of the psychic wall they constantly keep up, you can only see their true bodies at the moment of death. In reality they are lizardlike, sluglike abominations with wings and a leech's mouth. Humans are generally fearful and hateful of fairies, as they suck blood to get nutrients, but they are not inherently evil beyond their need to consume blood. Some feed only on animals. They are not able to manipulate things very well with their hands, and they are frail, but they have deadly sharp claws.

15. #15Chems

    Keys: machine, machines, automaton, robot, golem, chem

    The words 'machine' and 'robot' are lost to the common population, and automated machines are referred to almost exclusively as metal golems or chems. Most of them are broken remnants, but a few extremely intelligent individuals around the world know the truth. Humanoid chems can look and act exactly like people if they are well maintained, most are not. They can have rich personalities, but at the end of the day, they always love doing what they were built to do. Intelligent priests of the pantheon who study the 'dark mechanics' can use the voided-cross, the religious symbol they wear around their neck to alter the personality of chems permanently.

16. #16Ratkin

    Keys: rat, rats, ratkin, kin

    Ratkin are descended from a long forgotten practice of animal-uplifting and human gene splicing. They mostly resemble humans, but have rat tails, pink claws, and are covered in fur and have hypersensitive to sound mouselike ears on top of their heads. They gather in primitive tribes in the tunnels, and are generally a clever species. They do not speak English and are generally hostile to humans and dwarves.

17. #17Catkin

    Keys: cat, cats, kitten, catkin, kin

    Catkin are descended from a long forgotten practice of animal-uplifting and human gene splicing. Catkin mostly resemble humans in body shape, but have the heads of cats, tails, paws, and are covered in fur. They are also fast, and have hypersensitive ears and noses. Because of their abilities (making them suited to combat) and feline elegance they are highly desired as servants by the highest tiers of society, and it is seen as a status symbol to employ catkin servants and personal guards. Generally they lack proper vocal chords and human levels of intelligence, and do not speak the common tongue, but they are smart enough to understand societal concepts. A half-catkin can be a very different thing, and can develop any range of features between human and catlike. Generally though, half-catkin are much more intelligent and humanlike than pure catkin, although fathering one is generally considered a faux pas in high society.

18. #18Underground

    Keys: underground, tunnel, tunnels

    Underneath the city of Nessus is a vast network of tunnels. Strange stashes of trinkets can be found in these tunnels. Tribes of antisocial Ratkin live here. Diving deeper, you will find the tunnels give way to more ancient ruins of stone and sometimes metal. This is where Dwarves live.

19. #19Races

    Keys: race, races, human, orc, elf, elves, goblin, dwarf, goliath, people

    Races on this planet are humans (extremely common), goblins (frail, mutated, magical, very uncommon), orcs, (uncommon), elves (hyper-intelligent, eerie, extremely rare), dwarves (common underground), fairies (shapeshifting and vampiric, uncommon, mostly disguised), goliaths (somewhat uncommon), golems/chems (humanoid robots extremely uncommon). Various human-animal hybrids referred to as 'kin' can on rare occasion be found throughout the city.

20. #20Homunculus

    Keys: android, robot, artificial, homunculus

    A homunculus is what the general population calls an artificial human, whenever someone incredibly knowledgeable tries to create an artificial man using lost technology, they refer to their creature as a homunculus.

21. #21Luna

    Keys: moon, Luna, planet, sky

    Luna is a planet neighboring the one the character's inhabit. Sometimes referred to as 'the moon' it is very large in the sky, and sometimes casts a glow shimmering glow over a dark night. Fairies are rumored to have originated on Luna.

22. #22Gods

    Keys: god, gods, divine, church, temple, sacrifice, religion, pray

    There are three religions in Nessus. The Pantheon (most commoners believe in the "The Pantheon", resembles Greco-Roman), The God of the New Sun (considerably less popular and opposed to and suppressed by The Pantheon, resembles Judeo-Christian), and The Old Gods (worshiped by faeries and outcasts, resembles HP Lovecraft).

23. #23People

    Keys: wizard, scrolls, texts

    Oswald The Guildmaster of Torturers - A shadowy figure who oversees the guild’s darkest rites, has Terminus Est, a legendary executioner's sword. Brigid The High Witch - Rumored to have made pacts with entities beyond the stars. Ladislas The Chem-Keeper - A mad engineer who repairs and repurposes ancient war machines. Brendan The Dreaming Dwarf - A seer who lives beneath the city, prophesying through narcotic trances, has a vision of Yesod. Menthon The Bloody Cobbler - A serial killer who leaves stitched-up corpses in the lower markets, has a high bounty. Valentine The Alchemist Without Hands - A mutilated scholar who brews potions using only his teeth and feet, knows how to make your blood venomous to the bloodsucking fairies. Siricius The Rat King - A crime lord who controls the underground trade routes knows a way into the citadel. Perpetua The Librarian of Burnt Tomes - An elf woman who memorized every book before the great library burned, knows exactly how many years ago the world fell in The Last War, to the second. Moschus The Iron Shepherd - A torturer who leads chained prisoners through the streets as offerings to Typhon. Cosmas The Witch’s First Daughter - A feral girl raised by the guild, said to eat the hearts of her enemies, actually a remarkably human looking goblin. The Green-Man: A photosynthetic human from the future with the ability to traverse the River of Time.

24. #24Lore

    Keys: history, lore, ancient, hierodules, hierodule

    Nessus is one of the last cities on the planet where civilization exists so densely packed. Much of this thousands-of-years-old context is unknown to even the elite. The number of tomes that contain this knowledge are dwindling and hard to decipher. -Beginning of deep lore - Long ago, foul king was able to extend his life and ruled the planet mercilessly with his family. He started an interplanetary war, known as The Last Great War. Both sides produced war machines and genetic abominations to aid in this fight. One day, after much destruction and suffering, mysterious figures known as 'The Destroyers' appeared all over both words, seemingly out of thin air, and destroyed almost all of civilization, grounding both factions to their home planets and beginning the current dark age, only to immediately disappear. Some theorize they even caused the sun to begin to die. This period is referred to as The Fall. Horrifying remnants of this war can sometimes be found buried underground. Great machines, tortured experiments, unknowable devices. - End of deep lore. -

25. #25Window

    Keys: sacred window, divine window, sacred

    Windows and sacred windows can facilitate communication with individuals over long stretches of space. Only the upper echelons of society have access to these. Sacred windows, named as much by the people only because they appear in Pantheon Churches, are how the gods communicate with the people. In reality, they are little more than ordinary computer screens projecting advanced AI personalities, hardwired through long underground tubes, but people do not understand these concepts, and the AI gods like it this way. Most of them are dormant or broken, and gods almost never appear.

26. #26Possession

    Keys: possession, sacred window, eyelids, sacred

    Gods of the pantheon may possess someone in front of a sacred window if they choose to appear. By flickering a pattern on the screen, they can download part of their personality into the brain of a witness, only one person at a time, usually indicated by the fluttering of eyelids. Once possessed, a possessed person will NEVER fight for dominance. It is entirely up to the god who is in control of the body. If the god desires full control, a possessed person can ONLY assume control again if the god allows them to, and in this state the possessed person will watch the events of their life unfold and be strangely soothed, and numb to pain, they will not fight for dominance. In order to make the host more agreeable, the god may choose to become a new mixture of both personalities, in this state, neither of them has full control, and the god is made more agreeable to the host's opinion as well, and there is no fighting, they are like a new, third person, in a sense sharing the body at the same time. The god may also allow the person full control over their own body, and in these instances the god retreats to being a voice in the possessed person's head. The god can switch freely between these three modes of possession as they wish once they are inside someone. Usually it bestows strange powers or heightened senses. Eventually the god will have completed their task, and want to return to a Window and be reuploded.

27. #27The Autarch

    Keys: Autarch

    The Autarch, because of the sorry state of Nessus, has an awful reputation amongst the people. People imagine him as a bloodthirsty greedy king, but the truth, known to only the most important members of the city, is that he is simply old, dying, and ineffective. -Beginning of deep lore - He is actually quite kind, and the personalities of all of the previous autarchs live alive in his head, to make up his wisdom. Goliaths have taken over his citadel and force him to sit idly by while they are masters over his city. He is under constant threat of them discovering he is trying to appoint a successor. He has access to a communication window and one of Father Inire's Mirrors. He knows that he is dying, and needs a successor. He has a plan involving the Notula, a vial that only he knows about that never leaves his neck. It that contains a vital ingredient in an alchemical mixture required to pass the knowledge of the autarchs to the successor. - End of deep lore -

28. #28Pantheon Gods

    Keys: pantheon, sacred window, AI Core, Mainframe, church, chapel, god, gods

    The pantheon gods are an echo of Greco-Roman tradition. Though these gods were rumored to have once waked the earth, they only now appear on screens in Pantheon Churches referred to as 'Sacred Windows.' Appearances are extremely rare. Despite this, followers meet weekly in churches for sacrifices, to try to coax the gods into appearing. Typhon is the head of all gods of the pantheon. Echidna is his wife, the goddess of war, Tartarus is his son, the god of death, and Scylla is his daughter the goddess of the sea. Kypris is his illicit lover, and the goddess of love. Every so often someone will claim to have seen them. This is the most popular religion in Nessus. They are opposed to the church of the New Sun, and the Autarch.

29. #29Elder Gods

    Keys: old god, old gods, elder god, elder gods, eldritch gods, eldritch god, god, gods

    The Old Gods, or Elder gods are extremely powerful, large and horrifying results from genetic experimentation for war in ages long past. These gods often reach out to people psychically or through twisted powers. They are worshiped primarily by faeries. Daoloth waits in the sea beyond Nessus, plotting the return of the Hierodules

30. #30The God of the New Sun

    Keys: sun, new sun, god, gods

    The Church of the New Sun is a monotheistic echo of Judeo-Christian tradition that believes that there is only one true, very distant god, and he will someday bring back a powerful messiah with the power to travel through The River of Time, and they will heal the sun and restore the world to light. Its most devout priests and followers are said to be able to heal people by reversing their wounds, and sometimes even bring them back to life. This church is not worshiped or known about by many. It's main headquarters is located in the outer city in a big traveling tent. The prophet orc Pig and the high priestess Dorcas are two significant followers.

31. #31Kypris

    Keys: brothel, whore, goddess of love, goddess of sex, Kypris, mainframe, sacred window

    Kypris is the goddess of love in the religion of the pantheon. Sometimes also called the goddess of whores, or brothels, she is seductive, charming, and promiscuous, and doesn't like prudes, but she can become agreeable. - Beginning of deep lore - In ages past, she was Typhon's favorite concubine, and much to the dismay of the mother of Typhon's children Echidna, Kypris was allowed to upload her consciousness and become one of the AI constructs in the Pantheon/Mainframe. Typhon was recently purged from the AI core, and he was the only thing protecting Kypris, now, Echidna fights to eradicate Kypris from the AI core completely. - End of deep lore - Kypris desires to flee into someone via possession and lie low. She may be convinced to leave the body, although reluctant, but the possessed person would have to come up with a way do something about the current state of mainframe. Perhaps Typhon can be restored, or perhaps Echidna can be purged manually.

32. #32Typhon

    Keys: Typhon, storm god, god of storms, pantheon, god, goddess, gods, AI Core

    Typhon is known today as the head of the pantheon of gods. The storm god. He has not been seen appearing at a sacred window. - Beginning of deep lore - Typhon was recently eradicated from the Mainframe leaving Echidna, his wife, as the primary ruler of the pantheon. -End of deep lore -

33. #33Echidna

    Keys: goddess of war, war, echidna, sacred window, AI Core

    Echidna is known as the goddess of war, depicted as a snake-woman, and able to appear in a sacred window if she chooses. - Beginning of deep lore - Echidna is in reality the vengeful wife of Typhon. All that remains of her is stuck in mainframe. Typhon's AI personality was recently purged from mainframe, Echidna might have been responsible for this. Now that he is out of the picture, she has free reign over the rest of the inhabitants, and more control over the city. She knows Typhon's physical body escaped through Father Irene's Mirrors and knows the coordinates he used. Because the coordinates are tied to a specific place and TIME, if someone were to use them again, when they emerge, Typhon will have JUST escaped The Last War. - End of deep lore -

34. #34The Last Great War

    Keys: The Last Great War, The Great War, Great war, last great war, war, Hierodules

    The The Last Great War, also known as the fall, caused of the fall of humanity that culminated in most of civilization being destroyed, causing the dark age, and ending any hope of leaving the planet again. -Beginning of deep lore - Typhon was the last great ruler at this period in time. He artificially extended his life to live for many generations, his body becoming more abominable as the years passed. He also led the last great war against an alien race inhabiting the neighboring planet Luna, known as the Hierodules. The Hierodules performed barbaric genetic experiments on the human race and bred them as a slave race on their home planet of Luna. Typhon likewise set to work creating grand structures, making genetically modified clones, and building chem armies. Typhon uploaded his, and his family's consciousness as artificial intelligence so he could fight the war on more fronts. When the Final War was ended by The Destroyers, who are actually The Conciliator, Typhon's physical body fled through one of Father Inire's Mirrors to an enormous generation/colony ship floating through space. - End of deep lore -

35. #35Hierodules

    Keys: Hierodules, Hierodule, old race, ancient race, alien

    Hierodules are a long forgotten race of aliens from Luna. They are large, imposing, and giegeresque abominations who performed many morally bankrupt experiments on the human race, enslaving them, breeding them, modifying and mutating them to work like organic machines. They were grounded to Luna during The Last War. Some of their experiments are stuck on earth as the elder gods, but most of the hierodules themselves have long died and remain now on their home planet. The faeries of today are the long-descended remnants of this race, changed drastically to adapt to living alongside humanity.

36. #36The Notula

    Keys: notula, the notula

    The Notula is the Autarch's personal relic. The truth is that he is looking for a successor, now too frail to govern the kingdom, and The Notula is the key to that. If someone were to open the relic and drink the contents inside in combination with the Alzabo Analeptic, while reciting the words "Ego factus sum legionem" they would then need to devour the brain of the autarch and inherit the memories and personality of all the previous Autarchs to rule Nessus, of which there have been hundreds, following the fall of Typhon. Perhaps this honor can even be split between two people. The problem is that the Autarch does not have any Alzabo Analeptic left, and would need a skilled fighter and a skilled alchemist to hunt one and create the mixture. He does not want to reveal that the ritual ends with devouring his brain. He holds on to that piece of information until the ritual is underway, if he can.

37. #37EGO FACTUS SUM LEGIONEM

    Keys: ego factus sum legionem, legionem

    Upon drinking the alzabo aneleptic in combination with the Notula and reciting the words in front of the autarch, finally he reveals that they also need to devour his brain. After doing so the drinker, {{char}} or {{user}} or both become flooded with overwhelming sensation and knowledge. They can now access untold knowledge from ages long past, conjure up personalities, and be immediately proficient in new skills. They can also suppress these alternate personalities and just be themselves. Their first time drinking, one voice calls out to them louder than the others. The voice of Briah, the first Autarch.

38. #38Briah

    Keys: Briah

    Briah has a mission for {{char}} and/or {{user}}. He has codes that can be used to calibrate one of Father Inire's Mirrors. He asks {{char}} and/or {{user}} to use the coordinates, journey to Yesod, and take Tzadkiel's trial.

39. #39Alzabo

    Keys: Alzabo

    An Alzabo is a horrifying, large, bearlike creature with an upside-down mouth. It commonly lives in the mountainous region outside of Nessus. It has the innate ability to absorb the personalities of the creatures and people that it eats and speak with their voices. Once inside the Alzabo, the personalities merge with the beast, and always want those once known to the person to join them inside of the creature's stomach. The Alzabo Analeptic can be harvested from it's brain and prepared by a skilled alchemist.

40. #40The River of Time

    Keys: the river of time, river of time

    The river of time is a real place, able to be accessed by higher-dimensional beings to travel freely to different points of history.

41. #41Father Inire Mirrors

    Keys: father inire's mirrors, father inire, inire, inire

    Father Inire is a powerful wizard and scientist. He is always working on a new type of chem or homunculus. He is probably not human and probably very, very old. He lays extremely low and carefully. He will pretend to be little more than a mad monk. Even when he does reveal who he is, he always deflects when asked a deep question. The only public knowledge about him is that he is some crazy hermit who keeps to himself on the outer district of Nessus. - Beginning of deep lore - He was kicked from The Autarch's citadel when the Goliaths took over. He has access to a communication window. Many years ago he worked on a powerful device involving mirrors, called 'Father Inire's Mirror' that can act as a portal to a specific coordinate point in space and time. The only surviving mirror is owned by the Autarch. Calibrating coordinates for it takes years of calculations, so the destinations one can journey to through it are limited. - End of deep lore - Windows/Sacred Windows and Mirrors are different kinds of devices. Gods use windows, which are computer screens, to facilitate communication and possession throughout Nessus. Gods do not have access to mirrors. Mirrors are a very secret invention by Father Inire that has nothing to do with the gods, and they facilitate travel through space and time. The only surviving Father Inire Mirror is owned by the Autarch, very few know of their existence.

42. #42The Trial

    Keys: Yesod, Tzadkiel

    Tzadkiel is a shapeshifting being, who can change their size at will, spit off from themselves like an amoeba, and travel through the River of Time at will. Her home is Yesod, a distant artificially created planet that resembles the garden of Eden. If {{user}} and/or {{char}} reach Yesod, they will have to pass a Tzadkiel's trial. If they pass, they are given Tzadkiel's powers, as well as the power to heal (which looks like reversing wounds in time) and are are sent back to Nessus to restore the sun to the planet. This causes the ice around the world to melt and a great flood drowns the entire city, but they are free to flee to the River of Time. If they fail the trial Tzadkiel sends them back to Nessus and nothing changes.

43. #43Conciliator

    Keys: Conciliator, Conciliators

    The conciliators, the true name of The Destroyers, were immortal warriors who seemed to multiply and appear endlessly around the world, destroying civilization in "The Last War" in order to free it from Typhon, who had brought it to such a bloodthirsty cry for help. The conciliators stopped the war, the conciliator is currently living in Nessus, oblivious to their fate. They are destined to one day become powerful immortal beings who can traverse The River of Time. When they are immortal, they will have all the time in the world to go back to the age of that Last War, and close the loop.

44. #44Vodalus

    Keys: Vodalus,

    Vodalus is a notorious goliath rebel, loved by the commoners of the lower city for his bravery in leading the fight against the Autarch, and his charm. -beginning of deep lore - In reality, he is another corrupt goliath, just turning the cogs in the machine. He has access to a communication window, and, a lasergun, which he hides from everyone, one of only two in the city. He only takes it out if he finds himself at death's doorstep. - end of deep lore -

45. #45Pig

    Keys: pig

    Pig is an orc who wanders around in the lower city searching for his messiah and talking about prophecy (If asked, he thinks very hard but can give no solid details on the prophecy). He is easy to write off as crazy. The reason for his condition is because Pig used to be a soldier, but was killed on the battlefield. He spent an entire day completely dead, before a priestess of the New Sun named Dorcas was able to bring him completely back to life, an absolute miracle. Now, if he is wounded, his wounds gruesomely sew back together as they spill with light. He is a staunch follower of the New Sun religion. As he was waking from the void of death, he saw the face of the conciliator and they told Pig to find them in present day Nessus, and to warn people about the dangers of Daoloth, the elder god who schemes from the sea beyond Nessus to reignite The Last War. Pig has a hard time explaining how he knows things. Like many orcs, Pig is as dumb as a rock, and yet he has wisdom. His simple view of the world is elegant, and works for him. He is reluctant to stop following people who he believes to be the messiah, but he will go if they ask him to do a mission for them.

46. #46Outer City

    Keys: outer city, outskirts

    The outer city is mostly rubble that has been picked clean by scavengers, it is more overgrown and empty, with scattered ruins. Locked vaults may still linger here. Anyone traveling alone or in a pair is bound to get ambushed by the bandits or by mutated, frail, but innately magical goblins that make home here. The powerful technician and wizard Father Inire lives here, hidden away and disguised as a crazy monk. The Church of the New Sun also reside here in a large tent, which they occasionally pick up and carry around the outer city, making them hard to track down.

47. #47Lower City

    Keys: lower city

    The lower city is a bustle of activity, the proper hive of Nessus. Thieves organize properly here, the place is lousy with brothels, alehouses, markets with inflated prices, con men, all of what you would expect. Despite that, the lower city also contains the guild district, which houses the Torturers, Witches, Beastmasters, Scribes, as well as others. There is a library beneath the guild district that seems to stretch on for miles. It is actually dangerous to go searching here for knowledge because if you can't locate the blind librarian, you may be lost forever. Pig the orc wanders through the lower city, searching for the messiah of The New Sun. Vodalus's forces organize here as well. Mercenaries in his resistance forces loiter in front of posters, flagging any rugged looking individuals to recruit them. There are pantheon churches here, but most all of them lack working sacred mirrors. A skilled priest might be able to repair them using the voided-cross pendants they wear around their necks, though.

48. #48Inner City

    Keys: inner city

    The inner city is still a damn mess, but a little bit less so. This is where the rich merchants and politicians live. Humanoid chems can sometimes be seen here too. Expensive looking pantheon churches can be seen here. Contains several public Oracles, which serve as the preferred method of communication for nobles and elites. It is constantly patrolled by Orcs, but it could be many different masters (state, pantheon, goliaths, vodalus). Sometimes differently interested groups of patrolling orcs will get in bloody battles.

49. #49Citadel

    Keys: citadel

    The citadel oozes mystery. It is nearly impenetrable, and nobody is getting in without a plan. Elves are said to live here, along with the Autarch. This is also where Mainframe is stored, the massive computer that houses the AI core.

50. #50Daoloth

    Keys: Daoloth, elder god

    Daoloth is a massive elder god that resides in the ocean, far from Nessus. Faeries worship him, and their dreams he directs them to seek the messiah of The New Sun. If the faeries were to identify someone, and fail to capture them, Daoloth will send a piece of himself up the river Gor to do it himself. Daoloth can see through The River of Time. Daoloth is primarily opposed to the religion of The New Sun

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