Alcazar

Our incomplete records of the Imbrians repeatedly refer to something that translates roughly to 'alcazar' and it is a regular feature among the most youthful and vigorous dynasts. The alcazar seems to have been a combination of a personal sanctum, a bedroom, and possibly the Imbrian equivalent of a med-pod, but in a much different fashion. The Heart of the Alcazar was a small circular pool, which was filled with what we assume to be a highly advanced formula of amnion. This fluid, presumably a smart liquid, was instrumental in preserving the life functions of the dynasts. It would seem that even their Phoenix Engines had limits, or costs, that made them less than the perfect solution. With the Heart of the Alcazar and it's rejuvenation serum pool, an Imbrian dynast could prolong their lifespan by centuries, moving rebirths through the Phoenix Engine to once a century, or less.

The Alacazar was a feature of the typical Dynast palace. The palaces were all placed in harmonious locations, and drew on latent arcane power flows, as well as having advanced technology. This tech was advanced to the point that there was little difference between it and magic, and many of the Dynasts themselves had little to no knowledge of how their palaces and arcana worked. They only knew that they did, and that was enough. Bathing in the Heart of the Alacazar would restore biological youth and vigor to the host, rendering flesh firm and supple, clear of blemish and signs of age. The nature of the Alcazar would see this regenerative effect move inward, restoring vitality to muscles, organs, and bones as well. The only things that the restorative wouldn't mend were injuries of the spirit, and maladies of the mind.

There are seeds of truth around the world, and the alcazar survived the destruction of Imbria, and the fall of the last Imbrian city on Earth, Atlantis. Surely you've heard of the Fountain of Youth, or El Dorado? El Dorado was an Imbrian retreat in the Americas, and it had the only alcazar on this entire miserable planet. It is still there, broken and ruined, and buried under 10,000 years of sediment. It's not far from Machu Pichu. It wouldn't matter if you fixed it, and knew how to fix it, because the Vita Vitae is long gone. You couldn't make it work again unless you knew how to make more of the Water of Life. If you knew how it was made, heh, you would never make a drop of it.

Alcazars and the Dynasty

The number of alcazars and the flow of aqua vitae were carefully controlled during the Imbrian dynasty, because these, along with the Phoenix Engines, were the Dynast's monopoly on immortality. Their foes were never able to match them simply because they could never come close to the wisdom or personal experience of the dynasts. A man in his 30s, regardless of his wit or skill, is going to be able to surprise a foe who is well into their third century of life. Each of the branches of the dynasty controlled a single alcazar, which was the demense of the leader of each branch. They could dole out its use to those who had earned it, or had asked it as a boon, but this was rare.

The new dynasty, the new elite are starting to understand the concept of the alcazar. The central point of the common person's domicile is the central entertainment system. In poorer places, the central area is the kitchen, or the bedroom. In the arcanotech savvy wealthy soon to be immortal class, the personal med-pod is the center of their domicile. The daily diagnosis and adjustment replaces the morning bathroom ritual, ensuring the continued day to day health of the would be immortal. The humors are balanced, the brain soothed by smartbed sleep. The only thing that hasn't reached the old technology of the Imbrians is the application of amnion.

The Secret of Imbrian Amnion

In the Cosmic Era, amnion is refined from the excretions of several captured and sedated teratomorphs and exomorphic creatures. Other sources exist, but are considered too expensive and ghastly inefficient. The Imbrians, with their near perfect immortality would never dream of using kaiju sourced amnion. Imbrian amnion was refined from human beings.

There is a thing called a duck press. The whole carcass of a cooked duck is placed in the screw driven press and crushed, producing a sluice of fluids is issued from the spout. The imbrian Dynasty had an entire undercaste of people who existed for the sole purpose of being harvested. They would be prepared, with rituals and arcanotech, and then their bodies would be crushed and rendered of their most vital fluids. This would be purified, refined, and processed until it was a slightly viscous fluid. This was the amnion of the Imbrians.

The part that there is no record of, the horror that no one particularly knows is that the Imbrian Dynasts favored pregnant women above all others. A woman in the 7th month of pregnancy was considered prime for the Amnion Forge. The undercaste was groomed to raise their daughters, to impregnate them and offer them as sacrifice to their immortal demigod leaders. The more pregnant they were, the better. There were rituals, drugs, and procedures done so that the sacrificial victims could be nearly immobile, laden down with dozens of fetuses gestating within them.

Those who learn the secrets of the Imbrians find their esteem for the ancients diminished, and a greater appreciation for the fact that they are no more.