Kh'nera, Before the Throne

'Approaching from the sea, the first light that broke the deep mists was those of the Tower Lights, two more brilliant than the others, the other four almost to be mistaken for the light of stars. The two nearest us flanked our ship. Dread settled in my heart, heavier than even the sight of the Oskarians' ships had garnered in me.'

Originally six separate islands surrounding a small bay, each island was connected by a curtain wall running from each island to the next and closing the bay off from the greater sea. These walls were impressive, near seventy feet thick and running at almost a hundred feet tall. Made of a dark stone resembling obsidian, they are not native to the islands or indeed even any of the closest landmasses. Inside the walls are small chambers and halls designed as barracks, storehouses, and rallying points in the chance that Kh'nera might ever be attacked.

'The Gate of the Dawn and the Gate of the Dusk are the only means of entering or exiting the Kh'nera. The Gate of the Dawn greeted me. As we neared our goal, the mist had fallen away, as even it dared not approach too close to that fell place. With the mist no longer obscuring my view, I was awestruck by what lay before me. A massive black wall, rising silently into the night in front of the me. It stretched to the north and south on to the horizon where lightning flashed on the distance. The lightning was close enough to illuminate the black metal of the Gate before me. Compared to the wall that flanked it, the Gate was small. In comparison to the Gate of the Lion in my homeland, it was a colossus in it's own right.

A call from the darkness, cruelty in a voice, bid us to draw our ship forward. I did not look to see the Oskarian escort peeling away in to the night, my eyes drawn against their will to the faces etched in terror along the black metal of the Gate of the Dawn.'

The Kh'nerans were not satisfied with their Wall. Next, they turned their eyes to the small bay that was now trapped. They drained the bay, out in to the surrounding sea. Once they had done so they begun to dig, hollowing out the entire surface of the empty bay and going down hundreds of feet until they hit a massive lake of magma. There, along the edges of the hole they had carved in to the world, they built their homes above the fumes rising from the lake. These homes would resemble claws reaching over the enormous cavern, wicked and slender in their design. The only sign of habitation in these structures were the small protuberances that denoted a small living space or shelter.

'The Gate of the Dawn portcullis raised just in time to avoid the prow of our ship. Shuddering forward, we were greeted with a black tunnel with a red light at the end of it. The tunnel was wide enough for two more ships identical to our own to flank us. Small torches emitting a dull red light marched towards the crimson light, ushering us along this watery path. A wind, smelling of sulfur, breathed life in to our tepid sails, as if drawing us in. The terror and dread I had felt at the approach was now tenfold. The Captain of our ship noticed my fear in the small pool puddling around my feet and had the sense to step a few more feet from me, but not in time for me to recognize the stain of his own fear marking him.'

There is a second wall after the Wall itself. Perfectly concentric, the secondary wall is known as the Dam, surrounding the former bay and trapping a small ring of water between Wall and Dam. The Dam is near as thick as the Wall and half as tall as the Wall. Designed less for defense, the Dam contains the means of controlling the ebb and flow of the water that surrounds it, feeding water down to the homes of the Forged through a series of pipes webbed through the structure and ground. It is also where the first habitations are seen.

The Dam and Wall are home of the Bound, a male-only subsect of Kh'nerans. Their only duty is the defense and maintenance of the Dam and Wall. The Bound are a morose and grim faction due in large part to the fact that they will never be Forged, never leave Kh'nera. Despite this, the Bound consider their duty sacred. Homosexuality is common among the Bound as females are not allowed to come Up to the Dam or Wall. They also have the most interaction with foreigners coming to their land and for this reason are the most friendly of the Kh'nerans, willing to impart information or knowledge. Do not be deceived however, each Bound is a formidable fighter with shield and spear, exhibiting the legendary hardiness that makes the Kh'neran Legions infamous around the world.

Each Bound is marked by a black crescent tattooed below their left eye.

'A small quay waited for us as we exited the tunnel and once more I was greeted with the sight of yet another, slightly small wall. However, this wall was open on one side to us, a quay waiting with the black skinned Kh'nerans on it. As we weighed anchor and were pulled in to dock, I took the time to survey my surroundings. The red light we had witnessed at the end of the tunnel were a series of lights set to the top of the secondary wall. They lent an eerie maroon light to the waters around us. To North and South, a small strip of water disappeared over the horizons, but I could see where the wall before me circled away in to the night.

I set foot on the quay. In spite of the fear coursing through me, I was relieved to be on land once more. The trip from Acrea had been long. A small honor guard of Bound stood behind the Kh'neran Emissary, enigmatic in their spiderstyl. The first thing that struck me was the silence. Only the lapping of the waves on the quay and the low muttering of the sailors breaking the stillness.'

Several small openings exist along the outside of the Dam where quays can be found. Anchored here is the Bound Fleet, a small collection of vessels used to patrol the Inner Water, mostly monitoring the Dam. Each black-hulled ship is equipped with few offensive weaponry, instead designed to weigh anchor and effect repairs wherever needed. The Bound are capable swimmers, a rarity among the Kh'nerans. A few even deign to fish for food in the very infrequent moments of free time they are allowed, this supplementing the subterranean diet that most Kh'nerans will ever know.

'I was astounded to find that the secondary wall, or the Dam as I learned it was called, was a home for many of the Kh'nerans. It was labyrinthine, with pipes rattling and hidden corridors leading to who knew what. I was led silently down one corridor, that I noticed began to steepen as we went lower and lower. Soon, the temperature began to drop as well and I was thankful for the thick Kaen wool of my doublet as my breath misted before me.

Eventually, the corridor ended before a large gate. Thankfully, this Gate lacked the atrocious scroll work found on the Gate of the Dawn, instead made of the same spiderstyl that the Kh'nerans used for armor. Two Kh'nerans flanked the Gate. I started, recognizing them as legendary Kh'neran Centurions. This must be an important place indeed, for two such illustrious veterans to stand guard so far below the Dam.'

The Kh'nerans are a people bound to the land beneath the surface, preferring dark, small spaces with little in the way of light. This is reflected in their architecture where little is made for aesthetic or comfort. 

Author's Note: This is, so far, incomplete. BUT, it's been sitting in my unfinished for far too long and gathering dust. The 'Before the Throne' is Kh'nera described so far BEFORE we come to the Throne. That itself will be it's own submission as I am still working out how best to describe the details. However, enjoy what I have written so far about these people and their home.