Riq'tu in the Cold Wastes
Riq'tu (Endu for "unknown") in the Cold Wastes is a Necromancer temple that features heavily in the Endu Epics. The necromancer literature refers to Riq-tu explicitly as if it were an actual place, while non-necromancer scholars believe the temple exists only in allegory. Riq'tu appears primarily in stories as a place of longing, or the destination of a journey which has no beginning or end. The place is most commonly featured in Necromancer Frost Punk, where it forms a central theme.
As more and more necromancers began to speak Common as their primary language, the word "Unknown" became appended to the temple, making it "Unknown Riq'tu in the Cold Wastes". This has provoked some humor, as "Riq'tu" is Endu for "unknown", making it "Unknown Unknown in the Cold Wastes". This, too, features heavily in the Frost Punk sub-genre.
Origins
Most mainstream scholars believe Riq'tu refers to any one of a dozen major early centers of Necromancy which were abandoned by the time the bulk of the Endu Epics were composed. Any one of these temples could easily meet all the criteria described in the stories, being abandoned in a cold wasteland or region that was cold when the stories were written. Famed historian Herbet Patric Galactis theorized that Riq'tu never referred to any one specific place but rather "to the cultural longing for these centers of prosperity now lost to a people", and believed that only the discovery of older, uncopied texts could shed any light on the true story.
Necromancer Take
Like many things in necromancy, the necromancers themselves prefer the story over any explicit proof. Their version of events is that there once was a great temple, that the people left it, and that the land grew cold. This temple was forgotten for so long even its name became lost, but the wish for this temple remained in the hearts and minds of the people. Hence the name: Unknown Temple in the Cold Wastes.
Fringe Theories
Some scholars have connected Riq'tu with the Feast of Aeons, suggesting they are one and the same.
