The Last Light

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The Last Light is a focal point in The Northlands, which contains a massive underground light and heat source inside a hollow mountain. The people there believe it is the last night in the verse, that the sun has gone out, and the entire rest of the world is dead, lifeless, and cold. The locals call it "The Great Immaru".

Notes - am going to borrow heavily from this site http://s155239215.onlinehome.us/turkic/40_Language/SumerDictionaryEn.htm for the language used by the locals and try to build a language based on Akkadian.

The Great Immaru

The structure of the Immaru is a massive mountain similar in scale to High Mountain, with an enormous domed chamber inside and thousands of passages. The Immaru itself is the sole source of energy for the Anu people who live there. There is no day/night cycle, and because they cannot see the sun, they do not have a concept of 'years', but keep time through a complex system of water clocks, with time being a central element of their religion.

Culture

Anu

Anu - The Heavenly Ones

The Anu are a race of humans with a heavy dose of dragon blood. While the actual numbers very, every Anu is at least 15% dragon, with many "half dragon" Anu in the population. Those of greater dragon ancestry have a higher place in society, though all Anu are effectively slaves. They believe they were "chosen" by the dragons, who brought them to the Immaru and have kept them safe ever since.

The whole of Anu society is based on their worship of the Baku. The Anu perform all manual labor, growing crops and raising animals, mining raw materials, and the like. When excess labor is available, they construct elaborate temples and monuments to their gods. The Anu are rewarded for their efforts with festivals and feasts, and the continued privilege of living.

Because of the intensity of the light, all Anu must wear protective clothing robes and veils when passing through or working near the central chamber. Eye protection is also important, which led to the invention of sunglasses. Outside of the main chamber, in areas lit by reflective panels, Anu may remove their robes, but this is discouraged. The exception is an annual festival in which every Anu is required to shave all body hair and walk naked through the central chamber. Various other rituals throughout the year have them preforming similar rites. The true reason, vitamin D, is lost to history, but the rituals keep the Anu healthy.

Dumazi

The Dumazi are "the bad kind" of Dragon-halfs, bred through the rape of Anu women by dragons. They serve as the military and guards for the Immaru, and also keep the Anu population in check. While they are generally kept in line by the dragons, the fear they cause among the Anu is considered a helpful tool in subjugating the population.

Baku

Tammabukku - dragons from the Land of Mas

Baku is the local name for dragons. Specifically, a race of White Water dragons previously unknown to dragon (or human) kind. They are the descendants of The Twelfth Egg, which only hatched around the time of the Breaking of the World. Because the Baku have never encountered other dragons, they know nothing of dragon culture or of the other types, and do not ascribe to dragon politics or laws. They believe they are the only dragons, anywhere.

The Baku have a matriarchal society, led by a god-queen called Hebat. The crown is not hereditary, though several generations of the same lineage might hold it. The queen always takes the name of Hebat and is absolute monarch of the light. While she is called god-queen, she will not claim her own divinity, instead calling on the mytho-history of the kingdom and declaring herself as a sort of stand-in for the One King, whom the Baku believe to be dead.

Mythology and History

The Immaru was settled at the Breaking of the World at the end of the Mythical Age, originally by a small group of dragons, humans, and Mystical Creatures, to hide from the turmoil of the breaking. They now believe (thanks to the storm left over from said event) all of creation was destroyed, and they are the last survivors. They believe there is nothing but darkness, endless wastes, beyond their land.


Notes

Outsiders are called "NURU UL IMMARU" or "those that do not see the light" - of course, Scarlet and her band are the first outsiders to visit.