8th Seat of the Council
A kingdom ruled by a council of 7 men and 1 demon. Bound by cyclopean sigils and ancient pact, the 8th member of the ruling council is the Great Demon King Asphidonkhelon. Duke of the Salamanders, Prince of each Wound Clockwork, Marquis of All Lemures, Asphidokhelon rules over the great burning abscess below the kingdom. Married every two decades to a royal princess, his armies emerge from the earth. From gaping wounds adorned in green metal, great flying ships set out across the sky leaving devastation in their wake.
The people of Mytikas fear no enemy, fewer even conceive fighting for their own nation. Rather than spilling the blood of her own citizens, the kingdom of Mytikas is protected by the vast throng bound to serve Asphidonkhelon. Many-eyed Salamanders, laboring clock-work constructs, the reanimated dead and the secret of gunpowder stand at the ready to bring ruin on behalf of the princess. In ages past, when there were still a great many other demons crawling out from beneath Mytikas Asphidonkhelon was wed to the royal princess. Her brothers, one a builder another an exorcist, seeking to safeguard their people offered her to Asphidonkhelon in exchange for his aide. He instead demanded a bride till his deathbed and so the ancient covenant was struck.
 |
| Asphidonkhelon when he was young Art by Seb McKinnon |
The Ascendent Order of the Astral Guillotine
When the demons first crawled out from beneath the earth it was thought that the old gods of Mytikas had abandoned her people. Churches became desolate and their bells rang hollow; monks abandoned their vows and holy texts by the wayside. Apostasy turned to apathy as cities were pulled beneath the earth and the countryside turned to ash.
In the midst of such slaughter, there were two brothers. Their home burnt, eyes full of tears, they set out upon the roads. The older brother carrying his crying sibling through the smog and ruin, and so they continued on until another tragedy struck. One night, the younger stopped breathing. Clutching his chest, clawing at his brother for air, his eyes filled with tears. In blind panic, the older struck him in the chest and watched his younger brother cease his gasping, his eyes rolled back into his head. The eldest shedding tears over his brother's corpse begged for his brother to return. Perhaps some fickle angel heard and so descended from his opal throne to heed the boy's cries. A flash of pale light and then both brothers awakened illuminated. The Older stood as wide as two men, his skin rippling with muscle, a shimmering mace in his left hand. The younger awakened to a halo adorning his brow, his mind filled with each eldritch sigil of the celestial script. Each held his gaze skyward, the mysteries of the Astral Guillotine known to both.
The two then waged war to reclaim Mytikas, maiming the demons with but a single gesture. The Older churned the earth so that it would abjure each soul in Mytikas while the younger evoked celestial song to banish each demon back into it's hole. In time they would make contract with the Great Demon King to slaughter the demons in their own hell-scape and in time both would fade as the dew of morning. Before they passed, they taught a portion of their art to the next generation which would defend Mytikas.
 |
| Wall Mural of Mytikas showing the Ascendant Order and the Demon Below |
Each generation taught further generation and art was codified into monastic tradition. The mysteries of the Astral Guillotine prepared as last measure against worst betrayal. The monks sit in their stylite pillars contemplating the ascent of all reality into singular blade, fasting and preparing for their execution of Aspidonkhelon.
Botanical Wonders of Mytikas
Before the ruination from beneath, strange fruits grew from the soil. Most were lost though a few, cultivated in the imperial gardens of the capital remain. Botanical Knights breed and guard these treasures seeking to preserve some of the ancient Mytikasian mysteries. Thieves have described the following remaining wonders before being beheaded in the public square.
Five-Point Rose - A pink and yellow rose composed of 5 petals all intertwined and quivering. These roses bloom in the starlight and grow in the shape of constellations. It is said that if one imbibes a dried rose one may change their shape to that which they most desire.
 |
| Art by Vapeur |
Herb of Rebirth - A single bundle of green orbs atop thin filaments, this is the most well known of all the Botanical Wonders of Mytikas. Growing only once every 11 years in undisturbed shadows it is said that this herb may cure any disease and restore youth to the old.
Lunar Cap - Only visible under the darkness of a new moon, it glows with three bright mint green points of light. If shredded and brewed into a tea it may restore the maimed and injured to full vigor.
Ashen Droplet - A grey flower from which thick red sap seeps, the ashen droplet was only mentioned by one thief. It is said that even gazing upon one burns and the flower grows straight out of stone.
Opaque Morel - Thieves have been said to shrink as they approach this rather meager growth its stem hanging over them until they touch it. Thought to have mystical properties, no thief has been able to remove one from the imperial garden walls.
 |
| Imagine this twice your height |
Next Post will detail the Monsters under the control of Asphidonkhelon, and at some point I'll post a class write up of a Monk of the Ascendent Order of the Astral Guillotine.
No comments:
Post a Comment