Stygia (CofD)

Stygia

The Realm

Stygia is a realm of calm. Every Moros mage experiences the realm differently, but they all agree that it is quiet and still. It is 'serene', 'peaceful' is inaccurate, which implies an air of benevolence. The realm is a place of quiet contemplation, the phrase, 'silent as the grave, and still as a tomb', is the most fitting descriptor I've encountered, souls awaiting their transition to whatever comes after death. Beyond this air of tranquility, no two Moros agree on the physical nature of Stygia. The Kingdoms of Crypts sometimes manifests as literal interpretation of its moniker, abounding with graveyards, tombs, even a few Egyptian or Mayan pyramids. (Remember not every culture views death in the same light as ours, the Egyptians worshipped and venerated their dead.) Stygia may also be a place of rugged white marble mountains, streaked with silver and gold.

The realm is ostensibly lit by pale and weak light, echoing of the Fallen World's sun, filtered heavily through the omnipresent cloud layer. However, most of the real light of Stygia stems from the torches placed around the crypts, and funeral pyres place in and around crypts and graveyards, or from rock formations glowing with a pale inner light or reflecting the the radiance of the sun or the torches off the veins and ribbons of precious metals and mineral deposits.

Indeed, such materials are everywhere one looks in Stygia. Either from veins of gold, silver, or platinum, or clusters of gemstones big as a mountain or the riches within the tombs of its inhabitants, Stygia is a place of immense material wealth. A river flows thru Stygia; a great, cold, dark river, running south to north like the Nile in the our world, some call it the the river Styx, but many just call it the river. If any would dare to cross it, it would suck the energy you, its is feared even by the dead.This river is so wide and long that it connects to three other Realms Supernal; Aether in the north, Pandemonium away south, and Primal Wild in the east.

The Watchtower of the Lead Coin

As with every feature of Stygia, and the other supernal realms in general, the nature of the Watchtower of the Lead Coin varies depending on who is observing it. It is generally agreed to be a great spire jutting up in the the clouds, or a pyramid that would dwarf any ever found on Earth, after that the descriptions begin to vary. Many say the tower is built enitrely of some heavy metal, usually lead or gold. Some have suggested it is in the form of an immense stack of bones, which a supplicant must climb. Other substances like white marble or black obsidian have been known to appear from time to time. As the mage ascends the tower and passes through the clouds, the sunlight of Stygia grows brighter and brighter, creating the well-known 'tunnel of light' near-death sequence. At the top of the tower one must forge a connection to Stygia. This can be simply carving one's name into the tower with magic, making a blood offering, burning oneself on a funeral pyre, even forging a new Artefact to add to the treasures. Sometimes there is a gatekeeper, in the form of a Grim Reaper, a black cat, an executioner, or ghosts of the mages relatives. At other times, the tower is abandoned.

Section heading

Write the second section of your article here.