Astrygonians

The Astrygonians were an ancient civilisation based in the southern region of Tyrrus prior to the year Zero.

Little is known about the Astrygonians, since they were famously reclusive. Historians have been unable to translate their language entirely, so any information here is inferred from archeological excavations, their remaining artefacts, and from stories passed down among the Wayfarers.

### Culture

It is known that the Astrygonians revered the Astral Dragon, or at least some variant of it, as the most common image depicted in their temples is of a long serpentine dragon speckled with stars.

The Astrygonians seem to have been obsessed with mathematics, linguistics, and patterns. Their ruins are filled with scriptures, and their cities are often laid out in strange patterns. Many of their artworks show depictions of patterns found in the natural world, such as seashells, flowers, the rings of a tree log, honeycombs, the structure of a pinecone, the colours on a butterfly's wings, the strands of a leaf, etc. This obsession lead them to stumble onto the fundamentals of geometry, and eventually, magical runes.

However, the culture seems to have been quite competitive, or at least paranoid. The Astrygonian scholars (known as "Sages"), were reluctant to reveal exactly what they knew, and each developed their own kind of code which they kept their notes in. These are the earliest known ciphers in human history. This is part of the reason it is so difficult to translate the Astrygonian language.

The Astrygonian culture who built the city under Erradan are known as the "Maze-Makers", due to the fact that the layout of their ruins are a confusing, winding, mass of tunnels, often forming distinct patterns.

### Magic & Technology

The Astrygonians possessed advanced magic and technology for their time, partially attributed to their abundance of Star-Metal, believed to have been brought from the Shrouded Continent. Mechanisms and machines have been uncovered in Astrygonian ruins, though it is unknown how these were powered, since the culture did not develop engines or electrical power.

As mentioned, Astrygonians formed the fundamental science behind magic runes, particularly in the Arcane field.

Astrygonians were able to work Star-Metal, created the Star-Metal Forges, and discovered how to produce Impure Star-Metal; a more efficient alloy which does not last as long, but retains all the other properties.

### Known Figures

The only known figure in Astrygonian history is a man known as King Lexameynes, who comes up in a few ancient Wayfarer legends. Supposedly he was the greatest mage and general of his time, and was King of the Maze-Makers.

### Influence & Legacy

Though they tried so hard to keep their secrets, a lot of the Astrygonian's knowledge did reach beyond their own civilisation, and spread across the continent, through their trades with the Wayfarers. Their understanding of runes and mathematics reached the neighbouring regions of Hirokir and Izero, who used this to construct grand wonders and develop their own style of magic. It is thought that Izero's Arcane magic expertise, and their many golems, were also based on Astrygonian science. Even after the Astygonians were long gone and Tyrrus became secluded, their science was revived by the Rune Kingdom, who developed it further and created the basis for Tyrranean magic.

However, there is much that the Astrygonians had which we still cannot comprehend, and we may never know the full extent of their science.