Ithersta

Species:

**Ithersta,** *also* known as the **Second Reality**, is a land teeming with life largely inhabited by insects and roots. Time in this realm is controlled by a large clock which can be manipulated in order to shift between the four seasons at will. Thus in the absence of traditional units of time, many establishments in Ithersta operate during select seasons rather than an hourly schedule, as in the human world.

The golden tree symbol with four branches and three roots, superimposed on the five points of a pentagram (c.f. the Star of Ithersta) is one strongly associated with the Second Reality and by extension the journey towards truth. It can be seen outside King Ziar's castle, on the front page of the newspapers, and on the cover of the Great Wizard's book.

The ruler and King of Ithersta is Ziar.

## Lifestyle

As well as a sanctum of many forms of life, Ithersta is a realm dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, as it is believed that an individual's journey towards wisdom grants them power and freedom. In this vein Itherstanise typically visit the other realities when they reach old age in order to gain experiences they might have missed in the Second Reality.

Itherstanise spend their lives pondering the meaning of this phrase, which they supposedly comprehend as they are born before losing this enlightenment during the first seven seconds of life.

For recreation Itherstanise like to socialize, spend time in the castle library, and play games, including a game with black and white stones nearly identical to tic-tac-toe.

Every citizen of Ithersta has an identifying ticket which allows them access to places such as The Bar.

In every season but Winter residents make and sell goods in a traditional market via booths by the shore. Fresh produce and various forms of manufacturing seem to be the most popular industries, though Fran also encounters a news stand and a booth giving out fabric, as well as a cart run by a beetle vendor loaded with balls of dung he refers to as *plobbas*.

The only known type or unit of currency in Ithersta is the golden coin.

## Language

Itherstanise speak a language called Ithernish, though King Ziar emphasizes the importance of sights, smells and sounds Ithersta as important means of acquiring information in addition to verbal language. A seed from the king can grant visitors an understanding of spoken Ithernish, though not the ability to read it.

The Ithernish number system is used for a handful of puzzles in Chapter 3, like the Itward lock.

The language has 28 symbols for letters and 13 symbols for numbers. It's possible to really learn them, using the book received in the game.

## Technology

The machinery found in Ithersta does not make use of any known energy source such as electricity, but is instead mechanical, based on gears, and powered manually, e.g. traditional timepieces and simple contraptions like the expanding pier and the Itward lock. Metal goods are forged by hand by blacksmiths, such as Prooter. When not written via symbols numbers are expressed using an abacus.

Itherstanise also make use of certain kinds of magic; the land's characteristic flying boats, for example, only work for the native peoples of Ithersta, as a boat-maker explains to Fran.

## Seasons

### Spring

* The Bar, library and The Great Wizard's Cave are closed.

### Summer

* Grasshopper waits under the lemon tree.
* The Great Wizard's Cave and library are closed.
* Bar opens.

### Autumn

"Sun goes around the second moon of Ithersta."

* Library opens.
* Bar is still open.
* Grasshopper harvests lemons.

### Winter

* Library is still open.
* Bar does not exist.
* The Great Wizard's cave is opened.

## *Points of Interest*

* Great Mountain Kotrem
* The Great Wizard's Cave
* Market of Ithersta - location of the newspaper stand, blacksmith, clock maker, thread and fabric seller, fruit stand, boat maker and the stand of the seller of plobba
* Seasons clock - controls the land's seasons
* Palace
* Library
* Bar
* Pink waterfalls

## Notable Itherstanise

* The Great Wizard
* Ziar
* Palontras
* Cogwind
* Kotrem
* Roots
* Antonio the Greatest
* Prooter
* Zelma

## Gallery

* Ithersta´s seasons
* A map of Ithersta
* Ithersta's alphabet.
* Ithersta's number system.
* Ithersta's season clock