Kelainos

The sphere of Kelainos is cloaked in darkness, even during the day the sphere is covered in gloom. The sphere has been mostly-abandoned by the Oecumene as the ight of Wuru-Semu no longer reaches it. The sphere has became a refugee for many who are cursed by Wuru-Semu and other enemies of the Oecumene.

## History

The sphere was once a paradise formed in the Golden Era, renowned even in the Golden Era for its beauty. During the First Flood it was bitterly defended by Jar-Ri and remained mostly unscathed at the hands of the friendship invaders. Jar-Ri sustained wounds during these fights spilling his own blood on the surface of the planet. These lakes of blood would become sacred sites with great cathedrals built around them during the Silver Era.

During the Second Flood however, with the defection of its once-stalwart defender, the sphere was left mostly defenseless and quickly fell. With his first uncontested victory in the Second Flood Taknaz-Dutu began to leech power from Apollo Adunatos. When Jar-Ri was killed his blood pools across the sphere were also corrupted into sickening founts of necromantic power. Over time this darkened the star, giving the sphere its infamous gloom. As the tides turned during the Second Flood the sphere was retaken but the damage to the star was irreversible.

In the Bronze Era as the mortal Oecumene spread throughout Creation it initially did not touch the sphere, but as centuries passed some disciplines of Wuru-Semu built missions and lit great Sunlight Beacons to bring illumination to the sphere. They worked to convert the dredges and refugees abandoned on the sphere. For many centuries small pockets of the Oecumene gained footholds on this sphere, but following the Haemoarch's War many vampires flocked to Kelainos to avoid the gaze of Wuru-Semu. These vampires overran the shadowed corners where the Sunlight Beacons did not touch. In time the vampires would attack missions and destroy the Sunlight Beacon, this conflict became known as the Snuffing of Kelainos. Following the Haemoarch's War, the Oecumene was in disarray and could not react quickly enough to this war. The Missionaries retreated to the Great Beacon, the brightest of the beacons, where they finally made an effective defense against the blood drinkers. This stalemate continues to the current day, despite the appeals of the Missionaries no Sovereign has committed the forces to totally purge the vampire menace, instead sending a skeleton force to keep Great Beacon secure. The vampire have taken the Blood Cathedrals as their palaces, rumor has it the Haemoarch has made a hidden empire in the bowels of the sphere. From this sphere the , legend has it, the Midnight Conclave gather. The Midnight Conclave is the loose ruling body of Vampires, rumored to have 26 Voivodes and their queen the Haemoarch. Few come to the sphere now beyond dying paladins seeking a glorious end or fool adventures seeking treasure.

## Locations

**Great Beacon:** The last mortal stronghold on Kelainos ran by the Missionaries of Wuru-Semu. It is illuminated by the great Sunlight Beacon so the city is never dark. Few if any civilians live in Great Beacon, the inn and shops of the city are ran by the missionaries. Led by the **Lightkeeper.**

**Skuggihiem:** A "safe" settlement within the gloom of Kelainos led by the vampire Archibald Venedrex. Built from the stone of a ruined Blood Cathedral Archibvald has welcomed mortal traders to his domain and allow them to trade in dark relics forbidden in the Oecumene. The price of participation in the markets is a willing offering of blood. The settlement is by far the safest place in the shadowed regions of Kelainos but it is still dangerous and travelers should be aware of the dark horrors that still linger there.