The Cracks-Skin Stones

Aemark has such a fascination with the number 'six.' Why does it always have to be six?

Within the Cracks-Skin, Eyes-Water Desert lie a number of large stone pillars arranged in a miles-wide circle. Their origin is a mystery to both the Al'Orphic Alliance and the Aemark Kingdom, though the Alliance has expressed considerably less interest in them. Current theory within Aemark ascribes their origin to significant figure within Rundic religion: Vae Yun.

The Stone Pillars

The pillars are crafted from a dark red stone with splotches of brighter red, as a bloodstone but with a burgundy base color instead of green jasper. They stand in contrast to the surrounding rocks in the Cracks-Skin, Eyes-Water Desert, clearly brought to the location from elsewhere. Each one stands fifteen feet tall and six feet in diameter (at ground level), tapering to a soft point at the top. The dust storms of the desert have worn them to a coarse and pock-marked surface, but they may have originally been polished to a glossy finish.
The rock used in the construction of the stones is unfamiliar to the Aemark scholars who have visited them and, due to tensions between the Alliance and Aemark Kingdom, Al'Orphic scholars were not forthcoming with potential sources of the red rock. In studying land survey documentation prior to the animosity between the Kingdom and the Kaokut Coalition, it was found that similarly described rocks were found in the Kantoth Badlands. As a recent discovery, scholars have not had the chance to launch an expedition or liaise with their Kaokutian colleagues due to the ongoing war.

Geographic Layout

Currently, there are five pillars arranged in a circle of roughly one-mile in radius, though speculation remains regarding a potential sixth stone. The exact distance has not been measured to great accuracy, but later expeditions improved upon the accuracy by hiring a surveyor whose estimates put the diameter at ~1.93 miles. The stones themselves are arranged in a regular pentagon, each standing about one mile from their nearest neighbors.
The rumored 'sixth stone' is said to reside at the center of the circle, though no clear evidence has been found. The same surveyor who measured the circle's diameter found that the center of the circle was marginally lower than any of the five pillar locations, but found little else. Notations from their personal journal indicated a belief it may have once been a lakebed.

The Legend of Vae Yun

The Rundic Three religion includes the tale of Vae Yun, an early figure in its lore and the source of the High Council's honorific title: 'Vae.' According to the Ald Yvren scriptures, Vae Yun was a wise leader of a small city-state devoted to worship of Vlandun (of the Mind). Vae Yun's devotion to Vlandun gifted her with great wisdom and a powerful mind, balanced with her belief that all deserve an equal chance at life. Her consideration for the welfare of the city is matched only by her even-handed approach to the law. In fact, much of current Aemark law (at least, regarding punishment) is based on scriptural records of Vae Yun's governance.
The central tenet of the claimed governing structure is that unlawful individuals are charged with monetary fines, forced labor, or exile in accordance with the severity of the action. However, each individual may choose among the three punishments, referred to colloquially as 'Yun's Choice' (and more broadly to any situation where one chooses among a set of universally bad options). In Vae Yun's tale, she was eventually charged with corruption by her own city council (of six) and forced to choose among the loss of her estate, decades of forced labor, or exile. Vae Yun chose exile.
As it relates to the Cracks-Skin Stones, Vae Yun's parting words with the city council (and to those in attendance) were:

So I shall walk until the rock beneath my feet runs red,
To lands unknown and begin anew worship of Vlandun.
There shall I name you six and whisper words of grief,
For who shall next fall beneath your haughty gaze.
Mark my words as I mark your names upon the rocks,
Carved until the very last of your lines are smote in ruin.
Vlandun will forge a white fire from your crimes,
Fire that burns clean the stain upon your house.

For religious scholars, the Cracks-Skin Stones offer a tantalizing manifestation of the six rocks of scripture, with the sixth having been turned to rubble after one of the councilor's lines ended.

Location under

Cracks-Skin, Eyes-Water Desert

Owning Organization

Al'Orphic Alliance

Compact Ald Yvren

Need a more travel-friendly scripture? The Tome too heavy to carry across Aemark? Look no further than the Compact Ald Yvren Tome, weighing just five pounds!
Isn't five pounds still kind of absurd for a book? Ald Yvren never was the most succinct of scriptures I suppose.