The Khitim Stele

The Khitim Stele is located in the cloud forests of the Dhilor highlands. It is a 20 foot tall, 4 foot square, polished quartzite obelisk with blocks of text in an unknown script and language and bands of symbols including variations on some brand symbols carved on each face. The Stele was "discovered" in 1784 CE by explorers seeking the Design Manual who encountered the Khitim tribe as they were following a road trace from the steppes. Many photos, drawings and charcoal rubbings were taken at the time. Later visits have used sonar, radar and full spectrum analysis in an effort to more fully understand the mysterious object. The Stele is firmly anchored to a patch of exposed bedrock by unknown means. The Khitim people built their tribal seat as a radially symmetrical village centered on the Stele. It is a revered object to them and very few expeditions have been allowed analytical access to the stone. Besides being an object of reverence to the Khitim, it is an object of great curiosity to brand scholars in their efforts to understand the lost brand makers and the art of brand creation. They know there is a connection due to the variant patterns seen on the Stele, but the inability to translate the information on the stone, and the reluctance of any branded family to offer up a brand to be modified to into one of the variations, have severely hampered any efforts to connect the Stele to modern branded families, or expand brand scholarship. Another group that later became fixated on the Stele are astronomers and space faring agencies of the various Eilean nations. Careful measurments, with the Khitim's blessing as no contact or disturbance of the Stele were necessary, ascertained that the Khitim Stele was in fact the terrestrial point over which the Anchor Star's geosynchronous orbit was fixed. This discovery exposed an entirely new set of scholars searching all of the archived images and information pertaining to the Stele in an effort to better understand the mysterious Anchor Star. Current access to the Stele is cut off by the Khitim as the level of technology present with the last expeditions caused the luddite Khitim to cut off ties with the outside world.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The mechanics and inner workings of the Khitim Stele, if there are any, are a mystery. Based on all available measurements and analysis, the Stele is simply a big, finely crafted, block of quartzite. There are no emanations of any frequency of sound or electromagnetic wave. The Khitim have related to explorers of occasions during worship ceremonies, when the Stele would change color, or portions of the script or some of the symbols would glow, but because of the sacred nature of the ceremonies and the infrequency of the unusual occurrences, the tales have never been able to be verified.

Significance

The Khitim Stele holds significance for the Khitim as an object of worship; for brand scholars because of its apparent link to the lost brand makers; and for celestial scholars because of its significance as the terrestial reference for the geosynchronous orbit of the Anchor Star.

Rarity

The Khitim Stele is unique. With its discovery expeditions were sent around the world to visit sites of other ancient cultures in an effort to discover other stelae. However as there is only one Anchor Star, it appears there are no other stelae in any way similar to the Khitim Stele. Based on the extensive studies done by scholars many small representations of the Khitim Stele are available at souvenir shops and from vendors of esoterica. Twice in the early years after the discovery of the Stele, counterfeits were put forward as authentic, however were quickly proven as fakes.

Weight

23 tons

Dimensions

4 ft x 4 ft x 20 ft

Base Price

priceless