Xajohirsen

Where the flames outshine the sun.

There was no true ground to walk upon, only flames to flow through. Their homes, shops, palaces, everything was made of blazing fire. Form had little meaning. For this great city is where fire reigns. Here, where the flames outshine the sun.

— Yubrah recounting their time in Xajohirsen

Founding

Among the branches of Kotaruiem, grew the Candlelight city of Kotien, situated upon the coast of Kabila. The Candlelight were bound to their tree for anywhere they walked upon would be scorched to an ashen black. Nowhere the Candlelight went could they find an energy source viable for fueling their settlements. They took to the seas and found the volcanic island of Xajohirsen. The volcano produced enough energy to be a viable location for settlement. They began construction of a kotghir foundation. Thus, Xajohirsen was officially founded.

Early Years

Despite being viable, the volcano was a small yield in comparison to Kotaruiem. Xajohirsen was small and limited to only supporting a population of no more than 200 Candlelight during this era. It was governed by a council nominated by the inhabitants and approved by the Kotien chamberlain. In these early years, the colony could produce little resources, its metalwork was poor, but it remained concealed in obscurity and enjoyed peace.

Day of Hurricane Pyre

From the sea came the devourer of liquid fire,
Its maw a blade heavy,
From the molten flower rose our savior,
Their battle was that of Hurricane Pyre,
For from the cadaver of the beast,
Came our searing blaze of salvation

— Whispin Prose 43

This obscurity was shattered by the coming of the mighty Yirkotrur. Powerless in the face of the titanic animal, the Candlelight evacuated the colony and watched helplessly as it plunged its mighty beak into the volcano to feast. The Candlelight expected to fully abandon the colony until the resident Tectonic, Boavesia, emerged from Xajohirsen and began to do battle with the titanic beast. Hurricane-like winds ravaged the region. Tsunamis surged against islands. Others were shattered by thundering shockwaves. The turbulent battle raged on until finally the Yirkotrur's body laid lifeless, slumped against the cleaved hillside of Xajohirsen. Boasvesia, victorious, returned to their molten realm.

From Ashen Remains

The Candlelight began to rebuild for Xajohirsen had survived the ordeal. However, they soon discovered the bones of the Yirkotrur were composed of kotghir and from it bled fuel as potent as Kotaruiem's sap. A new settlement was situated among the bones of the Yirkotrur and an age of prosperity began. Within a single generation, Xajohirsen had plummed to a colossal size.

Pyre Era

Political Relations

Kotien and Xajohirsen are separated by a considerable span of ocean. Travel is tedious as the Candlelight have no vessels viable for sea nor air travel. Thus they utilize Phoenixes to relay information between the settlements. The two settlements were close trade partners for centuries, trading metalwork and raw materials. The cities would frequently hold contests of skill between the two of them. They served as sources of entertainment and friendly sport.

In recent times, the relations between Kotien and Xajohirsen have become strained due to Kotien's attempts to colonize and subjugate the Abyssic inhabited geothermal vents for resources. The two settlements now face political tension for Xajohirsen refusing to lend military aid to the militant efforts of Kotien. Denizen attitude towards the geothermal occupation varies drastically between the two cities. For Candlelight who oppose the occupation of the Abyssic geothermal vents, Xajohirsen serves as a beacon of peace and safe harbor.

Smaller Candlelight settlements inhabiting other volcanoes have slight resentment towards both Xajohirsen and Kotien for their unwillingness to ship neither sap or marrow to help sustain their own growth. The vast majority of them are incidental in regard to resource exports, but their political alignment greatly affects both their and Xajohirsen's trading policies.

Xajohirsen is often a location of interest for the Empyrals, one of the few beings capable of entering the fiery domains of the Candlelight.

Abyssals have grown to hold a radical distinction between the Candlelight of Xajohirsen and those of Kotien. Seeing them as peoples so distinct that they are of different races. This belief is largely founded in Abyssic subjugation by the Kotien Candlelights. There is an Abyssic belief that Xajohirsen will herald in an age of peace. Some derivations going as far as to say that Xajohirsen will bring an end to Kotien tyranny. These Abyssals give the name "Arkotnus" to Xajohirsen.

Government

There are two main branches of government, the chamberlain and military. The militant branch is a meritocracy consisting of the strongest warrior and most tactical strategist. Both positions are achievable through contest. The chamberlain branch consists of seventeen democratically elected positions, they manage resource distribution, civil affairs, and law. This system exists both in Xajohirsen and Kotien, with the system being instilled into the settlement by the Kotien chamberlain shortly after Xajohirsen's reestablishment.

Worth and Legacy

In its original incarnation, Xajohirsen was little more than proof of a viable settlement method, revolutionary, yet still underwhelming to the Candlelight in execution. After reestablishment, its worth and significance transcended any prediction. The city is now larger than Kotien in terms of both population and size. Xajohirsen has equal political footing to Kotien, and has grown into becoming its own independent state. There exists no economic reliance on Kotien, nor is there any necessary political adherence to Kotien sovereignty. It stands as a sibling city to Kotien, equal in power, if not stronger.

Xajohirsen is one of the few places hot enough to forge echometal. Ample, quality metalwork is a hallmark export. Extensive archival records, etched into metal, are stored in Xajohirsen's lava tubes. They host a plethora of knowledge from fields of history, literature, and magic. Pyrework is a popular drug cultivated from the Yirkotrur's bone marrow and has remained in use for centuries. The marrow can also be used to synthesize kotghir dust, which can be utilized to lengthen the lifespan of a Candlelight.

"Come dance with me" said the boy, jovially. He clasped my hand and we embraced. Our bodies intermingled as we danced in fluid movements. We swept across the plaza in pure elegance. Only when the onlookers began cheering did our focus on one another break, and we become aware of our surroundings once more.

— Empyral recounting his experience of hyikot

Empyrals tourism is less so commercial as it is novel for both races. The Candlelight, being involuntary isolationists (lest they sear everything to ash and melt stone), are enthusiastic towards outside visitors. Empyrals hail Xajohirsen as a revered location in the "arts of flames", especially in the technique of hyikot.

Downsides

Xajohirsen has been the only settlement established to not only possess productivity greater than that of Kotien, but also be physically larger than Kotien. This economic prosperity and size are based solely on the bone marrow from the Yirkotrur's remains. Normally, upon death, a Yirkotrur will await for its bone marrow to revive the body.

However, the Candlelight usage of this marrow is disrupting this process and will eventually lead to true, permanent death for the Yirkotrur. Despite an extreme volume of it existing as well as its incredible potency, a day will come when the marrow is completely gone and Xajohirsen will be without a fuel source. Given the gradually rising consumption rates, the Whisps estimate the marrow supply to last roughly 7200 years after its initial usage. It has currently been 4800+ years since then. There exists virtually no concern for the Yirkotrur's well-being as its revival would mean the destruction of Xajohirsen. Public opinion is largely dominated by blasé concern for the prospect of that day occurring.

Emberic Movement

We dug for years upon years. Excavating ridiculous amounts of rock.
Sometimes I questioned our sanity. Then- then we broke through.
Under us this entire time was something unreal.
A chasm of crystals infused and breaming with kot.
Readings are inconclusive as of now, but... I think we may have found the answer.

— Gensie, Echostone Log #148

Awareness and concern began to spread among Xajohirsen. Advocacy emerged that demanded funding for ventures in trying to find a new energy source to supplant the depleting levels of bone marrow. The leading theory was perhaps the energy from the molten source of the volcano, closer to the planet's heart, would possess a high enough yield to sustain Xajohirsen indefinitely. The movement won funding from the chamberlain and began its excavation on the nearby island of Hoxhu. For years they dug down, deeper and deeper, seemingly to no end. Until finally, their efforts broke them into a hollow cavity dozens of kilometers below the surface. There they discovered xaxkot crystals. Testing of the crystals is being conducted to determine the full extent of their capabilities. Proponents of the expedition are hopeful that the crystals will prove to be a viable fuel source to one day replace the bone marrow. However, a large portion of Candlelight remains skeptical.

Alternative Name(s)

Arkotnus, (Abyssic name)

Type

Large city

Population

2,700,000

Map of Xajohirsen

Xajohirsen

Open full size

A map of the Candlelight settlement, Xajohirsen.

Tectonic Boavesia

by Admiral_M_10K

Tectonic Boavesia is hailed as a savior figure among Xajohirsen citizens for having saved the volcano from the Yirkotrur. "Pyreuc" is a festival held annually to honor and celebrate Boavesia.

Geography

Xajohirsen rests upon the currently active volcanic island of the same name. Since the Day of Hurricane Pyre, a deep crack runs along the volcano's side. An elaborate system of lava tubes is found throughout the substrate of the volcano's surface. These tubes are utilized by the Candlelight for storage of physical items incapable of being stored in the fire plume of the city. The city itself is made purely of fire. Form and shape are nonpermanent and structures are only vaguely defined. The skeletal remains of the Yirkotrur, comprised of solid kotghir, serve as the foundation of the city, fueling them with its bone marrow.

The Yirkotrur's skeleton covers an entire side of the volcano, some parts dipping into the surrounding waters. The surrounding sea is rich in nutrients from the volcanic activity and hosts a plethora of vibrant flora and fauna. The hallmark of Xajohirsen's coastal waters is the sealife capable of inhabiting both water and fire, such as the kotaruch. The unique flora and fauna are theorized to have arisen due to the prolonged presence of the Yirkotrur corpse and possibly its bone marrow seeping into the water and influencing the biosphere.

Hyikot, "Flame Dancing"

by Admiral_M_10K

A beloved cultural art, hyikot is revered in both the fields of dance and combat. Allowing oneself to turn their body to flames, it allows both fluid form and movement. When used in dance, it often includes graceful gliding and twirling. When adapted for combat, sharp, ricocheting patterns are utilized for quick and seemingly unpredictable maneuvers.