Delphi
“The future is sacred. The silence is deliberate.”
Overview
Delphi begins in color and sound—a thriving mountain city built into the steep terraces of Mount Parnassus. Stone houses with red-tiled roofs cling to the cliffs, and narrow streets wind like veins between vibrant markets, inns, and workshops.
Merchants call out beneath fluttering awnings, selling spices, scrolls, and sacred relics to pilgrims who’ve come from across the known world. The air is alive with the clang of smiths, the laughter of children, and the murmur of a thousand tongues—priests, scholars, warriors, and wanderers, all drawn by curiosity, desperation, or divine command.
But as one ascends the Sacred Way, the mood changes. The noise falls away. The stones grow older, smoother. Statues of heroes and gods line the path in solemn stillness. At the summit, Delphi becomes more than a city. It becomes sacred.
Culture
Values
Prophetic restraint, sacred order, memory, secrecy, divine interpretation.
Customs
- Invocation Dockets: Formal petitions required before speaking to the Oracle.
- Seal Rites: Dangerous Prophecies are sealed and hidden by sacred decree.
- Silent Vigils: Taken by interpreters and guardians of prophecy in times of danger or transition.
Art & Music
- Formal hymns, geometric frescoes, and inkwork scrolls.
- Poetic forms used to encode hidden truths.
Language/Dialect
- Precise, layered with meaning and omens; often ritualized and symbolic.
Religion
Primary Deities
- Apollo – Patron of prophecy, law, and divine order.
- Themis – Embodiment of cosmic judgment and law.
- Zeus – King of the gods.
Sacred Sites
- The Temple of Apollo – The heart of Delphi, home to the Oracle.
- The Omphalos Stone – Said to mark the navel of the world.
- The Counter-Oracle – Hidden chamber beneath the temple holding sealed prophecies.
Government
Structure
Overseen by the Anthelian, a cloistered bureaucratic order.
Justice
Prophecies interpreted as precedent; decisions reached through ritual audit.
Politics
Centralized within Delphi; outside influence tightly controlled.
Defences
Natural Defenses
Cliffs, divine omens, and concealed paths.
City Guard
Maintained by the Veilwrights, who enforce ritual purity and protect sacred law.
Districts
City Structure
Ascending pilgrimage paths, sacred precincts, and scholarly enclaves.
- The Sacred Way: Main ascending road, flanked by statues and offerings.
- The Oracle’s Terrace: Centered on the Temple of Apollo and adjoining sanctuaries.
- The Market Terrace: Market areas where relics, goods and services are exchanged
- The Whispering Groves: Quiet paths and secluded shrines tucked into cypress groves.
Notable Locations
- The Temple of Apollo – Centerpiece of all prophecy, surrounded by echoing porticoes.
- The Codex Chambers – Where prophecies are stored, categorized, and redacted.
- The Echo Caves – A natural cavern where visions are heard in dream.
- The Silent Vault – Holds Nullis Vox and Obscura Primus scrolls.
Guilds and Factions
- The Anthelian: Bureaucratic custodians of prophecy.
- Pale Tribunal – High council of masked judges.
- Sealbearers – Enforcers and editors of divine vision.
- Votive Eye – Elite interpreters who hear the Oracle directly.
- Custodians & Echoes – Record-keepers and novice acolytes.
- The Oracle’s Flame: Mortal seers and visionaries, chosen and controlled by the Anthelian.
- The Whispered Veil: A splinter sect seeking to liberate forbidden truth
Geography
Location
Upper slopes of Mount Parnassus, in the region of Epirus.
Terrain
Cliffside terraces and winding stone paths, backed by mountain pine and laurel forests.
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