Chekeren Crater
The Chekeren Crater is a massive crater and impact field located on the boundaries of the Khaghat Steppe in northern Iroa. It is noted for its large deposits of meteoric iron, known to the Khaghate people as temōrtra, or "sky iron." Considered a place of great spiritual importance to the Khaghate, the crater is under constant watch by the gorane, a caste of shamanistic armorers and quartermasters that serve the Khaghatan and the collective clans.
Ecosystem
The Chekeren Crater is located on the steppe boundaries of the Khaghat region in northern Iroa. Though only a few dozen kilometers from the open plains, much of the crash site is a mixture of taiga and open coniferous forest. For much of the fall and winter, the area is covered in snow.
Natural Resources
The Chekeren Crater is famed for its deposits of temōrtra, an Exalted Element similar to iron and with many of the same properties as dragonsbreath steel. Unfortunately, extensive excavation over the past two millennia have left much of the crash site devoid of this precious resource. The one exception is the actual Chekeren meteor itself, which remains partially embedded in the surface. However, this deposit is considered sacred to the Khaghate people and is under constant surveillance by members of the gorane. Its metal is supposed to only be harvested if directed by the Khaghatan himself or one of the esteemed gorane of the great houses.
There is also a substantial amount of diamonds located in certain pockets around the crash site. These appear to have been formed when graphite buried in the ground was super heated and pressurized upon impact by the Chekeren Crater. Like the smaller deposits of temōrtra, most of these diamonds have been removed and lost to time.
History
It is unclear when the Chekeren meteor impacted, but most believe it happened sometime during the Late Dawn Era or in the first few years of the First Intermediate Period. Among the Khaghate, it is said that the meteor was in fact purified iron slag left over from the creation of Lastspasm, the hallowed arm of Oheilion, the Bloodied Lord.
Shortly after its collision, the crater was discovered by what would become the Khaghate nomads during the Early First Intermediate Period. They soon discovered the meteorite's ferrous debris and began working it into various tools, weapons, and armor. Because of temōrtra's purity and lower melting point, it could be worked without the need for advanced smelting techniques or technologies. This allowed the early Khaghate to rapidly develop and may have contributed to their culture's unique prohibitions on armor removal. The Khaghate themselves claim Chekeren was revealed to their ancestors by Oheilion in the hope that they might use it to gain strength and prove themselves worthy of living in the Material Plane.
Over the next several centuries, production of temōrtra increased around the Chereken Crater, with the local Khaghate gaining renown for their skill at working the alien metal. However, as time wore on, the surface level craters were all excavated, resulting in teams of workers having to dig into the surface to find buried hunks of the meteor. Several deposits were found to contain caches of diamonds, apparently flash forged when graphite within the earth was super heated and pressurized upon impact. Yet despite this, much of the remaining accessible temōrtra was excavated, leaving only the massive central meteor relatively undisturbed.
Over time, it was determined that this greatest of deposits should be reserved for use only by the greatest Khaghate warriors, like the Khaghatan and his khesig. Those craftsfolk whom had mastered how to manipulate the temōrtra gathered together to select a contingent of their caste to remain at Chekeren and guard it against any potential looters or interlopers. These gorane, as they had come to be known, also allowed many of their number to live among the clans themselves and to serve them as armorers and religious specialists in the same way that the creator of their order, Vaal the Eternal Hammer had been.
This appears to have contributed to the Khaghate concept of tome'tayl, or spiritual memory. The Khaghate believe that over time, objects that participate in important or consequential actions retain a spiritual memory of those events within their material form. The experience, wisdom, and ability of those who underwent the event can then be imparted to a mortal that knows of the object's oral history. This allows individuals to obtain the abilities and insight of their ancestors through the use of the very objects used by their predecessors. This emphasis on reusing and reforging ancient tools, armor, and weapons to gain the power of one's ancestors may have evolved from a need to reuse the precious temōrtra that could no longer be consistently harvested from Chekeren.
Today, the Chekeren Crater remains under the watchful eye of the gorane, who hone their craft on temōrtra gathered from that very source in generations past. Only upon an order from the Khaghatan or a high ranking goran from one of the great houses can the Chekeren meteor be mined. Even then, the act of removing a piece of Chekeren is regarded as a mournful, bittersweet event. For the Khaghate see it as marking the closing of one of Chekeren's chapters and the beginning of a new generational saga filled with tragedy and triumph.
Tourism
Some religious Khaghate make a pilgrimage to Chekeren to pray before the great meteor. However, compared to other cultures, the Khaghate do not practice regular spiritual excursions as they are a naturally nomadic people.
Type
Crater / Crater Lake / Caldera
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Related Professions
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