Sanshid

The Sanshid were survivors of the Three Kindoms War who lived in the ruins of Tekal, believing their destiny was to inherit and revitalize the ruins of Tekal. They fought bloody wars amongst themselves with other civilizations, using the ancient weapons of Tekal indiscriminantly. The Sanshid somehow knew of the impending destruction of their world during the Ashwinter and turned their attention to the alteration of their physical forms, transforming their society into a series of highly impervious spheres which hosted Sanshid consciousnesses. These spherical Sanshid were imbued with sophisticated powers of alteration and prestidigitation, creating brutalist and cyclopean cities from which they ruled over the lesser creatures in the Age of Burning Sorrow.
In order to mark their victories over lesser creators, the Sanshid twisted and warped creatures around them into unusual formations, creating strange trophies and novelties from them which would ultimately create an ethical schism in Sanshid religion and culture. Aided by rebels who believed that flesh was holy, the Sanshid were finally defeated by the Yamdahun, who punished the Sanshid by returning them in very trophies of flesh which they created to mock their enemies.

Empty Sanshid spheres are one of the most enduring artifacts of Archaea, owing to the robustness of their metallurgy and shape and the effort required to remove them. Many Spheres seem to be stuck in place, resisting all external forces including those of gravity. Generally measuring between 8 and 40 feet wide, the spheres tend to have gold metallic hues, but rarer examples have been found in other colors. Several spheres exist in the Bastion of Oriab as decoration, and also the ruins of Satrang, where they once featured heavily into the mysticism of the Golden Sphere Way. The spheres serve as conduits of variable power, with some such as the notable such as the Mithraic Spheres having served as the focal point for mystic and religious rituals.