Age Of Bleached Bones

Disaster / Destruction

During the Age of Bleached Bones, the former kingdoms of the Akkan-Shai underwent reconstruction and revitalization with the help of the freed Mnar. Compared to the rulers of Aklon, the Mnar were relatively benevolent, having little reason to war.

Culture: Dromar, Ajatl, Yan'ti, Meryat, Eberaq, Kor, Mukwat, Karkanasium, Achtontli, Fasai, Tsomok, Fulk, Maji, Ig'Igx, Weiu, Yajgobek, Gadanese, Kuash, Djut, Xil'at Archaea: Mnarian Drifts Cultures: Cycle: Nis / XX Interregnum: Languages: Timeline: 500 years after the Great War Depth: 150 feet   Revitalization During the Age of Bleached Bones, the former kingdoms of the Akkan-Shai underwent reconstruction and revitalization with the help of the freed Mnar. Compared to the rulers of Aklon, the Mnar were relatively benevolent, having little reason to war.   Decline Ultimately, religious and ethnic differences heightened by the ongoing desertification of Qabir would lead to misunderstandings between the Mnar and encroaching Sarnathi neighbors, leading to a series of ethnic cleansings in Great Drought that would lead to the destruction of both Sarnath and Ib, setting off war between Ahl Alsahra and Mnar that would then spiral into a full-blown regional conflict between starving states previously held in check by Mnar authority.   The decades of starvation and disruption would ultimately shatter east-west trade and collapse the great kingdoms of the era, bringing an end to the trade of tin, copper and luxury goods that fed the imperial armies. Starving peasant warriors rose up against their insulated, Mnar-supported rulers, snowballing into fleets of ethnically diverse raider fleets who would sail east and run roughshod over the warring states of the Crown Sea. Seasoned raiders wreaked havoc in Kemet, Shinar and Toprakkis, selling their swords to the highest bidder. These warriors ate at the slow decay of the Mnar and their kingdoms, devouring their likely saviors before dispersing and integrating into militarized rebel villages.   HISTORY   A hundred feet or more beneath the Keidonian Works are sewer connections, ancient aqueducts and oft-collapsed tunnels to the ruins of the Mnarian Riad. These tunnels are often completely or partially collapsed when accessed from the sewers and ancient tunnels of the Keidonian Works. They are often in rough shape, having been frequently and amateurishly excavated and mined by desperate bastionfolk seeking the treasure from the Eldriad previously exhumed by the Mnar.   GEOGRAPHY   The Mnarian Drifts tends to be typified by claustrophobic, poorly maintained tunnels. Miasma is common, as is flooding, collapses, rickety false floors and garbage. Many of the portals into the Drift have to be climbed down, scrambled through or otherwise carefully negotiated. Slippery surfaces, flooding and even rock falls are not uncommon. These shafts often open onto holes in stout, thick-walled clay structures built on the excavated ruins of Aklonian forts and structures. These buildings are often designed to allow water to flow freely between streets, alleys and sunken areas within the buildings themselves as was the taste of the partially aquatic Mnar. Deeper within the Mnar Historically, the races of Mnar were forbidden from worshiping gods other than the Akkan-Shar themselves, so many of the religious or culturally significant structures the Mnar built have a wandering, maze-like structure and intentionally confusing architecture. Hidden chambers are fairly common, as are false doors and other forms of obfuscation. In some of these chambers, explorers are said to experience particularly vivid intrusive thoughts or visions related to the old gods.   RELICS AND REMAINS   Since the Mnarian Drifts are quite accessible to amateur looters from the still-functional Keidonian Works, most Mnarian artifacts have long-since found their way into the hands of private collectors or cultists who worship the Eldrian Powers. The Mnar themselves tended to favor stone, crystal and metal that would survive their semi-aquatic domains, but floating metal sculptures similar to those in Oriab are occasionally found deep in Mnar ruins. These appear to be relics of the earlier Aklonian age, though their purpose and nature is relatively unknown.