Sapphire Steles

The mysterious ruins left behind by the Sapphire Elves that allow for travel across vast distances

Purpose / Function

Ancient Monuments

The original purpose of the Sapphire Steles is something that modern day historians can only guess at - because of their extreme age and status as one of the only surviving relics of the ancient empire of the Sapphire Elves, much of their original functionality, to say nothing of records from a time in which they saw true and full operation, are all but unheard of and/or inoperable.
However, though it is unclear whether it is their original purpose, one facet of their function does yet remain operational - built on the central focal points of the magical leylines that spiral beneath the earth all across the world, the Sapphire Steles allow for those who utilize them in the proper manner to travel long distances almost instantaneously by means of accessing the ancient 'Sapphire Network', ancient network of extraplanar 'roadways' built on the flow of natural atlen(mana) as it crisscrosses the world once found, built, and utilized by the Sapphire Elves long ago.
As the Sapphire Network existed before the Ages of Men, Dwarves, or Elves, the Sapphire Network normally remains accessible by the Výtrúl alone - however, with the power of the Sapphire Steles, any creatures can be plunged into the natural atlen flowing through the world and indeed, in some rare cases, across the Material Plane and travel distances so vast that not even the Výtrúl can hope to match such a feat.

A Derelict Transportation Network

Because of this one function(Described above) that remains operational, they can be described as 'teleportation spires' - though they do not function at all similarly to the magical teleportation that modern day casters and scholars are familiar with, instead catapulting those who utilize their power across unfathomably vast distances linked by the power of the natural world. Places devoid of such power, such as highly civilized cities or other places devoid of nature naturally block out the power of the Steles. However, adding onto this unfathomable power is an unfathomable danger - whether by design or by degredation, the Steles, acting as 'Nodes' in the vast and oft-forgotten Sapphire Network, almost invariably link exclusively to others of their kind - more specifically, each Stele has a pairing Stele that it links to, regardless of distance.
This strange nature that sees the Steles forming point-to-point transportation lines over unfathomable distances comes with unfathomable danger, however - the act of awakening a Stele and returning it to operation is a deadly endeavor if one knows not where it leads, for on many an occasion have adventurers eagerly turned on a Stele hoping to be led to gold and riches only to be led into a den of monsters, long-forgotten ruins teeming with deadly beasts, or to places so dangerous that they never return for reasons unknown.

Alterations

Though it is extremely rare to find a Stele, let alone an intact one, the few that have been found and located over the eons since the collapse of the Sapphire Elven Empire have often seen slapshod repairs done to their superstructure by the races that have found them in an effort to keep the valuable, ancient buildings operational that much longer...though, when allowed to, the ancient creatures known as Kami seem to have the most knowledge on how to safely alter these buildings.

Architecture

The architecture of the Sapphire Steles is, appropriately for buildings built by the ancient Sapphire Elves, things of natural wonder - they can range in size and shape, but have architecture that can best be described as 'living material' - as if they were somehow grown out of the ground and moulded or pruned into shape by a massive gardener. They are never found made of non-natural materials such as carved stone or metal, and are made exclusively of natural material such as wood, dirt, vines, roots, and the like - with wood being the most common.

History

The history of the steles is mostly unknown and mere speculation - they are assumed to be the remains of some planet, potential Material Plane spanning network of obelisks and towers designed to assist the Sapphire Elves with their ancient duty given to them at the dawn of time to watch over and shephard life along the right and true paths.

Tourism

The steles, when they are found, are viciously guarded and are not allowed visitors lightly - wanton tourism is not allowed, and often they are preserved as hallowed ground to The Spirit Kings, and places not disturbed by any...at least, until their paired Stele can be found, at which point it might be awakened.

RUINED STRUCTURE
Unknown; Around 6,000 Years Ago

Founding Date

Unknown; Around 9,000-10,000 Years Ago

Alternative Names

The Sapphire Nodes, The Nodes,

Type

Tower

Owning Organization

The Rasmanthus Guild

Guarded by the Guild

Because of the immense danger involved in finding even one of the Sapphire Steles, to say nothing of awakening them to transport to wheresover it links, the Steles have long since been taken in by The Rasmanthus Guild as honored ruins and historic sites that are theirs and theirs alone to safeguard. When a new Stele is discovered, the guild is alerted in short order and they will send out a team to inspect it for markings that might give hints as to its sister Stele, as well as a party of high-ranking adventurers to guard this team - if the stele is determined to be a pair to an existing Stele, a great celebration is held and both are oftentimes awakened in unison to allow for limited traffic between them.
If the Stele is linked to an unknown pair or location, it is almost never awakened unless those who discovered it first were foolish enough to do so, or in otherwise dire circumstances - outside of such circumstances, the Stele is locked down and made into a historic site, put under the protection of The Rasmanthus Guild so that none can come disturb it and, if needed, repairs can be enacted on the building with the help of the Kami.

List of Discovered Steles

Though there were doubtless hundreds if not thousands of Steles at the height of the reign of the Sapphire Elves, there are now a scant handfull scattered across Zheng-Kitar that are even known of, and even less that are operational that have been 'awakened'(See above for more detail). However, despite the dangers inherent to the Steles and the warnings given by The Rasmanthus Guild in regards to seeking them out or awakening them, countless adventurers yearn and travel each year to go find them, or attempt to awaken already discovered ones - they are, in short, the allure of the unknown made manifest, and a bane to explorers everywhere...a thing so tantatlizing that most cannot help but wish to crack one open and awaken it in the hopes of finding a great adventure or riches on the other side.
All steles listed below are under the control of and supervised by The Rasmanthus Guild unless stated otherwise.
Below are a list of known Sapphire Steles, their locations, and where they link to(If known):

Stele Name: The Rokugaya Stele
Location: Sunken at the bottom of the Bay of Dai-shen-roku.
Link: Unknown. Not awakened, as its unique location prohibits active exploration.




Stele Name: The Nezhnaya Stele
Location: Kaisernacht City. Moved from its original location by The Vinogradov Family.
Link: Unknown, but Awakened. Rumors speak of horrid beasts that 'leak through' the stele after a foolish and premature awakening of the Stele by The Vinogradov Family after refusing assistance from The Rasmanthus Guild.




Stele Name: The Leafgrove Stele
Location: The Yudao Rainforest, in a peaceful grove located in the center-south of the forest.
Link: Unknown. Not Awakened. Guarded and kept safe by the Kami.




Stele Name: The Ancestral Stele
Location: Xiaori Village
Link: Active, and Awakened. A stele located along the eastern coast of the Slumbering Frostlands, a week's journey Northeast from the city of Breckenzada. Though travel was once permitted to and from both steles with authorization from The Rasmanthus Guild, the Kassau Matriarchy has annexed the stele and its surrounding area with their recent conquest of Eastern Zheng-Kitar.




Stele Name: The Worldthrone Stele
Location: The City-State of Axiom, in a location known only to Osmantha the Indomitable and a few select members of The Rasmanthus Guild
Link: Active, Awakened, and Secured. Linked to a Stele in the central courtyard of Worldthrone Castle, far to the north in the Jou-Hassan Mountains on Hyeojiin Island. Was once located elsewhere, but moved to Axiom after the defeat of Dahmunara Worldthrone to prevent others from entering the castle without express permission from Osmantha the Indomitable and The Rasmanthus Guild, as it is such a dangerous area even highly trained teams of Archmages and Master Warriors will not return from expeditions into its depths.




Stele Name: The Ferrous Stele
Location: The Isle of Yema
Link: Active, Awakened, and Highly Dangerous. Linked to a stele(Presumed to have been stolen) located in the city of Castigorax, central military port of the Iron Empire of Numiastra, on the opposite side of the Liuwang Ocean far, far away.
Special: The Ferrous Stele has been labeled by The Rasmanthus Guild as an S-Rank area of extreme danger. All non-guild-approved travel to and from the stele is barred on order of Osmantha the Indomitable, and trespassers coming and going are executed on the spot. The guild forces around the Ferrous Stele are engaged in a near-constant war to maintain control of the Stele and the surrounding area with the forces of the Iron Empire from far across the ocean. This Stele, whose awakening caused the terrible conflict known as The Oilsea War decades ago, is a fresh reminder of the dangers of the Sapphire Steles and awakening one without knowledge of where it leads.




Stele Name: The Mahendra Stele
Location: A small island in the center of the Boiling Sea in The Narixian Empire.
Link: Unknown. Not Awakened.




Stele Name: The Khaasin Stele
Location: Unknown. Khadagarian myth speaks of an 'Obelisk of the Heavens' located in the ancestral tomb of Khaasin Baatar, great founding warlord of Khadagar - which is believed to reference a Sapphire Stele. Unfortunately, his tomb's location is a closely guarded Khadagarian secret.
Link: Unknown, but potentially awakened. Khadagarian myths speak of the 'Obelisk of the Heavens' as a source of infinite wisdom and a gate to eternal paradise, which once spoke to the famed Khaasin Baatar and told him to unite the lands of Khadagar for reasons unknown.




Stele Name: The al-Lawz Stele
Location: Deep in the heart of the Great Gyatsoshin Desert.
Link: Unknown. Not awakened. A joint effort between the local Urqet which have guarded the stele for millennia and The Rasmanthus Guild which only recently found it have ensured it has stayed secured. Urqet myths speak of it as a pathway to the halls of the dead.




Stele Name: The Isafjora Stele
Location: Deep within the bowels of The Myrkheim Causeway, legendary superstructure built by ancient True Giants long ago(See The Seven Wonders of Zheng-Kitar for more info).
Link: Unknown. The operatives of The Rasmanthus Guild that guard it report it as awakened, but no activity has ever been reported from the other side, reasons unknown.




Stele Name: The Windsong Stele
Location: Located at the origin point of the Tianzhao River, a good distance up into the Tianzhao Mountains(reachable by ancient pathways carved into the mountain rock).
Link: A stele located on a small, glacial isle far to the north, in The Glacial Drift, that is watched over by a tribe of Kitsune.




Stele Name: The Beast Stele
Location: Deep in the forest known as The Elderwode. Controlled by the local monster population which does not usually allow others to utilize it.
Link: Believed by modern scholars and The Rasmanthus Guild to be Awoken, and to link to a stele in The Rhunwode, but this cannot be confirmed due to the dangers which surround the stele.