Editing Dark Ring (section)

= Signoria of the Nyx Gazetteer =

=== Overview ===
The [[Signoria of the Nyx]] encompass the thousands of miles along the Eastern border of Kar-Thonis and the Eshai Caliphate. Made up of the Sabian people, composed primarily of Nyx, the Signoria is the largest nation in terms of landmass near the Sea of Screams. More importantly for the other nations, they are not friendly to those they consider outsiders. 

==== ''First of the Dark Ring'' ====
The Signoria of the Nyx is made up primarily of the Nyx race. It is the Nyx who were the first race to grace the Dark Ring and were the first sentient life upon the Ring. They are perfectly adapted for it. A Nyx can go weeks without water, has skin designed to tolerate the extreme cold, and a secondary eyelid that protects a Nyx from sand. 

Originally the Nyx made their home along the Sea of Screams, in modern day Gharib, but have been pushed out by settlement and conquest. Now they stick to the fringes of the sea, dreaming of the day they will reclaim their old land. 

==== ''History of Battle'' ====
The Nyx have a long history of warfare and battle. They take pride in the fact that they stood against the Titan races long ago when the Genasi ruled the Prime Ring, the Nyx ruled the Dark Ring, and the Goblins oversaw the Primordial Ring. As the Genasi fought against the Slaad and the Goblinoids allied with the Minotaur to battle the Aboleths, it was the Nyx who fought the combined might of the Ruvor and the Arnyr. 

It was a long and bloody struggle. Eventually, as the legend goes, the Nyx were able to defeat the Ruvor causing them to barricade themselves beneath the Dark Ring. Yet, they could not defend themselves against the Arnyr. The entire Nyx race was on the verge of being wiped out, their cities turned to ash and weapons broken, when the King of the Titans, Xix, was defeated. This caused the Arnyr to flee into the stars with Drach, Prince of the Titans. 

The remaining warriors of the Nyx eventually followed them into the stars. They have not returned from their great hunt. However, what followed on the Dark Ring was more battles. The Mind Flayers eventually landed on the Dark Ring and began preying upon the Nyx. Invaders, other races from the Prime and Primordial Rings, also discovered the Sea of Screams. For thousands of years the Nyx have needed to fight to survive. All the other races have gotten the Nyx’s great sacrifice except the Nyx themselves. They remember the debt of blood that is owed to them. One day soon, the Nyx believe the time will come to collect. 

==== ''Strange Religion'' ====
Nobody outside the Nyx themselves understand their religion. Many brave scholars have dedicated their lives to understanding the question: who do the Nyx worship? What is their religion?

They have gathered the Nyx primarily worship the Lord of Mists in public. However, the High God goes by many different names to them including the Ruiner, the Sabian Savior, and the Wise Executioner. These epithets are not found anywhere else natively amongst the Rings of Meropis.

Many also believe the Nyx have a whole pantheon of Material Gods that they keep secret from outsiders. They do not build temples to these gods but speak about them in private. Sermons are held in dark allies and beside a dying fire deep below ground. Their holy books are passed orally with their lessons found not in the words but in the emotions of the heart. One nameless Material God, who the Nyx simply refer to as the Maiden, appears to be the most active. Scholars have documented many stories of this god appearing randomly, providing aid, and then vanishing as quickly as she appeared. 

==== ''War for Sovereignty'' ====
As of 713 AR, the Nyx are engaged in war with both the Eshai Caliphate and Kar-Thonis. They are attempting to reclaim old territorial lands while righting ancestral wrongs. The Signoria has made better progress against Kar-Thonis as they’ve surged out of the Pallid Desert destroying small forts and villages. Eshai, specifically the Bank of Salt, has posed a greater threat to the Nyx. Their Gold Swords, while poorly trained, are well funded and organized behind the scenes. The Nyx routinely find themselves outmaneuvered and forced to rely on superior technique to win the day. Yet, with each passing battle, the Gold Swords grow in their capabilities. 

=== Culture ===
Being the first inhabitants of the Dark Ring, the Sabian culture has evolved into something all its own. With limited influence from the other Rings, the Sabians are often looked at as alien to the others on the Dark Ring. In reality, the Sabians know, the other nations are the aliens. 

==== ''Sabian People'' ====
The Signoria of the Nyx really encompasses all the Sabian people. Sabians are the native born of the Dark Ring who embrace the nature of the Ring, its connection to low magic, and seek to live in harmony with its natural cycles according to the Signoria. Many scholars understand it is a blanket term for the citizens of the nation and is probably rooted in a tribalistic mindset. There was once a time when the Signoria petitioned other towns, cities, and even nations to join the Sabian people but they were rebuffed. Now the Signoria does not ask. Their empathy and patience only extends so far.

==== ''Beneath the Sands'' ====
Traditionally, the Sabian people have made their homes underground. It is more resistant to the intense cold that a night on the Dark Ring brings. Additionally, Mind Flayers have a significantly harder time assaulting a well defended set of warrens than a lone town sitting isolated on the surface. This is why the Sabians cannot understand why the other nations insist on keeping their settlements above ground. 

Over the centuries the Nyx have perfected living below ground. Their intricate, uniform, tunnel systems have been known to easily support upwards of ten-thousand individuals while being unobserved on the surface. The city of Mo’ack was only discovered by the other nations on the Dark Ring in 640 AR when it already contained sixty-thousand citizens. This caused a slight panic as the other countries began to worry about whether there were more hidden cities they did not know about under their feet. 

==== ''Sai and Kunai'' ====
The Nyx adopted the sai and kunai during their wars against the Ruvor and the Arnyr. A sai’s defensive capabilities paired with their lethal quickness made them the ideal weapons for cutting through the Ruvor in their tunnels underground. On the other hand, the kunai were perfect for picking off the Arnyr as they flew above the battlefield. To this day the Nyx still revere their ancient weapons, further iterating on their old techniques as they have clashed with mind flayers and other races. 

''Custom Item: The Sai''
{| class="wikitable"
|'''Name'''
|'''Cost''' 
|'''Damage'''
|'''Weight'''
|'''Properties'''
|-
|Sai
|15 gp
|1d4 piercing
|1 lb
|''Finesse, Light, Special''
|}
'''Special.''' While wielding the sai, you gain an extra +1 to your AC.

==== ''Language Barrier'' ====
The Signoria often encounters a language barrier when interacting with other groups. Common is not spoken in Signoria nor abyssal, infernal, elvish, or undercommon. This is partially due to the fact the Nyx cannot speak common and do not want to speak the other languages. According to the Signoria’s chronicle, common as a language was a gift from Sin. The High God gave it to the sentient races as a poisoned gift. He wove within the language malicious words and concepts designed to sow discord. Since the Nyx unlinked themselves from the corruption of Sin, they cannot speak common without growing incredibly ill. Other Sabians, out of principle, do not use common or the other languages. However, due to the language barrier, they have a hard time explaining why to the other nations. 

With the very words necessary being fraught with Sin’s influence combined with active aggression against Signoria, the Sabian people have stopped attempting to warn others. They simply do not speak the language and live with the barrier.

==== ''Burning the Dead'' ====
Unlike other cultures on the Dark Ring, the Sabian do not mummify their dead. Instead they burn their dead leaving not one bone remaining. While the Sabian people believe in the Day of Final Mourning, they see it as an apocalypse. The idea of the dead walking again reminds them of old wars. Nyx in particular see the souls being trapped within their bodies again, taken away from paradise, as terrifying. Therefore they destroy the bodies of their loved ones after death to prevent this.

==== ''Stolen Design'' ====
It was actually the Nyx who made the first Astral Lighthouse design. They built the first 2000 years ago to chase the Arnyr through space. It was destroyed by war. Copied. The other nations of the Dark Ring keep stealing the material the Nyx need to make another. 

When the Arnyr fled into the stars, the Nyx worked tirelessly to find a way to chase after their old enemies. Eventually the surviving Nyx were able to construct the first Astral Lighthouse. This lighthouse was small, capable of only launching small ships beyond the Rings, but it was enough to send the first Astral Ships to chase the Arnyr. 

However, over the years, the lighthouse fell into disrepair after many mind flayer attacks. Yet the plans remained. Travelers from the Prime Ring stole the plans and eventually copied them to create the first Astral Lighthouse on the Prime Ring. 

Since then the Nyx have wanted to build more Astral Lighthouses but consistent encroachment from other nations have made it difficult. The lands of the Eshai Caliphate are rich with the necessary materials needed to build Astral Lighthouses. These resources, which the Sabians believe to be rightfully theirs, are not sold to the Signoria. Thus, the creators of the Astral Lighthouse design cannot build one for themselves.

==== ''Survivors'' ====
At the core of the Sabian society is the fact they are survivors. No matter how bleak the situation, they always fight to live. They have a motto: ''krach tak zy''. In common, the phrase roughly translates to “just live baby.” In times of great struggle it is a rallying cry for all the Sabian people. As long as they live everything will be fine. 

=== The Signoria ===
Everything in this section is speculation on the part of scholars over the past three-hundred years. The Sabians call their government a Signoria. It is a de facto governing body according to them but its actual functioning mechanics remain a mystery. 

==== ''Possible Monarch'' ====
There might be a monarch as part of the Signoria.

==== ''Signoria'' ====
Scholars have worked out that the Signoria is a governing body resembling a Senate. The leading theory is that the Signoria creates laws and edicts which are followed by the rest of the nation. Whether or not the people within the Signoria are elected is hotly contested. This led to the Great Brawl of the Beards in 689 AR as eighty-two professors at the Siyar of Knowledge in Daratu engaged in a fist fight over this topic. Nobody was killed but Professor Amut Alshood got his nose broken by Professor Kathy Plucker. They would eventually be married in 693 AR which gives this story a happy ending but does explain the inner workings of the Signoria at all! Perhaps one of the five Alshood-Plucker children can solve this mystery.

''United Against the Invaders''

While there is room for many political parties in the Signoria there appears to be only one party in power as of 713 AR: the Terul. They stand on a platform of reclaiming old Sabian land while driving out the invaders. However, rumors say that a second party, the Oniem, is beginning to gain power. 

The Oniem want peace on the Dark Ring. They believe that the centuries of war have stunted the development of the Sabian people. While they hold no active positions, the Oniem have begun to negotiate with Doud and the displaced Hyksosians. 

=== Eld ===
On the edge between the Pallid Desert and the Red Forest lies Eld. Sitting above the Lake of Tears, this is the only above ground city within the Signoria. The Sabians agree it is the nerve center of their nation but, to the surprise of scholars, the Nyx say their heart is elsewhere. 

''Capital City''

Eld is likely the capital city of the Signoria. They have not confirmed or denied this to scholars. However, diplomats are received in Eld which is the only clue outsiders have to it most likely being the capital. 

==== ''Lake of Tears'' ====
Stories told by the Nyx say that after the defeat of the Ruvor and the retreat of the Arnyr, the Nyx looked upon their dead. The destruction was so vast, so unending, that they wept for days. These tears created the lake that Eld is built next to. While scholars believe this to only be legend, the Sabian people are adamant that this really occurred. 

==== ''The Chronicle and the Chronicler'' ====
In the Eld, beneath a pyramid plated with silver and adored with carvings of the past, lies the Chronicle. This ancient series of books details the history of the Nyx from before the wars with the Titan races. The Nyx have maintained the Chronicle ever since, documenting the happenings of the world as they occurred for them. It is how they remember when others have forgotten. 

A Chronicler and their apprentice live inside the pyramid at all times. It is their life’s work to write the true history of the Nyx. So far the line has been unbroken for more than four-thousand years. 

''Edge of the Red''

North of Eld lies the Red Forest. Standing at the edge of the forest allows Eld and its inhabitants to harvest the wood from trees. However, the roving tabaxi that live within the forest make for dangerous work. It is unknown how many Sabians lose their lives each year to tabaxi attacks.

== Pallid Cities ==
The cities within the Pallid Desert, known as the pallid cities, were the majority of Signoria land before Hyksos fell in the war. However, despite massive swaths of land being added in the last century, the Pallid cities remain the bedrock of the Signoria.

==== ''Uninvadable'' ====
No army has ever successfully attacked and held a pallid city. This is because the Sadians do not fight. They simply enter the tunnel systems around their city, collapse the way behind them, and then leave. Invading forces must dig their way into the city only to realize that it is abandoned. Many leave the abandoned city after destroying it. Others attempt to hold the city only for the Nyx to burrow inside in the night and launch a surprise attack. 

The best example of this is when the Nomarch Rahem Sadek led an army of ten-thousand Karians into Neath. They took the city without incident and set up encampments. Three days later a terrible sandstorm blew through the area causing them to be unable to escape the catacombs. The sandstorm, known now as the Grim Gale, broke after two days. When it did, a little more than three thousand beleaguered Karians ran from Neath. Over those three days the Nyx tore through their defenses and made the streets of Neath run red with Karian blood. Many agree that if the storm hadn’t broken that day, the Karians would have been wiped out by the next morning. 

It is for this reason that despite their exposed nature, the other nations around the Sea of Screams refuse to attack the pallid cities. 

==== ''Mo’ack'' ====
This recently discovered city is home to sixty-thousand people. From reports, Mo’ack specializes in food production. They have vast underground farming tunnels that help to feed the rest of the Sadian people. 

==== ''Neath'' ====
Site of the greatest massacre in Kar-Thonis history, Neath is the military might of the Sadians to the South. They launch attacks on Kar-Thonis from their tunnels that spiral from their central hub. There might be a thriving smithing economy in Neath but those reports are without evidence to validate the testimony.

==== ''Chepstow'' ====
The furthest city to the East that is known to scholars, Chepstow is thought to be a large trading hub for other Signoria towns beyond the Sea of Screams. This might also be a religious center for the Nyx as some speak of temples within the city’s tunnels. 

== Hyksos Provinces ==

==== ''Brecon'' ====
The transition from Hyksos to Signoria rule has not always been the smoothest. Brecons were forced to stop speaking common and instead many switched to dwarvish. There were also a few cultural hurdles to overcome with the Sadians, like the burning of the dead. However, over the past few decades, Brecon has been assimilated into the Signoria. 

Now most Brecons do not want to go back to Hyksosian rule. They pay fewer taxes, are afforded more freedoms, and the Sadians happily allow them to worship any gods they choose. However, more importantly, the Nyx greatly fear the mind flayers and set to work building a better series of defenses against mind flayer raids.

During some attempts to invade Brecon by the Kar-Thonians, native Brecons helped engage in the city’s defenses. They were crucial in holding the main gate during the second battle of Brecon in 698 AR. It is likely that Brecon is happy to stay within Sadian influence.

==== ''Halkyn'' ====
Once the Zahran Dynasty managed the city of Halkyn. The sister city of Zosul was a trading hub, milling station, and ore refinery. When the city fell to the Signoria, its ports were closed. However, with new trade routes across the Signoria opened, Halkyn is now bigger than ever.

The average observer would not know this because many of the trading routes run underground before popping up near Brecon or Dark Burrow. This limits the amount of time merchants must move across open ground which is subject to weather delays, bandits, or mind flayer raids. 

==== ''Dark Burrow'' ====
This city was once an old Hyksosian fort at the edge of the Red Forest. However, once the Signoria took control of it, they realized it could be used as a trading stop from Halkyn to Eld and the greater Signoria. Dark Burrow is now the fastest growing city in the Signoria with more than a mile of new tunnel being dug every day. 

== Outpost Cities ==
Before the rise of the caliphate, the creation of Kar-Thonis, and the tyranny of Soris and the Qis, the Signoria controlled almost the entirety of the land around the Sea of Screams. Most of that land has been lost but there are a few remnants of the old empire that remain. These are the outpost cities. They stand alone, isolated, against the other nations. However despite the immense pressure put upon them, they have not fallen.

==== ''Quay'' ====
Sitting at the mouth of two tributary rivers to the Sea of Screams is Quay. The city sits below a massive five pyramids that reside on a tiny peninsula below the Veld Gale mountains. From observation it appears like the people of Quay tend the rivers. They keep the rivers flowing, maintain their ecosystem, and sometimes fish them. Quay shows no intentions of expansion or violence. Qis sees little problem with their existence and offered a peace treaty in 544 AR. Quay did not respond to the treaty however that has not changed Qis’ peaceful policy. 

==== ''Wrexim'' ====
Nestled into the mountains of the Veld Gale is the fortress of Wrexim. Home to twenty-thousand Nyx, Wrexim is a hermit kingdom. The Nyx bore into the mountains, extract vast quantities of natural resources, and keep to themselves. Sometimes they hunt the creatures south of Bakar for food. However, the Eshai Caliphate has never tried to attack Wrexim. Its defenses rival those of any fortress on the Dark Ring. Any operation would result in the loss of thousands of soldiers and the near destruction of the fortress.

==== ''Erb'' ====
Erb guards the Nasr Pass which leads to the Ash Desert and the City of Bones. The people of Erb are the guardians of this pass. Any group that attempts to make their way through is attacked or taken prisoner. As of yet, there has been no documented conflict between Erb and the Doud.

== Eastern Wilds ==
Little is known about the [[Eastern Wilds]] as no scholar has ever ventured that far into the Pallid Desert. The Sadians discuss a vast country with countless cities beyond. Astral Ships have attempted to sail over the desert but have all not returned. Wreckage near Chepstow showed massive bite marks along the hull of a ship called the Phoenix’s Wake. Many believe the skies over the Eastern Wilds to be dangerous. With so many explorers having gone missing, many have judged the Eastern Wilds not worth the effort of exploration. There is obviously nothing out in the Eastern Wilds worth dying for.