A high-fantasy, post-apocalyptic novel series

ii. Places

Amma

The innerworld, or the Back. Amma itself is in an inverse world, where it is situated on the inner rim of a hollow sphere. All living kild and fate currently happening are here. The continent of Amma is divided by a large mountain range into two halves, the West and the East. Before the apocalypse, the East was wild and uninhabited, and the West was host to a number of kingdoms and civilizations. After the apocalypse, the West became a wasteland known as the Hep'kin Hem, and the East showed promise with the founding of a handful of cities.

The Dragon Bone Mountains

The mountain range splitting the continent of Amma in half and continuing into the sea. They were formed by the creation of Amma and are the seam of the world. They are incomprehensibly high, and for most of history, completely impassable. There do exist a few tunnels now, some connected to cave cities and others clean through. The Long Walk went through one that Tyr allegedly blasted.

The Heike Tal

A large swath of plains and grassland, meaning 'State-less Plains'. It is and was considered heike (stateless) due to the fact no Senn or Znes empires established permanent control of the area. It was populated primarily by the nomadic Oni, who for a long time resisted subjugation. One of the contributors to Saiverh was the tilling of the Western Heike Tal, causing ecological disaster for the South. The comparable area in the East is now also called the Heike Tal. Nomadic Oni refer to this area as Luhha, the great steppe. Tyr Sangtan Oni do not refer to it this way, however.

Saradan

A Zneskild city-state which was at the forefront of magical innovation. Saradan was situated in a bay on the Central-West coast. Its political structure was one of a moeity: a society made of two large social groups. Saradan was once a city-state of middling importance in sea trade. The zhenrhen Szian controlled the city for around 250 years, transforming Saradan into a multicultural, intellectual metropolis. Important landmarks of the city include its painted chalk cliffs, its cascading library of knowledge, and Moon Tide, Szian's long time home.

Tyr Sangta

lit. Tyr City. Tyr Sangta is a large city largely populated by Tverkild, with a noted minority of Oni. The city was formed in the aftermath of Saiverh by waves of escaping Tverkild and Oni, and is named after the semi-mythical liberator Tyr. Their descendants form the Clans the city is known for today. The political structure of the city is founded on Clans, large social groups which serve as both guilds and family structures. All labor and industry in Tyr Sangta is the designated role of a given Clan. Tyr Sangta is on a bay facing the eastern ocean. Running north is a chain of hills; to the south, a wetland, and to the west a valley with fertile farmland. To any outsiders, the technology of Tyr Sangta is noticeably less advanced than the old world, or even what is found in other new cities. This is the main setting of Oracle Bone.

Kiva-Hei / Kiva

Kiva-Hei, or the Free State of Kiva, is a city-state far to the north, behind the perilous mountain ranges known as the White Wall. Kiva-Hei is populated by Kivans, a race of goatlike kild. Kiva has many valuable exports, such as iron and whale oil, but also novelties in the form of ivory and carpets and other cultural goods. Once annexed, the -Hei suffix was dropped.

Azhura

The outerworld, to which dead kild and animals, as well as lost memories travel. Azhura can translate loosely to the body of a great serpent in which the dead pass through, but is mainly translated as the Stomach, as that is the main organ that the dead are believed to rest in. Different religious beliefs surround death and passage into Azhura. Several smaller areas exist in Azhura, meant for specific groups of the dead.

Tokan Czern

Literally the Dark Library, this is a great tower within Azhura meant to host all knowledge lost on Amma. Dead intellectuals pass through here, poring over books whose inks vaporize immediately when opened. It also hosts a large tower of messenger birds, who reap forgotten knowledge from Amma and whisper their knowledge to Kalam'hel, the Aspect and keeper of Tokan Czern. Belief in the existence of Tokan Czern is dubious, as many kild doubt it exists.

The Lungs

One of the most pleasant organs to incarnate into, the Lungs are the resting place of children, women who die in childbirth, beloved housepets, and all those who devote their lives to caring for and showing kindness to children. They are large, airy gardens, with considerably more light than the other organs, which are typically dark and cavernous.

The Liver

Warriors and their animals reincarnate here to fight eternally. In the day, they do battle, and at night, they feast with their friends. Reconstructions of their favored homelands exist here, in an immaterial form. They may look upon their gates with fondness, but they can never again enter. Warriors typically do not have a full recollection of their mortal life, and are often unsure of why they are fighting.