Anashis

From Mizahar Lore

Anashis

World
The Shroudworld
Astral coordinates	4810039315572701
Common world	No
Size	Medium
Duration of day	26 Mizahar hours
Duration of year	312 Mizahar days
Temperature	Mild
Atmosphere	Yes
Breathable air	Yes
Liquid water	Yes
Plant life	Yes
Animal life	Yes
Sentient life	Minimal
Summonables	Exotic fauna

Anashis (astral coordinates 4810039315572701 - rare knowledge) is a low world roughly similar to Mizahar in size, terrain and vital parameters. It is, however, shrouded in perennial fog making it difficult for a non-native creature to see even a few steps ahead. Creatures of Anashis are small but possess either incredibly piercing eyesight or alternate ways of navigating the world. Anashian creatures are attracted to Mizahar's clearer air and will often step willingly into Summoning portals.

Two centuries before the Valterrian, the Empire of Alahea built a permanent outpost on Anashis, called Fort Nivar, as part of its research on alien creatures as instruments of war. Contact with the outpost was lost in the aftermath of the Valterrian, since knowledge of Anashis was mostly restricted to Alahean military circles. While the outpost was a small community, it still consisted of enough men and women to sustain itself in time and give birth to new generations. Fort Nivar and its inhabitants still exist on Anashis, though contact can only be initiated by Mizahar since Summoning portals cannot be opened to Mizahar.

Landscape

For some unknown reason, water is heavier on Anashis. Anything containing water is also heavier, which includes people. This is also the main reason the planet is enveloped in constant fog - it is actually a nimbus layer on ground level. Because of this, the planet features very high humidity and occasional dangerous ground level thunderstorms.

Only a minimal part of Anashis has been explored by Alahean scientists, but what has been revealed so far is a relatively flat world with few hills and peaks. Vegetation, while abundant, is invariably of a deep red color, which is more apt to capturing sunlight through the thick fog layer than the usual green.

Fauna

Anashis does not seem to house sentient creatures other than the colonists of Fort Nivar. The following is a short list of common creatures from Anashis.

• Vahad, a long, slender salamander-like amphibian about as long as a man. It is remarkably intelligent and has a sensitive prehensile tail that it swings around for navigation. Colonists found that it can be tamed and trained for repetitive tasks.
• Flyrd, a six-legged equine with no eyes. Surprisingly for a creature borne in a water-rich environment, it needs very little water to survive; in fact, its body consists of less water than most other living beings, which makes it faster on Anashis. This property would not be advantageous on Mizahar, but it does allow it to survive on next to no water. Flyrd are blind but possess exceptional hearing and smell.
• Gehid, the main predator of the Flyrd, is a white, short furred feline that is about tiger-sized. While its sight is quite weak, instead of roaring it emits ultrasounds that it uses as a sonar.

Fort Nivar

Fort Nivar is a small bastion built for defense from both the elements and the local fauna. Like most Alahean research facilities, it was built into the rock, with the visible part being only a fraction of the complex. The original colonists were about 200, evenly divided between men and women. Not all of them were wizards; most were whole families of laborers of varying skill levels supporting the wizards alongside menial golems used for heavy work and construction. Unlike other Alahean facilities, Fort Nivar was not deemed important enough to be outfitted with an embedded Supervisor golem. The twenty or so wizards in charge of the Fort served as leaders and protectors for the rest of the colonists.

Alahea strived to guarantee turnover among the population. According to the original plan, Anashis colonists (as well as colonists from other worlds in the same program) were not to spend more than two years away from Mizahar, with no less than two years between their stints. In practice, when Emperor Kovinus all but canceled the program, worlds like Anashis were pretty much neglected and forgotten - and since portals could only be opened from Mizahar, the colonists could not do anything about it. With the Valterrian, communication ceased entirely as the astral coordinates for Anashis were a well-kept military secret. The descendants of the original colonists suspect that something major has happened on Mizahar, but they have no idea something like the Valterrian has taken place.

The wizards among the colonists took the mantle of leadership, and so did their descendants. Most Nivar colonists believe that whoever holds magic has a natural right to command others, as is still the case. Most children are taught the basics of magic, though only the ones who can become proficient at it join the Directors' Council that oversees the Fort. The rest spend their lives manning the Fort, hunting food in the wilderness, and providing goods and services. It is a small, tightly knit community in which everybody is an acquaintance and rumor spreads fast. The wizards enforce the law and are ready to banish a wrong-doer from the Fort, which is tantamount to death in the Anashian environment.