Liphs'
Tongues that feast upon the Heavens
That is no mountain, that is a tower...A tower made from an unfathomable number of corpses. And atop its summit stands a Maiden bathed in the lights of the Heavens.Enormous towers construed from bleached bones and undead flesh the Liphs' are one of the most baleful landmarks that one can find in all of Cenorad. Those that stood in their ill-omened shadow and listen to the symphony of death and dissolution that binds these impossible slender structures together are forever changed, both in body and mind. Yet given the fact that most Liphs's are either located in the center of irradiated wastelands or at the very peaks of colossal mountains, it requires considerable effort to just reach the borders of the tower's shadow and for every individual that actually makes it to the bottom of a tower dozens lose their life on the way towards these monuments of death. The reasons why so many individuals decide to brave the dangerous journey in the first place are the mysterious Nemul Korkhoi that supposedly reside within these towers. While every tale that mentions the inhabitants of the Liphs' paints them in a vastly different light, they all promise more enough in the way of glory and reward to tempt numerous individuals to seek them out. In some tales, the Nemul Korkhoi are monstrous abominations of twisting bone and crawling flesh that can flay their opponents with a single glance. In others, they are otherworldly scholars from a faraway land, whose teachings supposedly grant one the powers to subjugate death itself. And in yet others, they are beautiful, angelic Maidens that were imprisoned in these towers by an ancient evil. Regardless if one seeks out the inhabitants of a Liphs' in order to slay them, to learn from them or to rescue them, the most likely outcome of such an endeavor is death; either on the way towards the tower or at the claws of the thousands of undead monstrosities that patrol the bases of the Liphs'. Yet the prospect of gaining unfathomable glory, forbidden knowledge or a lovely companion has prompted an untold number of persons to do things far stupider and riskier than to travel to a sky-high tower made of corpses./*a god, which hungers for the light of the Heavens.*/
/* Some wish to slay the monsters that inhabit the towers, others want to gain the powers of the Bleak Arts and yet others want to rescue the Light-bathed Maidens that presumably are held captive at the top of the tower. most of all they want to reach the top of these towers to face whatever it is that resides there. Slay the monster that resides there and free the Light-bathed Maiden that is held captive there. Others warn that the Maiden and Monster might be the same. Commonly erected at the peaks of large mountains these impossible slender structures are primarily held together by hold together by a symphony of death. the Liphs' are the most common type of megastructure that one can encounter in Cenorad. Towers of truly titanic size, the Liphs' are the primary homes of the Nemul Korkhoi. They are usually built at the peaks of large mountains in order to better fulfill their primary purpose. "Adzevz " The towers are mostly inhabited by the Nemul Korkhoi and their numerous undead creations. The pools of Ug that form at the base of each tower are also home to various types of flora and fauna otherwise only found within the homeland of the Nemul Korkhoi "Tevs’nemak" Corpse-Leeches, Nettle-Worms are the most prominent creatures due to their connection to the Nemul Korkhoi.*/
Purpose / Function
The towers are the spines of long-forgotten gods at whose top divine craniums full of ancient lore and forbidden knowledge are just waiting to be cracked by those that possess the wit and intellect to reach them.The true purpose of the Liphs' remains unknown to all but the Nemul Korkhoi themselves, which so far hasn't stopped the other species from coming up with their own ideas as to why these towers were built. Similar to the nature of the Nemul Korkhoi themselves the supposed function of the Liphs' varies considerably and includes anything from the fortress-laboratory of a death-cult over an ancient vault of arcane knowledge to an eldritch construction created by a lost civilization in order to worship some long-forgotten deity. Those few individuals that claim to have successfully reached a Liphs' and lived to tell their tales, speak of a mysterious substance called Yikgel which is harvested by the Nemul Korkhoi at the very top of the towers. Given that not even the correct pronunciation of this word is known, this supposed "truth" creates far more questions than it answers. Not that this would stop storytellers and bards from adding mentionings of Yikgel to their tales in order to grant them an aura of credibility the most likely don't deserve.
/* Corpse-Towers are built for the singular purpose of allowing their occupants to access the great amounts of Yikgel that can be found within the upper parts of the atmosphere. To further this goal they are continually built higher and higher, with their height only limited by the supply of building material, the arcane power of the Hungering God residing at its top and the Word of Limos. Harvest Yikgel, the Unseen Light. Serve as places of rulership for the various "Hungering Gods". What endless feast do the heavens hide?*/
Architecture
Do you hear the Black Requiem?As the alternative names of the Liphs' already give away, the main parts of the towers are constructed purely from materials commonly found within corpses such as bleached bones, dried sinews, and pallid flesh. Additionally, most of the protrusions and statues that adorn the outside of many towers contain pieces of braided hair and weathered skin, which further adds to the corpse-like aesthetic of the entire building. The most unsettling part of the tower's architecture is the fact that the entire structure is seemingly alive and continually twists and contorts itself in order to reach yet further into the sky above it. Each of these movements is accompanied by the sounds of tearing flesh, snapping sinews and breaking bones, which all mix together into an unholy cacophony commonly referred to as the "Black Requiem". Besides being perhaps the most unnerving music in all of Cenorad the Black Requiem supposedly also possess the ability to violently dis- and reassemble the body of anyone that is exposed to it without wearing adequate protection. The exact nature of this protection is a highly debated topic, but based on the numerous malformed heaps of still twitching flesh that can be found surrounding many of the more accessible towers it is rather obvious that most of these suggested "protections" don't work.
/* Higher and higher until we may feast upon the Night Above. "Tower Song" swansong As these balefull sounds intermingle, they bath the entire tower and its surrounding area in an unholy cacophony. that bathes the surrounding area in an by a cacophony of and able to twist and change its shape in an attempt to reach yet further into the sky above it. Made from hair, skin, flesh, sinew, and bone. The outer side of the tower is covered by streams of a viscous, oily substance made from liquefied corpse-leeches "Ug". Bones, flesh, sinew, skin, and hair from the base of the tower. Rivers of dissolved corpse-leeches flow along the flanks of the tower, serving the lower-class inhabitants of the tower as a food source, the sickly black slime still brimming with the blissful light of the greatest height. Addition of new layers after layers. To grow yet larger. Additional strengthening of the fundaments to support the immense weight of the tower. All but the smallest of Corpse-Towers continually change in shape during their attempts to further and further stretching itself into the atmosphere. Given the fact that all Nemul Korkhoi are able to shape undead materials with simple words, particularly strong members of the Hungering Gods gods, such as for example Limos are able to change the whole layout of their tower with a singular word. These changes bathe the tower and its surroundings in a cacophony of tearing flesh, snapping sinews and breaking bones. The death echos created by some of the larger towers are of such magnitude that all creatures not versed in the Pale Arts are helplessly dis- and reassembled and often fused to the exterior walls of the tower, thereby further contributing to the growth of the tower.*/
Mystery at the Top
While the Liphs' and their inhabitants are already covered in their fair share of legends, no part of the towers remains as fabled as the very top of the Liphs'. And while countless myths and tales certainly have tried to answer the question of what or who is located at the very top of a Liphs' the truth remains so far hidden to all but the Nemul Korkhoi themselves. Some of the most popular tales and myths include:Maiden of Starlight
Following the assumption that the Liphs' serve as a prison, it is often concluded that whatever is imprisoned there is located at the very top of the tower. This prisoner is often referred to as the "Maiden of Starlight" based on ancient records that speak of a bright light that illuminates the peak of the tower and the fact that the prospect of rescuing a shimmering beauty is far more appealing to many would-be adventures than the idea that whatever is located at the peak of the tower might have been imprisoned for a reason.Head of the Tower
A far more pragmatic tale that the "Maiden of Starlight" this myth proposes that due to the Liphs' resembling a tower-shaped body it is only logical to assume that its "head" should be located at the very top. The exact appearance of this head is again highly discussed and suggestions range from pyramids of talking skulls over lumps of malformed flesh to marvelous gardens formed from skin and blood. For rather obvious reasons the idea of a head crowning the top of the Liphs' fails to generate any resonance with the Golotian.Fallen Comet
Based on the observed growth of some towers, this myth proposes the idea that the top of the tower is home to a fallen piece of the firmament that simply wants to return to the endless dark of the night sky. What exactly happens when this piece manages to reach its goal changes with each retelling of the story similar to the reward that awaits those that either aid or hinder the journey of the fallen comet.Conqueror of Towers
While many persons claim to have reached the top of a Liphs' the only individual that doubtlessly managed to archive this goal is Death-Countess Nie, which only adds to the already sinister reputation of the Corpse-Towers./* Blub*/
Alternative Names
Corpse-Towers, Spires of Flesh, Scepters of the Hungering Gods
Type
Megastructure, Land based
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