Athaikathion

According to Orochthan legend, the Athaikathion is the very center of the universe. The exposed marble is said to be part of the very first bone that Athai, the supreme Lord of Creation, planted in the void to serve as a scaffold for all of reality. The large hill is hollow, with a cave system that is known to extend fairly deep underground. Rumors contend that the cave reaches all the way to the heart of the world, but if the Great Temple to Athai knows the true extent of the system, they have not disclosed that knowledge.   The temple and the hill are thought to have existed at the site since time immemorial. Some believe that the temple was built by the gods themselves, during the days when they yet roamed the earth alongside mortals. At some point prior to recorded Orochthan history, stewardship of the temple was turned over to mortalkind, and it has been watched over and protected by Athai's most dedicated followers since.

Access to the hill is strictly controlled, and not even the High Moradeikon can cross the perimeter onto the hill at a whim. This is because the last of the Athainokiepheloi, the mythical immortal and divine Kiepheloi said to be the direct descendants of Athai Himself, are believed to dwell somewhere in the depths of the hill's cave system. Whether this is true or merely legend is unknown, and the Temple has historically refused to comment on the matter.   Those who visit Athaios hoping to set their sights on the center of the Orochthan universe or somehow bask in the proximity to Athai Himself, must settle for a stone cloven from the hill in the distant past that is held in reverence in the heart of the Great Temple to Athai.