GheneshIndex | Time Under Chaos | Concerning Amber | The Golden Circle | Ghenesh Head of State: King Uu Famous for the Moonriders, Ghenesh is an ancient land with a complex history. When the Pattern was first drawn, and Oberon surveyed the lands around his new home, legend says he found thirteen close shadows, the Golden Circle. These original thirteen had signed no compact with Amber, and many claimed they had existed for years, eons even, before the “Eternal Realm” was created. Twelve signed a compact with Amber in those early years, but one did not. Ghenesh considered itself the greatest and oldest of these shadows. Her lords had tamed the moonbeasts, and could take to the air on the backs of their mighty mounts. Amber initially tolerated the recalcitrant state, as the threat presented by her rebellion bound the other Golden Circle states together. Ghenesh would attack shipments, and Golden Circle states would call on Amber for protection. This inevitably led to conflict between Gheneshi pirates and the newly formed Amber navy. Gheneshi noblemen denied responsibility, and Amber’s diplomats continued to try to convince Ghenesh to enter the fold of the Golden Circle compact. Eventually, Amber retribution escalated from tough talk to seizure of assets within Ghenesh by way of compensation, and the issuance of an ultimatum. Ghenesh responded by declaring war on Amber. Ghenesh thought it was well prepared for war. Each lord had many moonbeast mounts, an array of personal weapons, and a host of followers. With so many lords under the king, and all ready to punish Amber for her arrogance in trying to assert influence over their ancient warrior code, they felt their victory was assured. Amber sent one man to the pass at Jones Falls, the king’s eldest son. Benedict had chosen his location well. Even with flying mounts, the moonriders could only approach from one direction, and in small numbers. Benedict cut them down in droves. Even more poignant than their defeat was their humiliation. Benedict did not intend to face them alone, but an early spell, Boring Doom, managed to kill the remainder of Benedict's forces. Their beasts were slain at the Falls, and their chitinous weapons were tossed into the waters below. Benedict and a small number of retainers marched the defeated Gheneshi army back to their homeland, and then Oberon cut the shadow off from the outside world completely. The barrier was meant to last forever. Unfortunately, between Oberon’s death, the devastation of the shadow storms, and the initiative of Mandor’s masters of the ways, the seal was breached. The warriors of Ghenesh were more than happy to do battle for Chaos in return for a chance at revenge against Amber. Ghenesh provided invaluable reinforcements for Chaos, and its alien biome is a popular furlough for Chaosian troops who miss their homeland. It now enjoys a favorable diplomatic position, but years of isolation still show on the land. Ghenesh supports many of the same plants as are found in neighboring Shadows, but here even the grass and trees are semi-motile. Yellow, blue, and red foliage is as common as green, but brown predominates. Agricultural workers are as much herders as they are planters. Apart from the Gheneshi themselves, there are no mammals native to the Shadow. Cows, pigs, and dogs which are brought to Ghenesh quickly fall ill. Some have managed to raise them successfully, but the labor to raise them far outweighs that in other Shadows. After their long isolation, traditional Gheneshi eschew raising outside animals, although Gheneshi lords appreciate foreign food imports. Gheneshi farmers use gigantic elephant beetles to till their soil, and wealthy Gheneshi homes are lit by large domesticated glowbugs. Dog-sized beetles are raised for the table. The flying moon-shaped mounts of the moonriders are insectoid predators, as their hidden mandibles indicate. Lords make use of an especial tiny worm on their serfs. Placed in the ear canal, it makes its way to the brain. Its secretions insure obedience, although like most of Gheneshi exotic life, it does not last long well from home. Metal, too, is a scarce resource. There are no local ore deposits, and metalworking is not permitted by local physics. Imported metal goods corrode much more swiftly than they would be expected to elsewhere, and even gold and platinum tarnish. Instead, various forms of chitin and insectoid secretions are used instead. Often, finely crafted chitin armor is lighter and stronger than steel breastplates, but moonriders often eschew any armor at all to insure maximum mobility on their mounts. Attempts to mine in this shadow have revealed that it is bugs and dirt the whole way down, just as Gheneshi cosmology insists. Ghenesh claims ancient ties to House Wererathe, but the martial traditions of House Hendrake make the two factions rivals. Some suppose that the Gheneshi Royals may well be developing aspirations of Househood, which could spell further political trouble down the line. |
