Avishraa Reloaded

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====== Oghiras ======
The world of **Oghiras** ([[language:ghyezramsi|Ghy.]] "purity") is the hidden refuge, and base of operations, of the core membership of the [[organization:Hzataalar]]. As in nearly all other cases in which another world is accessible from [[universe:mikurmiya:Avishraa]], travel to and from Oghiras is performed via [[concept:glyphic teleportation#linking books|linking book]].

===== History =====
As the Hzataalar became organized as a fanatical core within the Friends of the Future, it was realized early on that many of their plans and goals would be unpalatable not only to their more moderate brethren but to large parts of the [[geopolitical:Citadel:]] as a whole, and risk discrediting the Friends' public image. There was a need for a place far from prying eyes where the Hzataalar could talk freely, make plans, and stockpile resources, yet which could be reached easily and securely from [[geopolitical:citadel:Oldstone]] and its infrastructure; some remote mountain valley would not do.

The art of making linking books had become more prevalent in the Citadel in recent turns. The [[chosen:magic:span|Oracle]] [[person:Dlyss]], as well as the Hzataalar, viewed this innovation with a certain amount of caution. Inevitably, the idea of worlds ideal for habitation would draw efforts at settlement, which ran counter to Dlyss' intentions. Without focused colonization efforts, the [[Chosen:]] population risked spreading itself too thinly across many worlds to sustain itself; moreover, the prospect of a home completely free of the threat of ordinary [[takma:|takmar]] might distract from the goal of seizing Avishraa from them.

On the other hand, it could not be denied that the books permitted access to resources - even entirely new //kinds// of resources - that were not available within the Citadel; nor that such a world would fit the needs of the Hzataalar very well. For this reason, Dlyss chose to patronize a young Writer, [[person:Enneth]], to write worlds for her, so that she could see the results for herself. She did not, ultimately, task Enneth with Writing a refuge for the Hzataalar - in the paths of the future she saw the girl's political opinions proving unreliable - but Dlyss provided samples of Enneth's work to trusted supporters to study and emulate.

The result was the book of Oghiras. It was in many ways a flawed attempt; though the [[concept:enchantment|enchantments]] were well-formed and allowed travel without issue, the writers had failed to grasp some of the principles involved in describing a desirable world. Nonetheless, Oghiras proved to be habitable, and work began on a small settlement. Trusted Hzataalar were moved to the new world - not merely workers to build and maintain, but ideologues and planners, as well as their families. Here, at least, the beliefs of the Hzataalar could be spoken openly, and a society could be built around them in preparation for the day that it came time to take the fight to the Unchosen.

===== Description =====
{{ :oghiras.png?200|-UN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE SUN. THE S-}}
Oghiras' sun is large in the sky and gives out a very [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_dwarf|reddish light]]. As on Avishraa, it moves slowly around the sky; Oghiras is a moon of a gas giant whose magnetic field protects it from the worst of the sun's flares, and which hangs low in the eastern sky. The giant's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudarsky%27s_gas_giant_classification#Class_III:_Cloudless|clear blue color]], most noticeable at night, has led it to be dubbed Oracle's Eye by the settlers.

Oghiras is a habitable world, but dramatically unlike Avishraa in appearance. Even at the height of the day, one is reminded of an Avishraa sunrise: both land and sky are stained with reds and oranges. Bodies of water, aside from the reflection of light from above, appear nearly black, and the red light reaches only a short distance beneath the surface, even in the clearest water (which has somewhat [[takma:behaviors#thalassophobia|hindered exploitation of sea life]]). The plant life, too, is mostly black to takma eyes, and in the region around the settlement many species are characterized by large, broad leaves. Animal life is abundant, but intensely strange to Avishraa eyes; most species have, or had [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilobozoa|at some point in their evolutionary history]], trilateral symmetry, and compared to Avishraan species there is a tendency either to very large eyes or very underdeveloped ones.

===== Settlement =====
The settlement lies in the tropics of Oghiras, in an archipelago consisting of two [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_ring|concentric circular island chains]]; the settlement is on one of the larger islands of the inner ring. It has no official name as yet, as there are no other settlements to distinguish it from. It is largely underground, to protect it from the severe weather provoked by solar activity, and has been excavated from a series of rocky outcroppings on the island's northern shore.

The permanent population is small, approximately 150  individuals, but is rapidly growing. Hzataalar with useful skills and who are considered ideologically sound, but are not required elsewhere, are encouraged to settle and, when prepared, to begin having large families. Nearly a third of the residents are children. Many more of the inhabitants are temporary, either living in the Citadel and performing work on Oghiras, or residing on Oghiras for only short periods.

Avishraan plants are unable to obtain nourishment from Oghiran sunlight, and native plants are evidently unattractive as food to Avishraan domesticated animals, rendering traditional agriculture infeasible. Some work is ongoing by the settlement's [[chosen:magic:life|lifegivers]] to try to adapt imported animals to local conditions, but for the time being the population is sustained mainly by fishing (though only certain species of local sealife have proven edible) and cultivating Avishraan fungi.

The Chosen settlers themselves have had some difficulty adjusting to their new environment. Aside from the difficulties with food production, the spectrum of sunlight on Oghiras does not align well with the takma visual spectrum, does not [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitgeber|properly trigger]] certain physiological processes, and has caused a relatively high incidence of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder|morose behavior]]. There has been some discussion of Writing a more suitable world in the future, but for the time being, the more comforting lighting systems used underground - essentially same biological and mineral solutions used in the Citadel - provide some respite, and most of the population spends as much time indoors as they can manage.

The settlement, being both small and relatively ideologically united, requires little in the way of government, but such as is required is essentially in the hands of Dlyss and, on a day-to-day basis, of the coordination committee of the Hzataalar.

Access to Oghiras is tightly controlled, with only two books allowing access in; the original, with the full text, is in an isolated chamber in a Hzataal-owned storage facility, while the other is in the personal custody of Dlyss. The link-in point for the first is likewise an isolated chamber with one exit and lined with several different layers of shielding material; the latter, which is apparently only accessible by Dlyss, is merely guarded. By contrast, there are a number of Books linking back to the Citadel, some to sites associated with the Friends of the Future, and others to public places commonly used as link-in points.