Theology

Ahto, the Indifferent Sophist

It is easier to go along with the flow of the tide than to swim against it.  Too much worry and pain stems from trying to alter that which is not alterable, to react out of emotion instead of contemplation.  Whatever will happen, will happen, and you will survive it if you do not struggle against it.

Ahto was once a god of creation, credited with the complexities of Elqua’s coral reefs and the lattice-work of ley lines.  As His concern spread across all the globe more and more, the minutia of every tiny plankton and protozoa has consumed all of His attention.  Slowly, the god’s attention has dwindled away from His faithful.

Now a withdrawn god, Ahto is more intent on contemplating the larger issues of Elqua’s existence; the course of her currents, the health of her biomes.  With each passing moment He is drawn deeper into a megalithic abyss of contemplation, and He sighs.

As Ahto has become more withdrawn, He communicates less frequently and more abstractly with his congregation, as His attention is focused elsewhere.  Instead, he depends on established dogma to guide his flock’s travels.  His lessons teach that focusing attention on an obstacle and forcing it aside is foolhardy.  Now that the Creator of Coral has given the gift of Xanthellae to His faithful, it is their responsibility to carry on His work.  His attention lies elsewhere…

Ahto, the Indifferent, the Sophist, the Reclusive Sage, Creator of Coral, Xanthellaette, Acedia of the Despair

Alignment: Neutral Good
Symbol: Wave of water
Domains: Animal, Good, Luck, Magic, Protection.
Preferred unguis (weapon): None
Clerical Weapon of Choice: Any
Cleric Alignment: Chaotic good, lawful good, neutral good, neutral.

Sociology

Societies Submerged in Shadow

Just as there are great dangers lurking in the dark of the ocean abyss, there are conspiratorial organizations hiding among the pisceans of Elqua.  Spoken of in hushed tones, these manipulative groups seek power and wealth for their own purposes, and are quite willing to sacrifice anything, or anyone, that tries to impede them.  They are the shadow societies of the Endless Blue, the moving dark that works for its own sake.

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This is the third in the series of posts that digest down much of what is found on the ENDLESS BLUE website for those readers that do not have the time to wander those pages.

The Classes of Elqua

Life on Elqua is hard, an eternal struggle for food, shelter, and protection.  In response, the denizens of the ENDLESS BLUE have developed some rather creative methods for survival, and ply those skills through both peace-time and war.  Many of those skills that were crucial to the development of life underwater are invaluable to an active navy.  While there are the standard roles most adventurers are familiar with, there are a handful of unique possibilities in the world of ENDLESS BLUE that stand out and demand notice.

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The second in a series of synopses bringing information from the ENDLESS BLUE website into a concise digest for Kickstarter pledgers.

The Nations of Elqua

As is seemingly inherent in the growth of populations, the species of the ENDLESS BLUE have established communities and formed borders, creating their own nations over the bonds of common need.  Now, these separations based on local oceanography are getting a little crowded, and expansion is the only way to meet those needs.  These are the Nations of the Known World, the explored portion of Elqua that is cordoned off by the Spine of the World.  They are encircled by that massive chain of archipelagos, too difficult to cross due to the three-moon tides and the hostile aberrations of the Vastness, thus stunting expansion outward to the other hemisphere of the globe.

Fabrication

Building Blocks from Under the Sea

Piscean settlements — except for perhaps those of the nomadic Locanth — are not a primitive clumping of lean-tos clustered together for safety.  Their buildings are permanent structures, planned and built not only to be a resilient form of shelter, but also as an artistic expression of vision.  The tools used in every day activities are similarly designed, with form and function melded together, embellished with as much ingenious craftsmanship as everything they create.  The materials available for construction are varied, having evolved from the basic bone, hide, and sinew of hunted beasts through the more robust harvested coral, quarried stone, and hydraulic mortar to the more exotic materials that in the hands of a master produce a masterwork artifact.

Sociology

Xanthellaette — Coral Shapers of the Chelon Reefs

Invisible lacework criss-crosses the sea beds of Elqua’s many bodies of water, palpably pulsing with life energies that feed the basic foundations of oceanic ecology and tying together every living thing.  The xanthellae are the chosen ones charged with keeping that primal circulatory system hale and healthy, free of the parasitical feeding of less astute races.  Their role as protector grants them access to the pulse of the Source, and by dipping into the eldritch power that shoots through the silt they can employ coral like clay.