"The walled city of Varchas is a tangle of green vines and luminescent fungal flowers slow-blooming around mouldering stone. A quincunx of carved stepped-towers rise over the walls and pour burning white light into the bleak sky."[1]
Varchas, also called the Mirrored City, is a sprawling city of light and mirrors located near the coast of the Elder Continent.
"They worship the sun in Varchas, and have banished darkness from the city."[2]"Our ways are not yours, Taamas. Remember that, and walk in the light of Mihir."[3]
Varchas is a city built of stone, covered in moss and vines.[4] It is a beacon that burns brighter than any lighthouse, and it stands stark against the forested darkness of the Elder Continent. Every centimeter of the walled city is lit by some form of light, whether from a lamp, a mirror, or a strange luminescent fungal growth.[1][5] To enter Varchas, one must step into the city's burning gaze and pass through the Mirrored Gate, with permission from the gatekeeper of course.[1]
Ordinary Varchaasi are dressed in shifts or togas and wear slippers.[6] The citizens of the city worship a deity based on the Sun known as Mihir, and those who leave the light of Mihir in any way are only known as Taamas.[7] Those called Taamas include any and all visitors from the rest of the Neath, and unfortunately they may face discrimination from the city's populace.[8] Zailors dislike this place, and they share horror stories about Varchas that don't typically hold water.[1]
The Towers and Mirrors
"Your eyes are blinded by the brilliance of the light; the verdant-rot smell is even thicker. The heat of so much flame and reflected light presses oppressively against your skin. Your head pounds."[5]"Cunningly arranged mirrors catch every droplet of light and diffuse it till each cobblestone and rampart of the city is drenched and blazing and utterly without shadow."[5]
A mirror.
Varchas is primarily lit by its Five Towers. Each Tower houses a powerful light source made of glowing fungi,[9] and atop each Tower lies an enormous, multi-faceted Principal Mirror. These Principal Mirrors are carefully angled and positioned using spring coiled mechanisms to ensure no stone in the city is touched by darkness.[10][5] Other light-sources include the lamps and candle-holders that line every wall, as well as glowing, moss-like fungi.[11]
Four of the Principal Mirrors atop the Towers in Varchas correspond to a cardinal direction: Western, Eastern, Southern, and Northern.[12] The fifth Tower, the Temple Tower, lies at the center of Varchas, where it presides over the consecrated inner reaches of the city dedicated to Mihir. Uniquely, this Tower is the only one of its kind that does not have any mirrors around or within itself, only direct lamplight.[13]
Each Tower in Varchas also houses a large bell.[14] When all five bells have tolled each day, the Principal Mirrors are adjusted, the burning lights are dimmed to a softer yellow, and evening in Varchas begins.[15]
Professions
"I'm too important to play guide to you, Taamas. I'm the Keeper of the Western Principal Mirror."[16]
Burning bright.
The Fire-Keepers of Varchas are responsible for maintaining the five Principal Mirrors and adjusting their spring mechanisms.[16][10] Their ranks are drawn from the upper echelons of Varchas,[17] and they are considered extremely important to the city's function, so much so that they're part of Varchas' ruling councils.[16][18] In the evenings, they are also responsible for dimming the lights of Varchas into a soft yellow glow using powders.[15]
Lamp-Lighters are responsible for maintaining the lamps and candles that line the walls of the city.[10] They also light the way forward when large groups of citizens leave the city, ensuring that no one in the procession falls to the shadows.[19]
Fungus-Carters, Fungus-Collectors, and Fungus-Harvesters are responsible for harvesting and transporting the various fungi that bloom throughout the city.[20] They are exposed to a disproportionate amount of fungi due to their jobs, and some suffer from a disease called Lung-Bloom. This starts as a severe cough,[20] but over time victims may find fungi growing from their hands, feet, chest, or even eyes and other orifices.[21] Sadly, this disease has no known cure, and only worsens in the heat and light.[22] Victims of Lung-Bloom are considered to be contagious, and as such are treated in a specialized ward in the Charitable Hospital.[23]
The Guards of Varchas are responsible for maintaining order in the city and monitoring outsiders. Interior Guards wear white cloaks, embroidered with the sun-symbol of Mihir and jeweled with carnelian;[24] they convene, hold training duels, and receive petitions from the citizenry in the modest but important Guard House.[25][26] Guards in Varchas fight with a light-footed style, using twin-bladed scimitars as weapons,[25] and they embark on trade missions and hunting expeditions regularly.[27] The Guard is also tasked with ejecting any outsider that overstays their welcome of a single day in Varchas.[28]
Guards who act as gatekeepers for the Mirrored City wear blue cloaks,[29] and are known for their bravery in the face of the Neath's darkness. One wrong step into the shadows, and they too could be declared Taamas.[30] These Guards use ledgers and ring bells to record and declare visitors,[3] and often only accept a few visitors per day.[31]
Mihir and Taamas
"There are some things we were not meant to know, they say. But you wouldn't be down here if you took that seriously."
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You can find out more about our spoiler policy here.
"We must always walk in Mihir's light so we burn our lamps night and day to banish darkness from the Mirrored City. If we let darkness corrupt us we would not be Varchaasi any longer, but Taamas. Like you."[33]
The symbol of Mihir.
Varchas as a whole is dedicated to the worship of Mihir, a powerful deity based on the Sun. Mihir, through its light, is said to be the watcher of Varchas, and anyone who is born under his gaze is considered a true citizen of the Mirrored City: Varchaasi. Those from the rest of the Neath are pariahs in Varchas, as they left the light of Mihir and are considered to have fallen from his grace forever. It is for this reason that every centimeter of Varchas must remain lit, as citizens who leave the light of Mihir for any reason are no longer considered Varchaasi; they lose their name forever and are from then on only called Taamas.[33] Along with this rule, those who walk in the light of Mihir must practice strict vegetarianism and never kill or maim.[34] Citizens of Varchas are not permitted to travel.[35] Young Varchaasi are compelled by law to learn the same trade as their parents[36] and cannot take up a different profession.[37]
The Temple of Mihir is located within the Temple Tower, serving as the heart of Varchas' Sacred District, located at the city's center. Unlike the other four Towers, the Temple Tower has no mirrors, and is lit only by direct, unreflected lamp-light.[38] The Temple is presided over by the Sun-Priests, the most important of whom are called Sun-Seers.[39] These individuals host sermons and gatherings for devotees and manage the Shrine of Mihir, a stone likeness of the god that is given offerings of flowers and glowing moss regularly.[40]
The ruler of Varchas is the Agnihotri, who rules Varchas with his council of Sun-Seers and Fire-Keepers and presides over the rituals of the Temple.[41] Every few seasons or so the Agnihotri and a large procession of citizens depart from Varchas as part of a pilgrimage to Amaradri, the Mountain of Light.[42] During this time, merchants and other citizens frantically petition the Guard House for a spot on the expedition; perhaps they do it out of religious fervor, or they might only seek trade opportunities.[43] To safely depart the Mirrored City, the Agnihotri and his companions use a massive, strange machine to deposit flammable fungus on the path forward, lighting their way into the shaded darkness of the Elder Continent.[44]
The Song of Mihir is sung in the courtyards with accompaniment provided by string instruments and drums, as well as prisms that split the white light of the Mirrored City into different colors to match each note.[45] Interestingly, the Varchaasi have two categories of recorded texts: heard texts, which are said to come from the words spoken by Mihir himself, and remembered texts, which are considered second-hand knowledge in comparison. The validity of remembered texts is still a hotly debated issue.[46]
The Story of Varchas
"Mihir looked away away from us, and Varchas fell. Now we light our city like a beacon, so Mihir may find us once more."[32]
"In Varchas the Sun still shines..."
The bas-reliefs of the Temple of Mihir detail the tragic tale of Varchas, so that future generations may learn of it. However, the exact veracity of the tale is currently unknown.
It begins with a five-towered city, prosperous and peaceful, languishing under the loving light of Mihir. Then, they say, Mihir blinked – this presumably represents a solar eclipse – and the city crumbled into ruin, falling into the Neath. Now, they say, Mihir roams the Neath looking for his city, while Varchas is irrevocably changed. Ultimately, the priests and priestesses of Mihir hope that the massive amount of light that they produce will help Mihir find them again, in one way or another.[47][48]
Dreams of Smoke
"Are you quite sure you want to know this?"
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"Don't touch the mirrors. Don't even look into the mirrors. And try very hard not to dream."[49]
"The Mirror-Mad are worse than Taamas. They no longer serve Mihir but... other powers. Those that speak in dreams and visions."[50]
Something lurks beyond.
The Varchaasi are well aware of the powers behind the mirrors, the Fingerkings,[51] who seek to influence and manipulate the city's citizens for their own mysterious goals. In fact, the Fingerkings that lurk behind the mirrors of Varchas actually feed off the fear its people have of them, as it is as nutritious as love or reverence.[52] As such, citizens are advised not to dream, touch the mirrors,[49] or tell fictional or exaggerated stories;[53] they believe lying weakens the borders of reality and would remove them from Mihir's light.[54] Those who sleep unprotected may experience dreams of smoke, silvered vapors, and sensations of their body warping and twisting as their skin sloughs away.[55]
The Sun-Seers peddle bloodied, viric snakeskin charms and scraps of paper inscribed with secrets that are meant to be hung on any nearby mirrors before sleeping.[56][57] These Mirror-Charms suppress dangerous dreams, but the secrets inscribed on the papers mysteriously fade away after use.[58] Furthermore, cats frequently patrol the Parabolan regions near Varchas, as it is considered a prime ground for battle against their serpentine foes, or sometimes even slaughter.[59]
The Mirror-Mad are those who, upon hearing the whispers from behind the mirrors, whispered back, and became subservient to the powers of Parabola. These individuals are locked away from mirrors in the Charitable Hospital, and are given food and water to survive, as well as unreflected light, despite the cost of such a commodity.[60]
Seeds of Revolution
"Darkness-touched troublemakers! So far all they do is talk and smoke water-pipe and grumble, but I fear that they have strayed from the light of Mihir. Still, my superiors think that they are harmless."[61]
"You are lucky, to be free to wander the Neath at your will. One day, perhaps we Varchaasi will also do the same."[62]
The mirror shattered.
Not all are satisfied with the status quo at Varchas, however. Some individuals, led by the Jewel-Turbaned Youth, have grown resentful of the oppressive rule of the Sun-Priests and the Agnihotri.[63] They especially detest the restrictions on dreaming and storytelling, and they seek ways to gain as much exposure to the outside world as possible through stories, even through fabricated ones.[64] However, they are generally considered harmless.[61]
Another revolutionary group in Varchas is the Grand Myriad Company, led by their captain, Mihir's Enemy. These warriors have strong appetites for the "jewels" of Parabola, such as the wonders of the Is-Not, including, and especially, war.[65]
Historical and Cultural Inspirations
The ancient temple of Angkor Wat.
The culture of Varchas has many references to Hindu mythology and culture. Its name, "Varchas", is a variation of "varcas", meaning brilliance of the Sun or fire in Sanskrit, "Mihir" is a variation of "mihira", meaning Sun, and "Taamas" is a variation of "tamas", referring to the darkness of the Sun or Moon during eclipses. "Agnihotri" could be a variation of "agnihotrin", referring to the one responsible for maintaining sacrificial fires, and "Amaradri" could be a reference to "amara", meaning immortal or undying.[66]
A corner tower in Angkor Wat.
Varchas as a whole strongly resembles Angkor Wat, the ancient temple city in modern-day Cambodia, which was known for its magnificent bas-reliefs and had four enormous corner towers and a larger central tower as well. Likewise, Varchas is known for its Five Towers, and note the design of Varchas' towers compared to the images of Angkor Wat in this section; the towers of Varchas strongly resemble Khmer architecture, an architectural style very common in Cambodia around the 8th-15th centuries.[67] The central tower of Angkor Wat also symbolizes Mount Meru, which is said to be the axis on which the Sun and the rest of the Solar System rotate on in Hindu cosmology.[68][69]
Historically, while Angkor Wat itself was originally dedicated to Lord Vishnu, it was converted into a Buddhist temple in the 12th century.[69]
References
↑ 1.01.11.21.3The Burning White Light of Varchas, Sunless Sea"The walled city of Varchas is a tangle of green vines and luminescent fungal flowers slow-blooming around mouldering stone. A quincunx of carved stepped-towers rise over the walls and pour burning white light into the bleak sky. A rough, shadowed path leads from the docks to the Mirrored Gates of Varchas. Two towering carved-stone lamps throw their light on the angled mirrors, and a blue-cloaked Guard stands in the reflected pool of light. The city is a beacon against the tree-hushed, sprawling darkness of the Elder Continent. In the far distance a vast mountain glimmers."
↑ 3.03.1Tell the Guard you wish to enter, Sunless Sea"She makes a mark in her ledger before ringing a brass bell. The mirrors of the gates rearrange to give you space to pass, but never once allow shadow to touch the Guard."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "tell the guard" defined multiple times with different content
↑ 5.05.15.25.3Inside the City-Walls, Sunless Sea"Cunningly arranged mirrors catch every droplet of light and diffuse it till each cobblestone and rampart of the city is drenched and blazing and utterly without shadow."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "inside" defined multiple times with different content
↑The Courtyard (Failure), Sunless Sea"You hear the word Taamas! being whispered, and the musicians grow so nervous that their fingers slip on the strings and their tongues forget their lyrics. You leave them to their music, before you ruin their evening entirely."
↑The Fallen City of Varchas, Sunless Sea"The walled city of Varchas is dark. The glowing fungus has been stripped from the Five Towers, and the Principal Mirrors are all smashed to pieces."
↑ 10.010.110.2The Centre of Varchas, Sunless Sea"Lamp-Lighters constantly check the fuel-levels of the sconces, and replace wicks; Fire-Keepers check the coiled-spring mechanisms that control the angle of the mirrors."
↑Inside the City-Walls, Sunless Sea"It is a few minutes before your eyes adjust, and you can look around: brass lamps and gilded sconces hang from every wall, and phosphorescent fungus grows moss-like upon doorways and ceilings."
↑Join the Neather Revolution, Sunless Sea"You help them break the Western Principal Mirror, and other groups of Neathers across the city break the Eastern, Southern, Northern Mirrors. You raise your voice in a cheer as the Eternal Flame in the Temple of Mihir is put out. Your throat is raw."
↑The Temple of Mihir, Sunless Sea"There are no mirrors in the Temple of Mihir. The rest of the city has to make do with mirrored light and reflection but Mihir's most sacred space is filled with hundreds of lamps and lit candles of hard-packed phosphorescent fungus."
↑ 15.015.1Evening in Varchas, Sunless Sea"Evening falls - or does it? The town's Five Principal Mirrors are mounted on coiled-spring mechanisms, and alter their angles subtly to create the impression of evening. Across the city, the Fire-Keepers throw pinches of coloured powder into the lamps and the quality of light yellows to a softer brightness."
↑Hear out the Neathers, Sunless Sea"We deny the tyranny of Mihir and his Priests and his high-born Fire-Keepers! We refuse to isolate ourselves from the rest of the Neath any longer! We refuse to fear the dark, and cower in the light!"
↑The Agnihotri, Sunless Sea"You go to pay your respects, and he is at pains to impress upon you that he is no despot or Tyrant-Prince, but rather rules Varchaas with his council of Sun-Seers and Fire-Keepers."
↑"Wish us luck, Taamas!", Sunless Sea"The Agnihotri laughs wildly, and then shouts a command, and the machine rumbles out of the city gates. It lays down two thick rows of fungus to either side of it. The Lamp-Lighters dart to the very edge of the darkness, and light the fungus with their torches."
↑ 20.020.1The Fungus-Carter, Sunless Sea"She stops every few minutes to cough surreptitiously into her dyed-cotton scarf, and eyes you warily when you approach. "I have to take this load all the way to the Sacred District, and the priests don't like if if I'm late.""Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "carter" defined multiple times with different content
↑The Fungal Infections Ward, Sunless Sea"Coughing is the only symptom in the milder cases, but as you walk further in you begin to see hands and feet covered in mold, and then chests budding with little mushroom-cups and lichen and even a young girl with a fringed, red-orange fungal flower blooming in place of an eye."
↑The Fungal Infections Ward, Sunless Sea""It's the Fungus-Harvester's disease," the Dour-Faced Nurse tells you sadly, pulling you away. "It only gets worse in the heat and light, but what can we do?""
↑The Fungal Infections Ward, Sunless Sea"They keep it cool and closed-off. The doctors and nurses all wear masks when they enter. How bad could a fungal infection be?"
↑ 25.025.1Train with the guards, Sunless Sea"[...] You practice hand-to-hand combat for a few hours, and end up on your back more often than not; they fight in an unfamiliar, light-footed style. A few of the more advanced recruits duel with curving, twin-bladed scimitars."
↑The Guard House, Sunless Sea"It is a scene of controlled chaos. You can see the white-cloaked Guards bustling to and fro within, shouting companionably to each other while a stream of Fungus-Carters, merchants and ordinary citizens petition them."
↑The Open Ward, Sunless Sea"Most of these wounds happened outside the city - on hunting expeditions or trade missions," the Dour-Faced Nurse explains severely, raising her voice. "Which is why most of these malingerers are Guards."
↑Dawn in Varchas, Sunless Sea"Outsider time in Varchas is strictly rationed. Each morning at dawn, the Guard visits the inn to eject any Taamas they find. They are polite, but very definite."
↑Ask the Guard a few questions, Sunless Sea"The blue-cloaked Guard only acknowledges your existence when you step out of the darkness of the path and into the light from the lamps."
↑Ask about her, Sunless Sea"It is very dangerous. Even a small stumble and I could fall into the dark!" Her voice goes thready. "I would be banished from Mihir's grace. I would lose my name. That is why they only send the bravest outside the walls."
↑ 33.033.1Ask about the light, Sunless Sea "We must always walk in Mihir's light so we burn our lamps night and day to banish darkness from the Mirrored City," she tells you proudly. "If we let darkness corrupt us we would not be Varchaasi any longer, but Taamas. Like you. [...] The rest of Neath has fallen from Mihir's grace, and I have no wish to join them!"
↑The Shrine of Mihir, Sunless Sea"We do not eat the flesh of living beings [...] We do not murder, or maim. We follow Mihir's tenets of purity and light."
↑The Temple of Mihir, Sunless Sea"There are no mirrors in the Temple of Mihir. The rest of the city has to make do with mirrored light and reflection but Mihir's most sacred space is filled with hundreds of lamps and lit candles of hard-packed phosphorescent fungus."
↑The Shrine of Mihir, Sunless Sea"His stone-carved form is rubbed daily with glowing moss. Perhaps it is guilt which makes you think of placing a Lamentable Relic amongst the flowers and other offerings?"
↑The Agnihotri, Sunless Sea"The Varchaasi equivalent of a King, or Governor; he is overseeing the rituals, and gives you a slanted glance."
↑The Pilgrimage to Amaradri, Sunless Sea"It seems as though half the city has joined the Pilgrimage to the Mountain of Light; the other half lines the streets and hangs out from upper-story windows to watch their friends and loved ones depart. [...]"
↑What's going on?, Sunless Sea"It always turns into a bit of a festival. Everyone wants permission to go, and so they come to harangue us when the Sun-Priests turn them away. [...] Every merchant in the city suddenly becomes very devoted to Mihir when pilgrimage season comes, anyway!"
↑"Wish us luck, Taamas!", Sunless Sea"The Agnihotri laughs wildly, and then shouts a command, and the machine rumbles out of the city gates. It lays down two thick rows of fungus to either side of it. The Lamp-Lighters dart to the very edge of the darkness, and light the fungus with their torches."
↑The Courtyard, Sunless Sea"The evening finishes with the Song of Mihir, which is sung to the accompaniment of stringed instruments and drums and polished glass prisms which split the white light into rainbows in counterpoint to the notes."
↑The Arguing Priests, Sunless Sea"Apparently the difference is this: 'heard' texts were cosmic truths whispered by Mihir himself to the ancient sages. 'Remembered' texts do not claim such illustrious origins, and are merely passed-down wisdom. The difference might seem trivial to you, but apparently this is a subject of heated theological debate. [...]"
↑The Bas-Reliefs, Sunless Sea"In the first panel, Mihir is depicted as the sun, beaming rays of thinly hammered gold onto a Surface city both peaceful and prosperous. The Five Towers are carved with loving detail, barely recognisable without the wreaths of fungal-flowers and curling vines. In the next panel Mihir blinks, and the city turns to shards of onyx and jet, slowly crumbling away. Mihir then becomes a broad-shouldered, sorrow-faced man stalking the false-starred blackness of the Neath in search of his lost city. His eyes are picked out in orange-red carnelian, and seem lit with inner fire."
↑Listen to the Mantras, Sunless Sea"Mihir looked away away from us, and Varchas fell. Now we light our city like a beacon, so Mihir may find us once more."
↑What's that?, Sunless Sea"You try to close your ears as you stumble back to your ship. You shiver, and it feels like a thousand snakes wriggling their mirror-bodies just under your skin. What have the Neathers done? What have you done?"
↑Varchas from Behind the Glass, Fallen London"Varchas has feared Fingerkings for many generations – and consequently the Fingerkings swarm and nest behind its mirrors […] Fear is as nutritious as love or worship. […]"
↑The Children of the Glow, Fallen London"It means they can't tell stories – fictional stories. The Agnihotri believe that any form of lie can weaken the borders of reality and remove us from Mihir's light."
↑Sleep, Sunless Sea"You fall into sleep easily despite the bright light, but your dreams are full of whispering, glittering smokes - mirror-vapours that coil into reflection-warping shapes. You see your limbs bend, your skin slough, your eyes twist.. You wake with your heart pounding. Your nostrils are full of the fungal-rot smell of Varchas."
↑Dreams of Smoke, Sunless Sea"He gives you a charm of bloodied snakeskin and scraps of paper written in an angular, unfamiliar script, and tells you to hang it upon the nearest mirror before you sleep."
↑Use the Mirror-Charm, Sunless Sea"It seems to work; at least, you do not remember any particularly vivid dreams when you wake. You retrieve the Mirror-Charm before you wake. Is it your imagination, or does some of the script scribbled on the paper-scraps seem slightly blurred?"
↑The Mirrorless Room, Sunless Sea"That is where we keep the Mirror-Mad [...] The mirrors...whispered to them. And instead of going to the Sun-Priests, they whispered back. [...] We don't despise them. They are given food and water. Tending the Mirror-Mad uses up almost as much fuel as Mihir's temple, because they can only be lit with direct lamp-light. We don't dare let them near any mirrors. [...] The Mirror-Mad are worse than Taamas. They no longer serve Mihir but...other powers. Those that speak in dreams and visions."
↑ 61.061.1Hint at the Jewel-Turbaned Youth's activities, Sunless Sea"Darkness-touched troublemakers! [...] So far all they do is talk and smoke water-pipe and grumble, but I fear that they have strayed from the light of Mihir. [...] Still, my superiors think that they are harmless. Perhaps this will change their minds. Mihir look down upon you for telling us, Taamas."
↑At the Mansion of the Jewel-Turbaned Youth, Sunless Sea"But as the wine is drunk and the cards are played, the gathering takes on a certain political tone. A raggedly dressed Artisan begins complaining of the Agnihotri's trade restrictions; a Novice Priest points out contradictions in Mihir's mantras; a Stone-Carver questions whether his daughter should also have to follow in the same profession."
↑Tell them of yourself, Sunless Sea"We were hoping," the Jewel-Turbaned Youth clears his throat, "that you would tell us, um," he pitches his voice lower, "lies."
