The Blue Kingdom

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"You put the edifice behind you and head back towards the songs and splendour of the Blue Kingdom. The sun fills your windows with gold."

The Blue Kingdom is a domain of the High Wilderness, ruled by the Sapphir'd King. It is the final destination of individuals who die in the Wilderness.

Death and Red Tape[edit | edit source]

"How are you seen in the Blue Kingdom?"

A crate of Petrichor. Delicious.

The Blue Kingdom is a heavenly bureaucracy - no more efficient than a human one - where the dead of the High Wilderness go to be judged and processed.[1] The Kingdom is a labyrinth of lower courts, judges, and legal paperwork with the ultimate goal of leading worthy spirits to final Judgement. As such, it is a gathering place for all kinds of dead, humanoid or otherwise, who often wear porcelain masks. This includes animals and even Rubbery Men, though the latter are subject to the same prejudices they face elsewhere.[2]

Since the Blue Kingdom is still under the control of an uncontested star, its natural law is more rigid - but this does not mean its laws are comparable to those of our familiar Sun. Skyfarers may find themselves temporarily short a few organs, having used them as collateral to navigate the Kingdom's bureaucracy,[3][4] but their wounds are not fatal due to the blurry border between life and death.

The Kingdom is patrolled by Logoi - living Correspondence sigils created by the Sapphir'd King - but it is still highly dangerous and full of opportunists, such as spirifers and Eaters of the Dead.

Additionally, because the population of the Kingdom is, well, dead, supplies can be hard to come by. Instead, the markets here sell Petrichor, which may or may not be safe to consume. It is sweet and filling, but consuming it comes with a price. To eat Petrichor is to legally partake of the Sapphir'd King's hospitality; as such, one must leave him a gift in order to be allowed to leave.[5]

Geography[edit | edit source]

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Horologion is an enormous dial that serves as the timekeeping device of the Blue Kingdom. It is used to determine the time of Observances, which are mandatory for spirits of certain statuses.[6]

Locations[edit | edit source]

Leadership and Governance[edit | edit source]

"The Westernmost King – with His sword of sunlight – shields us from the lawless miseries of other quarters of the sky. Here, you have seen the heavens as they are meant to be." [7]

The Sapphir'd King and his daughter, The Arbiter of Fates, are protectors of the law that all things must end; those loyal to the Blue Kingdom consider it the quintessence of how the High Wilderness should be. Such sentiment, however, requires one to overlook the decaying ruins and the fact that the processing of the dead has all but ground to a halt.

The Status of a Soul[edit | edit source]

Some of the Logoi under the employ of the Sapphir'd King aid in the processes of bureaucracy, such as the powerful Pansekritis, while others patrol the Kingdom as enforcers. Each of these Logoi belongs to a certain Order, and they attack those they deem to be enemies. They determine this using a spirit's status.

The four statuses of the Blue Kingdom are:

  • Invisible: Not registered by the Kingdom's bookkeepers.[8] All Logoi attack Invisible souls on sight.
  • Antedeceased: Beings who are alive, but have registered their intent to one day perish.[9] The Antedeceased have limited access to the Blue Kingdom's services, but they must watch out for those who are keen on preserving the natural order.
  • Yoked: The Yoked are those that have pledged themselves as lowly servants of the Blue Kingdom.[10] They may be granted certain privileges, such as an audience with the Arbiter of Fates, but they are also compelled to perform strange and grueling tasks. They are also often being scrutinized by the Kingdom's enforcers, who ensure that "no one is overly seen or excessively heard."
  • Ephemera: Spirits who are legally considered dead, typically (but not always) having come to the Kingdom in the proper way (i.e. dying).[11] These beings are due for Death's Door, assuming they are deemed worthy of passing through... which can take a very long time.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ A Court Report, Sunless Skies [...]the recent doomed efforts at bureaucratic reform, which have inevitably made everything more complicated[...]
  2. ↑ The Porch of the House of Days, Sunless Skies A masked Rubbery spirit sits on the steps, holding an application tablet smeared in yellowish fluid: Application Denied, No Right of Appeal.
  3. ↑ Claim your right to an audience, Sunless Skies Your liver will be required as a deposit. You will get it back later.
  4. ↑ Submit your organs, Sunless Skies You've managed to provide enough material for an audit. They're sitting in wet, neatly-labelled paper bags on a nearby shelf.
  5. ↑ Indulge Yourself, Sunless Skies "If you eat too much petrichor, it can make it harder to leave the lands of the dead."
  6. ↑ , Approach Horologion Sunless Skies
  7. ↑ Enquire about the Rites of Departure, Sunless Skies
  8. ↑ Attempt the doorway, Sunless Skies "You must present yourself to the proper authorities and be given a Status in the Blue Kingdom."
  9. ↑ Ask the Official to formally declare you 'Antedeceased', Sunless Skies Antedeceased: confirming to the Blue Kingdom that you are, lamentably, alive.
  10. ↑ A Tithe of You, Sunless Skies Your blood will be the ink. [...]There. You are bound to service in the Blue Kingdom.
  11. ↑ Claim the Status of Ephemera, Sunless Skies Produce a witness to your death, and be recognised as Ephemera.
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