The Courts of Chaos

Your character does not know this information unless Suhuy has told you otherwise.

Geography

At the centre of Chaos is the Abyss, popularly known as the Pit. Within the Abyss boils a maelstrom of Primal Chaos. The edges of the Abyss are not at all firm and permanent. They alter, fade and grow as they are blown by the storms of change that constantly arise from the Abyss. The stuff of Shadow is very weak here.

Occasionally pieces of Reality come flying out of the Abyss and land nearby. The larger pieces don't travel so far. These form the Rim. Shadow about these bits of Reality is more stable than anything else close to the Pit, so these places are prime real estate for the Houses of Chaos to base their Shadows on.

Random bits of Shadow are constantly blown away from the Abyss, collected up by the Reality sweeping past. Beyond the Rim, this Shadow flotsam collects together, merging to form the Mountains of Chaos. These are more like great heaps of Shadow debris than of rock.

Even the well-known routes through the Mountains are wierd journeys through wildly differing segments of Shadow. Occasionally the routes are blocked, and new ones must be searched out. Rarely, an experienced Noble of Chaos is dispatched to clear the blockage.

Over the top of the Abyss floats a great city, the Courts of Chaos. Its size is constant, but it usually covers no more than a fifth of the boiling surface of the Pit.

Sociology

The majority of the populace are commonly called demons. This term has two meanings.

Physically, a demon, while a shapechanger, has only a few, stable forms that they can shift between, and new forms cannot be learned.

Socially, the term implies something like 'peasant'. Thus some people might be called demons when in fact they are full shapechangers.

The second largest group are the Nobles. Again, the term has two meanings.

Physically, these are full shapechangers, capable of both altering the form they currently enjoy, and of learning new forms to change into.

Socially, the term refers to those who can walk the Logrus, the rulers of Chaos.

There are thus sections of the population that could be called by either term, depending on the meaning.

Politics

Chaos is ruled by the Houses of Chaos, families who have occupied pieces of Reality in the Rim. Since there is an ancient tradition that no family can occupy more than one piece, whenever a new bit of Reality escapes the Abyss there is a flurry of political, magical and military activity to decide who gets to become the new House of Chaos.

Five of the Houses of Chaos, occupying the biggest and the oldest pieces of reality, are Great Houses. (All the others are Minor, of course). The five Great Houses are Swayvill, Sawall, Chanicut, Jesby and Amblerash.

House Swayvill rules Chaos at this time, but the Emperor is sick and not expected to live for many more years. Politicking and intrigue grows over the succession, as there are many possible heirs.

Usually the Ruling Council, a body composed of the leaders, heirs and advisors of all the Great Houses, plays only an advisory role in politics. The Emperor decides what he wants and the Council applauds.

But since the Emperor is sick and cannot attend Council sessions, things must nowadays be decided by the ancient and almost forgotten practice of voting.

Consequently high policy in the Courts of Chaos has been somewhat wayward over the last few decades.

Saturday, January 24, 1998
Suhuy

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