As such, all of its locations correspond to my home of Yorkshire, but scaled up 36x (since the Battle Beasts are 2" tall action figures, 2" = 6') though the vertical scale isn't so great - I'd have mountains far taller than Everest otherwise. The description of Rhanukhan's world, Sargvilosahnah, being composed of two major landmasses and sundry smaller islands is an indication that its outlines are the British Isles, similarly upscaled.

If you look up any maps of Yorkshire, you'll recognise the outlines. Rhanukhan's provincial borders are close, though not always identical to the county's wapentakes (a type of smaller administrative division in days of yore) - some of them had to be moved slightly because towns that I'd long ago assigned as provincial capitals happen to be in the same wapentake. Some of them aren't even notable towns, simply places I've visited during my life and thus of some personal significance, e.g. Benbhallan Kaglakh corresponds to a country house, Beningbrough Hall, that I ride my bike out to on occasion. Place names are either based in some way on the actual corresponding place name or reference something from those childhood games. The provinces of Ghattoria and Kanghari, were founded by the Alligator and Kangaroo Battle Beasts, for example - obviously their names have a different origin in NS Rhanukhan. ;)

The three sub-unions match the three historic Ridings, naturally, while the Rhullan territory corresponds to locations in the north of Wales (childhood holidays being referenced again - Rhulla gets its name from the Welsh seaside town of Rhyl).

The road network is essentially identical to the actual roads of the county with the major modern motorways removed and the main inter-province network merely being assigned to roads that connect the towns I'd chosen as provincial capitals, regardless of how important a thoroughfare they are in life.

The MagLev XRT map is based on the local rail network at its greatest extent, before many lines were closed down in the 1960s, with a couple of extra routes added by myself to once again ensure connections to places I'd given provincial capital status (e.g. there has never been a railway connection to the seaside town of Skipsea, where I remember my earliest holiday aged 3, otherwise known as Khibsi Kaglakh on the map).

I'm sure that the factbooks will never be full - there's a lot of history still to add, plus the ongoing story of our spin-off, Lehpuhrta, created by the regional roleplay event of The Worlds War back in 2008.

The world of Sargvilosahnah is near twice the size of your Earth, and comprises two major landmasses along with innumerable smaller islands surrounded by the great Shramortoghmuli Ocean. The largest landmass, Nerkhvatsukhia, is itself divided into three continents: Nevitsroghan, Spitektrihan, and Rhulla, while separated from Nerkhvatsukhia by the smaller Eruhani Ocean is the island continent of Eruhan. Rhanukhan itself is located in north-eastern Nevitsroghan, with some remote territory in northern Rhulla.

Gantsamvleli - north of Rhanukhan, across the River Tehsi - An enemy in medieval times who sought the conquest of our fine nation, relations are much more cordial today.
Ahlituania (Leetuania) - north of Gantsamvleli, renowned as the home of the game of cricket.
Brindjivashteli (Hirota) - to the west of Ahlituania and also Gantsamvleli. It has become curiously insular and uncommunicative since the Symyano invasion.
Mahdkhesthan (Mad chester) - west of Rhanukhan, across the Pyhnanni Mountains. Relations remain somewhat strained even now, over a century after the Rhanukhani Dominus, Anthony II was assassinated during a state visit to the Mahdkhesthani capital.
Ahzekhteesi (Asxtc) - south of Mahdkhesthan, between Rhanukhan and its territory in northern Rhulla. We were at war with them a couple of centuries ago. Relations are far more amicable these days, not least because it benefits Rhanukhan to have a direct access route to its Rhullan provinces.
Mahmalohan (Atraxes) - east of Ahzekhteesi and south of Rhanukhan. Source of some of the finest marble on Sargvilosahnah.
The Empire of Nerrekhvasukhan (Britains empire) - largely destroyed by the impact of the Banana in 2008 - remnants of it are now incorporated into Rhanukhan's Rhullan territory.
Nohvrakishnaplermta (New drakensberg range) - mountainous country in Rhulla, bordering Rhanukhan’s Rhullan territory. It suffered badly during the Worlds War, when it turned out that the country's leader was one of the alien Symyano infiltrators. Rhanukhan's assistance in the rebuilding has forged a strong alliance.
Zlioristvamertivi (Mighty tim) - south-east of Rhanukhan, on the southern side of the Hesslian Gulf. A historic treaty between our two nations divided the Shramortoghmuli Ocean between us, with Rhanukhan controlling the north and Zlioristvamertivi the south. This required the Rhanukhanis to discover a new northern route to the Lehon Islands in order to gain direct access to the exotic resources available there. Frederick Manganite's expedition ultimately led to the first circumnavigation of Sargvilosahnah.
Rutzatilhan (Rutzatil) - a tiny landlocked nation, south of Zlioristvamertivi, regarded as somewhat parochial by other nations.
Samravhkhent (Southern kent) - far in the south, beyond the Tahmessi Sea. Their intelligence service's role in the assassination of Anthony II has never been forgiven.
Gamiatianekan Idiokrahtia (United idiocracy) - west of Samravhkhent. Relations have historically been poor.
Yakhaltasardalezna (Youngtung) - north of Gamiatianekan Idiokrahtia - renowned as an oppressive and isolationist regime.
Mianertograditojikayhan (Disposablepuppetland) - far in the south, west of Gamiatianekan Idiokrahtia. From 1853-1856AU, Rhanukhan took part in the Southern War, allied with Mianertograditojikayhan in the fight against Gamiatianekan Idiokrahtia, participating in the naval battles of the Tahmessi Sea and the Uidershinsi Straits - a strong alliance that has held true to the present day.
Yerkinisjardul (Irongaard) - a notoriously militant nation, west of Mianertograditojikayhan.
Yihan (Self-emptying dog) - an intensely industrial and built-up nation. There is little greenery to be found here and the sea is a foul, polluted sludge. Located to the west of Yerkinisjardul.
The Niahvogalese Federation (Nivogal) - destroyed in 2008 seemingly as a result of a disastrous flaw in their extensive nuclear arsenal. Relations were historically frosty. Formerly located in south-east Eruhan, Rhanukhan inherited its two island territories in the Eruhani Ocean. The island of Lehpuhrta has its own extraordinary story. A separatist movement named the Neue Nivogalese Volksarmee seeks to secede the island of Currakhan from Rhanukhani control and establish a remnant sovereign Niahvogalese nation.
Apstambokhsakhtun - named Rebelbhaile by its inhabitants and located in the south of Eruhan. His Resplendence, the Supreme Chairman's family can trace its ancestry back to this country and thus modern relations are extremely good.
Xenikhan (Xenigon) - north of Veletarna, in western Eruhan. Those two nations enjoy a famously strong relationship.
Veletarna (Ithania) - located in western Eruhan, surprisingly little is known about this enigmatic nation, though occasional friendly communications pass between our leaders.
Pemerktichotkhi (P-17) - south of Veletarna. Relations are good - both nations are among the members of the Khigastujami Alliance.
Vizkhaya (Zapatista) - a chain of volcanic islands off the western coast of Pemerktichotkhi. A nation that enjoys a surprising amount of political power on the international stage for so small and remote a location.
Glerica (Glerica) - located in northwest Eruhan. Relations are good - both nations are among the members of the Khigastujami Alliance.
Samravheria (Southern irish) - south of Glerica. This country was annexed by the Glericans towards the end of the Worlds War and remains occupied to this day.

Other named, though barely fleshed-out, locations include:
Kambrajhan - the modern nation in the heartlands of the ancient Pretakhoni Empire, south of Zlioristvamertivi.
Tergimra - an archipelago in the Shramortoghmuli Ocean off the coast of Ahlituania. Despite its close proximity to that nation, it is actually an overseas territory of Pemerktichotkhi - itself half the world away across the Shramortoghmuli Ocean.
Tsovodshungoma - an archipelago in the Shramortoghmuli Ocean, discovered by the Manganite Expedition as it navigated the uncharted northern coast of Spitektrihan.
Khatuhan - a frozen archipelago in the Shramortoghmuli Ocean, the northernmost land on Sargvilosahnah, out beyond Tsovodshungoma.
Dhumnia and Dzikhenukhan - two neighbouring archipelagos off the western coast of Spitektrihan, to the north of the Strait of Manganite - the northern entrance to the Eruhani ocean.
Lermta - an island nation in the Eruhani Ocean between Eruhan and Rhulla.
Mhutaleria - another sizable island in the Eruhani Ocean, close to Rhanukhan's Rhullan territory.
Lehon Islands - an archipelago far to the south-west. A source of numerous valuable, rare, and exotic resources, making it a desirable, if difficult to reach, destination. The original goal of the Manganite Expedition was to discover a new route to them.
Bazqophan (West-side) - an island in the far south - an offshore territory of Mianertograditojikayhan.

IC - Those Ahztlarhani refugees who, fleeing the inundation of their ancient home, became the ancient Rhanukhii tribe frequently encountered the Burrowing Octopus in their new home in the Central Rhanukhani Plains and were impressed with the creature's obvious intelligence and industrious nature - it wasn't long before they adopted it as the totem of their new tribe. It has remained well loved by the people of Rhanukhan all down the millennia since.

The whole idea of land-based cephalopods came about by chance. In the early days the game described my national animal, the Burrowing Octopus, as "frolicking in the nation's rainforests", which reminded me of a mockumentary called "The Future is Wild" I'd seen in the past. It features speculative evolution spread over millions of years, including various species of squid that have emerged from the sea. I decided that it was the sort of thing that would make me a little more unique so I simply decided to roll with it.

It's some Rhanukhani text over a stylised portrayal of one of our cities. The retro vaporwave styling and the text being rendered similar to the logos of '80s toylines is a nod to Rhanukhan's ultimate origins being a part of my childhood games back in those days.

To interpret the text, you could spend some time playing around with my alphabet and glossary factbooks (and doubtless there are some players out there who delight in encountering such little challenges), but I'll save you the trouble since it's nothing too extraordinary. The text reads, "Vor Ermiatianakan Govartsiana idan Rhanukhan", which translates as "The Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan".

Essentially, "We work hard in order to have the things that bring us joy." - merely a little more poetic, as befits a motto.

IC: the flag references an ancient and well-loved myth, with the design originally chosen to inspire the people during a period of war. The full story is detailed here -

The Origin of the Rhanukhani State Banner: The Legend of Meortarik and Selkhi

by The Unified Provinces of Rhanukhan

Popularly known as "Vor Ryskhlun dav Ronjao" ("The Blood and Bronze") by the citizens of Rhanukhan, the State Banner has proudly flown over the country since the reign of Domina Joan "the Bloody", who established the Khunate Dynasty in the year 920AU, though its origins lie much farther back in the past, before the beginnings of the Unification itself.

Ascending to the throne during the century of conflict with the warlords of Nohvala, Joan sought a symbol that would inspire the Rhanukhani people in this age of strife. When it came to choosing the heraldry for her new dynasty, Joan turned to her own legendary ancestors, Meortarik and Selkhi.

Long before the Pretakhoni Empire spread into the Holodlhessi Lowlands, inspiring Stephannos of the Rhanukhii to forge the alliances that would ultimately lead to the modern Unified Provinces, the Central Rhanukhani Plains were home to a number of disparate tribes. One such tribe was named the Khuna - a fearsome people who worshipped the war god, Bruspanah the Unyielding, and famed for their martial prowess. At one time, their chieftain was Meortarik, a warrior of great renown (indeed, his very name is now the modern Rhanukhani word for "warrior").

As was often the way, the Khuna were at war, this time with a tribe from the north, in the region of modern Benbhallan, who sought to take over the Khuna territory.

Wielding a mighty two-handed sword, Meortarik would always fight in the traditional Khunate manner, unarmoured (alike Bruspanah himself), only ever advancing, with his loyal burrowing octopus, Havertgurlim, at his feet and his beloved wife, Selkhi, protecting his back with his great bronze shield.

Relief sculpture depicting Meortarik, Selkhi and Havertgurlim, discovered in temple ruins in Khun province. Estimated to date from c. 850BU, the story of Meortarik and Selkhi was likely already centuries old at the time of carving.

The Khuna fought valiantly, as ever, but the Benbhallani had the superior numbers and had slowly forced their way further and further down the Khunate River. It was at the height of the final battle on the Golden Field, at the very heart of the Khuna lands, that Meortarik would meet his doom.

The overwhelming numbers meant nothing to Meortarik - he stepped forward, slaying enemies with every swing of his mighty two-handed sword, Selkhi nimbly blocking any incoming attacks, while Havertgurlim distracted and disabled foes with the coils of his many arms. They fought flawlessly as one, as unyielding as Bruspanah himself.

It was only when a slinger's rock knocked Selkhi off her feet that Meortarik realised how far into the enemy lines he'd advanced. A Benbhallani fighter seized this opportunity, lunging forward with his spear. Parrying this attack with his sword, Meortarik had left himself open to a second thrusting spear in the hands of Atzulida - a great champion of the Benbhallani. Without Selkhi there to block the strike with his shield, he had no hope of avoiding the blow...

Instead, Havertgurlim sprang! Protecting his master by lashing his eight arms around Atzulida's spear, deflecting the killing blow into his own body. Enraged by the loss of this most loyal companion, Meortarik plunged his sword into the surprised Atzulida's chest, slaying him instantly. Alas, in his mighty rage, he had thrust too strongly. Bruspanah is a harsh and fickle god, any fault is punished swiftly and, in the moments it took Meortarik to pull his blade free again, a third Benbhallani spear found its mark. Selkhi regained her feet only in time to see her beloved husband fall.

Selkhi was of the Khuna, a daughter of warriors, and grief would come later - in this moment there could only be vengeance. Several of her fellow Khuna had reached their fallen chief's position by now and were forcing the Benbhallani back. With her bare hands, she mixed Meortarik's red blood with the blue blood of Havertgurlim, that they would be ever united by her side in battle, and streaked it across her fallen husband’s bronze shield. Hoisting this new totem aloft, she declared to the Khuna warriors that, though her husband’s body may have fallen, his spirit was still aflame with the righteous desire to vanquish their foes and, should theirs be likewise afire, then now was the time to follow their mighty chieftain in one final charge. She didn’t even wait for their response, simply turning and madly rushing the enemy, the bloody shield, blazing in the light of the setting sun, held before her. By the time she reached their lines, every one of her fellow Khuna warriors was by her side, weapons flashing, hollering vengeance for Meortarik. In spite of their superior numbers, the Benbhallani crumpled under this renewed assault - by nightfall they were either slain or fleeing back up the river to their own land.

If not Bruspanah, then perhaps his mother, Ahnah herself, must have been well-pleased with the outcome of events. If you look up into the night sky you'll see the constellation known as "Three Triumphant" representing a warrior, his wife, and their burrowing octopus, ensuring that none will forget these legendary champions of old.

As with many tales from the Age of Myth, it is impossible to discern the historicity of the account, but the story is well-loved and has survived for centuries, passed down orally through generations before entering the written record.

Leading the country in a war herself, Domina Joan naturally saw the value of associating herself with such a legendary figure as Selkhi and thus chose the colours purple, representing the mixed blood of Meortarik and Havertgurlim, and orange, representing the bronze of the shield, for her heraldry. The octopus had been a totem of the ancient Rhanukhii tribe since their arrival millennia ago in the lands that still bear their name today and has long been widely beloved of the Rhanukhani people - it was the obvious choice for the banner’s central charge.

Sadly, Domina Joan didn’t live to see the end of the war - her son, Dominus William I "the Peacebringer" being the one to negotiate Nohvala’s surrender and the northern lands’ entry into the Unified Provinces - but she was well remembered by later Rhanukhanis and her banner flies to this day all across the nation.

Read factbook

OOC: The colours, orange and purple, are a combo I've used on many projects in the past, including my own logo when I occasionally carry out freelance graphic design work. I naturally had to justify their use on the Rhanukhani flag with some backstory. I forget the original real world story, but the concept of somebody's coat-of-arms being created by a person streaking blood across a plain banner came from a genuine historic account I read somewhere once. Since I have land-dwelling octopuses everywhere and they famously have blue blood, the mix of blue and red would provide the purple, while replacing the banner with a bronze shield explained the orange - it was little effort to come up with a suitable tale of inspiring heroism that incorporated such an incident. The field of North Korea's flag is conveniently divided horizontally in the manner I needed, so I simply plundered that for proportions and added my octopus charge to the centre.

Rhanukhani surnames take two forms. Ancient names dating back beyond medieval days are always based on minerals (characters such as Constantine Malachite or Dwight Alabaster represent these) while more modern names are all household fittings, furniture or other objects (I'm fairly lazy and thought it would be funny). Check out the Dramatis Personae for more examples.

With mine, if they were existing human characters revealed as Symyano infiltrators then the names would usually have some similarity:
Constantine Malachite/Chonmiklatt or Allistair Ballustrade/Alrabustt, for example

Other characters might have names relating to their role:
Eefanhuntt/Ethan Hunt or Dublosevann/007 (James Bond) for special operatives
Duglasbahderr/Douglas Bader - an ace pilot named for a famous WWII ace pilot
Thebigboss/The Big Boss - the Symyano supreme leader and naturally the final villain of the event

As the Symyano are a race of chimp-like aliens, some are named for famous monkeys:
Boohubalss/Bubbles - Michael Jackson's pet
Coohudalss/Cuddles - a popular TV monkey puppet from my childhood

Others still were simply silly puns with no deep meaning:
Jamdoanutt/Jam Doughnut
Toizaruss/Toys 'R' Us

The only other running joke with them was that all their spaceships had names based on the titles of songs by The Monkees ;)

The devolved powers of the provinces are remarkable, down to them all maintaining their own armies, navies and air fleets, where appropriate. The Rhanukhani military command structure is highly mutable, however, and these can be fluidly mobilised into greater combined forces in the face of major threats.

Due to the events of the Worlds War, our military technology is now somewhat more advanced than that seen in the real-word. For instance, the FS41 "Starhawk" fighter developed by Rhanukhan AeroTech – a subsidiary of Malachite Evolving Enterprises. A swift and manoeuvrable single-seat fighter/reconnaissance vehicle in the shape of a dodecahedron, developed as a result of research into the exotic element, Bananætherium, which was once extensively mined on the island of Lehpuhrta. Bananætherium’s unusual gravity manipulating properties mean that the "Starhawk" fighter doesn’t employ conventional jet technology, but instead levitates and manoeuvres via its own personal gravity field, manipulated by the pilot. This offers unprecedented manoeuvrability of a kind that would kill any ordinary human, which has required the Provincial Air Fleets to either employ specially developed GBI-1 or GBI-2 crewmen, or allow a sentient AI program to control the vehicle in an empty state. It can, if needed, employ its gravity manipulation ability to bend light around itself, becoming invisible to the naked eye.

Other GBI-2's live in secret among the general population (some of them, like RSNN's Sophie Futon, are actually quite famous - it would doubtless be quite the scandal if they were discovered) - the government is not pleased with the notion of such powerful individuals being at large with unknown motives and allegiances. David Anvil's GBI-2 status is known (he was a prominent hero during the war), but the fact that he's The Artisan is not - he's not a member of the Workers' Champions because he provides a greater service to the nation by running Malachite Evolving Enterprises. The "successful business magnate who is secretly a costumed vigilante" makes him Rhanukhan's equivalent of Batman, I suppose.

Perhaps a little hypocritically, His Resplendence, the Supreme Chairman, has himself secretly undergone the GBI-2 process (way back in 2009). I daresay that something will happen one day that causes this to be revealed to the public - I wonder how it will go down? Given that GeneTech is a part of Malachite Evolving Enterprises, David Anvil is privy to this information, so it will likely provide him some leverage if the discovery of his double life causes trouble.

Although Doctor Peter Wallclock/"Bruce Spanner"/AltSoldier - an all too obvious parody of The Hulk - disappeared with Lehpuhrta, the AltSoldier project remains an ongoing concern, so we may have a new example of the type one day.

The original GeneTech Banana Infantrymen - Type 1 (GBI-1s) are a parody of "Rogue Trooper" from the 2000AD comic (home of Judge Dredd, who inspired Rhanukhan's Provincial Law Enforcers and their concept of immediate justice) - with all the above spin-off characters, I clearly got a fair bit of mileage out of that particular storyline. And to think that it all started as a rather nebulous "zombie outbreak" type plot that I introduced simply to try and get a stalled RP thread moving again...

Our new Symyano citizens have largely redeemed themselves in the eyes of Rhanukhani society, through their role in the defeat of their own Highmaster and ending the invasion, and also their impressive efforts towards helping rebuild the nation. The nation's first Symyano provincial governor (assuming that you don't believe the conspiracy theories that Governor Constantine Malachite of Lehpuhrta & Currakhan was actually the traitorous Symyano infiltrator, Chonmiklatt), Ahnapperett of Drahvala, was voted into her position just last year. Naturally there will always be a certain element of the population that hates them, either as a result of events during the Worlds War or simply because they aren't human, but Rhanukhan's long history as a cosmopolitan mix of varied peoples from a wide area has generally made its inhabitants very accepting of difference. In return, a lot of the Symyano have had to work against their cultural indoctrination. The Symyano Hegemony historically regarded itself as greatly superior to the races it dominated (the new Highmaster on Symyan'zu is working to reform this), and former Symyano soldiers who now live on Sargvilosahnah have spent the years striving to overcome their natural feeling that the resident humans are "inferior creatures". Their ongoing work to help rebuild the nations that they once visited ruin upon has generally taught them a little humility and gone a long way to erasing their past attitudes.

Our inorganic citizens are known to be subject to intolerance from those who dismiss them as mere machines and refuse to acknowledge them as truly alive, but since the government recognises them as such, they enjoy the same legal protections as anybody else.

GeneTech Banana Infantrymen - Type 1 (GBI-1s) are rarely encountered by people outside the military and regarded only as semi-sentient tools.

The GBI-2s present an interesting paradox. It's all but impossible to know who might be one. Can such secretive individuals be trusted?

GBI-2 operatives, created as part of Constantine Malachite's schemes during the Worlds War, who have since come forward to offer their services to the Rhanukhani government have been formed into a special unit dubbed The Workers' Champions. Their enhanced abilities have plenty of applications, and their uniforms themed after the flag make them ideal propaganda icons.

Other GBI-2's live in secret among the general population (some of them, like Rhanukhan State News Network's Sophie Futon, are actually quite famous - it would doubtless be quite the scandal if they were discovered) - the government is not pleased with the notion of such powerful individuals being at large with unknown motives and allegiances. David Anvil's GBI-2 status is known (he was a prominent hero during the war), but the fact that he's the secretive costumed vigilante, The Artisan, is not - he's not a member of the Workers' Champions because he provides a greater service to the nation by running Malachite Evolving Enterprises. The hand of The Artisan reaches where the long arm of the law cannot and brings justice to those who might otherwise avoid it, making him popular with the general citizenry, even if the authorities have reason to disapprove of him. 

Perhaps a little hypocritically, His Resplendence, the Supreme Chairman, has himself secretly undergone the GBI-2 process (way back in 2009). I daresay that something will happen one day that causes this to be revealed to the public - I wonder how it will go down? Given that GeneTech is a part of Malachite Evolving Enterprises, David Anvil is privy to this information, so it will likely provide him some leverage if the discovery of his own double life causes trouble.

The Altered don't officially exist and have become little more than an urban legend. There are those cryptid hunters who would be excited to find one (though probably not for long if the stories of their monstrous strength and violence are any guide), those who believe in them and fear them, and the vast majority who doubt their existence, thus having little opinion regarding them.

Although Doctor Peter Wallclock/"Bruce Spanner"/AltSoldier disappeared with Lehpuhrta, the AltSoldier project remains an ongoing concern, so we may have a new example of the type one day. The public generally reacted with terror to the original - who can say what the future will hold?

The Imbradzuni Kaghamarukhii are our "Bigfoot" - you'll see how much of an obvious parody they are by the picture in the population illustrated guide. I originally invented them simply for a post in a "Cryptids in your Nation" thread somebody started once and then later expanded on the concept for my factbooks. Will their existence ever be confirmed? Will they join society? If they really have been abducting children for centuries there would certainly be issues. Even if they haven't, but enough people believe the folklore there'd be trouble. There's potential for an interesting story there some day.

I wasn't aware of Caer Sidi until I happened to receive a recruitment telegram from them when setting up a new puppet a year or so ago. They sounded like a fun bunch, alike England in days of yore, so I moved a spare puppet there to watch them for a few weeks and was pleased with what I saw.

I had initially located Rhanukhan's daughter nation - The Flying Island of Lehpuhrta - there, since its unusual nature makes it better suited to interacting with their world in roleplay (the island travels between worlds, helping establish new civilizations - its inhabitants and advanced technology can easily be passed off as godlike beings with supernatural powers in such settings), but when I decided to pull Rhanukhan out of England there was really only one place to keep it (even if it won't be directly joining their RP).

Lehpuhrta hasn't joined any roleplay in CS yet, but I did drop its arrival on the RMB when I moved in...

The night is still and silent. Moonless, cloudless. The cold light of a billion distant stars reflects from the ocean's mirrored surface as it has every night since time immemorial... but hark!

It begins... with a rumble, like distant thunder...

A faint point of purple light appears high over the waters. There is a fizz, a crackle. The glow grows brighter. A bolt of purple lightning arcs down towards the ocean's surface. It is but the first of many.

Gaining strength and brightness, the nebulous glowing mass of energy increases, casting its lightning in all directions. The sea below begins to roil, reflecting the unnatural purple light, as columns of steam erupt from the strike of every powerful bolt.

A wind arises, the air seemingly fleeing with a tortured howl to all points of the compass from the expanding, blazing cloud.

As the radiant mantle reaches its greatest extent - over a hundred miles across now - a shadow becomes apparent at its heart. Mass begins to take shape within the billowing brilliance.

The purple light fades, revealing an impossible object, vast and circular, suspended in the air. An ethereal yellow lustre shines across its rough underside, like inverted mountains fashioned from molten amber. The final forks of lightning tumble from the rim.

A sound - felt as much as heard, like the clarion call of a million monstrous trumpets - rings out, sending a widening halo of waves racing away across the ocean's surface towards the horizon in all directions.

Every acre of the upper surface is covered with beautiful domed buildings and towering minarets. None stand prouder than the glorious palace at the very centre. The many windows, illuminated with an abundance of scintillating lights of all colours, glitter like the treasures of a god. Merry music echoes from every corner and drifts out across the recovering sea. Like radiant roads of heaven, great beams of white light lance out from multiple buildings, probing the night sky left and right, showing all to be clear. A mighty cheer rises from the jubilant crowds thronging the avenues and alleyways, parks and gardens, open plazas and marketplaces across the island. They have achieved the impossible once again. As with every time before, the voyage has concluded successfully...

Lehpuhrta - the Land Beyond the Clouds - found in the myths of the earliest cultures of innumerable worlds, has arrived in Caer Sidi!

When first introduced in the regional roleplay of England it was a regular island, but I planned to transform it into its more exotic present state from the start and chose the name as a bit of foreshadowing (it had been named The Isle of Tantrum prior to Rhanukhan taking possession of it). I don't know if any of the other players guessed what was coming.

The Symyan character, Kyookumbarr's name is also a reference to Laputa (you may recall the Laputan scientist's experiments involving cucumbers in the book if you've read it), serving as a really oblique hint regarding his relationship to Lehpuhrta's governor, Constantine Malachite/Chonmiklatt. I doubt that anybody spotted that one though - it was pretty arcane.

Not currently a matter of record anywhere is the fact that there is still a Stargate-esque link between Rhanukhan and Lehpuhrta, but only an ancient secret society of scholar-priests is aware of it at the Rhanukhan end and even to them it has evolved into something of a simple religious icon rather than an actual functioning device over the ages. It has never been activated and the instructions for doing so are now hidden as metaphors in their rituals. I expect to write another storyline with my famed adventure archaeologist discovering it some day.

My first ever puppet was "The Theocracy of the Magic 8-Ball" in which I did allow all issues to be resolved by the decisions of such a device. 'twas a fun experiment and is remembered in Rhanukhan's factbooks on the list of provinces thusly:-

Okhtis - Most famous for its time as a grand social experiment in which a leading group of scientists ran the province based solely on the decisions of a magic 8-ball. The surprising success of the temporary nation swiftly led to the experiment being quietly shut down before Rhanukhani citizens got any ideas about a better form of government.

Another was an attempt to render Edgar Rice Burroughs' Hollow Earth setting of Pellucidar in the game (and the boneyard revealed that I wasn't the first to come up with that idea), though I grew bored with it after a while. The factbooks remain accessible though.

The poem reads thusly:-

Yarasbokdes penda mehna hanenvelba duk. Yarasbokdes penda duk unkves vaiy idan mehna.
Itsqisi dukan kokhmyr mehna penda vorach gakhtshela, vartsoch duk mrizhorvelba.
Yarasbokdes penda mehna kaneleba duk latirsinili. Ivitnal duk imhem ahniyai mehna spanahelneba.
Kihtsruk, yarasbokdes itsqisi imhem peran penda tadintselba, vartsoch machezirr duk negasatyun.

...and translates to...

Ne’er shall I surrender thee. Ne’er shalt hath thou woe of me.
From thy side I shall not flee, nor thee abandon.
Ne’er shall I make thee weep. Know’st thou my farewells I keep.
Falsehood, ne’er from my mouth shall seep, nor cause thee tribulation.

If you adjust that from Early Modern English to Modern English it becomes the chorus for "Never Gonna Give You Up" - shamelessly Rickrolling anybody who put in the effort (for I am such a wag - hoho!), but also a reference to a piece of trivia relating to Rhanukhan's national anthem.