Altered Lore

Katkera

3 min read

Katkera

Overview

The Katkera is the vast forested expanse covering the sacred peninsula of Kirighai. It serves as the primary sanctuary and spiritual home of the Muna faction, protected under a pact with Kaibara, the Leviathan of the peninsula.

Geography and Appearance

From its rugged shores to the heart of its primeval forest, everything appears harsh and inhospitable at first glance. However, the Katkera is teeming with unsuspected treasures, revealing themselves only to those who know where to look.

The forest consists of:

  • A maze of shaded undergrowth
  • Rocky chaos formations
  • Natural pools with crystal-clear water
  • Dense vegetation marked by the winds of the ancient Tumult

Biodiversity

The Katkera’s biodiversity is incredibly rich and flourishing. Its panoramas, far from human influence and strongly marked by the winds of the ancient Tumult, are imbued with wild beauty.

One can encounter:

  • Bears and majestic deer
  • Mischievous elementals
  • Diverse tree species: maples, pines, oaks, and gigantic sequoias
  • Countless other species living in harmony

The trees constantly emit a fluffy pollen that falls like snow, adding to the otherworldly atmosphere.

Sacred Status

The Katkera is a sanctuary, a nature reserve where humans rarely have the right to stay. This is the subject of the pact sealed between humanity and Kaibara. The Leviathan provides support in exchange for the promise that the island of Kirighai would remain inviolate.

Muna Presence

Within the Katkera, the Muna have established:

The Muna do not recognize a true Bastion for themselves, preferring to see Nature as an infinite and borderless home. The Refuges serve as their interface with the rest of the Asgarthan populations—embassies lost within lush nature that allow the Muna to converse with other Factions and for the creatures of Nature to dialogue with humans.

Pilgrimage Site

The Katkera serves as the location for the Nine-Stage Pilgrimage, the initiatory journey that aspirants must undertake to join the Muna. The circuit connecting all nine Refuges takes days to complete, winding through the wilderness of the sacred forest.

Natural Reserve Model

Proposed Model for Caer Nilam - 393 AC

In May 393 AC, Muna envoys advocated for Storvhit region to be turned into natural reserve like Katkera rather than developed as province. Muna proposed Katkera’s sanctuary model as template for protecting Storvhit’s unique ecosystem, Winter Folk, and Belisenki populations. Despite Muna advocacy, Temera Singh decided to grant temporary governance to Ordis supported by Yzmir instead, balancing conservation concerns with territorial development priorities.

Connection to the Skein

The Katkera is deeply connected to The Skein, the Mana network that connects all living things. At its heart, The Spindle serves as a pulsating node where the dendrites of the Mana network gather, making this forest the literal heart of the ecosystem where all beings living there are connected.

Relationships

  • Kirighai: Peninsula containing Katkera forest
  • Kaibara: Leviathan protecting Katkera under pact with humanity
  • Muna: Faction maintaining sanctuaries and spiritual sites within Katkera
  • The Spindle: World tree at heart of Katkera serving as Skein nexus
  • The Refuges: Nine elemental sanctuaries within Katkera
  • Bark Refuge: Most sacred sanctuary within The Spindle
  • Storvhit: Region Muna advocated protecting using Katkera natural reserve model (393 AC)
  • Caer Nilam: Proposed province Muna wanted modeled after Katkera sanctuary (393 AC)
  • Temera Singh: Grand Admiral who rejected natural reserve model for Storvhit (May 15, 393 AC)

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