Population: 0
Populous: None
Trades: None
Planets: Alikarn
Type: Giant Sphere
This gigantic planet was once home to more than 65 billion people. In ancient times, it was the most advanced planet in the Known Realms. The surface of the planet has no major rivers, lakes or oceans. Any water flows in small streams or sits in small shallow lakes. There is enough water on the planet to support life of course, but no navigable water ways. Special elements in the air help keep the air comfortably humid and evenly disperses the water to where plants and animals may need it. Because of this, the Alikarns never developed sailing ships and therefore never developed Spelljamming either. Instead they focused on using special crystals for teleportation. These crystals can only be found on Alikarn. The entire planet was one huge city with the teleportal crystals creating doorways that connected the entire planet together. This was a good thing as even using a spelljammer to try and navigate from one side of the planet to the other could take days due to its size and lack of any truly discernable land marks.
Alikarn had advanced magics and technologies as well. When other races started flying through space they discovered Alikarn. The Alikarns welcomed the outsiders, but felt no need to go space exploring as their planet was estimated to be large enough to hold as many as 100 billion people. They traded with the new comers to their sphere and were responsible for quickly advancing the technology of space travelers as trade routes were set up. The Alikarns had a solid social structure of keeping trades in the family. Father would teach son, Mother would teach daughter. If a son did not want to follow in his father’s trade, he would set up an agreement with a close family member to teach the boy what he desired. Because of this, the Alikarns were not forthcoming with teaching their advanced magic and technologies to the new comers. Any knowledge that was learned before their fall was discovered through items that new comers traded for. Just before the Outsiders attacks, there was a document ready to be signed with many of the Elven and Human kings where Alikarns would take on apprentices from outside their families. Unfortunately, the attacks happened before any of the exchanges could occure. Almost all of the Alikarns advanced knowledge was lost.
When the Outsiders reached Alikarn, they decided that an attack on the planet would take to long (remember that they had not even found the Thrikreen yet.) Instead they kept their ships above the planet and released a gas into the atmosphere. It has been determined by scholars over the years that this gas was possibly meant to sort of lobotomize the population and make them simple mindless drones willing to do whatever they are told. However, the gas reacted with Alikarn’s unique elements and traces of chemicals in their atmosphere to become a poison that turned any who breathed the gas into a Zombie. The Outsiders seized this unique turn of events and used this gas later in the war. With the entire populace of Alikarn turned into Zombies and no longer considered a threat, the Outsiders moved on.
For at least a century, Alikarn was left alone by space farers. It was well known that there were riches and wondrous technologies to be had on the planet, but no one wanted to risk being attacked by billions of zombies to get any of it. The few that tried were often never heard from again. One being that succeeded was the Minovian Vyrsus. He had found ancient documents that described the Alikarns’ use of crystals for teleportation. He was determined to find another realm that according to Minovian lore existed at the end of the South East Phlogiston flow. These teleporting crystals seemed the ideal tool for this.
Vyrsus funded an exploration of Alikarn to find two paired crystals and proved that an entire spelljaming ship could safely pass through the vortex created from one to the other. Unfortunately there were some distance limitations with the process. Vyrsus set to exploring Alikarn and mining enough crystal to make a 14 gateway path between the realms. This came at an incredible cost of gold and lives. It is said that for every mine worker or explorer that went to Alikarn, at least six guards were needed. They were often killed defending their groups. Most expeditions returned with fewer than 50% of the people that set out on them. Eventually once mines were set in place, tough fences were erected around the work sites but by then thousands of workers had been killed or turned into zombies. Once the pathway was completed the mines were abandoned as they were determined too expensive and dangerous to keep up. It is jokingly said that considering the cost expended on the expeditions, a bridge could have been build between the realms for cheaper. Though many beings and even other Minovians doubted Vyrsus and persecuted hi mat the time, his honor was well redeemed when the New Realm was discovered.
Evidence shows that Alikarn is the origin sphere of the goddess sisters Aurassay and Norassay. St. Kael and his followers were instrumental in discovering their lost religion approximately 80 years ago and bringing the new religion to the Known Realm. It is still not known why the Sisters have so much power outside the spheres where other gods do not. They are certainly not the most powerful gods, but since they can grant spells and miracles while outside the spheres, they certainly are the most worshiped gods in the Realm. Nearly every priest worships the sisters in addition to any other gods he may follow. High Priests of the Sisters were the first to discover that the gods can not extend their powers in between the realms. Currently members of the religion are trying to mount an expedition to Alikarn to discover the exact true origins of their religion, but they are having trouble with funding and finding volunteers even among their most devoted followers.