Planetary Aspects of Manitou

Manitou has two major landmasses and several small islands of note. The planet as a whole seems to be a nexus for weirdness and the occult, and some wonder if this has to do with the Vau presence on the planet. The humans in control of Manitou call themselve "the Veiled Council," and rightly so - for to date few have met with this shady group, and those who have don't speak of it much. The Veiled Council uses special psychic police called "Monitors" to patrol the cities, though not all of their Monitors are psychics - this keeps most of the members honest in their duties. Even though the world is a haven for criminals (because the inquisition is not allowed in the system), the Monitors do an amazingly good job of keeping crime to a minimum in the cities they control, though this may be more out of fear of the Monitors than their competence.

The largest landmass is Kelhri'i, which is largely controlled by the Vau, though they do allow humans to inhabit the Ambal'a penninsula, which is mostly full of criminals and weirdos - more than a few odd Vau-worshipping cults are rumored to be here, as well as an ancient cult of Sathraists. The only major city in Ambal'a is Sirru, which is where it seems all of the really bad criminals go. The Veiled Council claims no ownership of this city, though they do often send the Monitors to do sweeps for dangerous psychics and Antinomists. The rest of Kelhri'i is largely unexplored, as the Vau do not allow humans to enter it, though there have been reports of strange Vau cities floating high above the ground, strange balls of floating balls of light, and ancient petrified human cities complete with human statues. The Vau have at least one city which can be seen from orbit - Valdynne-Aposh, and while others are known to exist, though, for some reason, they cannot be seen from orbit.

The other continent of note is Chansook, an all-human controlled mass which separates the Tsun-Tsun Ocean and the Maropin Sea. The planetary capitol, Vayhaas, is home to Spirit Prime (the Agora), the Parthenon of St. Maya, and the main spaceport as well. The Veiled Council rules from their high spire located at the center of the city, which is often bustling with activity even during the night. While the planet's administrative, religious, and economic center may be Vayhaas, the city of Hartford is a mecca for weirdness. Sometimes known as "little Pentatuech" because of the strange events which occur here, Hartford is a haven for psychics, aliens, and Engineers dealing in proscribed technology.

In the Maropin Sea is a small island with a giant rock spire in the center of it. Known as Stargazer Isle, it is here that the Eskatonics on Manitou have built their monastery to study strange occult phenomena, as well as peek into the ways of the Vau. As the planet is off-limits to the Inquisition, the Eskatonics here are often considered the most liberal with their studies, yet, since the Eskatonic Sanhedrin are NOT barred from entering the system, they still roughly abide by Eskatonic and Orthodox doctrine.

The monastery itself is set up in quite a unique fashion - the lower portion of the island holds the living quarters, eating areas, exercise zones, ship docks, and a very small landing pad for aircraft. Atop the spire, however, is the main temple, libraries, and a small shrine to Ven Lohji and St. Horace. In order to reach the top of the spire, one must ascend the 1000 stairs spiralling up the outside edge of the spire. The stairs were carved out of the rock long ago, and it is rumored that the Vau created the island specifically for the fulfillment of a prophecy. Others whisper that the Ur themselves once used this location long ago as a nexus of planetary energy, and that underneath each of stairs lie progressively strange puzzles which, when solved in order, will lead to a sort of ultimate enlightenment.

The act of climbing the stairs is, in theory, supposed to symbolize the questing and the ascent into sacredness, and anyone who attempts to land at the top via aircraft or any other means is ignored by the Eskatonics until they reach the top in the proper manner. Magister William-of-the-Bridge presides over the monastery. He and Magister Osanto keep tabs on the workings of the many psychic covens which operate on Manitou, and certain intelligence agencies from around the KW often stop-in to get information from them. William is a wise and quiet man, though he will speak for hours when asked certain questions. It is said he is a prophet of sorts, or that he writes the destiny of the Known Worlds in his books.