Xivrhynt¶
You feel an arcane presence...
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While this page is not about an in-game location, some of the lore in this article is sourced from late-game areas, and may be considered a spoiler. If you have not finished the map, you may be spoiled by the contents of this article or pages linked here.
Xivrhynt (also referred to informally as "Xiv") is the collective name for the land on the disc outside of the main continent of Drehmal. Xivrhynt can be further divided into two continents: Western Xivrhynt at the far western edge of the disc, and Eastern Xivrhynt at the far eastern edge.
These two continents are remnants of the world from the First Avihm, mentioned very sparingly and believed to be almost entirely uninhabitable for different reasons.
History¶
A map depicting the three continents of the First Avihm, with the original western continent on the left, Primzahl in the center, and the original eastern continent on the right.
In the First Avihm, the land on the disc was partitioned into three continents: the central land of Primzahl and two outer continents, to the far west and east respectively. The western continent was likely inhabited by the Maelruhn, with the Viruhn living on the eastern continent.
The Felling of the Primal Tree almost totally destroyed the land of the disc, with Drehmal born at the dawn of Av2 to rebuild the world. The other two deities are believed to have come from the two outer continents, with Maelihs being born in the west and Virtuo originating from the east.
In their reformation efforts, Drehmal appears to have pulled parts of the land from the original western and eastern continents to be added to the modern-day continent of Drehmal, leaving behind the most broken parts as Xivrhynt.
It is suggested that there were a few survivors of the Felling in Eastern Xiv, at the very least. In late Av2, during the reign of Anyr, a manned Red Dawn expedition (on behalf of Avsohm) was sent to the eastern continent, the first known contact between the mainland and Xivrhynt in over 1800 years. This trip is documented in the Expedition Team Log. The mission discovered the ruins of what they believed to be the Bright Capital, the fabled capital of the Viruhn, but the majority of the team was wiped out by "inverse black orbs", highly reminiscent of those that would later have a role in wiping out the empire.
Practically nothing is known about post-Felling West Xiv, with only one clear event tied to it. In approximately Av3 900, Maelihs made a trip to the continent, seeking to find answers about his creation. He learned something here, and in Av3 902, he and Virtuo were given a formal explanation of their origins by Khive. Whatever Khive told the two disgusted Mael, causing him to blame the Maelruhn and Viruhn for "setting in motion this sick world."
Shortly thereafter, a distraught Virtuo was reminded by Mari of the peoples allegedly still living in Eastern Xivrhynt. Virtuo, believing to have found a new purpose, set off to fix the place of her birth, taking her entire Grand Parish with her and leaving behind the trauma of the mainland. This event marked the end of the Third Avihm.
Appearance and References¶
Both Xivrhynt continents are believed to be the scraps of post-Felling world, the least salvageable parts of the original First Avihm world. As such, each half of Xivrhynt is uniquely twisted and highly inhospitable.
The original versions of Xivrhynt from the First Avihm are very commonly depicted as having one flower on each continent. The exact type of flower varies - at Drehua Temple, a blue orchid and a red poppy seem to represent the east and west, respectively, while another depiction uses a chthonic (wither) rose in the west and an oxeye daisy in the east. The relevance of these flowers is not fully understood, but they were likely related to the Primal Tree.
Western Xivrhynt is described by a late-game dialogue interaction as being "wreathed in chromatic fury". This term does, curiously, appear in a few other places in the map. "Chromatic" is a term used to describe the Sacred Flame of Brightwyrm Lai, Aspect of Warmth, as seen in his sacred places throughout west Merijool. Specifically, the term "chromatic fury" appears in the book Forbidden Bones: "Did you know that if an arcanist overexerts themselves, they are consumed by a blaze of chromatic fury?" This points towards the possibility that some kind of extremely intense magical ritual was performed in what is now Western Xivrhynt.
Eastern Xivrhynt, said to be a months-long trip from the main continent by sea, is depicted in more detail in Expedition Team Log. This book writes that the landscape is warped and twisted, often shrouded in a thick black fog. The crew found the ruins of what they believed to be the Bright Capital partially submerged underwater, with something in the center of the ruins emanating a black light. 11 of the 15 crew members were then wiped out by Those Beyond, prompting the team to return to Drehmal and plan for an expedition to the west instead. This all suggests a strong connection between East Xiv and the Nothing, with a strong possibility that another tear in the fabric of reality, similar to the Spiral Anomaly at Mt. Yavhlix, exists on this continent. This journey to Western Xivrhynt would not come to pass before the end of Avsohm.
The Leliouria artifact likely originates from Red Dawn's Eastern Xivrhynt expedition.
In one of the final sequences in the game, a character describes the endless space beyond the Veil as "the primordial nothing and pockets of chromatic fury". This seems to very closely parallel the states of the two halves of Xivrhynt.
Extras¶
Other Depictions¶
At a point in development, an in-game Xivrhynt was planned, but this did not ever make it into the map. As such, depicting Xivrhynt is a popular pastime for passionate Drehmal community members.
Post-75% Spoiler
From space, Western and Eastern Xivrhynt can be seen on the disc. Western Xivrhynt appears black and burnt, while the east is fractured into pieces with the ocean dividing its multiple continents.
Trivia¶
In previous versions of the map, the structure on the southern Island of Dawn resembling a portal from the Botania mod was referred to by a nearby book as a failed portal to Xivrhynt. This book has since been removed.