world
Persian Landmarks & Sacred Geography
Natural locations of power across the Persian realm—from Demavand's golden fortress to Taftan's eternal flame.
Mount Demavand (دماوند)
The Simurgh's Sanctuary
Iran's highest peak (5,610m) houses the Simurgh within a brass and Athanatic Steel fortress. Visible from 400km away when the golden dome catches sunlight. At its core lies the body of the Broken Sun's beloved, preserved in crystalline splendor.
Unique Powers:
- Climate Regulation: The Simurgh controls weather patterns from this nexus
- Spiritual Field Stabilization: Counters div influence across the region
- Vault of Artifacts: Contains legendary items including Fereydun's Mace, Rashnu's Scales of Justice, and the Thread of Destiny
- Inverted Pyramid: Beneath the mountain—potential salvation against the soul-vacuum
- Consciousness Amplification: Magic is 200% more effective near the peak
Taftan Volcano (تفتان)
The Eternal Fire River
In Southeast Iran stands the volcano where the Broken Sun walked into flame to ascend. A river of liquid fire flows eternally from its crater—never cooling, never stopping. The Order of Silence maintains a fortress-monastery here, with seven gates testing virtue.
Unique Powers:
- Purification: Burns away div corruption and cleanses Angra alignment
- Transformation: Can forge or reforge artifacts with primordial flame
- Ascension Point: Where mortals can theoretically ascend (at terrible cost)
- Connection to the Broken Sun: A channel to communicate with the Broken Sun
- Truth Revelation: Flames show reality without illusion
Dasht-e Kavir (کویر)
The Great Salt Desert—Graveyard of Cycles
Central Iran's vast desert (77,600 km²) holds secrets beneath its salt flats. Ancient battlegrounds from previous cycles, where civilizations died and structures were buried. Nomadic tribes know to avoid certain "dead zones."
Unique Powers:
- Memory Echo: The desert remembers all who died here; ghosts of cycles past wander
- Temporal Anomalies: Time flows strangely—hours become days or vice versa
- Buried Pyramid Complex: Functional gateway hidden beneath salt, awakening as Alignment approaches
- Visions of Past Cycles: See how previous civilizations ended (cautionary tales)
Persepolis (پرسپولیس)
The Eternal City—Throne of Kings
Ancient Achaemenid capital blended with steampunk engineering. Zahhak's seat of power, where his serpent-engines coil visibly around the corrupted throne that once belonged to Jamshid.
Unique Powers:
- Legitimacy Resonance: Ruler here commands supernatural authority across Persia
- Cultural Nexus: Art, magic, and scholarship converge
- Historical Memory: The stones themselves remember Jamshid's Golden Age
- Propaganda Amplification: Words spoken from the throne carry supernatural weight
Caspian Shore (ساحل مازندران)
The Green Coast—Refuge of Weavers
Northern Iran's lush coastal region, where silk production and Chromaturgy flourish. A cosmopolitan trade hub less oppressed than inland regions, offering refuge and cultural synthesis.
Unique Powers:
- Life Magic Amplification: Fertility, growth, and healing 150% more effective
- Water-Threading: Unique Chromaturgy using marine materials (sea silk)
- Peace Aura: Div activity naturally suppressed by life-energy
- Trade Magic: Economic enchantments (luck, prosperity) strongest here
"The land itself has memory. Stone and flame, salt and sea—each carries consciousness accumulated over millennia. To walk these places is to walk through history made tangible."
— Daryush, Geographer of the Eternal City