The Trench of Amamnara

Hello guys! Here’s some info about what this project is. I will update it as needed :)

TL;DR - Ancient Earthen life migrated to the planet Amamnara through a cave-wormhole connecting the two planets. Life is restricted to a massive trench (The Malamhi Trench), and the surface is inhospitable. The local primordial deity influences all life that migrated here to undergo bizarre evolutionary changes. Sapient creatures are influenced to unknowingly, or in some cases willingly, serve this deity.

The Malamhi Trench, Planet Amamnara

Planet Amamnara was once a desolate rock. However, a cosmic event tore a massive gash into the planets surface. This gash is known as the Malamhi Trench.

At the southernmost point of the trench, a rift to ancient Earth was torn open. Over the span of millions of years, Earthen life would migrate to The Malamhi Trench through this rift. A localized earth-like atmosphere formed within the trench, and its higher density kept it from seeping out into the Amamnaran atmosphere. Despite these ideal conditions, the life that migrated here would quickly become unrecognizable, because at the northernmost point of the trench, just outside of reality, resides GOLAY GOLAY.

GOLAY GOLAY is some unknowable, primordial intelligence. A metaphysical deity that is only perceivable in the mind, when it chooses to reveal itself to you. It is best described as a gargantuan ‘cylinder’ of various interlocking segments, rotating at an incomprehensible speed. The centrifugal force of GOLAY GOLAY is strong enough to influence physical reality. It prevents gravity from closing the Malamhi Trench. Moreover, it warps the development of life within its reach. This is called Goleiic Influence.

Goleiically-influenced evolution may seem random, but has some unwritten rules. The closer an ecosystem is to GOLAY GOLAY, the stronger it is influenced. This is why creatures living to the north are nearly unrecognizable, while creatures living to the south tend to resemble their Earthen ancestors. A creature’s proximity to GOLAY GOLAY also determines how much intent goes into their evolution. Creatures that evolve closer to the deity tend to have a purpose in the deity’s agenda.

As hominins began forming primitive societies on Earth, some eventually discovered the strange, cavernous rift that seemingly led them to a new world. People began exploring this gargantuan trench of bizarre, fleshy landscape and impossible creatures. Soon, people weren’t just exploring, they were migrating. Something was making people want to stick around. These early hominin colonists would diversify into the various cultures native to the trench.

Those who travelled too far North would begin losing their humanity, as if something hijacked their consciousness. They became the first Subjects of Golay. These cultists view themselves, as well as all life in the Malamhi Trench, as mere tools to be modified and utilized to further GOLAY GOLAY’s agenda. What is its agenda? Does it even have one? Most don’t even think that far into it, and those who do, go entirely mad.

Two kinds of Goleiic Structures.

Structures are entities which were created to serve as mobile fortification. They’re made from egosteel, an alloy imbued with concentrated human ego. This is what gives them “life” so to speak. They are an amalgam of countless human identities, all influenced to serve GOLAY GOLAY.

I want the primary function of Structures to be, of course, serving as literal structures. Or as pieces of a larger structure. But I also want to give some of them unique characteristics. Maybe one kind of Structure drives you mad if you spend too much time around it. Maybe another kind serves as a magnet, or a core, and other Structures cling to it to form a larger body. I dunno. Lots to work with here.

This is an Ornamental and its subject. They hover together as a single entity.

Ornamentals are mask-like beings, created as agents of GOLAY GOLAY. The aforementioned deity exists metaphysically, and needs agents such as these to directly interact the physical world.

The “subject” is typically a hominin. Their legs are stunted for convenience, as to not get in the way. The cuffs adorning the hominin’s wrists are a part of the Ornamental’s being.

Here’s a scribe. They have a built-in “inkwell” full of glorb, a saliva-like substance which is excreted from the mouth. Glorb has metaphysical properties. Using their wings, scribes write incantations in the air. When their inkwell is running low, the creature regurgitates more glorb to top off their supply.

A product of goleiic influence, scribes’ evolutionary path was hijacked with the intent of goleiic practitioners to serve their agenda.

Pinned post with lore coming soon cus more context will be needed for the vast majority of my work