Oukranos
Kingdom of Oukranos is one of Lovecraft's Dreamlands, placed in the East.
Kingdom of Oukranos
One of the Six Kingdoms, the kingdom of Oukranos extends the length of the Oukranos River Valley up to, but not including, Hlanith on the coast. No more than a city-state, albeit a rich and powerful one, it has three important cities, Ilek-Vad, Kiran, and its capitol, Thran.
Geography
Oukranos River Valley
The Oukranos River Valley lies under a perpetual golden haze, the air is filled with the hums and music of birds and bees, and it is said that the region holds a little more sunlight than other places, bathing the rolling hills and farmlands on its banks in gentle warmth and flowers in thousands of different colours, giving those who walk through this land feel a sense of great wonder and joy.
River Oukranos
The blue-green River Oukranos is the mightiest river in Dreamlands, similar to the Mississippi or the Amazon rivers in depth, breadth, and swiftness of current, bounded by farm lands and rolling hills covered with the flowers of a thousand different colors.
Forbidden Lands
The Forbidden Lands are a hellish place, full of volcanoes, lakes of fire, and bizarre nameless creatures. The lands touch upon the Waking World in a number of places, and account for many Earthly disappearances. King Kuranes of Celephaïs has forbidden this region to humankind, and any dreamer caught trying to enter is regretfully imprisoned.
Cities
Gnorri Labyrinths
Beyond the Forbidden Lands and the Cerenarian Sea, the harbor of Ilek-Vad is well-defended by both the men of Ilek-Vad, and by the denizens of the nearby Labyrinths of the Gnorri, with whom the King of Ilek-Vad maintains a close alliance. It is rumored that much of the city's wealth comes to it from the Gnorri who retrieve all the loot from sunken vessels for the King.
Cliffs of Glass
The only way to gain entrance to the city of Ilek-Vad is through the tunnels which honeycomb the hollow cliffs of glass, and at the base of the cliffs, carved into a huge cavernous space, is the harbor of Ilek-Vad, where all those who would enter the city must enter first. Much like an iceberg, most of Ilek-Vad lies out of sight: inside the hollow cliffs, filling the maze-like structure which makes up the foundations of the upper city, are the caverns where most of the populace of the Kingdom dwell in a realm of half-light filtered through the thick glass cliffs which surround them. These lower levels of the city are where the tradesmen and their families live, while the upper levels are for the more wealthy and affluent citizens, however, none are denied access to the glorious city atop the cliffs, nor are any looked down upon for their station in life.
Ilek-Vad
Perched high atop the cliffs of glass stands the fabulous city of Ilek-Vad, no more than a city-state, albeit a rich and powerful one. Due to its high vantage point, Ilek-Vad commands the view of all the approaches to it. In the marvelous and many-turreted walled city of Ilek-Vad is where the King's Palace of Rainbows stands. Its high towers are faceted to form prisms so that when the light strikes them each day at dawn, they form rainbows which arch outward from the castle to the plains below. Here the King resides year-round with his councilors and guards. He only ever leave his magnificent city of glass and rainbows once each year when he journeys on his golden palanquin to that temple of loveliness at Kiran in the Kingdom of Oukranos. Surrounding the palace is the upper city. Here the citizens of Ilek-Vad are free to walk smooth glass streets lined with fragrant gardens and lovely fountains.
Hlanith
A great seaport located at the mouth of the Oukranos. The walls of this city are made of granite, and the houses have fantastically peaked roofs. The wharves of Hlanith are made of oak, and the streets are rutted from the passage of ox carts on their way to the city’s markets. The streets and buildings near the wharves are crusty with the salt spray of high tides. All the city’s taverns are located near the wharves, by law. Hlanith's proximity to the Waking World causes some of the mirage cities reported in this world from time to time. In addition, it has allowed many of the magicians in Hlanith to become alchemists, astronomers, and inventors. Hlanith's king is good and fair, though he likes the luxuries in life perhaps a bit overmuch.
Thran
The capital of the Kingdom of Oukranos, the city is surrounded by a lofty wall of alabaster which was carved from one solid piece by a means known to no man. The king of Thran is an old dreamer who has seen many wondrous things, he became king after he successfully won a challenge to the former ruler to a dream-duel - the accepted form of choosing a new ruler in Thran, involving a story-telling contest between the two contestants. The wall is pierced by 100 gates and surmounted by 200 turrets. The towers of the city are also made of alabaster and shine white beneath their golden spires, the tops rising so high that sometimes they are obscured by the clouds, and at other times they pierce through the clouds to appear as a city in the sky with their spires blazing fire in the heavens. The wall around Thran is so thick that the gates are more like tunnels through a mountain, 100 feet long, 30 feet wide, and are lit by torches every 10 feet. Each of the gates to the city is guarded by red-robed sentries, and those who wish to enter the city must first prove their worthiness by dazzling the guards with tales of three dreams beyond belief. The gates open onto the river and city's marble wharves, where ornate galleys of fragrant woods such as cedar or calamander are anchored. Strange bearded sailors from all over the Dreamlands crowd the docks, and many crates and barrels labeled with mysterious hieroglyphs of far places stand in piles waiting to be loaded aboard ships or taken to market. Thran's harbor is the third mightiest in all the Dreamlands, after those of Dylath-Leen and Celephaïs. The streets of Thran are steep and mysterious, and wind between the many towers which stretch heavenward. Smaller shops and homes stand like mice at the feet of these towers. Near the center of the city is the bazaar, a wide plaza where all the goods from the galleys in the harbor are sold, or traded for local goods. By day the streets are crowded with people and animals. By night they are filled with the warm glow of light which escapes through grated and balconied windows and the sounds of music wafted on the air from inner courtyards where cool fountains gently play.
Kiran
A hill on the banks of the Oukranos. Here stands the Temple of Loveliness to the god Oukranos. Oukranos is one of many small regional gods which inhabit the Dreamlands, and his influence does not extend beyond the river valley which bears his name. His temple is built all of jasper wood, and stands near the edge of the river. The temple's walls and courts cover an acre of ground and encompass seven pinnacled towers which surround the central shrine. Through this shrine, directed by hidden channels, run the waters of the river. By day the temple stands drowsy and silent. But often, at night, the air surrounding the temple is filled with a strange music. No one can say if this music is made by the priests of the temple or if it is the song of the god, for no human has entered the temple and seen the priests except the King of Ilek-Vad. The King, borne on a golden palanquin, comes from his distant land once a year to pray. It is said that the King of Ilek-Vad knew this region as a youth, and that the god Oukranos sang him to sleep each night.
Associated Mythos Elements
- setting: Dreamlands
