The Dying Light
Location: Mechanus
Realm: Former realm of Utu (Sumerian power of the sun); now abandoned
Once upon a timepiece, in the endless clockwork of Mechanus, there existed a realm known as the Absorbing Light. It was a masterwork of precision where time was kept perfectly, and the sun always rose and set exactly when it meant to. This was the realm of Utu, the Sumerian power of the sun, justice, and truth. Here, Utu reigned supreme over a realm of clockwork flames, where the sun’s fire was tamed into intricate, rotating forges powered by divine light. These pulsating forges were calibrated to a perfect balance between predictable order and fiery creation. With the radiant energies of the sun meticulously controlled, its raw force could be harnessed into productive energy for the denizens of Mechanus. Chant was the light from this glowing cog was harnessed by surrounding crystalline gears, and helped to drive the Great Machine itself.
But Utu was not just a god of light; he was a god of justice and truth. His realm reflected his dual nature too. In the Courtrooms of Absorbing Light sat giant mechanical judges, their eyes ablaze with righteous sunlight, passing Utu’s judgments on those who dared to challenge the rigidity of his laws.
However, tragedy struck when Utu’s brother, Enki, the god of wisdom and waters, was murdered by two Babylonian powers. Now Utu was fundamentally a hot-headed passionate power of the sun, only balanced by the calm, cooling wisdom of his brother. With Enki’s loss Utu became consumed by a sorrowful rage that the rigid order of Mechanus could no longer tolerate. The unyielding laws of the plane clashed violently with Utu’s unbalanced mindset, until eventually, he abandoned Mechanus, leaving behind his realm to decay.
With Utu’s departure, the Absorbing Light began to fade, its once-brilliant flames dimming to dying embers. The former realm, now known as the Dying Light, has transformed from a place of brilliant radiant order to one of eerie flicking light, casting doubt and long shadows over the rusting, grinding gears of the once-resplendent forges. Remnants of Utu’s original forgesmiths still remain here, their forms now corrupted and altered by the realm’s decay. Once beings of radiant light, they now flicker like dying flames. The sunless smiths continue their work regardless, though their creations are twisted, broken imitations of what they once were, carrying a curse of entropy.
The spirits of the cutters judged by Utu’s mechanical judges linger in the realm, now transformed into luminous wraiths—ghostly figures of light that float through the darkened corridors of the realm. Former petitioners seeking to ascend, they are now trapped between the realms of death and whatever lies beyond, searching like moths for the light that once gave them purpose. While some are harmless, others are vengeful, seeking to steal the light from any who enter the realm. Once they have gathered enough light, perhaps they might be laid to rest?
Utu’s mechanical judges themselves have long ago wound down and stopped functioning. However, something more sinister now seeks to take their place. Chant goes that a mysterious cutter known as the Clockwork Usurper has established a foothold in Dying Light. It’s thought that they’re a powerful inevitable gone rogue. Like some kind of divine leech, it seeks to consume the last vestiges of the realm’s power, by absorbing and extinguishing the remaining light. This might be linked to the recent spate of abductions that have been occurring from cogs that surround the fading realm.
Canonical Source: On Hallowed Ground [2e] p63; this source describes how Utu used to keep a realm in Mechanus before moving to Arborea after Enki’s murder. The rest of this entry is homebrew extrapolation.
Source: Jon Winter-Holt