Obsidian: What is Known by J. Langston DGS

Author's sketch of the wall in Split

  The continent of Gloe is home to a variety of cultures all of whom interact in the way natural to nations. There are the gentrified traders of Pyria, the rigid and yet intellectual  militarists of Drury, the practical individualistic Hespians and the cultured artistic Artengians. The citizens of The Orange Free Republic represent a new cultural type, a mixture of several peoples they have a bit of everything but tend to be industrious and traditional. Then there is the tired but still prideful nation of Cantalone hanging on to the remnant of their once dominant empire. In the west, the Hunlo Empire struggles to find relevance but is a land filled with ancient wisdom and great beauty. Shinpo, the island nation that once conquered much of the civilized world, has fallen into debauched indolence, its leaders nothing more than puppets of their larger neighbor Hunlo. But of all the peoples and nations, there is one which remains a puzzling mystery. 
  The city state of Obsidian lies high in a caldera in the Crooked Teeth, a towering mountain range on the east side of the Great Rift which itself is perhaps the most magnificent natural formation known to man. Obsidian is a blank canvas upon which peoples and scholars paint their own fears and desires. It is also the place from which flows the most important commodity of Gloe, Amber. The sap of the legendary Raobob tree is refined to four different qualities whose export is tightly controlled by the ruler of Obsidian. 
  All Amber is sold in the trading town of Split, which is located on the eastern end of a narrow canyon which splits the Crooked teeth into a northern and southern half. It is from this canyon that the town takes its name. At the mouth of the canyon is a forty meter high wall made from one solid piece of stone. A massive, imposing gate is the only means beyond and no one is allowed in. All trade is conducted in the town outside of the wall. 
  Too the east of Split is an arid land which in days gone by made trade extremely hazardous. Now, two rail lines have been built and goods flow much more quickly. Amber is shipped out and gold and goods flow back in making Obsidian the single wealthiest nation on Gloe. Only Hesp, with its acceptance of Techin, approaches the wealth of Obsidian.  In addition to Amber, the people of Obsidian are skilled craftsmen who make some of the best jewelry, timepieces and works of art. Amber is traded for all things needed for living, food, clothing, building materials and luxury items. The one thing not imported is medical goods, which leads to some interesting questions that cannot yet be answered. Do they rely completely upon Amber for healing? Do they possess an inherent ability to resist disease and injury?
  As I have said, no one goes beyond the wall in Split. For nearly two thousand years the land has been completely isolated from the rest of the world. One would think that the passes over the Crooked Teeth could be traversed in order to gain entry, but this is not so. Those scholars and adventurers, including myself, who have made the extremely hazardous climb to the eastern pass have found themselves barred by an invisible and yet real barrier. How this barrier is made, is unknown but the widely and evenly spaced pylons that can be seen circling the caldera along the ridge must have something to do with it. Some claim their leader, the Oracle, keeps the barrier up, but this is uncertain.  There have been attempts to breach the magical barrier, a few made by Techin have even succeeded but none ever came back out.
  There are a few things known about Obsidian and her people. They are ruled by a powerful being, an Oracle who guides and protects them. All representatives of Obsidian are women, not a single man from Obsidian has ever been seen in Split. This has led some to speculate that the women are Techin who use some magical means of reproducing. Others believe that men rule in opulence and require the women to do all of the work. I cannot claim to know even after several conversations with Obsidian traders from a family named Hume.
  According to ancient legends only twice has the caldera been breached by an enemy. The powerful and evil god empress of Shinpo, Ng, was said to have attacked and sacked Obsidian after successfully defeating all of her other rivals. It is known that Shinpo once briefly ruled the known world, but quickly collapsed back in on itself after Ng's defeat in Obsidian. Her first attack upon the caldera was turned back but her second managed to capture and destroy much of the city.
  What happened to Ng is unknown for she disappeared during the second attack. Those few Shinponese soldiers who returned home from the campaign claimed Ng was struck down by the Oracle herself before the Oracle's wrath obliterated the victorious army. However, these stories cannot be substantiated and the only records which might exist are in Obsidian and so out of the reach of this scholar. The records kept in Shinpo have disappeared or have been hidden, for although I have made repeated requests and visited the country twice, I have never been allowed to see them.
  Obsidian, mysterious, vital and compelling. I have spent much of my academic career studying it and after decades still know so very little. Who are they? How did the nation come to be? Why do they keep themselves apart and where are the men? Someday I hope to answer these questions, but for now you and I, my gentle reader, must be patient. I can say that I am closer than I have ever been for I have managed to make certain connections that provide more insight into Obsidian.