Autochthon:

The Great Maker, the craftiest of the Primordials. Ugly and sickly, Autochthon was the butt of very many Primordial jokes just as he was the source of very many of their wonders. Eventually, he grew disaffected with his fellow Primordials and conspired with the gods to grant them the secret of making the Exalted. After the gods destroyed the Primordials, Autochthon sensed the Great Curse and attempted to evade the Curse and the eventual malice of the ruling Celestial Incarna by withdrawing into the void of Elsewhere and hibernating. Recently, the Great Maker has shown signs of dying in his sleep, and a crisis precipitated by dwindling resources of the Five Magical Materials has persuaded the nation of Yugash to break the Seal of Eight Divinities and make contact with Creation in hope of somehow replenishing the Great Maker.

Autochthonia:

The human civilization inside the great maker. Composed of eight nations, the Autochthonians are descended from the mortals carried Elsewhere by Autochthon. They live in a regimented society, attempting to better the Great Maker and by their prayers and value to his life-processes prevent his defense systems from activating and destroying their nations as intruders in the Primordial?s self. Autochthonia is led by the Tripartite and the Alchemical Exalted, heroes whose construction is a secret passed into the safekeeping of the Sodalities.

Elixir of Rest:

A euthanatic elixir administered to those too old to work. In Autochthonia, none may live who do not earn their living.

Glorious Luminors of the Brilliant Rapture, the:

The Autochthonian Sodality in charge of the secrets of light and illumination. They are well-known for their tendency to make their necessary job into a holier act than is entirely necessary. They are associated with orichalcum. Illustrious Conductors of the Consecrated Veins, the: Those individuals responsible for managing the resource and waste disposal taps into the veins of the Great Maker and the storage and transport of the tapped products. One of the five Sodalities, and the one responsible for use of the Magical Material starmetal.

Lumpen:

The social class of laborers below the Populat, the Lumpen are disgraced, nerve-stapled or socially undesirable. The Lumpen are Autochthonia?s caste of habitual minor offenders and social malcontents. These individuals are tattooed around their soulgems to mark the reason for their degradation. Some are soul-flayed and have their souls removed, but only the worst offenders are so punished.

Meticulous Surgeons of the Body Electric, the:

These technicians and maintenance engineers are responsible for the upkeep and repair of both Autochthonia and the denizens of the Great Maker. The Meticulous Surgeons administer the Elixir of Rest. They are the Sodality associated with the Magical Material moonsilver.

Olgotary:

The administrators of Autochthonian civilization. These scientific bureaucrats are one of the three governing institutions of Autochthonian society, along with the Sodalities and the Theomachracy.

Pious Harvesters of the Hallowed Flesh, The:

These individuals gather offal and trash for recycling and prepare the food that the Autochthonian masses flock to eat at the cafeterias. They are the Sodality associated with the Magical Material jade.

Populat:

Autochthonia's working class, these individuals are tasked with the manual efforts involved with propitiating the Machine God. The vast bulk of the Autochthonian population is part of the Populat.

Prolific Scholars of the Furnace Transcendent, the:

These craftsmen and machinists manufacture the parts that make the Machine God function smoothly and the wonders that allow Autochthonian society to exist. The Prolific Scholars are one of the Five Sodalities and are associated with the Magical Material soulsteel.

Seal of Eight Divinities, the:

A sealed magical portal to Creation, which leads into the Silent Crescent, a jungle region in the Southwest of Creation.

Sodalities:

More properly known as the Five Magnificent Sodalities of Penultimate Truth and Intransigent Gospel, the Sodalities are five brotherhoods of skilled craftsmen, similar to guilds or trade unions, that provide Autochthonia with its skilled laborers, tradesmen and engineers. One of the three governing institutions of Autochthonia, along with the Theomachracy and the Olgotary, the Sodalities include the Glorious Luminors of the Brilliant Rapture, the Illustrious Conductors of the Consecrated Veins, the Pious Harvesters of the Hallowed Flesh, the Prolific Scholars of the Furnace Transcendent and the Meticulous Surgeons of the Body Electric.

soulgem:

All Autochthonians wear soulgems on their foreheads. The pattern of an Autochthonian?s soulgem is indicative of her position and rank in Autochthonia's rigid society. Obscuring the soulgem is legally permissible only to investigative officials of the Tripartite. It is believed that souls not harvested from their soulgems are lost forever, but this is not the case, and souls escape their soulgems after several weeks.

Theomachracy:

The clerics of the Great Maker, the Theomachracy see to it that the people of Autochthonia are meeting the needs of the Machine God and are happy in their communities.

Tripartite:

The combination of the Theomachracy, the Sodalities and the Olgotary that rules Autochthonia with the help of the Alchemical Exalted.