Polyptoton

Eternal of Autumn

Sobriquets

Polyptoton is the Sovereign Lord of the City of Salt and Sail, and one of the common names claimed by the lord of that place. The ruler of the city is apparently the immense turtle on whose back the city stands, as it moves on an endless journey through the Autumn realm.

The eternal has only recently made contact with the Empire, with the 388YE Spring parley with Archmage of Autumn Vossk being the first recorded formal interaction. That meeting served as a brief introduction to the city and its inahbitants, but most of the information about Polyptoton comes from the Sumaah Republic and Sarcophan Delves. In Sumaah they are called the Great Turtle and Wandering Port, while in Sarcophan their names include Sartan or Zartan, and Archeloni, while the city itself is known as the Wandering City, the Port Of No Storm, and Mirabilis.

There is some speculation that the Grendel also have a relationship with the City of Salt and Sail - or at least some of their master practitioners of Autumn magic do. At the moment though there is no clear information about what the eternal may be called among them.

Appearance

The herald who spoke with Archmage Vossk described Polyptoton as an immense turtle that carries the City of Salt and Sail on its back through the oceans of the Autumn realm. So far, the heralds from the City encountered by Imperial citizens have had a certain reptilian aspect.

Concerns

The City of Salt and Sail first came to Imperial attention regarding peculiar responses to the Call Winged Messenger ritual, which were later explained as being efforts by the City to support the invisible messengers in their work. Missives that cannot be delivered apparently cause the creatures distress. They are at pains to explain that they are not responsible for the ritual - but that the various versions of it that are found across the Known World are often created with their quiet assistance.

Much of what is known about the concerns of the city can be traced to the Eternals of the sea report. According to Jaan van Daan - one of the preeminent practitioners of Autumn magic in the Delves, the City of Salt and Sail is primarily concerned with two key resonances of the Autumn realm - travel and communication. While they have some interest in trade, this is true of all the eternals of the Autumn realm so far encountered, to one degree or another. For Polyptoton, however, the key element of trade is that it relies on the transportation of both goods and ideas over distance. Salt, according to the heralds of the city, is key to the entire development of trade in the mortal world. Once traders are able to travel effectively down rivers and across the seas, they can transport great quantities of goods faster and more efficiently, to markets where they are unknown. Likewise, salt forms the basis of preservation of many perishable goods, allowing them to be transported further and still be viable trade goods.

The city has a strong connection to ships and boats, and are apparently interested in facilitating the movement of such. Zartan doesn't limit itself solely to maritime concerns, however, having some interest in the movement of people and vehicles overland. They are not a particularly martial city, but their insight may still prove useful when moving armies or navies over distance. One of the (several) things that apparently piqued the interest of Polyptoton with regard to the Empire was the increasing use by Imperial magicians of the Find the Best Path.

Their enthusiasm for communication apparently has key differences to that of the eternal Lashonar with which Imperial magicians are perhaps more familiar. Lashonar brings people together so that they can speak face-to-face. Its Caucus Forum represents a chance for people to come together to share ideas, able to deploy their insight and intuition to evaluate the people they are speaking to, using emotion and subtlety to control the ebb and flow of words. The citizens of the City of Salt and Sail are not averse to people speaking to each other but they are apparently much more excited about the written word. Not only letters, but also the myriad other ways that things written down can communicate (and perhaps even exert influence over readers). They certainly have demonstrated the ability to arrange meetings, but like the Sovereign Lord of the City of Bridges they are likely to require a steep price for doing so. Where they shine is in their ability to get a letter to, in theory, anyone anywhere in the world.

As previously mentioned, they also seem to have a connection to the "winged messengers" that are arguably the backbone of international diplomacy and trade. It seems that the invisible bird-like creatures associated with the spell - whatever precise form it takes in the various lands where it is practiced - are most commonly drawn from immense rookeries that ride on the back of Polyptoton. The rituals themselves don't draw on the power of the city itself, but in most cases they have been developed with the assistance of heralds that call it home. As such, the people of the City of Salt and Sail feel a certain responsibility to the messengers - which are apparently not invisible in the Autumn Realm as they are in the mortal realm. When a messenger is unable to deliver their letter, or their package, it apparently causes them some distress and the heralds of the Infinite Rookery intercede to deal with the problem. Apparently this is the only time the heralds of Polyptoton read such messages - otherwise it is a point of pride for them to remain as neutral supporters of communication around the world as possible.

Boons

Boons related to travel and communication are likely to be most common from the City of Salt and Sail. When expressing support for the Court of Far Horizons they indicated they could get a message to anyone, anywhere in the world. The price for doing so (that the sodality appoint the Imperial ambassadors likely reveals another key concern for the city - that of international diplomacy or at least the methods of undertaking it. This ability to communicate might not be limited to the mortal world - there is speculation that the herald who supports the Stone Smith in their ability to create an erzatz plenipotentiary might hail from the City of Salt and Sail.

There has also been mention of boons that improve communication - possibly including those Autumn rituals that allow people to speak foreign languages fluently at the expense of their own tongue.

While they aren't said to be particularly martial, a recent battle in Mareave between the Empire and the Grendel apparently centred around a partially complete ritual that would allow a flotilla of warships to be called from the Autumn realm to participate in naval warfare along the coast. If this is the case it is possible that the eternal may provide boons related to maritime conflict - which is potentially worrying given rumours that some of the Grendel masters of Sand magic may already have an established relationship with the City.

Polyptoton also provides boons related to ship travel. While trade is not their primary motivation, it is often advantageous to merchants and captains to be able to move swiftly. The Wandering Port likely has a penchant for magic that empowers different kinds of action taken by sea vessels.

Further Reading

• Key of dreams - 388YE Spring plenipotentiary response

• Eternals of the sea - Report about eternals from the Sarcophan Delves
• Satraps of the Abyss - report about eternals from the Sumaah Republic