Liao

Liao

Liao is a purple powder that is used in ceremonial rites peformed by Imperial Priests. For use in these rites, it can be:

• burned as incense and inhaled
• mixed into liquid and imbibed
• mixed into a small capsule and consumed

Liao is made from Vinum. Vinum is a white sap that was discovered by the Navarr to form a chewable confection that aids with deep, restful and dreamless sleep; and was often used to treat nightmares and night terrors.

Ceremonial Liao

The process of turning Vinum sap into Liao is complex, expensive and time-consuming. It can take many years to mature Vinum into Liao. Within the Empire, this cost and complexity is borne by the Imperial Civil Service who process quantities on behalf of the Imperial Faith for use in Liao Ceremonies.

True, or Imperial, Liao

During the maturing process that turns Vinum into Liao, around one dose in ten thousand matures to a radiant purple. This has come to be known as True Liao, or Imperial Liao. True Liao is the means by which a human can receive a vision of another time and place, which is held to be their past life.

True Liao is not simply consumed but requires access to a Gateway. A Gateway is a specially constructed chamber which, when not in use, appears to simply be an empty chamber. Yet when a visionary partakes of True Liao, and enters the Gateway, the world around them melts away such that they feel as though they stand in another time and place. The civil service are capable of erecting Gateways to the Labyrinth in any location given sufficient opportunity.