The City of Babylos
Located in the rocky, temperate southern region of Wind Country, Babylos served as a fortified trading outpost that serviced miners in the far south that sought their fortune in the vast mountain ranges that bordered the country. Fortunes were never made in the south, the mines were bereft of diamonds and gold, but several 'precious' metals were discovered along the bladespeak coast such as feathersteel, breaker iron and bladespeak, the ore from which the range is named. This of course birthed a community in the far south west of Wind Country called Gong, legendary for making sentient blades. However Babylos grew in its own way, not as a shining trade community but rather as a haven for scholars. Attracted by the fact that Babylos was so far out of the way, underutilized but still an important part of the trade routes in Wind Country scholars were drawn to the peaceful mining community. Due to the presence of what would one day be heralded as the Oracle order, the city's population and importance increased so that it became "the center of edification" in Wind Country.
The Oracles built a tower in the heart of the city, a great library said to house the secrets of the Order. This great library was known as the Tower of Babylos. The city thrived under the watchful eye of the tower whose top, seventh floor was always lit. It was said that the Oracles stationed themselves as the ruling body of the meritocracy of Babylos and that they did well as a society. The lands surrounding Babylos became suitable for farming thanks to an irrigation system constructed and the village became self-sufficient over time. That was of course part of their mysterious downfall. As Babylos stopped needing contact with the outside world, Babylos closed itself off to outsider influence. Babylos halted trade with the other communities and instructed traders to bypass their community as they were no longer necessary, this being a 'logical ends.' A wall was constructed around the city first and then around their farmland a decade later. Those curious enough to enter Babylos never left, some assumed that they chose to stay in what Oracles have described as a 'haven for intellectuals' but others suggested a dire end for those that forced their way inside.
Eventually Babylos was for the most part forgotten, or perhaps ignored. The community kept to themselves, allowing only Oracles entry into the massive self-sustaining community and of those that entered none ever departed. Perhaps that is why nobody noticed when Babylos was destroyed over five decades ago. Two decades before the diamond maelstrom stripped the country of the other villages. Nobody knows exactly when Babylos fell, only that people stopped trying to visit Babylos, that nobody tried to enter Babylos and that still nobody ever departed Babylos. The tower of Babylos grew dark and cold, like a dark tombstone over a grave.
The curious, foolish and brave have on occasion tried to enter the city of Babylos, none have gotten far. The city itself apparently a labyrinth of traps and puzzles with dangerous and dire consequences for those who fail to answer the crazed maker's riddles. So as the people of Babylos wanted, we forgot about them wholly. That is until this past week, the light on the top floor of the tower is on once again.
The mission starts as many other missions start, a notice on the cork-board:
The village of Babylos, like many of the other villages in Wind Country prior to the Diamond Maelstrom, was essentially forgotten when the wind and earth buried the smaller communities. The ruins of several others could be found beneath several feet of earth, with bodies. The desert itself was like a giant grave. The journey to Babylos could have been an adventure in itself, the threat of Sandworms and hykals real, the oppressive heat and the lack of water made the desert itself a real threat but you, as well as several others made it to the fringe of Babylos.
A ring of tents around a fire might greet you unless you are one of the first ones. East, a quarter of a mile away was the city proper. Great white walls separated the forgotten community, a tower in the heart of the city with the top floor... lit. From this far away one could not hear any noise from the city and perhaps it was a trick of the eye but it would seem that from even this far away movement could be detected. How strange. Nobody had made a sweep of the city perimeter yet, the diameter of the city itself was only about three miles but considering the harsh, heated conditions it would take the better part of the day to review the outskirts of the city.
Located in the rocky, temperate southern region of Wind Country, Babylos served as a fortified trading outpost that serviced miners in the far south that sought their fortune in the vast mountain ranges that bordered the country. Fortunes were never made in the south, the mines were bereft of diamonds and gold, but several 'precious' metals were discovered along the bladespeak coast such as feathersteel, breaker iron and bladespeak, the ore from which the range is named. This of course birthed a community in the far south west of Wind Country called Gong, legendary for making sentient blades. However Babylos grew in its own way, not as a shining trade community but rather as a haven for scholars. Attracted by the fact that Babylos was so far out of the way, underutilized but still an important part of the trade routes in Wind Country scholars were drawn to the peaceful mining community. Due to the presence of what would one day be heralded as the Oracle order, the city's population and importance increased so that it became "the center of edification" in Wind Country.
The Oracles built a tower in the heart of the city, a great library said to house the secrets of the Order. This great library was known as the Tower of Babylos. The city thrived under the watchful eye of the tower whose top, seventh floor was always lit. It was said that the Oracles stationed themselves as the ruling body of the meritocracy of Babylos and that they did well as a society. The lands surrounding Babylos became suitable for farming thanks to an irrigation system constructed and the village became self-sufficient over time. That was of course part of their mysterious downfall. As Babylos stopped needing contact with the outside world, Babylos closed itself off to outsider influence. Babylos halted trade with the other communities and instructed traders to bypass their community as they were no longer necessary, this being a 'logical ends.' A wall was constructed around the city first and then around their farmland a decade later. Those curious enough to enter Babylos never left, some assumed that they chose to stay in what Oracles have described as a 'haven for intellectuals' but others suggested a dire end for those that forced their way inside.
Eventually Babylos was for the most part forgotten, or perhaps ignored. The community kept to themselves, allowing only Oracles entry into the massive self-sustaining community and of those that entered none ever departed. Perhaps that is why nobody noticed when Babylos was destroyed over five decades ago. Two decades before the diamond maelstrom stripped the country of the other villages. Nobody knows exactly when Babylos fell, only that people stopped trying to visit Babylos, that nobody tried to enter Babylos and that still nobody ever departed Babylos. The tower of Babylos grew dark and cold, like a dark tombstone over a grave.
The curious, foolish and brave have on occasion tried to enter the city of Babylos, none have gotten far. The city itself apparently a labyrinth of traps and puzzles with dangerous and dire consequences for those who fail to answer the crazed maker's riddles. So as the people of Babylos wanted, we forgot about them wholly. That is until this past week, the light on the top floor of the tower is on once again.
The mission starts as many other missions start, a notice on the cork-board:
Note said:
The village of Babylos, like many of the other villages in Wind Country prior to the Diamond Maelstrom, was essentially forgotten when the wind and earth buried the smaller communities. The ruins of several others could be found beneath several feet of earth, with bodies. The desert itself was like a giant grave. The journey to Babylos could have been an adventure in itself, the threat of Sandworms and hykals real, the oppressive heat and the lack of water made the desert itself a real threat but you, as well as several others made it to the fringe of Babylos.
A ring of tents around a fire might greet you unless you are one of the first ones. East, a quarter of a mile away was the city proper. Great white walls separated the forgotten community, a tower in the heart of the city with the top floor... lit. From this far away one could not hear any noise from the city and perhaps it was a trick of the eye but it would seem that from even this far away movement could be detected. How strange. Nobody had made a sweep of the city perimeter yet, the diameter of the city itself was only about three miles but considering the harsh, heated conditions it would take the better part of the day to review the outskirts of the city.
| ! | This is a group moderated mission. Meet and greet. Determine if you are going with other players or if you will explore on your own. I may end up making multiple threads to facilitate activity and have been set to post weekly in the thread. You can post multiple times between moderations unless you are in a moderated battle. Make sure that your stats are up to date in your profile. What I will need from you. In your post please (in a spoiler or whatever) give me a list of your
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