The Wall of Kings
Writings of Father Idris Binion 1103- After months of travel, my team and I have finally reached the easternmost portion of the Wall of Kings. The resting place of many dwarven kings. Long ago they carved these large structures into the northern end of the Clypeus mountains. Looking north from the wall, you can see the Datio river and the desert beyond it. I never realized how vast the deserts were. When I return home, I’ll never complain about the rain again. I however will complain about sand for the rest of my life. The first segment stretches on for a few hundred yards. It appears to be about 10 men tall. The ages depicted were quite prosperous. These murals depict many of the trappings of prosperity. Grain being harvested, gems being mined, and more carnal activities. I suppose dwarves have always been deviants. There are a few instruments shown. What would they have sounded like? We also see some early depictions of the feared dwarven horse archers. They decorated the entrance with writing. This writing stretches to the top. I would say that the writing is the story of their lives. Our dwarven languages specialists could not translate the writing. They have noted some ancient forms of letters used in the local alphabet. A great king stands at the top. He carries a sword in his left hand and a shield in his right. As we have moved west, the architecture has become more grand. Except where the carvings in a segment depict famine, drought, and death. The doors and the kings are missing from these segments. Perhaps kings that ruled during hard times were deviants. There’s no need for such grandeur when you can’t feed yourself. Perhaps they agreed. We have come upon the most opulent section yet. Built with marble and depicting a battle against a dark being. It is recent enough that we could translate some writing. This king’s name was Aulus Livius Durio. This must be the tomb of King Aulus the Lion. The legends may be true. At least some may be. We also see the first mention of slavery. As we approach the westernmost portion of the wall, I have seen something interesting. The earlier sections were largely depicting times of prosperity and great wars. Noble warriors conquering for the homeland. Now they are depicting famine and disease. The fall of the Dwarven empires began far before the holy wars and the dust. As we reach the last of the completed sections, we see depictions of several slave rebellions. It also depicts the death of a king in battle. This matches our understanding of the great holy wars. Which would date this section to 1100 years ago? They never completed the last tomb. It is lacking in decoration. We see their word for dust on the tomb several times. Construction was likely abandoned when the droughts began. Now all that remains is a wall of forgotten kings.
Purpose / Function
It appears they used the wall as a tomb for the kings of the country. Each segment shows the life of each king.
It appears they used the wall as a tomb for the kings of the country. Each segment shows the life of each king. How true to life they were is debatable. There are several sections which are lacking a tomb. They usually depict times of famine or great strife. Perhaps their kings were viewed as representatives of gods. If they were suffering hardships maybe they blamed the king. Thus these kings that angered the gods weren’t buried as a sign of disrespect.
The Dwarves of the region now seem to see it as a warning against opulence. Many believe that the decadence of the old kingdoms led to their gods punishing them. There are some groups that would destroy the wall if they had the chance. According to Father Binion, his dwarven guides threaten to kill him and his team if they opened any of the tombs. Because of this we really do not know what’s exactly in the tombs
History
Unfortunately, most historical information on the wall has been lost to time. All I can really offer is guesses and legends. We know that there are 114 separate sections of the wall. We know Dwarves will live to around the age of 50 if they survive childhood. I estimate that the first structures were built between 7000 and 6000 years ago. We know they built the last segment around the time of the dust. In Father Idris Binion’s journal, he states they wrote the word for dust several times on the last segment. The Kingdom of Aureumia would’ve controlled the area during that time. Aureumian nobles were known to bury their dead in great mausoleums.
RUINED STRUCTURE
Between 10-30
Between 10-30
Alternative Names
The Stone Tapestry
Type
World wonder
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