King's Rest

"Constructed in the pinnacle years of the Vauraus Kingdom's prominence, these massive pyramid mausoleums ensured even in death those of royal lineage would find eternal rest in the same opulence and splendor in which they lived."

— An excerpt from The Anthology of the Ages, Part II: Of Kingdoms & Capitals

Purpose / Function

An opulent landmark famous throughout the Kingdom of Vauraus and the realms beyond, King's Rest served as the final resting grounds of the Golden Flame's of Anathema and their lineage and legacy. Buried along with their most powerful artifacts and troves of their riches, even the unique and extravagantly detailed coffins of each king displayed the grand wealth of its inhabitants.

Architecture

Using the dark grey stones excavated from the hills west of Anathema, the pyramid's struck into the sky like dark daggers against the horizon. Rising over 400 feet into the sky, King's Rest stood as the definitive wonder and tallest structure built well into the next age. Originally built with the stones as narrow interlocking steps, the relentless eastern wind eventually wore the stone stone so they eventually appeared as narrow tiers of stone rising to the razor sharp pinnacle point.

History

Constructed in the early fourth century by Dalereckoning's counting, these massive structures served not only as a testament to the grand wealth of the Golden Flame's lineage, but the dedication and strength of those who painstakingly built the structure over some twenty years it took to complete the project. Thousands of laborers and hundreds more of experts in the fields of architecture and arcana combined their efforts to create the King's Rest monument.
Though Vauraus' mysterious collapse decimated much of the surrounding area and left the capital city of Anathema as nothing more than crumbling ruins, the pyramid itself remained in an almost pristine condition until the events of the Shrouding. Several excavations throughout the next age sought to recover the vast wealth of the Golden Flames to pay for the rapid expansion of the empire's reach throughout Revne. Among the ruins, treasure hunters discovered a trove of magical relics which display the once great kingdom's arcanic prowess and innovative work in the study of enchantments.
Since 1385 DR, the pyramid, along with the rest of the eastern portion of capital city remains inexplicably missing. It is as if during the descent of the mysterious mist, the structures simply never existed. Debate amongst scholars as to the metaphysical nature of this peculiar event rages on throughout academia. Some scholars believe the Golden Flames had warded the structure with preventative measures against such a catastrophe, while others argue their disappearance is the result of a sort of penultimate divine judgement. Others yet believe it the work of the Shrouding itself, though so little is known about the event many dismiss these conjectures outright.
Of the remaining portion of the ruins, reports preserved by the Founder's Promise reference potentially dozens of still unexplored structures within the desert which have tempted adventuring parties to delve into the desert in hopes of treasure and fame. Few have returned and even fewer with the sought after riches in hand.

RUINED STRUCTURE
1385

Type

Crypt