The Book Of Earth/The Golden Oasis
The Oasis of Eternal Delight
The Oasis of Eternal Delight is the home of an ancient civilization that has been lost since the 1st Age. Hidden by the hostile deserts of the South, and preserved from the dangers of the surrounding territory by eternal First Age magic, its inhabitants have lived larged isolated since the fall of the Solars.
Deep in the deserts of the South, the rolling sand dunes suddenly give way to the largest oasis ever known: An immense, level, circular grassland, complete with grazing aurochs, fruit-bearing trees and well-maintained farmland. The large Lake of Longing sits calmly in the center of all the vegetation, afloat with reed boats, ibises and crocodiles, glistening golden with the sun's rays. Set in a ring around the immense oasis are five golden pyramids, with much smaller stela set between them. Between the pyramids and lake are sandstone houses and temples, with brightly painted statuary and stylized Old Realm writing drawn across their surfaces.
Population: The Oasis boasts a population of roughly 12,000 people. Most are Southerners, although people of any region may be found there. Oasis dwellers of both sexes wear their hair long and braided, while the men are normally clean or close-shaven. They wear pleated clothing of white linen (rough for the lower class, fine for the higher), the men wearing loose kilts while the women wear close-fitting dresses; both wear sandels, bracelets, and necklace jewelry of turqoise and gold. Both sexes also wear eye makeup to striking effect.
While the population of the Oasis is fairly steady, their ancient pact with the Court of Orderly Flame guarantees new blood for their gene pool by the process of the spirits routinely bringing lost and abandoned children to be raised in the Oasis. These people are rarely old enough to remember living anywhere else. There is also a significant amount of both God- and Dragon-Blood among the population that breeds true, and such exceptional individuals always prove to be very productive to the Oasis.
The Oasis folk practice the same Thaumaturgical Arts used by people throughout Creation (with special emphasis on Alchemy, the Dead, Astrology, Enchantment and Husbandry), and enjoy about the same level of Bronze Age technology. They are largely ignorant of the impressive First Age wonders and weapons that allow for their very lives, and only their priests can still read just a little of the Old Realm instructions and warnings. They have domesticated all the animals living in the Oasis (even a few of the many wild predatory big cats living beyond the borders of the Oasis), and have tamed several species of Tyrant Lizards, which are trained and harnessed as beasts of burden, transport and communication. Unbeknowst to the people, some of the "Lizards" are actually low-Essence Dragon Kings. The process of taming them may soon have them on the rise to self-awareness, in which case they will, at the very least, want their old jobs as Priests of the Unconquered Sun back...
Military: The people have a standing military/police force called the Golden Guard. Although rarely called upon to fight, they have been instrumental in deciding the occasional revolt or civil war. Each member is well-trained in riding chariots (auroch or lizard-drawn), throwing spears and fighting with the shield and khopesh (a sword-like weapon similar to a Slashing Sword), and use trained jackal dogs and falcons in their patrols. Most are Extras, though there are some Elite units and many of the leaders are Heroic Mortals, if not God-Blooded or Terrestrials (those mortals who greatly distinguish themselves have their Essence Awakened by the Shining Priesthood in an elaborate ritual). The special branch of the Guard are the Tyrant Riders, those whose mettle has proven worthy enough to merit a Lizard companion. All of the Riders are Superior Troops, and those who are supernatural may have a Tyrant Lizard as a Familiar. Their headquarters, the House of War, is faced with brazen bas-reliefs of soldiers; unknown to anyone, these are actually Brass Legionaires, awaiting Old Realm commands to detach themselves from the walls and attack...
Government: The Oasis is ruled by a royal family, with assistance from the Shining Priesthood, both operating from the Palace of Senet. The populace is currently divided and restless, as the Priesthood recently helped depose the lawful monarch in favor of a young slave girl who happened to Exalt as a Solar. The jaguar-robed Priests may have been following the guidance of the Unconquered Sun, OR they may be making their final bid for absolute power, secure in the belief that they can manipulate an untested young girl, even if she IS a Solar. The girl, who exalted as a Twilight, has other ideas, and has been busying herself with mastering all of the dusty First Age Lore buried and forgotten in the Sublime Halls of Thought. Unfortunately, because the people are so happy to be ruled by a Solar once more, she has underestimated the resentment of the remaining aristocratic families...
Supernatural: There are few Spirits in the Oasis, and few in Yu-Shan are even aware it exists. Those who are are intent on keeping it that way, especially Herus, the falcon-headed City Father that oversees the kingdom, and his Gold Faction Sidereal allies. The people still worship the Celestial Incarna, with obelisks and holidays devoted to each of them, and each temple is guarded by a Celestial Lion who has been there for eons (most mistake them for statues, save for the priests). The Oasis is one of the best kept secrets of the Court of Orderly Flame, which sometimes secretly use it for meetings and a hiding place.
Among the plentiful animals that dwell in the Lake of Longing is a gargantuan crocodile. The people know he is there, and revere him as a sacred beast who has dwelt in the Lake since time began. What they do not know is that he is actually a 1st Age Lunar Exalted. this ancient No Moon once served as the Priest of the Moon, but lapsed in his duties as he saw the city around him decline. Finally, with his Solar mate lost to him forever, he simply waded into the Eternal Pond and spent most of his time in hibernation, only occasionally venturing forth in various forms to check on his people's welfare. It is only a matter of time, however, before he becomes aware that the Solars have not only returned, but that one now sits on the throne. And is eligible to become his mate once more...
History: The People of the Oasis have largely forgotten their past, and live in legends. They know only the barest of facts about the great Monuments that surround them. The truth is that the 5 Pyramids surrounding their home are the tombs of a Circle of 1st Age Solars, who all died binding a terrible Behemoth into an eternal sleep. Their fellows honored their memory by entombing them over the site of the creature's downfall, that they may guard it forever. They also left behind a sizable allotment of mortals to perform rites of remembrance for them, presided over by Solars and Dragon Kings. Eventually, the Solar on duty left to attend the gathering that led to the Usurpation, and never returned. The Dragon Kings devolved, and the people turned to the business of daily life, forgeting their purpose...
Monuments: The geography of the Oasis is unique. The Essence of a Behemoth pervades it, and likely would have long since mutated it into a Wyld Zone if the Solar Tombs didn't act as manses, siphoning off the excess energy and channeling it into altering the weather and climate to allow for a comfortable existence. The engraved Jade Stela set between each tomb compliment this work, sorcerously concealing the location from the eyes and senses of most who wander across it, until they actually set foot in the Oasis (a combined IllusionThe_Book_Of_Earth/Compulsion effect). These Tombs are as well-guarded as any in Creation, full of deadly traps and bound demons that make short work of any who dare come near without the proper rites. These rites have not been performed in centuries, but are preserved in Old Realm in the Hall of Records. The tombs are also full of the panopolies of the fallen Circle, and virtually any non-unique Artifact may be found within.
Each Tomb creates a Level 1-3 Hearthstone, all of which are lost. Some of these Hearthstones are set in a Crown of Thunders, which was entombed with an ancient mortal king who was only able to use its symbolic powers. Whether it still resides in the Valley of the Fallen is anyone's guess...
At the lowest centerpoint of the Lake is a cat-like form, pinned there by a mile-long Obelisk to the Unconquered Sun that juts from the center of the Lake like an upraised finger. The ancient wards binding it into torpor are formidable but fragile, and it will not take much beyond damming the Limitless Spring to disturb them and free the fell beast. On that day, the South itself will shake, as the Behemoth slouches out of its sleep and turns toward distant civilization...
Some distance to the East of the Oasis is a giant golden head. The few from the Oasis who have seen it believe it to be all that remains of a metallic statue carved by the ancients, and tell tales of how it once advised the ancestors of their kings. It would take an outside observer to recognize the head of a Warstrider if he saw it, although he might be surprised to find a 1st Age Royal Warstrider in such a place and in such relatively good (if inactive) condition. Buried in the sands nearby are also various 1st Age land and air transports, all requiring minimal maintainance to restore to excellent working condition.
West of the Oasis is the long-abandoned Factory-Cathedral used to create the Pyramid Tombs. It was already old, and was decommissioned soon after, all the important elements (except for the large mirrors) stripped for use elsewhere. However, it still provides a template for reverse-engineering a working Factory-Cathedral, and could be made to operate again with enough equipment and supplies (at least Resources 5). Fortunately, the land near it is rich in gold ores, which would also make for good base material to smelt Orichalcum from.
Further to the South lies the Valley of the Fallen. This rocky terrain is where the Oasis people used to bring their dead for burial, as the dry air preserved their bodies for centuries, especially when aided with their secret traditional Alchemical treatments. Potent rites of ancestor-worship have given the ghosts of the Oasis folk much power, and they are free with aid and advice, although they keep to their own society. But recently, this land has soured and become...unsafe.
The site of such mass mummification and death essence is prime real estate for a Shadowland, and has attracted the attention of a Deathlord, who hopes to make it and the Oasis her base of operations in the living lands. And she found the perfect agent to execute her plans in the form of the former king, ceremonially mummified by treacherous priests while still alive and cast into the Valley like a common slave. He was eager to take her offer for power and revenge and became The Pharoah of Phantoms Everliving. A fanatical student, The Pharoah has already mastered a Celestial Martial Arts Style, two Circles and Necromancy, and considers enslaving the powerful, worship-fed shades of his ancestors (his personal bodyguard are his immediate forefathers, 5 Nemissaries inhabiting 7-ft tall leather-bandaged War Bodies) to serve as his army of conquest the merest first step in his vengence. Transforming his Valley of the Fallen headquarters into a proper Shadowland and corrupting the 5 Tombs into Abyssal manses is his immediate plan...Fortunately, some of the ghosts have managed to escape his grasp, and are attempting to warn the Oasis before it's too late...
Character Concepts for Solars:
Dawn: Golden Guard Soldier or General, Tyrant Rider
Zenith: Temple Priest, Desert Hermit, Tyrant Lizard Trainer
Twilight: Finder and restorer of lost history and antiquities
Night: Tomb Robber or Guardian
Eclipse: Royal Advisor, Ambassador to the World Beyond
