Seven Wonders of Kildare
The Seven Wonders of Kildare were established in 1560 AN. Originally there were actually only six[1]; through "The Ozymandian Quest" the seventh was determined.
List
The Seven Wonders include:
| No. | Image | Name | Current location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Colossus of Lodis | Suqutra, Çakaristan | |
| 2 | Temple of Ryvenna | Qoashan, Shireroth | ||
| 3 | 
|
Temple of Sakat | Suqutra, Çakaristan | |
| 4 | Lighthouse of Apollo | Xiacheng, Shireroth | ||
| 5 | Halluci Library | Hallucigrad, Shireroth | Destroyed in a terrible fire in 1519 AN | |
| 6 | Ocean Palace | Daodao, Shireroth | ||
| 7 | El'Morador the legendary City of Gold |
unknown |
The Ozymandian Quest
Written by Jonas Windsor and Andreas the Wise[2]
Just like always at this time of the year, it was a snowy day in Kildare. Even the southern islands, like Halluci Nua, were confronted with heavy snowstorms. In Hallucigrad, the snow didn't stop the scientists and historians of doing what they were always doing: reading the old letters and books of the huge and ancient library. Most of the first library had been lost through the ages, but since the Kildarian Time War (which started in 3281 ASC) a new library had been built. This library had withstood time and had the largest collection of information from over the last 1,000 ASC years. The more restricted departments within the Hallucigrad Library, however, housed several more ancient books of which only historians had the approval to read. Gaelen Win'Eth was not an important scientist or historian, but a nobleman. He was a direct descendant of Kaiser Mahamantot I and Leto III and family of the Dukes of the Dutchy of Kildare. His bloodline was connected with both the high nobility of Shireroth as Kildare. And what was more: the blood of Raynor I was flowing through his vains. As a noble of the Win'Eth Dynasty he had immediate access to all documents. However, it wasn't Gaelen who had demanded access to the restricted areas, he was invited by a good friend: historian Mel'Mat. "Remarkable how old those books are and nonetheless, they are still in a perfect state!" said Gaelen while admiring the beautiful drawing on the books. Most of them were boring: thousands of papers about taxes, decrees and demands for tributes for the Dutch. But others were about civil wars, letters of tributes to the Kaiser (which were always accompanied with beautiful pictures) and ancient myths and legends.
The candlelight in the library made reading in the big hall a bit sinister and threw a mysterious atmosphere over the room. Some Anticans which were sitting a bit further laughed with the attempts of the young nobleman to read some old documents. One look of Gaelen in their direction and the laughing stopped immediately. Gaelen despised the Anticans for what they had done during the reign of Kaiser B'Caw I: they broke the treaty and supported the secession of Elwynn, which ultimately had become and independent country. Since then, every action of an Antican in public was seen as a possible threat to the Shirerithian Empire. They didn't have to think they could break the Kaiser's power. Never would the Kildari allow a collapse of the Empire! That being said, the nobleman didn't hate the Anticans. Some of his best friends were from there. But he simply couldn't help it to distrust them. "Good friend," said Mel'Mat, "You shouldn't look like that to them. They are getting scared. It are good people, trust me. They have some rotten apples, but that's the same at our side." Gaelen nodded. He knew that his friend was talking the truth, but prejudges don't disappear as quick as you would want.
•••
"So, you had something to show me?" Gaelen asked Mel'Mat. He was eager to distract himself from the Anticans. "Indeed," said Mel'Mat, his eyes lighting up at the thought of what was to come. "Through here." He led Gaelen deeper into the restricted area, ending up in a side room with a desk, two chairs, and several boxes. Mel'Mat immediately opened one and pulled out a slim, dusty book. Gaelen could not make out the title, but he could see that, under the dust, the cover of the book was made of gold. "This treasure was tucked away in Sub-basement 34YX, missorted under 'Treason'," Mel'Mat began. "Treason! Who? Where?" Gaelen shouted compulsively. "I said missorted under 'Treason'," Mel'Mat replied. "It was intended to be sorted under 'Treasure', though it would have been more accurately grouped with 'Journals'. This, in fact, is the lost journal of Dutch Ozymandias the Great, the famed explorer-Dutch." Gaelen looked at his friend blankly. "Ozymandias the Great? So arrogant he had two cities named after him? So convinced of his exploring skills he led no less than 23 expeditions, none of which made any contribution whatsoever to cartography except to mark large portions of the continent "Easy to get lost in"? So astonishingly lucky that he managed to resolve every one of his misshaps, including the time he almost got seized by daemon fish? And such a ladies' man that he was officially removed from the Kildarian Dutchal Bloodline by the head historian, because otherwise every town in Kildare would have contained an heir to the throne? The fact that he'd been caught in the bedroom of the head historian's daughter was completely unrelated. Are you sure you haven't heard of Dutch Ozymandias?"
Gaelen's eyes had widened. "Was he the one who?" "Yes." "And he also ..." "Yes." "And even ..." "Yes, that too." "And he wrote all of this down?" "I believe so," Mel'Mat said, "though it is no doubt somewhat embellished." "That scarcely matters," Gaelen replied, "the movie rights alone would be enough to double the Kildarian Treasury ..." "Gaelen, I brought you here to talk about more than the extravagant adventures of an incredibly lucky Dutch." Gaelen's face fell. "You're right, my friend. It wouldn't do to bring the Dutchal throne into such disrepute. Of course, if we changed the names ..." Mel'Mat cut him off. Humans, they always got caught up in the stories and missed the important details, which was why they made such bad historians. Cool-headed Melangians were so much better. "What I actually wanted to talk to you about was one of the expeditions recorded in this journal," Mel'Mat said. "What do you know ... of El'Morador?"
"Ah, now I remember where I know the name Ozymandias from," Gaelen said, laughing. "He's said to have found El'Morador, isn't he? Ozymandias and the City of Gold. A nice bedtime story, as I recall." "More than just a bedtime story. I've been researching El'Morador on and off for the last three decades." "Why would you be looking for legendary city, Mel'Mat?" Gaelen said, laughing again. "You're a Melangian, don't you prefer history to legends?" "We do indeed," Mel'Mat said, "but many stories have a basis in fact, and I am convinced this is one of them. There is good historical evidence that El'Morador actually existed, and actually was discovered by Ozymandias. For a start, it's in the list of the Seven Wonders of Kildare." "There are only six wonders of Kildare, Mel'Mat, everyone knows that. The Colossus, the Temple of Ryvenna, the Temple of Sakat, the Lighthouse of Apollo, Halluci Library and the Ocean Palace. And even if there were seven, half of those wonders were only built or discovered in the last couple centuries. Ozymandias lived millennia ago, and if he found El'Morador, if it even exists, it's been lost ever since. How could it be on a list drawn up within Cla'Udi's lifetime?" It was Mel'Mat's turn to smile, though he didn't share the joke. "Oh Gaelen. The original list of the Seven Wonders of Kildare was drawn up by a Melangian also named Cla'Udi in 785 ASC. That Cla'Udi was a servant of Sakat, and had travelled with Sakat all over Kildare to draw up the list. The fact that half of the wonders weren't built at the time the list was drawn up was considered only a minor annoyance." "Half of them weren't built? How do you draw up a list of wonders not yet built?" Gaelen said incredulously. "He travelled with Sakat," Mel'Mat reminded him. "You get used to that sort of strangeness dealing with the god of Time. Anyway, the list is quite accurate and the legends of El'Morador predate it's drawing up, so cannot have been spawned by the list itself. It was recorded by the patron god of historians, therefore it is historical fact. Look, you've heard the story, let me tell you the history."
"The best gold mines in Apollonia have always been in Nova Dalmicija. There are records of a golden city there since the Audente Empire ruled this land. Lost travellers would wonder into Agnigrad and tell tales of a city so rich the streets were paved with gold. They worked with gold in ways other mortals could only dream of. Liquid gold flowed out of fountains, and the inhabitants were even said to sweat gold. The inhabitants claimed to have discovered a golden seed which grew gold (a story I personally doubt), and possessed many mechanical wonders not seen since the first Kingdom of Jasonia. Many an Emperor tried to mount an expedition, but none could find the city. None, that is, until Ozymandias. As a testament both to his incredible ineptitude and fantastic luck, Ozymandias set out of Agnigrad in Ifnin,intending to return by Agnifiero, but got hopelessly lost. He eventually stumbled upon El'Morador by accident, and the inhabitants helped him and the three remaining members of his expedition recover and resupply. Taking many treasures with them, they left with directions from the inhabitants of how to get to Lake Christoph, the only landmark that both parties seemed to know. They got lost again but eventually made it to Lake Christoph, attempting to map the countryside as they went. They commandeered a boat and returned to Lamantia in H'graasreign, still bearing a few of their treasures. Ozymandias resolved to set out again as soon as possible, but while preparing for a new expedition great storms struck Kildare. When he eventually sailed back to the other side of Lake Christoph, he couldn't recognise any of the coastline. El'Morador has not been seen since. Of course, the tale has been kept alive, in one form or another. In the great upheaval, when the gods fought and Sakat raised up the islands of Cibola, Sypyr and Leng from the ocean floor, the northern parts of Cibola were so rich in gold the Shirithian cartographers named them El'Morador, after the city. Over time, the language changed and it became known as El Dorado, as it is to this day, but the name there retains the hint of the original. And now there is hope to rediscover the original - because we have here Ozymandias' journal!"
"You're saying that this book can take us to a city made of gold?" Gaelen said, picking it up. The covering certainly did feel like gold. "Looking through it, it contains more detailed instructions than I had hoped," Mel'Mat replied. "Not perfect, of course, but enough that I feel confident to request an archaeological expedition. To rediscover the last of the Seven Wonders, even if it has long since become uninhabited - that would be a great day for History." "Of course, of course, we're interested in it for the historical value," Gaelen said, though the phrases 'City of Gold' and 'Glory of Kildare' were running through his head. "So what say you, old friend?" Mel'Mat asked. "Will you fund an expedition?"
•••
Gaelen looked up from the diary to Mel'Mat. The Melangian didn't see or seemed to ignore the greedy eyes of the nobleman and was still waiting for an answer.Lost in his thoughts, Gaelen was walking in circles while he had his arms wrapped around the heavy book. Gold, Glory, Fame. No better way to show Micras that the birthplace of modern civilization could still hold many surprises. Suddenly, a thought came to his mind: "Good friend," asked Gaelen, "what do you win from it? I can't believe that someone wants to be part of an expedition to find a city that probably doesn't even exist without expecting a reward." The Melangian shaked his head. He was still surprised how greed could make humans so distrustful towards others, even if it were their friends. "Gaelen, I'm not wanting the gold. Nor do I have any interest in being the great hero of the expedition. I'm an historian and just like other historians, I want to find answers. Even if those are hidden in the mists of time." The answer seemed to satisfy Gaelen and the greedy eyes disappeared. A smile appeared on his face and he said: "You have convinced me. You will get my help, on one condition: I want to go with you. Together we're going to write history!" For a moment, a strange look appeared on Mel'Mats face: he already wrote history! He was very sure that Gaelen meant that he could write everything down, while Gaelen was portraited as a hero. Not that it disturbed Mel'Mat: he knew his friend longer than today. He had a good heart. "So... what do you need for this expedition? I can ask my uncle, Dutch Jonas IV, for an army if you want it! Ask and you will receive!"
•••
"An ... an army?" Mel'Mat said, flabbergasted. "Why would we want an army? We're archaeologists." "But when you go treasure hunting, there's always at least one evil force on your tail trying to beat you to the treasure," Gaelen replied evenly. "In stories, yes. In history, not as often," Mel'Mat answered. "But nobody can try and beat us if they don't know we're leaving. That's precisely why I told you this in secret, Gaelen. Our best bet to find the city is if nobody knows we're looking for it save those who have to." Gaelen frowned. A dramatic expedition through treacherous jungle, fighting your way through hordes of natives and beating your arch-rival treasure hunters was going to be a lot harder without an army. How could he convince his friend ... "But what about when we reach the city?" he asked. "Surely we will want an army then?" "It has been over three and a half thousand years since someone last saw the city," Mel'Mat replied. "I cannot imagine that it is anything more than ruins by now." "Alright, I'll have the army ready but it won't come with us at first," Gaelen said. "Besides, it will be more exciting if I rescue the team from the native prison using nothing more than two paperclips and a piece of spaghetti." Mel'Mat rolled his eyes at this - sometimes his friend thought too much in stories. "So, apart from not needing an army, what do you need?" "Well," Mel'Mat said, "I gave that a little thought and drew up a list ...."
"So," Dutch Jonas IV said, as his favourite nephew and a melangian historian stood in front of him, clutching a golden book and a tatterred list. It was a good way to start a reply - "So". It was so delightfully ambiguous. "So," he said again, as he thought how best to phrase this, "you want an overground jeep suitable for jungle travel, a Nova Dalmicijan guide, three months worth of field rations, a waiting medical team, two tents, a standby helicopter, five flare guns, an ANOVA trained mage, a lighter, an attractive love interest, two paperclips, a piece of spaghetti, a standby army, three skull shaped bowling balls, four curse-resistant amulets, a magnifying glass, a gold detector, a GPS, a myPhone 4 with international roaming and unlimited monthly calls for only $89 a month on the VBNC Ultima Cap, a look at hidden documents in the private dutchal library which officially doesn't exist and even if it did exist can only be entered by Dutches, five cans of spaghetti, a bottle of rum, a squid ink pen, the blessing of Sakat, a 100 erb worth of gems to use as bargaining chips, a laptop with long range wireless, a personal satellite connection, twelve pounds of pork, a bouncy castle, five pads of quality water-resistant paper, leech repellent, monkey repellent, a banana, three ropes, a copy of "Swinging Vines and other jungle plants that can be used for adventuring," a second myPhone 4, a second GPS in case the first breaks down, two more myPhone 4's, me to explain to your mother where you are when you don't come home for three months, no records of any of these transactions, a fifth myPhone 4 in case one of the other four breaks down or you encounter a mysterious native aid who happens to speak the common tongue and wants to help you and you need to stay in contact with them, a sixth myPhone 4 incase one of the first five break down, a third GPS to lose somewhere in the jungle so that the first time we send out a search party we don't find you, authorisation to negotiate with other nations should you get kidnapped, a seventh myPhone 4 because you just wanted one for your birthday, and," he looked down at the list again, "a whip, and a dramatic-looking fedora. But you won't tell me what any of this is for?"
Gaelen looked at Mel'Mat, and then back at his uncle. "Er ... could you throw in another myPhone 4? So I can leave this one at home, just in case we lose all the others? And maybe a myTunes 1000 erb gift card so I can put some games on it before we go? I really like Tower Defence, you see ..."
He trailed off, as Dutch Jonas gave him a Look.
"Is something wrong, uncle?" he asked.
•••
Dutch Jonas continued to give Gaelen a look. Gaelen gave him one back. "Well, uncle?"
•••
The Dutch was quite impressed of the rambling of his nephew. He hadn't seen many people who could talk so long without stopping to breath in a long, very long time. Which is quite weird, as he knows a lot of politicians. "Gaelen, we could debate about this for hours. I would probably say that it's impossible for the Treasury, while you would say that the Dutchy is rich. After a day of hearing you nagging at my head, I would probably give in and agree... so, why should I event try to resist? It's a deal! You get what you want!" "Then I would also want a..." "Don't push your luck, Gaelen!" responded Jonas IV.
See also
