Quasiwizard

The name "Silent Garden" from an earlier post stuck with me. This is another interpretation, as a megadungeon.   The best-known ruins of Orelioth that exist today are that of a former botanical gardens. Their location is generally rumored to be on an island in the river near where it is said the capital of Orelioth once lay. The gardens are said to be haunted, enchanted, or just straight-up weird by those who have survived to tell the tale. It is most often called the Silent Garden. The Silent Garden is now entirely underground, with a system of skylights and mirrors illuminating lower levels. Despite being unusually strong, time has taken its toll and many have broken through. No one is sure how many levels deep the Garden goes. No one is actually quite sure it was a botanical gardens in its time. Some scholars believe it to actually be an ancient magical horticulture research lab, a place where magicians and scientists would research magical horticulture. This certai...

ORELIOTH! I cry your name as a child to its lost mother, while we crumble into ruin. Where might your wonders lie, and where might our renaissance be?                                                                                - Goinas the Blind This is the beginning of a hopefully occasional series of posts where I share ideas for a setting. Orelioth is a fabled empire of the distant past , one of many that have existed, yet somehow more important than any other. Yet every detail of its existence is debated, in taverns and universities. The only thing that is agreed upon is its imprint on present: magnificent ruins, powerful magical relics, and immense cultural artifacts. The old empire is an object of veneration and fear; its wonders have to powe...