Lost City of the Suloise: Difference between revisions

From Greyhawk Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
← Older edit
VisualWikitext
Adding some section headers, to help ... Using note to hide *massive* copy/paste of entire WotC article; minor puncutation
m Minor rephrasing .... Replacing citation; correcting page # in citation
 
(11 intermediate revisions by one other user not shown)
Line 22: Line 22:


==Description==
==Description==
There is a lost city in the Suss Forest, An existing map indicates that this city might be found about 120 miles to the southwest of [[Elredd]].{{csb|GA|116|"The House of Cards; Map Seller"}}  
Described as a lost city in the Suss Forest, an existing map indicates that this city might be found about 120 miles to the southwest of [[Elredd]].{{csb|GA|116|"The House of Cards; Map Seller"}}  
<!--  ★★★ THE FOLLOWING ENTIRE SECTION NEEDS TO BE SUMAMRIZED ★★★
<small>This is an archive of the original article found on Wizards.com. (Dec 2006)</small>
{{quoted text|Tales and legends gather thickly beneath the eves of the [[Suss Forest]]. Reaching north from the [[Drachensgrab Hills]] of the [[Pomarj]], this much feared woodland has long defined the marches of the [[Wild Coast]] and the [[elf|olven]] realm of [[Celene]]. Of all the stories told of the Suss around the fires and hearths of the [[Flanaess]], none so captures the imagination as that of the '''Lost City of the Suloise'''.


Somewhere deep within the forest, so the tale goes, stand the ruins of a marvelous city built by the [[Suloise]] after they fled the destruction of their homeland in the [[Baklunish-Suloise Wars|Rain of Colourless Fire]]. In that place, the exiled [[Suel]] sought to recreate the glory of the fallen [[Suel Imperium|imperium]]. From the funeral pyre of their empire, they carried many artifacts of wondrous power and hordes of gemstones so numerous that they were heaped in mounds. The city’s splendor was such that even the Celeni [[elf|olve]] were said to have marveled and wondered aloud whether gods or men had wrought such works.
<small>This is a summary of an original article from Wizards.com. (Dec 2006)</small>
{{quoted text|Somewhere deep within the forest, so the tale goes, stand the ruins of a marvelous city built by the [[Suloise]] after they fled the destruction of their homeland in the [[Baklunish-Suloise Wars|Rain of Colourless Fire]]. There, the [[Suel]] exiles sought to recreate the glory of the fallen [[Suel Imperium|imperium]]. From the ashes of their empire, they carried many artifacts of wondrous power and mounds of precious of gemstones.


Then, just when the city’s might seemed unequalled, all tidings of it cease in the chronicles of [[human|man]], olve and [[dwarf|dwur]]. It was as though the very forest itself had come alive and swallowed it whole. Some say that the inhabitants had carried in their hearts the evil that had laid their empire low and that it consumed them and their great city as it had their homeland. Others whisper that the olve and dwur, jealous of the works of the Suel, fell upon the city and slew all within, carrying off its treasures to adorn their high palaces and deep halls. Whatever the truth, so complete was the city’s doom that not even its name is now remembered.
Though interest in the Lost City has waned since the [[Greyhawk Wars]], new rumors in [[Hardby]], in the last days of [[595 CY]], related to finding the body of a woman found in the waters of [[Hardby|Hard Bay]]. The only significant possession on the body was a scroll case, holding an encrypted scroll, which the [[Gynarchs]] took and worked to decipher.


Tales of the Lost City have long fired the imagination of adventurers from across the Flanaess. However, though many have sought their fortune there, they have more often found their death. The fell reputation of the Suss is well earned. The forest is home to hordes of [[orc]]s, [[goblin|goblinkin]], [[gnoll]]s and [[kobold]]s—vassals now of [[Turrosh Mak]], the so-called Emperor of the [[Pomarj]]. Even these savage creatures tread wearily in the Suss for more fearsome predators lurk in its thorn-choked tangles and noisome bogs. Ettercaps, susserus, gibberings and kech abound. Hangman trees, huge assassin vines, and other feral plants lie in wait for the unwary. The very trees of the forest, huge and blackened with age, seem to radiate malice towards any who dare to trespass beneath their boughs.
An apprentice to [[Oscar Longland]], was overheard bragging about how he’d helped his master decipher the message which he said recounted an expedition into the Suss to explore the Lost City of the Suloise.


Though interest in the Lost City has waned since the [[Greyhawk Wars]], new rumors about it have recently surfaced in [[Hardby]]—literally. In the last days of [[595 CY]], the body of a woman was fished from the waters of [[Hardby|Hard Bay]]. The body bore no identifying marks or tokens except for a scroll case. Within lay an encrypted scroll of considerable length. Troubled by the possibility that a woman of the city had been murdered, the Gynarchs set about deciphering the scroll’s contents.
According to the scroll, the expedition traveled northwest of [[Badwall]], and found ruins on a wooded ridge set amid a swamp bordering the [[Jewel River]]. A search revealed a huge number of other buildings submerged in the surrounding mire. However, exploration of the sunken ruins was impossible due to the especially resilient undead that lurked there.


After weeks of intense speculation, all discussion of the scroll among the [[Gynarch]]s suddenly ceased. A story circulated that the woman had drowned herself after being jilted in a love affair and that the scroll had been her suicide note. However, instead of allaying curiosity, the story whipped up a frenzy of interest. Whispers of conspiracies and assassinations swirled around the [[Palace of the Gynarchs]] and the Arsenal, seat of the city’s military governor, [[Wilbrem Carister]]. Matters reached such a pitch that Retep Mandel, the governor’s much-feared chief secretary, swore a public oath that he had nothing to do with the death of the mysterious woman.
The explorers found Suloise artifacts, but most of the buildings, including a massive three-tiered ziggurat, seemed to be much older. Ancient, unreadable inscriptions were inscribed upon the walls of the ziggurat.  


Then an apprentice to [[Oscar Longland]], a well-known mage who lost his sight to the orcs of the [[Pomarj]] during the [[Greyhawk Wars]], was overheard drunkenly bragging about how he’d helped his master break a particularly cunning cipher. Though somewhat water-spoiled, the deciphered message, he said, had recounted an expedition into the Suss on the behalf of a group he referred to only as the “Lords of the Hidden City”. The goal of the expedition was nothing less than the Lost City of the Suloise—a curious happenstance, since his master had journeyed to that self-same place just before the Wars.
They decided to excavate the central ziggurat, but found that the central chamber had already been plundered; however, it seemed a large network of undisturbed chambers lay below it. Attempts to open the lower chambers were hampered by repeated accidents, magical traps, etc.


The expedition followed a map made by a party in the service of the [[Scarlet Sign]] who had discovered the city before the Greyhawk Wars. Several days travel northwest of [[Badwall]], they happened upon a number of tumbled stone buildings on a wooded ridge set amid a swamp bordering the [[Jewel River]]. The author was certain that the ruins were those of the Lost City. The structures on the ridge were but a fraction of the city’s extent. A survey revealed a huge number of other buildings submerged in the surrounding mire. However, as the explorers found to their cost, further exploration of the sunken ruins was impossible due to the especially resilient undead that lurked in the murky depths, waiting to drag screaming victims to their deaths.
Before they planned to enter the lower chambers, a bloody fight broke out, questioning the wisdom of delving deeper into the ziggurat, and the leadership and their true motives. The author was lucky to escape when an ancient green wyrm suddenly attacked the expedition’s camp. The author fled, and made for [[Hardby]], to seek out a trusted childhood friend named Ratter. Whether she ever reached Ratter remains a mystery.


Setting up a fortified camp on the wooded ridge, the explorers set about attempting to discover what they could about the Lost City and its fate. Though examples of Suloise artifice were found within the ruins, most of the buildings, including a massive three-tiered ziggurat, seemed to be much older. These elder ruins did not match any known architectural style of the Suel. Similarly, inscriptions in convoluted script of unknown provenance, but ancient date, were inscribed upon the walls of the ziggurat. The scroll’s author apparently viewed it as almost blasphemous that the city might not in fact have been founded by the Suloise, as the legends had related.
Although this story was denounced by the Gynarchy, many in Hardby recalled that a vagrant by the name of Ratter frequented the [[Hardby#Geography|Dock Quarter]] of the city. However, attempts to locate Ratter were fruitless. Those enquiring among the slum dwellers of the city learned that Ratter vanished some weeks before—shortly before the woman’s body was found.|<ref name=lostcity>''Lost City of the Suloise'' (2006) </ref>}}
 
A priest of the [[Earth Dragon]]—(an obscure Pomarji demi-god)—who came to the city to seek relics of his master stolen by the ancient [[Suel]]—revealed that a vision of the doom of the city had come to him in a dream. In his vision, he saw the city trembling as a dull roar filled the air. Then before his eyes, the very earth itself began to swallow the city hole, leaving only a handful of tumbled ruins and a few dazed survivors. This, he said, was the Earth Dragon’s vengeance for the theft of his holy idols, which were almost certainly swallowed up along with the other treasures of the city.
 
The expedition’s leader, a man named [[Yeranav]], ordered the excavation of the central ziggurat. To their dismay, the explorers found that that the central chamber had already been plundered. However, they found signs that a large network of undisturbed chambers lay below it. Attempts to open the lower chambers were hampered by repeated accidents, magical traps, and terrible nightmares that shattered the sleep of the exhausted expedition.
 
On the night before they were due to break through into the lower chambers, a dispute broke out among the members of the expedition, with a large minority—including the author—questioning the wisdom of delving deeper into the ziggurat, Yeranav’s leadership and his true motives. For reasons unknown, the dispute descended into bloodshed, with the author accusing Yereanav of having been corrupted by alien gods and kowtowing before “the Ebon Obex”. The ensuing battle went badly for the author’s faction, and she would have died with her companions had fate not intervened. An ancient green wyrm of immense size arose from the forest and fell upon the expedition’s camp. All who stood and fought were slain. For her part, the author fled into the forest. Shaken by the betrayal of her erstwhile companions, she made for [[Hardby]], where she intended to seek out a man named Ratter, a trusted childhood friend. Whether she ever reached Ratter remains a mystery that she took to her watery grave.
 
Though the story was denounced by the Gynarchy as the fabulist ramblings of a drink-addled apprentice, many in Hardby recalled that a vagrant by the name of Ratter frequented the [[Hardby#Geography|Dock Quarter]] of the city. However, attempts to locate Ratter have proven fruitless. Those who have stooped to enquiring among the slum dwellers of the city learned that he vanished some weeks before—shortly before the woman’s body was fished from the harbour...|<ref name=lostcity>{{cite web |author=Broadhurst, Creighton |authorlink=Creighton Broadhurst |title=Lost City of the Suloise |url=http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=lg/lgmp/20061219a |format= |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20161101184058/http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=lg/lgmp/20061219a |archivedate= 01 November 2016|work=Wizards.com |publisher=[[WotC]] |date=19 December 2006 |accessdate=13 January 2023 |}}</ref>}} -->


==Geography==
==Geography==
 
Rumored to lie somewhere spread across an area including atop a low ridge and a surrounding swamp somewhere within the [[Suss Forest]].
==People==
====Languages====


==Resources==
==Resources==


== Rumors and legends ==
== Rumors and legends ==
The city is rumored to be filled with treasure.{{csb|GA|116|"The House of Cards; Map Seller"}}  
The city is rumored to be filled with treasure.{{csb|GA|116|"The House of Cards; Map Seller"}} The legends also say that this lost city is actually a former old [[Suloise]] city{{csb|WoG|42, 58|Catalogue}}, but none of this has been confirmed due the inherent dangers of the [[Suss Forest]].{{csb|LGG|142|"Chapter 5: Geography of the Flanaess; Forests"}}
 
Legends say that this lost city is actually a former [[Old Suloise]] city{{csb|WoG|35|"Suss Forest"}}, but none of this has been confirmed due the inherent dangers of the [[Suss Forest]].{{csb|LGG|142|"Chapter 5: Geography of the Flanaess; Forests"}}
 
==See Also==
 
==Gallery==


== External links ==
== External links ==

Latest revision as of 02:44, 4 February 2025


Greyhawk Location
Lost City of the Suloise
Geopolitical
Region:Suss Forest

Description

Described as a lost city in the Suss Forest, an existing map indicates that this city might be found about 120 miles to the southwest of Elredd.[1]

This is a summary of an original article from Wizards.com. (Dec 2006)

"Somewhere deep within the forest, so the tale goes, stand the ruins of a marvelous city built by the Suloise after they fled the destruction of their homeland in the Rain of Colourless Fire. There, the Suel exiles sought to recreate the glory of the fallen imperium. From the ashes of their empire, they carried many artifacts of wondrous power and mounds of precious of gemstones.

Though interest in the Lost City has waned since the Greyhawk Wars, new rumors in Hardby, in the last days of 595 CY, related to finding the body of a woman found in the waters of Hard Bay. The only significant possession on the body was a scroll case, holding an encrypted scroll, which the Gynarchs took and worked to decipher.

An apprentice to Oscar Longland, was overheard bragging about how he’d helped his master decipher the message which he said recounted an expedition into the Suss to explore the Lost City of the Suloise.

According to the scroll, the expedition traveled northwest of Badwall, and found ruins on a wooded ridge set amid a swamp bordering the Jewel River. A search revealed a huge number of other buildings submerged in the surrounding mire. However, exploration of the sunken ruins was impossible due to the especially resilient undead that lurked there.

The explorers found Suloise artifacts, but most of the buildings, including a massive three-tiered ziggurat, seemed to be much older. Ancient, unreadable inscriptions were inscribed upon the walls of the ziggurat.

They decided to excavate the central ziggurat, but found that the central chamber had already been plundered; however, it seemed a large network of undisturbed chambers lay below it. Attempts to open the lower chambers were hampered by repeated accidents, magical traps, etc.

Before they planned to enter the lower chambers, a bloody fight broke out, questioning the wisdom of delving deeper into the ziggurat, and the leadership and their true motives. The author was lucky to escape when an ancient green wyrm suddenly attacked the expedition’s camp. The author fled, and made for Hardby, to seek out a trusted childhood friend named Ratter. Whether she ever reached Ratter remains a mystery.

Although this story was denounced by the Gynarchy, many in Hardby recalled that a vagrant by the name of Ratter frequented the Dock Quarter of the city. However, attempts to locate Ratter were fruitless. Those enquiring among the slum dwellers of the city learned that Ratter vanished some weeks before—shortly before the woman’s body was found."[2]

Geography

Rumored to lie somewhere spread across an area including atop a low ridge and a surrounding swamp somewhere within the Suss Forest.

Resources

Rumors and legends

The city is rumored to be filled with treasure.[1] The legends also say that this lost city is actually a former old Suloise city[3], but none of this has been confirmed due the inherent dangers of the Suss Forest.[4]

Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ a b Greyhawk Adventures (1988), p.116, "The House of Cards; Map Seller".
  2. ↑ Lost City of the Suloise (2006)
  3. ↑ World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting (1983), p.42, 58, Catalogue.
  4. ↑ Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.142, "Chapter 5: Geography of the Flanaess; Forests".

Bibliography

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image
Retrieved from "https://gateway.greyhawk.city/greyhawkwiki/index.php?title=Lost_City_of_the_Suloise&oldid=89977"