The Land of the Dead Outpost Writing Challenge

[Tethys 13]

Osiris Land of the Dead
December Writing Contest

This December we are focusing on our regional roleplay, the Land of the Dead. Citizens can find the description and how to apply here!
For this challenge, after joining the map, write a description of your nation's outpost, and how it came to be! There will be regular prompts to help you as Questions of the Day on the Regional Message Board, so post here and feel free to edit it over the month!
Rules:
- Submissions to be made as reply to this thread.
- Citizens only, requiring addition to the Land of the Dead map.
- Submissions close at the end of the year.

[Guhrayen]

Without a doubt, the first response of the Triple-Seat to such a fascinating discovery as an ancient ruin such as this is to call upon the local-most representative reporting to the Āsrōīh (priestly council) to examine its architectural trappings for signs of divine connections to the Vestige or to the heresies of yesteryear. Regardless of the results, a team would quickly be put together to explore the ancient building led by one or more of the Vestigal Theurgists. Depending on the size of the ruin and its location within the territories of the empires, it may be quickly brought to the notice of the highest echelons of the Āsrōīh and Musalu the Thrice-Hallowed.

Upon deciphering the murals at the site, a consultation of faith would take place among those on the exploration team. The lead theurgist would, after magickal communion with a Voice of the Āsrōīh, go through the strange doorway, protected as best they could be by their invocations and those spared to them by the Voice, with a simple mission to investigate and report back the immediate surroundings past the threshold.

Once discovering the vast desert and its many riches and returning unharmed, the expedition would be extensively questioned on the extent of their travels in this newly realized realm by an Extraordinary Session of the Āsrōīh; indeed, as soon as word began to spread to the priestly council, a larger expeditionary force of even finer theurgists than those perhaps available at the strictly local level would be raised and sent forth to secure the ruin in the name of the Triple-Seat against any local political tribalists or adventurists. The Tripartite Golem himself, deeply intrigued and claiming the newly discovered realm's reveal as a divine revelation of the Vestige and gift upon the peoples of Guhrayen, would personally appoint a Voice to lead the Āsrōīh while he departed to lead the outpost's establishment.

In the early days of the outpost's construction, Musalu would lead hosts of gemshapers, craftspeople, architects, theurgists, merchants, and scribes into this promising new realm in order to identify a site for construction. Simple tents and caravans would meander throughout the first claimed territories as feats of divine magick would slowly transform a portion of the desert into a sacred domain of the Vestige. The sands would become glassy and take on shades of the colour pink beneath and between the first residential workshops, horticultural gardens, and clerical pavilions, that sprouted up among the construction efforts under Musalu's oversight.

Though initially alarmed at the discovery that imported materials into the strange desert realm erode at an accelerated rate, the Guhrayen ruling council and their leader embrace proto-scientific methods and, unable to conjure infinite resources from their homelands beyond the desert, work quickly to commandeer a mass labour force, relocating entire villages and towns if necessary to mine and harvest the strange resources of this place to ensure the longevity of Guhrayen's impact there. Cognizant of the dangers posed by the Deathshroud horrors once survivors report back to the nascent construction sites, exploration teams are accompanied by theurgist-led detachments of the Guhrayen armies; though the Triple-Seat has long been at peace with the outside world, the blurry line between policing and military functions throughout some of its imperial holdings keep many of its member prepared for military action, with gunpowder rockets and spellcraft alike use in the best efforts to protect the Thrice Hallowed's insistence on establishing an outpost.

In matters of spiritual importance, the Guhrayen outpost would establish early on the inclusion of warnings regarding the divine laws of the outpost's realm into speeches and proclamations to the peasantry. A clear command resonates throughout the settlement and through the temples serving those that would venture into this realm and labour at the side of the Thrice Hallowed in their citadel: "let the spirits of this place reign supreme in their harmony with the Vestige and those that disrespect them suffer their fate in disgrace". Harmony and peace is, for now, sought too with the other nations establishing outposts in the desert, but Musalu eyes expansion of the Vestige's influence in all things, and it is only a matter of time before his attentions turn to not just guarding the temple-citadel's initial settlement, but expanding it.

For now, a rapidly erected stone and glass temple-citadel, 37 floors high, stands at the center of a portion of the desert that has become tinged with the telltale pink hues of Musalu's divine focus as it slowly transforms the immediate landscape. Residential buildings for labourers made of local materials like Ark's Bark pop up around the beginnings of a bazaar for traders seeking to exchange wares from either their own nations beyond this realm or the realm itself, while some of the priesthood relocated here fret over their leader's frequent forays to the land of the Order's Pharaoh.

[Tethys 13]

The Tethysi were shocked at the appearance of the ruin in one of the Grand Libraries, and it was immediately quarantined and guarded, while the logs were checked to determine how and when it appeared. However, those guards quickly found themselves having to fight off the hordes of archaeologists desperate to study it. As a result, tryouts were held to determine who could approach and begin the investigation of the ruin.
Shortly into the investigation, a small group of those archaeologists that passed the trials got together, waited until their more sensible peers left to inform the authorities of their discoveries, and rushed through the doors the moment that opportunity arose. They returned with news of the strange realm, which the Tethysi were eager to explore and learn about. Others can claim the bounties of wealth - the Tethysi are here for the bounty of knowledge, to be the first to study this realm and publish their findings for others to read.
The Tethysi brought in coral from their cities to grow into aquatic buildings, with Tentoraries (tarpaulin-like temporary abodes) to bridge the gap until their completion. It is populated by two groups - one control group of scholars and warriors, and the scouting group which activated Setting Join to adapt to the environment, in this case seemingly turning them into semi-corporeal wraiths to wander the seas and sands. Upon discovering that the Tentorary shelters will not cut it, the Tethysi instructed the Adapted Corps begin gathering local resources to reinforce the burgeoning coral houses instead, being careful not to trigger any curses and ensuring capable warriors are on guard against monsters. When monsters arise, monster fighting specialists are called in from those Orders, such as the Order of the Lucky Pig, who are used to fighting the Ur-Urchin plaguing the Kelpful farms. They are accompanied by scholars to document as much as possible about these monsters in order to work out means of deterrence. Those who fall to curses are taken to receive palliative care, and gently but firmly required to explain everything that led to it, so that it can be documented and published to warn others, while increasing oversight to both reduce recklessness and also catch curse causes quicker.
When other nations are encountered, the Tethysi leap at the chance to exchange information, and possibly other resources down the line. However, it also results in a scramble from some of the less ethical orders to infiltrate those nations and see what stories can be made there, with the more level-headed orders having to catch them in time to avoid further curses.

So, there we have the outpost of the Tethysi - a conglomeration of cultivated coral cabins collectively coming close to castlehood, considering the knightly coterie recceing and capably conquering sectors close to the coastline they cling to, while semi-spectral scouts survey substantially distant sands to secure supplies in pursuit of succouring similarly studious societies suffering isolation.