The Nine Wonders of the World

Nine sumptuous constructions made by enlightened civilisations, which brought tears to Laelaz the Walker's face when he laid his eyes on them. He recorded each one of them in the poems he wrote during his twenty two years long journey across the continent.

These nine Wonders are respectively:

1. The Ancient Celestial Palace (Celestial Empire)
2. The Silent Champions (somewhere in the Northedge, exact location frequently debated)
3. The Water House of Ran Dagaan (Pash Kingdom)
4. Ravena's Harbor (within modern day Veranese Citystates)
5. The Great Wall (Halfling-Giant Alliance)
6. Necropolis of the Naga (within modern day Nulamore)
7. Winged Palazzo of Helias (within modern day Vashian Republic)
8. Ilion, the Tower of Dancing Lights (Ecinev)
9. The Black Cathedral (Radmir)

#### The Ancient Celestial Palace

This massive structure was constructed during the Xin-On period of Celestial History.  Despite the fact that many of the Xin-On Period 'Emperors' spent far more time in the field than in the Palace, 'Emperor' after 'Emperor' added additions until it became a small city.  The final fate of the Ancient Celestial Palace remains one of history's greatest mysteries.  It was believed destroyed during the late Xin-On Period, but the modern Celestial Empire government insists that the past and current palaces are one and the same, despite all non-Celestial records, including Laelaz's writings, stating that it was located in an entirely different location within the Celestial Empire entirely.

The appearance of the Ancient Celestial Palace is largely unknown in modern times.  It is believed that agents of the Celestial Empire destroyed all records ages ago, though some works, including Laelaz's, indicate that the Summer Palace in Qi-Fu was built as a near perfect replica of a large section of the Ancient Celestial Palace.  The Summer Palace in Qi-Fu was sold off centuries before the modern day, and is now owned by Oni drug lords, but even in its dilapidated state is still an impressive building.

#### The Silent Champions

A set of seven statues of disproportionate proportions, carved in the very stone of a mountain, at the far end of the northern taiga of the continent. Each statue is so immense that their heads alone exceed the size of an imperial war gallion.

No one knew of their existence until Laelaz discovered them by chance while exploring the area with a local guide. Even today, their origin is a mystery and it is not known who carved them and when, or the identity of the warriors that these statues represent.

It should be noted that a strange, almost disturbing silence reigns around these statues. One can hear no birds singing, no insects flying, and even the wind stops blowing when one approaches them. Laelaz reported, moreover, after his trip, that it was impossible for him to speak near these statues, as if a mysterious force were imposing silence on him in their presence.

#### The Water House of Ran Dagaan

A gigantic semi-circular shaped temple, located in the heart of the city-state of Ran Dagaan, in the Kingdom of Pash. The magnificent building, with its solid gold domes, marble colonnades and jewel-encrusted stone arches, stands in the middle of an inland lake connected to the rest of the city by thirteen bridges.

This place is dedicated to Naël, the Goddess of Swords, Sacred Guardian of Duels and patron saint of fencers, a major deity of the Pashi pantheon.

From the heights of the palace flow gigantic cascades of clear water which, for some inexplicable reason, never seem to stop running, and which fall into the countless inner patios of the temple. These sanctuaries, large pools dotted with a few raised flagstones emerging from the water, where one can set foot, serve as duelling places for the Pashi duellists, who come to cross the blade with their fellows.

To spill one's blood (and, at times, to die) in the waters of the Palace is both an immense honour and a way of proving one's devotion to Naël.

Laelaz had the opportunity to witness a duel of Pashi fencers when he visited the Palace and declared that the blades went so fast that his eyes could not follow their trajectory, but that it was one of the most graceful and impressive spectacles he had ever seen in his life.

#### Ravena's Harbor

Originally the Harbor of the city of Veran, once capital of the Verani Empire, this massive artificial hexagonal lake has two different channels connecting it to the sea and the Verasqi River. In the center of the lake lies an artificial island, perfectly round. Long drawbridge, pulleys and cranes allow for hundreds of tons of goods to be moved from the ships to the warehouses around the harbor edge, or vice versa, and up to a thousand ships can be anchored in the harbor at once. Though since the fall of the Empire, there's never been need for half that many, that harbor of Ravena is still one of the most impressive achievements of engineering by the Verani Empire.

#### The Great Wall

This 1,400 kilometer long wall isn't particularly visually impressive up close, though it is widely believed to be the largest mortal made structure on the planet.  Consisting of a ten meter high crude stone wall supported in many areas by ramps of compacted soil on the Halfling-Giant side, the Wall wasn't particularly effective in its original purpose of stopping slave raids (slavers had mostly switched to coastal raids by that point in history) but it served as a potent symbol for the newly founded Halfling-Giant Alliance.  Laelaz writes little about it in his journals, and some believe it was only included in the Nine Wonders to annoy the Belaran Empire, who Laelaz hated.

#### Necropolis of the Naga

This sprawling complex in the middle of the Janedi Jungle is the most morbid entry on the list of the Nine Wonders of the World.  Built by the off-shoot of the Naga Cult that settled in the region, this burial ground consists of a three square kilometer outdoor maze connected to hundreds of kilometers of catacomb tunnels and chambers.  Aside from its sheer size, and the beautiful if disturbing artwork and stone carvings that cover every flat surface, the Necropolis is also famous for the wide range of preservation techniques used on the bodies of the naga, their most devoted worshipers, and some say their sacrificed enemies.  Also mummification is the most common, one can also see jew encrusted skeletons, life like taxidermied figures in action poses, glass vats filled with bodies suspended in embalming fluid, and statues said to be created through a form of petrification magic. Although the Laelaz was given a lavish tour of the Necropolis, most of the time it is off limits to all except the inner circle of the Naga Cult.

(in modern times, the Necropolis is still in use, and falls within the territory claimed by Nulamore)

#### The Winged Palazzo of Helias

This massive structure composed of soaring towers of white marble and gold plated wing motifs was one of the most impressive structures built by the Verani Empire.  Although not as large as the palaces at Ravena and Baptium, it is certainly taller, with a mostly hollow central spire known as the Phoenix Spire that looms over the city of Helias and also doubles as the city's primary lighthouse.  Religious and literary figures of the Verani Empire were once fond of metaphors about how the Phoenix Spire is a glowing beacon of civilization among the barbarity of Outer South Marchlands.  Following the Fall of the Verani Empire, the building looted and torched, but remained remarkably intact due to its solid engineering.  It is currently used by the rulers of the Helias City State as its main government complex.  Although Laelaz encountered many beautiful structures during his tour of the old Verani Empire sites, he forced himself to only include two on his list, the Winged Palace and the Ravena Harbor.

(in modern times, the Winged Palace has been fully restored and is now the seat of government of the Vashian Republic)

#### Ilion, the Tower of Dancing Lights

Although Laelaz visited this site long before many of its modern features were added, he was still greatly impressed by the sheer size and beauty of this massive palace, which also doubled as a lighthouse.

#### The Black Cathedral

The Black Cathedral (also called "the Black Citadel", or "gravestone" by locals) is both center of political power in Radmir, and holliest place to cult of Miracle. Its sprawling, kilometers long complex, is made out of single block of black stone with not a single tool. Legends say it was granted by God to the First Prophet. Right now most of it is used to administrative, and religious purposes, so to see it inside its great honor.

Laelaz was granted not only honor of seeing all the temples, inside, but also was granted an audience to Grand Ressurectionist - church leader, himself. The whole complex ends at the Gate of Life, leading to the Holy City, and no one can cross it and return. Even thought he couldn't cross the gate, what Laelaz saw was enough to put Cathedral as last of Wonders on his list. An holy gem, on artistic crown that haunted his mind long after leaving the region.

#### Other Candidates

Laelaz encountered many other famous structures in his journeys, and many people think the Nine Wonders were chosen in a biased manner.  Structures that Laelaz actually visited and wrote about that people feel should have made the list include;

- The Colossus (a massive statue in Baptium, destroyed long ago, probably excluded since two Verani structures already on the list)

- The Great Belaran Causeway and the Belwed Cathedral Organ (both likely excluded due to Laelaz's dislike of Belarans, both structures still stand in modern times)

- The Gloriana Holy Cathedral (the reason for its exclusion is subject to endless debate, but the most common theories are that he saw including such a famous structure as redundant, that he had a political grudge against the Church, or that it contravened his unofficial policy of excluding supernatural structures and regions on his two main lists)

- Dragon Gate Pass (culturally significant, but probably just not visually impressive enough to include, also the Wall of the World was already on his list of Natural Splendours)

- The Fallen Elf (mostly ruined by the time it was visited)

##### Structures that Laelaz wrote about but didn't visit in person include;

- The Iceberg City of Thdu (likely a myth)

- The Stereo Tower of the Wastelands (also likely a myth)

- The Great Pyramid of the Wastelands (mythical at the time, but now believed to be real)

- the Royal Barge of the Ivory Kingdom (sunk two years before Laelaz visited that region)

##### Modern structures that some feel should be included in a revised list include;

- Herika's Mausoleums in the Vashian Republic

- The Tear of Kara Khan (not an actual structure, but culturally significant)

- The modern Celestial Palace.