Worldbuilding Prompt #1144 - Klasmet, The Oldest City on Argull
Published on HivePostify by @alonicus · Sun Aug 23 2026
This post was inspired by a writing prompt in the Worldbuilding Community - [Worldbuilding Prompt #1144 - The Oldest City](https://peakd.com/hive-191038/@worldbuilder/worldbuilding-prompt-1144-the-oldest-city)
Enjoy !
AI Image created by ChatGPT
"Has it always looked like that ?"
Sir Balian de Nifrise heard the question in his ear, although the speaker was a hundred yards away. There were advantages to having a wizard in their Company, he thought, although maybe next time he'd ask Gullar Magus to exclude the new recruits when he cast his Message spell. Or at least this one. But he should probably answer anyway. Recruits had to be bought up to speed somehow.
Using his knees, he bought his warhawk around slightly, scanning the sky for both Private Rarden and any trouble that might be seeking them. There he was. He might be too full of questions for his own good, but the boy was a natural when it came to controlling his bird.
"No, lad. The city is ancient, and for the last few thousand years has been the unchanging, eternal capital of the Lymbrian Empire. Not that many have seen it. The Empire rejected visitors, preferring to sleep in isolation, dreaming of past glories."
He watched he city below for a while before continuing. There were figures gathering in the streets, zombies led by chariot-borne mummies and demons with animal heads, gathering for another attack on King Gortig's fortified encampment. The Jaktan and Sarrassid armies, the armies of the living, had landed a few weeks ago, and were vastly outnumbered by the dead defending this place.
"But that golden pyramid and that accursed black obelisk are new, my boy. I hear Sutekh planted them down on the old palace, flattening everything that was underneath. No idea why, but he's swept up every scrap of gold in the areas he's conquered to build it. Whatever it is, it's important to him, which makes it our job to stop it."
"But how are we going to stop it ?" Rarden shot back.
"That's His Majesty's job. We're here today just to have a look around, an aerial scouting mission to keep an eye on what the enemy are up to. And to see if we can spot any of the resistance, rumour is there are still a few human locals alive in that city of death."
He saw movement rising from below, and used the Message spell to broadcast to all the men in his bird-borne patrol.
"Time to get out of here, men. I can see undead manticores coming up to say hello. Our warhawks are no match for the numbers I can see coming up to chase us off."
He wheeled away, and saw his dozen troopers starting to follow, some struggling to control their giant birds of prey. The warhawks just wanted to follow their natural urge to rend and tear the monsters climbing into the sky, but there was no joy in shredding creatures that had been dead ten thousand years. Better to get back over the camp and let the ballistae and wizards deal with the enemy monsters.
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