The Lost Cities of Mankind

The young squire hacked with his machete, cutting a last tree branch: then, he saw amazed the vision that was unveiled to his eyes.

"This... this is it?" he asked.

They knew they where close. He had seen the Spire yesterday in the distance, as he climbed in a tree to guide the expedition, and that matched as well the old descriptions made by ancient elven accounts. Preparing for this great moment, the old knight had clad himself in his armor, carrying the libery and the banner of the King of Sargos. He was sweating like a pig, and it was difficult to breath in that humid heat... and it was only early in the morning. The Squire would have sweared about the heat of the southern rainforests of M'Adhai, but the old knight was quite severe on swearing and blasphemies.

The man, clad in an armor like the grandfathers of the squire would have used, took out the great helmet and looked at it.

"This is it" he said with a smile in his face, as he made the sign of the cross. The squire mimicked him.

"My Lord... are you sure these aren't... I don't know, elven, dwarven or demonic ruins, or from somebody else?" the Squire asked "I had never seen something like this before."

"It's no mistake. No one but ancient humans from the Sky Age could have build it."

"...it doesn't look... human" the boy doubted.

"It is. The Wise Librarians have written about it, but I know it. I have seen such things before."

"Where, my lord?" he asked interested.

"In the Holy City of Eden, during the Holy Wars... but these where all but ruins, not as intact as these" the Old knight said, as he feel to his knees. "Pray with me boy. We are now in human sacred lands."

The old Knight and the young squire prayed silently for a while. The squire saw the man was crying... but he knew why it was.he had finally fullfilled his oath he made in his young age.

Long after the knees of the young squire ached -and he suspected the old knight had it worse-, the man stood up with difficulty -he had to help him-.

"Now we return to the camp"

"Now my lord? Shouldn't we explore further?" the boy asked.

"The other cities had guardians. That we hadn't encountered them so far, doesn't mean that there aren't." The knight said.

As they returned to the rainforest, the old man turned a last time to see the spire.

He mumbled to himself.

"the Lost City of the Jungle. One of the Twelve Lost Cities of Mankind. Muntazah"

---

The Twelve Lost Cities of Mankind were legendary human settlements from the Sky Age, dispersed all over Aiers.

After the destruction of Eden, the twelve lost cities were abandoned by mankind, and their locations were lost and forgotten.

During the next centures, the ruins of some of these cities remained lost and abandoned, while others will be resettled by other peoples: Often, the foundational myths of these peoples that had settled these ruins was that they had been tasked to become Guardians of these ruins and their secret knowledge.

During the Holy Wars of Eden, the Christian kingdoms learned about their existence and will seek them, being an important part of the Second War of the Power the War of the Lost Cities, during which the Holy Sargonic Empire tried to gain access and a hold to the Twelve Lost Cities, to use on them the Holy Relic of Eden.

The use of the relic in the Twelve Lost Cities and Eden, will trigger The Cataclysm.

The Twelve Lost Cities of Mankind where:

"The Jail" of Demonatch: Located in Mount Satanmet. It was the first Lost City discovered by humans -by the Empire of the Librarians of Dume-, being made into their grand library. Later will become a demonic fortress, used after that as the prison to hold the Soul Stones of the Bazrrods captured during the First War of the Power, and again as a demonic fortress. Only the underground levels remained.

"The Library" of Karentia:  Located in the northwest of Aels, in Karentia, it was discovered by the Librarian Empire of Dume. Guarded by dragons, after their destruction the Librarians founded a Monastery on it, to study its knowledge. Only remained the foudnations and part of the Spire, made into a tower.

Because of the fame of this monastery as a place of knowledge, it will later become the seat of power of the Archbishop of Karentia, head of the Karentian Christianity, being turned into a fortified archbishopric.

The Sky Age human foundation was constructed over an older ruin from before the Wars of the gods.

The Lost City of Skyreach: Located in the Massif of Car'Haelen, Zarhuy, it was guarded by the Car'Haad, who saw as their sacred duty to protect the city and its secrets from interlopers.

An elven-human expedition was able to reach it, and through diplomacy gained access to it. Skyreach was inhabited by the Car'Haad, but was largelly intact.

The Lost City of Draconia: Located in the Forests of Bierteno, guarded by the Great Dragons of Draconia and later the Draak Harg of Draconia, who made the ruins into the capitol of their kingdom

During the War of the Lost Cities, a Loranor-Lorthen army stormed the city. Attacked, they would later be forced to evacuate the city, and the army was routed in their retreat.

The Lost City of the Jungle, Muntazah: An abandoned ruin in the rainforest of Kondria, M'Adhai, southern Ushaenor. Covered in forests, it took a long time for a human-elven expedition to locate it during the War of the Lost Cities. It was one of the more intact Lost Cities.

The Lost City of Draakonia: Located in Central Ushaenor, guarded by Draakans, who had settled in the ruins.

The Lost City of the North, Darahim: An abandoned ruin in the northern tundra of Ushaenor. Discovered by a high elven expedition of Dahl'Haran, elven mages secretly reported it was guarded by what they described as an energy spiri of unknown power and knowledge.

The Lost City of the Unholy Mountain of Hortann: Located in Aels. Discovered by the demons and Satman the Apprentice, who made it into his own fortress, building later a city around it.

The Lost City of Rabal: In Zean, guarded by Mourlicoun Dryads.

The Lost City of the Swamps of the Ghosts: in Polforia, Billiboncea. Only the foundations and large underground remained, over which the demons built a fortress.

The Lost City of the Frozen Wastes, in northern Hieyoks, guarded by the Ice Giants

The Spire of Death: Located in the middle of the Desert of Death, guarded by the Sand Beings. Upon having used the Holy Relic in all the other Lost Cities, the Sand Beings allowed the Holy Relic to enter into the banned grounds, and to activate the Spire: this will activate all the Lost Cities, and trigger The Cataclysm