The Golden City
No one has ventured into the sixth layer of the Abyss and remain unchanged. No one returns from their Last Dive, and no one knows what happened to those who delved further. Even with the possession of a White Whistle, an ominous specter hovers above Riko, Reg and Nanachi as they advance down to the sixth layer, the Capital of the Unreturned. The pathways are more treacherous, the environment harsher, and the creatures even more dangerous, but the most unsettling thing of all is the ruins of the Golden City. Here each of the delvers will be forced to forge their own destinies and paths as they investigate the city's mysterious origins and the strange beings who still dwell there. The answer to their questions, as always, lies somewhere ahead, down and forward, in MADE IN ABYSS: THE GOLDEN CITY OF THE SCORCHING SUN.
The Golden City
Mimi Plumb used to live on the edges of the city where the rents were cheap. Nearby, on the summit of the hill, were folded layers of radiolarian chert, the fossilized remains of microscopic creatures called radiolaria. A large crevice in the hillside was a reminder of the ever-present threat of an earthquake.
Warm Water Cove, along the bay, was a spectacle of tires and abandoned cars. One day Plumb photographed the chimney of the power station above the fiery destruction of the 25th Street Pier. She watched planes flying over the city dump of cardboard hillsides.
Meanwhile, just a few people populate this first sequence of images. In amongst abandoned cars and cardboard piles, one lady lies upon a blanket in the sun, while another sits having a cigarette on the floor, each of them quietly passing time. Most of the other people we see are looking out at the city from where they stand, their backs to the camera. Slowness seems to swell through these first pictures, as if the people moving among them are all watching, and waiting.
From here, the images weave down through rooftops and power lines, over networks of roads, and finally, right into the center of the city, onto busy streets where people congregate in the shadows of glass skyscrapers. With balloons in the background and people climbing traffic lights to get a better view, a protest or perhaps a street party appears to be taking place. This middle section of the book is full of overpasses and freeways, billboards and commercial signs, people hanging out on the sidewalk, couples embracing, ramshackle houses and derelict gas stations.
The Black City, once known as the Golden City and the heart of heaven, is a city in the Fade said to be the former seat of the Maker or the realm of the Old Gods, depending on the religious perspective.[2]
The Chantry teaches that after the Maker created His firstborn, He "called forth a city with towers of gold, streets with music for cobblestones, and banners which flew without wind".[3] It was a perfect, holy citadel[4] where He dwelled on His golden throne,[3] and spirits populated its many spires.[5][6] The Maker's mortal children entered the city when they died, returning to His side.[7] When His secondborn started to worship the Old Gods and thus committed the Original Sin, the Maker abandoned the Golden City and His ungrateful creations[4][8], and it sat locked and empty.[5][4]
Dissatisfied with spirits, the Maker expelled them from the Golden City, but there are conflicting accounts on the timing of this event: before the creation of men[5][6], directly after that ("sealed the gates")[3] or when He left the city.[5]
Some accounts suggest that the Old Gods began whispering to humanity from the Golden City in -2800 Ancient, three hundred years after the arrival of humans in Thedas.[9] People of ancient Tevinter believed the Creator had abandoned the city long before that and they were adrift, rescued by the Old Gods.[8]
In -395 Ancient (800 TE) seven Magisters Sidereal, each a High Priest to one of the Old Gods,[15] opened a gate into the Golden City with blood magic and entered it physically. The city turned black as soon as they arrived, and the mages were cast back to Thedas as the first darkspawn, triggering the First Blight.[16] The blackening of the city could be observed by any mage at the time, and the historical records predating the First Blight support the link between the colour change and the Magister's breach.[17]
Of note is that Corypheus, one of the Magisters that allegedly turned the Golden City black, mentions in his encounter with Hawke that the city was already blackened when he and his compatriots entered it, directly contradicting one of the most central pillars of Chantry canon.
Today the Black City is a home of darkness and nightmares[4] with cold and twisted spires[20], "its towers forever stained, its gates forever shut".[21] An island[22] with the city is the one constant geographical feature within the Fade. At any time, one can look up and see it in the sky, always in the distance.[23] Actually traveling to the Black City from elsewhere in the Fade is impossible. Even the most powerful spirits and demons seem to avoid the place[24][25] lest they become tainted.[5]
As the story goes, after the Maker abandoned the Golden City, leaving it to the Old Gods (or the elven gods, again depending on perspective), the Tevinter magisters known as the Magisters Sidereal, each a High Priest to one of the Old Gods, traveled directly into the Fade and physically entered the Golden City using blood magic. Once inside, as human legend goes, the city turned black and the magisters were cast back into Thedas as the first darkspawn.
Arlathan is the fabled elven city (literally translating to "Place of Love" in the elven language) that made up the heart of the ancient elven empire that spanned from Ferelden to Orlais and even the lands west of Orlais. Although the elves of old supposedly built many cities within the empire, most Dalish legends focus on Arlathan itself as a central hub of knowledge and elven culture.
Thus, when the Tevinter people began to try and conquer the elves, they focused they powers on Arlathan, using an army of mages, demons, and dragon thralls to breach the gates and storm the city. As the Dalish stories tell, rather than stand and fight, when the gates of Arlathan were breached the ancient elves chose to flee, and were consequentially enslaved by the Tevinter invaders. Tevinter magisters then used their magic to actually cause Arlathan to sink into the ground, effectively toppling the elven empire once and for all; due to their extended contact with humans, the elves' blood "quickened" and they became mortal.
Given all that, it's possible to draw some parallels between the lore of Arlathan and the lore of the Golden City--parallels that suggest Arlathan and the Golden city may even be one and the same, supporting the idea that the evanuris are trapped inside it right now, and may even be the main antagonists of Dragon Age 4.
Straddling the Vltava River, Prague is not easily defended. We hold all of the city on the east riverbank, but enemy forces have overrun the sector across the river to the west. The glorious Charles Bridge that connects the two will soon become a bloody battleground.
At the start of the scenario, the player should use the two Light Cavalry near the Old Tower to gather the Cows outside the city wall, as well as all three outposts, and send the wagons to town (the one in the far east corner needs to go around the Yellow Castle in order not to be killed). Also, the player must immediately send all the troops (minus both Light Cavalry) near the old tower east to open up the first trade route. This may be the only trade route that the player can secure in a little while, therefore it is vital. Store the three Relics in town and get the Villagers to work (Cows and Berries, then Farm and Lumber Camp northeast of Old Tower later). The player will soon be under heavy pressure from all three sides. Red's focus is to destroy the Old Tower north; they send Paladins, Champions, Teutonic Knights, rams, Mangonels and Trebuchets. Yellow focus on the player's Castle east of Prague with Paladins, Condottieri, Light Cavalry, Genoese Crossbowmen, Arbalesters and Bombard Cannons. Green will attack the twin bridges with Two-Handed Swordsmen, Hand Cannoneers, Capped Rams and Scorpions. Combined with the almost non-existent player economy, it is a challenging opening to contain all three enemies.
Upon returning to Wakanda, Shuri was convinced of the coming conflict, feeling the necessity to prepare for a coming attack. She ordered her men to fortify all waterways into the Golden City, hoping to stop any means of Talokanil entering the city using sonic barriers.
The Talokanil begin their attack at the Border of the Golden City, attacking the Border Tribe, allowing for the fortifications into the city to fall weaker. This strategy allowed for the Talokanil to enter the city via the waterways where they could begin the next stage of their attack. Once inside the city, the Talokanil placed water-bombs at several key locations, also using unknown methods to create a slow flood to drift into the center of the city. The flooding was noticed by the people of Wakanda, including Nakia and Okoye. This was used most likely as a form of intimidation in preparation for the detonation of the water-bombs. Once the city was flooded, the water-bombs placed across the city were detonated, causing far more rapid and dangerous flooding, carrying objects and people into the rapids. The fast moving rapids would also be utilized as a means of moving across the city quickly by the Talokanil. Individuals such as Okoye, Nakia and M'Baku used their strengths to rescue as many people as possible from the attack in the streets.
Shuri was ordered to stand down and remain in her lab by the Queen; however, she disobeyed the orders, pretending that the attacked had caused a lapse in comms. Instead Shuri took the Sunbird with Aneka to try and fight back against Namor's attack. Queen Ramonda and Riri Williams would work together from the Wakandan Citadel, using their technology to spread aid across the city.[1] 041b061a72