Wonders of the World

The Wonders of the World, also known as Wonders of the Ancient World, are a list of ten notable structures present during the Classical Era. The list was first established by Kalimonthas of Asybetha in his 1871 AT publication Man-made Wonders of the World, which also documents his travels around the known world (at the time spanning Mineia and Apantos).

Wonders

List

In Man-made Wonders of the World, Kalimonthas lists the following wonders:

• The Temple of Quénod at Asybetha;
• The Belfries at Hys Sinydys;
• The Statue of Isa the Life-Giver at Halpheia;
• The Library of Nrhozmodĕn;
• The Bronze Pillar of Gwinwilĕn;
• The Old City of Wamsat;
• The Red Necropolis;
• The Great Port of Tauriska;
• The Gates of Raikozōlas;
• The "Temple of Insamasis".

Temple of Quénod at Asybetha

Located in Kalimonthas' home city of Asybetha, the Temple of Quénod is by far the largest structure in the city. Overlooking the sea, it is one of the most famous sites of Consensus worship, dedicated to the Angel Quénod, who is said to have conjured rains which filled the seas and oceans. It is the only of the Ten Wonders in Kalimonthas' list that he does not explicitly travel to, serving instead as a starting point to his travels and introduction to his concept of 'Wonders'.

Belfries at Hys Sinydys

The Hevistian city of Hys Sinydys is most well known for its forts, spread around the city, which dominate the city's skyline. Atop each of these forts are bell towers which contain the world’s largest bells, standing at over 2 meters in height. These bells are sounded ten times every day to signal the progression of time and represent the ten Angels worshipped by the Consensus. While the structures of the forts were built sometime in the 15th century AT under the Dewer Empire, the bells themselves were not cast until around 1820 AT. The bells are inscribed with protective spells to Yoren, along with reliefs depicting mythological scenes. They may only be rung by trained Adjudicators, a tradition which has persisted up to the modern day, in spite of the decline of magic use.

Statue of Isa the Life-Giver at Halpheia

Before the Temple of Life in Halpheia stands a 12-meter tall statue of Isa, the Angel said to have created modern humans. The statue, made of granite, depicts Isa with her head down in a bow and holding in her cupped hands a sitting human figure. The statue was built in the very late 18th century AT, being used as an indicator of the end of the Dark Ages in the city's region. It would later be partially destroyed during the Unraveling Wars and rebuilt, still standing today.

Library of Nrhozmodĕn

The Library of Nrhozmodĕn in the Indrelian city of Nrhozmodĕn (modern Ndrunurĕn) is one of the largest and most significant libraries of the known world. It is part of a larger complex of buildings known as the wiEgheĕn tĕ-Gyismĕn ('House of Wisdom'), the city's public academy and major intellectual center. It was established sometime during the reign of Luhadhŏ I (1795–1812), son of Yŏsosŏ the Great. Originally, it was merely designed as a place to store scrolls that could no longer fit within the imperial palace. The library grew over time and the House of Wisdom came to be built around it. One famous feature was the library's front gate, 12 meters in height, flanked by two tall bronze jĕpoghŏ statues. By the time of Kalimonthas, the library had become a symbol of knowledge and education for the realm. However, the library slowly declined over the next centuries, before eventually being destroyed in a Cantheic raid in 2094 AT. Many of the library’s iron structures were smelted down and turned into weapons for the war.

Bronze Pillar of Gwinwilĕn

Standing in the center of the Indrelian city of Gwinwilĕn (modern Gŭnvinĕn), the Bronze Pillar of Gwinwilĕn is a massive bronze structure standing at over 20 meters in height. The pillar was erected during the reign of Yŏsosŏ II (1812–1840), son of Luhadhŏ I. The lower fifth of the pillar is covered in inscriptions detailing the reigns of Yŏsosŏ II and his father. The pillar’s most notable feature is that it has been coated in a compound that has prevented it from oxidizing, keeping its original brown color even up to the time of Kalimonthas’ travels.

Old City of Wamsat

Wamsat was a major city of the Temlinid and later Yanchuh Empires, founded around the 4th century AT, making it by far the oldest of the wonders. Located in the mountains of Central Mineia, it held a crucial strategic position, being at the natural border between realms on either side of the mountains. The most prominent feature is the Temple of Shúl, also referred to by Indrelians as tĕ-Cĕzĕn ('the Castle'), a circular step-pyramid that dominates the center of the city. It is dedicated to Shúl, the Angel that became the Sun. Like the rest of the city, the temple was abandoned sometime in the 15th century AT and is now overgrown with moss and vines. It was re-discovered only in the mid-19th century AT, which would have made it a site of great interest at the time Kalimonthas wrote his list of wonders.

Red Necropolis

The Red Necropolis is a complex of over 100 rock-cut tombs in the Zenith Desert. The necropolis was built probably in the Early Classical Era by Lannyasti nomads to bury notable tribal elders. In Yasmonist tradition, the dead are usually incinerated and their ashes dispersed across the sands, but there seemingly was a period from the Bronze Age to the Early Classical Era where prominent cultural leaders, such as elders, were buried instead. The Red Necropolis, so named after the red sandstone from which it was constructed, is the largest of many necropoles that were established during this era. The entrance of the Red Necropolis is guarded by large sandstone statues on either side. The necropolis is one of the oldest of the wonders, and still stands to this day.

Great Port of Tauriska

Located off of the island of Is, Tauriska was a prominent trading hub during the period of the Four Realms. The city was famous for its port, which is composed of long fortified docks leading to a large circular inner harbor. The harbor connects with many of the city’s various canals, including the Grand Canal, which connects to the river Imcäghen which flows out to the sea. In the modern era, Tauriska is one of the six cities of the Hexate and therefore remains the major merchant city it was at the time of Kalimonthas’ travels.

Gates of Raikozōlas

Situated near the distal border of the Golden Kingdom of Arikios, Raikozōlas was one of the largest sites of land-based trade in the realm at its height. During that time, a grand walled processional road leading into the city ran through its main gates. Built under the reign of Menno II, the gates were part of a layered wall complex surrounding the city. They were 15 meters high, and the original foundations extended another 14 meters underground. The walls were covered in low reliefs depicting the Sun, animals and mythological scenes, and details of the actual gates were painted gold to symbolize the city’s wealth. On the walls on either side of the main gate are inscriptions by Menno II, written in the Old Apantosi script. The gates were destroyed, along with much of the city, in the late 20th century AT, during the Third Nedian War.

"Temple of Insamasis"

The final entry in Kalimonthas’ list is somewhat of an unusual one, as it has never been conclusively identified. He refers to it as the 'Temple of Insamasis' and describes it as a "haeretic temple, one week’s ride from the city of Garkortas, with the Sun to one’s back". This has been interpreted by contemporary and modern authors as approximately 200 km distally from Gar-Kurta, a major Nuhkuri settlement located at the foot of the Ilkur mountains. Kalimonthas describes the temple as some sort of monastery high in the mountains. The exact faith being practiced at the temple is still debated, but is thought to be some kind of Apantosi traditional faith. Kalimonthas mentions "monks [...] walking around in contemplative silence, [...] a stark difference from the noise of cities". The origin of the name 'Insamasis' is unclear, but one theory posits that it may be from Old Etekur ig̃sa maš, meaning 'great offering'; whether this was actually the name of the temple is unclear. The temple's inclusion on Kalimonthas' list seems out of place compared to the grand structures before it, but it is generally believed to serve as an example of life at the edge of the known world for Hevistian readers.