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Armchair Archaeologists Unite

As someone long familiar as a visitor with the amazing build and fun community of New Babbage, I signed up as a renter thinking that community is plenty reason to live here. But now I’m working my way through the  two books and online fiction. I am amazed by you all as writers and as conjurors of a new world. This place and this community are remarkable. It’s out of respect for the virtual world you’ve created that I hope to humbly ask for ideas that might advance the roleplay.

In the recent land auction, the Serpentes picked up two more parcels along the city walls in Academy, where there have been some archaeological diggings recently. I’d love to see the archaeologists find something, but I haven’t yet run across fiction here that has helped me and Lady Cavendish decide what is is the archaeologists might find at the wall’s foundation. Do any of you have suggestions for fiction online or in the books that might inspire us as to what historic ruins or relics lie below the present level of the city?

Or do you have a direct suggestion?

I guess I come up with something – like a crypt of former mayors, some of them still intimately attached to the odd mistress or butler or two and with fossilized kraken tentacles around their necks. But it would be richer to tie whatever is discovered down there in some way with an old or new or literary storyline already in existence and that might have more meaning to the community

Or to put it more simply – what do you imagine might get discovered at the base of the city wall?

 

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11 Comments

  1. Myrtil Igaly Myrtil Igaly June 27, 2013

    I’d imagine you could find the bodies of the people who built the wall! You know, like to make sure it will stand forever and all.

    Otherwise, here’s another artifact that was dug out by an archaeologist in the past in Babbage Square :

    http://myrtil.blogspot.fr/2010/11/scar.html (Look for “The Black Heart” tag for the whole story).

    It’s a write-up of one of Loki Eliot’s Babbage roleplays. He’s been creating quite a lot of History for Babbage, which you might learn more about by reading the Records http://cityofnewbabbage.com/records/index.php?title=Main_Page

     

    But I’m sure you could add your own stone to the History of New Babbage and I’ll be curious to discover it!

  2. Tepic Harlequin Tepic Harlequin June 27, 2013

    Goodness! The City’s history is rich indeed, with sewers, catacombs, sub-levels, caverns and virtually anything under there! Recently i think there have been mole-men, Martians and Morlocks, with an entire Asylum being run underground – that is over Clockhaven way, i think…

    What might you find down by the City Walls? They are a relic of the old Imperial City, i think, so possibly some equipment from that time, only lacking the power source they were using – a project for some of our more entertaining scientists/inventors perhaps?

    Oh…… do be careful, if you come across a burial ground, the dead of New Babbage have a habbit of rising up and causing a nusence…. Autumn is a particularly prevelant time for zombies…

    It’s always best to sketch rp ideas out with City Officials, just to avoid problems, but have fun!

  3. Arconus Arkright Arconus Arkright June 27, 2013

    In terms of builds, I can’t recall Babbage ever having a police station or a prison. There is a huge underground prison in the nearby town of Gaulthes Rite, could Babbage have had something similar in its past? Maybe one for clanks that have slipped a cog in the noggin.

    Definitely start with the archives to get a sense of what’s gone on in the city before. As for inspiration, consider:

    Speed Racer cuneiform tablets Russian oligarchs Sex and the City lavatories Upmann cigars acrylic substrates metal lunch pails abelian group operations things that buzz the ever-popular Mrs. Beeton. There’s probably a story in there somewhere.

  4. Jedburgh30 Dagger Jedburgh30 Dagger June 27, 2013

    Considering when the new Academy sim opened it was rife with zombies (the story went that when Vic was digging the cellar for Brunel Mk1 he found a plague pit from the Old Quarter) there may be bodies…

    You may also consider Old Empire artifacts, pre-Empire burial mounds, dinosaurs, large extinct mammals (your opportunity to buy a mesh mammoth skeleton), Jimmy Hoffa (or the Steamland equivalent)….

     

  5. Junie Ginsburg Junie Ginsburg June 27, 2013

    Before the old cemetery in Academy was razed for the church that now stands upon it, a black box was unearthed.  There is a story to the box that has yet to be told and its contents have never been revealed.  I don’t expect that you would want to take it up, but it was at least one artifact discovered in the neighborhood.  You never know what might still lie beneath that church.

    The Black Box 1

    The Black Box 2

    The Hungry Ghosts of Terra Fosca 1

    The Hungry Ghosts of Terra Fosca 2

    The Hungry Ghosts of Terra Fosca 3

  6. Emerson Lighthouse Emerson Lighthouse June 27, 2013

    Victor posted a nice essay on what lies beneath the city:

    http://cityofnewbabbage.com/reader/node/5182

    The Children of Dunsany, commonly referred to as ‘the Morlocks’ are currently living beneath Clockhaven after a brief time beneath the Church of the Builder in Babbage Square. The Martians, or what is left of them, have moved and are somewhere beneath the Academy, though they haven’t been seen since last summer.

    I’ve added some elements to the New Babbbage underground, collected here:

    http://cityofnewbabbage.com/records/index.php?title=Emerson_Lighthouse_and_the_Mushrooms_of_Mars

     

  7. Professor Parx Professor Parx June 27, 2013

    The Mace of Olaf (which I may have borrowed on occasion), was also discovered during excavation works on the Palisade Wall. Perhaps there are other treasures stashed under its foundations.

  8. Thomas Morlock Thomas Morlock June 27, 2013

    Perhaps you and Lady Cavendish would like to chat in a more intimate venue. My brethren and I would welcome some quiet conversation before dinner.

    • Bookworm Hienrichs Bookworm Hienrichs June 27, 2013

      Certainly couldn’t talk after dinner…

  9. Mr Tenk Mr Tenk June 27, 2013

    The Mole Men have not been heard of for quite a while, i am certain some of them must have survived the explosion.

     

  10. Arthur Serpente Arthur Serpente June 28, 2013

    Wow, I’m certainly glad I asked. Thank you all for giving me yet more reason to wish my RL job would lay me off so I could read a fraction of all this. But what a read it is.

    What I found most revealing is that M. Ginsburg’s links from this site illuminate a story that I really enjoyed in the first print book of your tales – that I enjoyed with no idea the story keyed into a larger saga. And it was interesting to follow the storyline mentioned by Myrtil in various offsite blogs. The story of this place is *everywhere.* Every search term either dead-ends, which means one has room for creativity, or leads to a  new story likly with connections to a whole new set of other stories that could be solid fact, or partially true or hallucinated and names that could either key into related sagas or appear just once ever. Fascinating, massive, challenging and intimidating. 

    The real key for me are the references to limestone caverns found among the generous resources compiled by Mr Lighthouse Esq Etc as we all know what *those* are. I will tread respectfully beyond that. Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. I’m sure whatever is found below will be safe and kindly since, after all, surely the city has had all the bad luck a city could possibly have … 

     

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