Living Stones of the Great Wall

When the Enmanari invaded and unleashed monsters and pestilence upon the Material Plane, the Gods of Baelonmor vowed to protect the mortals who worshipped them. Using divine might, they conjured colossal walls around populated areas and blessed the lands within to ensure the besieged folks would never go hungry. Powerful wards and magical defences were incorporated into the brickwork of these titanic walls, each one expertly crafted to repel any ambitious invader who dared to assault the protected lands. Unfortunately, many of these Bastions would fall. During the Century of Chaos (the first hundred years following the Arrival of the Enmanari) many members of the Baelonmori Pantheon were slain by the teeming hordes. As they perished, the defences that they had conjured weakened, and the people they protected were overrun.

Hearing the horrific tales of those cities that relied solely on exhausted Gods for protection, the Myrengolese rushed to lend mortal aid to the war against the invaders. Soldiers, mercenaries, town guards, adventurers, and anyone else with combat experience were summoned to the Great Wall of Myrengol. Records state that over a million volunteers answered the call. Immediately, they began to be trained in the art of countering siege warfare. This initiative would prove instrumental in ensuring Myrengol's safety, as the Great Wall Guard repelled multiple incursions from outside forces, and often did so with resounding success.

As most warriors do, many of the Great Wall Guard eventually retired and returned home. However, some decided to remain. The call to arms attracted the attention of many folk who had little to live for: outcasts with no community, runaways who dared not dream of tomorrow, and vagrants who had never known comfort. They elected to stay at the Great Wall, even after their contracts had expired, for they had finally made a place where they belonged. Their commitment to the Great Wall earned them the sobriquet of "Living Stones" since they became as much a part of the wall as the brickwork.

As new recruits arrived to replace their old comrades, the Living Stones played a central role in training and mentoring, employing their experience to guide the next generation of defenders. In time, many of these new Guards would claim retirement and seek less strenuous work elsewhere, but others would stay. Like the first Living Stones, they too had grown fond of the bonds they had forged, and so they also decided to stay. Each year, the process would repeat and the community would grow little by little.

Now, small towns exist within the Great Wall. Each one typically takes the form of a long street flanked by tiered housing, and are inhabited by those who once served the Great Wall Guard. However, it is not only retired sentries who make their home within these settlements. As their communities grew, outsiders moved in to provide goods and services. Furthermore, the children of the Living Stones were not bound by any law to serve in the watch as their parents had done before them. Despite this shift in demographic, the residents of these towns still pay great respect to the Living Stones who live amongst them, regarding them as venerable elders and community leaders.