Pit of Bones
The Pit of Bones (more properly multiple pits) is a massive complex of tar pits in the hills of southern Iphigea . Naturally, the pits are a wealth of paleontological information, filled with the preserved remains of ancient beasts and plant life dating back hundreds of thousands of years. As such, it is home to the Chertan III Paleontological Research Institution, named for the famed naturalist-king who established it.
The pits are also of keen interest to historians, almost entirely for one particular event. Above the layers of mummified animals, there are thousands of human corpses, all sunk in a single day. Some eight thousand years ago, before Fomalhaut I's unification, the Naurbi clans of Bekbuzar and Gayr went to war. The Gayr invaders, though many and fierce, were strangers to the lands of the Bekbuzar. Repeatedly refusing battle, the Bekbuzar warriors led the Gayr deeper and deeper into their lands, while their children and elders covered the pits in brush and debris. Coming upon the hidden pits, the cunning Bekbuzar easily picked their way through the safe paths and arrayed for battle opposite the confident Gayr. On their charge, the impetuous Gayr immediately sunk into the sucking tar, the oblivious back lines tripping over their stuck comrades in the vanguard, pushing them deeper and falling in themselves. By the time the rear of the Gayr realized what they were walking into, the Bekbuzar arrows were in the air. The Bekbuzar took the day without a single loss, and the Gayr were shattered. Their clan was conquered and absorbed in turn shortly after. This event gave the Pit another common name: the Grave of the Gayr.
The corpses of the Gayr are a treasure trove of archaeological and historical knowledge, with nearly perfectly preserved weapons, cultural artifacts, and human remains floating just beneath the muck. Most curious of these finds is a small alabaster cameo, depicting a figure tentatively identified as a Naurbi land-goddess. The figure is surrounded on all sides by an irregular field of dozens of pinpricks of silver, though what these are meant to represent is a mystery to archaeologists.
The pits are also of keen interest to historians, almost entirely for one particular event. Above the layers of mummified animals, there are thousands of human corpses, all sunk in a single day. Some eight thousand years ago, before Fomalhaut I's unification, the Naurbi clans of Bekbuzar and Gayr went to war. The Gayr invaders, though many and fierce, were strangers to the lands of the Bekbuzar. Repeatedly refusing battle, the Bekbuzar warriors led the Gayr deeper and deeper into their lands, while their children and elders covered the pits in brush and debris. Coming upon the hidden pits, the cunning Bekbuzar easily picked their way through the safe paths and arrayed for battle opposite the confident Gayr. On their charge, the impetuous Gayr immediately sunk into the sucking tar, the oblivious back lines tripping over their stuck comrades in the vanguard, pushing them deeper and falling in themselves. By the time the rear of the Gayr realized what they were walking into, the Bekbuzar arrows were in the air. The Bekbuzar took the day without a single loss, and the Gayr were shattered. Their clan was conquered and absorbed in turn shortly after. This event gave the Pit another common name: the Grave of the Gayr.
The corpses of the Gayr are a treasure trove of archaeological and historical knowledge, with nearly perfectly preserved weapons, cultural artifacts, and human remains floating just beneath the muck. Most curious of these finds is a small alabaster cameo, depicting a figure tentatively identified as a Naurbi land-goddess. The figure is surrounded on all sides by an irregular field of dozens of pinpricks of silver, though what these are meant to represent is a mystery to archaeologists.
Alternative Names
Grave of the Gayr
Type
Natural Wonder
Parent Location
Owning Organization
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