Valley of the Adamantine Lords
The Valley of the Adamantine Lords is an ancient necropolis that is located in the Anoat Valley in northern Tritemma Province, on the western side of the Atenian Mountains. It is the final resting place for the most prominent, powerful, and honored men to serve the Order in its history. Burial here is the ultimate honor for an Adamantine, as it is here in death that the State and the people pay eternal homage to the men who have most shaped the course and destiny of the Golden Lion.
The Valley is not to be confused with the Senatorial Crypts located outside Cedelphia.
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History
Nearly two centuries before the founding of the Adamantine Order - over 2,800 years in the past - the Valley was constructed in its present location as a place of honored rest for the leaders of Antara who had earned eternal remembrance for their work during their time in power. Over the course of a nearly thirty-year period, the Valley was shaped and molded by skilled artisans and stonemasons into the breathtaking architectural marvel it is today. Shaping the rock of the valley, smoothing out the valley floor and crafting the countless towering statues, imposing facades and unique crypts of the Valley's "residents" became a type of artwork over the centuries since. It is a great feather in the cap of a stonemason to be chosen to build the tomb for one chosen for the honor of interrment in the Valley.
As the Adamantine Order took power in Antara, those interred were the Lords who earned the honor, and the Valley became known by the name the world now knows.
Layout
Guardian's Gate
The entrance to the Valley, located at its western end, is a magnificent stonework gate barricaded by great slabs of stone which slide apart via a water-powered mechanism. Maintained painstakingly since their construction, these ancient gates are flanked by two statues in the numerous series known as the "Silent Watchers" - statues located all over the Valley - nearly 200 in all, perfectly indentical - of a robed figure with head bowed in remembrance and silent vigil. The only difference is the two statues flanking the Gate hold the pommel of greatswords in their hands, the tip resting on the ground.
Walk of the Ancients
All the way at the far opposite end of the Valley from the Guardian's Gate is the Walk of the Ancients, a small portion of the Valley where its oldest crypts are found. Here, the earliest founding powers of the Order are interred, resting in eternal honor and peace. A smaller version of the Guardian's Gate known as the Gate of the Ancients seals off this mini valley within the Valley, forbidding anyone entry to the Walk but the caretakers and the serving Lords. The founders of the Order, who all passed away before the Valley opened, were exumed and re-interred here when the Walk was completed.
Promenade of Fond Memories
In the very front of the Valley, when one first passes through the Guardian's Gate, one finds the Promenade of Fond Memories. Here, a statue stands for every man interred in the Valley, their face forever immortalized in living marble. This is typically the only part of the Valley that outsiders are permitted into. Absolutely no photography is permitted.
Security
A special contingent of the Ordinator Corps maintains a constant vigil over the Valley and its occupants, keeping out all trespassers and snoops. Anyone caught prowling around the Valley vicinity without proper permission to be there is arrested. Anyone who is caught defacing or damaging the Valley stonework in any way is locked away for a very long time. Photography and the collection of "souveniers" is harshly punished. The Ordinators are assisted in their duties by the ceremonial honor guard of the Valley, composed of members of the Knights of the Sepulcher.
Honored Interred
Those buried within the Valley are those who have earned the accolade from their life's work to the State. A variety of factors must be met to earn the privilege. When that Lord dies, he is laid to rest in a crypt specially-constructed for him. Upon her death, his wife is also laid to rest there, alongside him. The lid of the sarcophagus will have carved statuary of them both, laying in state. He will be dressed in his Adamantine robes and wearing the laurel wreath about his brow. She will be clad in her finest robes, also with the laurel wreath.
Some of those interred in the Valley include -
- Four Sages of Dwartii
- Beyon Corono
- Antonin Jerjerrod
- Vetrello Belesarious
- Cassio Belesarious
