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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9268405" data-attributes="member: 6790260">Well, see above. In my Jewel of the Desert game, long ago (ca. two millennia back), the Tarrakhuna region was ruled by capricious and often-cruel "Genie-Rajahs" (a reference to the IRL myths of the "pre-Adamite Sultans"), powerful noble genies who ruled over their lesser brethren and humanoid servitors/slaves (elves, dwarves, humans, orcs, etc.) The ancient Genie-Rajahs were very powerful, and created a number of artifacts they could use to further that power. However, for Plot Reasons the party hasn't quite figured out yet (but they're right on the cusp!), the Genie-Rajahs decided to up sticks and wholesale evacuate their civilization to "Jinnistan"--the geographical equivalent of the Tarrakhuna, but located in the magic-infused elemental otherworld, Al-Akirah. They claim this exodus had nothing whatever to do with the legendary rise of the "First Sultan" who rallied the free peoples of the Tarrakhuna and fought back against Genie-Rajah tyranny. The party has learned that this First Sultan did in fact exist, as a real individual person, and was part of why the Genie-Rajahs left, but wasn't the only reason.However, as part of their exodus to Jinnistan, the Genie-Rajahs for one reason or another couldn't take everything they had with them. So they left behind some of these relics in secret, hidden places, warded and trapped and masked with illusions and all sorts of other tricks, to protect them for the day they intended to return. Given, at the time, most free humanoids were illiterate nomads, and both Wizard-style and Cleric-style magic were essentially unknown to the world, the Genie-Rajahs evidently saw this as a pretty safe bet.Politics and history and the slow attrition of all the leaders who actually knew the mortal world (Al-Duniyyah) before the exodus, however, have ensured that the vast majority of these sites have never been reclaimed. And, at this point, with humanoid nation-states that actually have teeth to fight back, and the Jinnistani obsession with saving face and keeping up appearances, they'll probably never reclaim their ancient spaces now. It's not really worth the effort, especially since they haven't needed anything in those places for a couple thousand years!I wrote this part of the world's backstory specifically because it would enable stuff like this. Dungeons and tombs and lost cities and all sorts of other stuff, abandoned by the original owners/makers/inhabitants, but left with Nasty Surprises for anyone who might just bumble in. The magic remains potent, all these centuries later, which simply proves how powerful the Genie-Rajahs were; and how valuable their treasures must be. They were not mad. They were proud--and believed no one could touch them.They were wrong.</blockquote>

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