A map of Lustria with the Floating Pyramid situated between the Obsidian Face and the Sunken Gateway in the north.[2a]
A place called the Floating Pyramid has been marked on a map of northern Lustria, situated between the Obsidian Face and the Sunken Gateway.[2a] This location of power could potentially be the legendary Floating Gardens of Bahb-Elonn, an Old Worlder wizard.[1a]
The area where the Floating Pyramid has been sighted is infested by Savage Orcs.[3a]
Bahb-Elonn and the Floating Gardens (2502 IC)[]
The Floating Gardens of Bahb-Elonn[1a]
This tale told among the Pygmies took place in a sleepy little village nestled somewhere on the continent of Lustria. It was a blazing hot summer day in the year 2502 IC. A minor hero of the village, determined not to waste the good weather, lay sprawled on his back, soaking up the sunshine and slowly chewing on a juicy slice of fresh watermelon.[1b]
This hero, named Banga Gong, suddenly became aware of a shadow blocking his precious sunshine. He lazily glanced upward, and to his mild surprise, he saw not a cloud but an immense chunk of rock bobbing gently in the morning breeze some two hundred feet above his head. Lesser Pygmies might have quailed at the sight of such a massive slab of rock, big enough to support a village many times larger than theirs, poised so delicately over their heads; but not Banga Gong.[1b]
"Since it has not fallen yet," he mused in his colorful tongue, "there is no reason to suppose that it is about to do so!" And with that, Banga Gong closed his eyes and returned to his silent reverie, oblivious to the shouts of the older and wiser villagers around him: "Flee, flee, it is the return of Bahb-Elonn, Bahb-Elonn is upon us!"[1b]
The floating phenomenon currently high in the sky basking in the warm Lustrian sunlight was by no means new, and it had gone by many names. The present name had been taken from its current controller, the wizard Bahb-Elonn. The pyramid had been constructed almost 7,000 years earlier by a group of Lizardmen who had survived the collapse of the Polar Gates during the Great Catastrophe and wished to build a vessel to escape the impending incursions of Chaos.[1b]
When newly built, the ship had been almost sentient, though by that time it retained very few of its original powers. The Lizardmen had salvaged parts from the wreckage of an earlier crashed ship piloted by the ancestors of the Lustrian Pygmies. The main parts salvaged included a warpstone-powered drive mechanism, a device enabling the control of the craft to be linked to the mind of a specific individual, and an advanced astro-navigation system.[1b]
Minor items salvaged included a pair of internal transport shafts, several security doors, and a voice-generating damage warning system; all these devices could deliver messages in a language understandable to the present descendants of the race that had built the original craft.[1b]
When the Lizardmen artisans had attempted to activate the escape craft, they encountered two problems. Firstly, on takeoff, the pyramid took with it a large chunk of rock. More seriously, the astro-navigation system proved to be irreparably damaged. The Lizardmen managed to construct a simple system to allow the craft to be piloted through the air, but it lacked the power and precision needed to leave the world of Mallus' atmosphere.[1b]
Discouraged, the Lizardmen abandoned the ship and soon succumbed to the lethargy that had seized their fellows. The "floating island" they had created drifted randomly over the surface of Lustria for thousands of years, serving as home to a succession of creatures, while the power of its reactors gradually diminished.[1b]
Some 80 years earlier, the "island" had been rediscovered by a motley group of adventurers led by the feared wizard Bahb-Elonn, who had recently travelled from the Old World to the "new continent" of Lustria. Bahb-Elonn established himself as the controller of the island and managed to prevent any further dissipation of its reactor energy, which had been dangerously low.[1b]
In the years that followed, Bahb-Elonn employed mercenary guardsmen to replace his dead companions (he alone appeared to possess the secret of longevity) and refurbished the pyramid to suit his tastes. He allowed the cannibalistic tribe of Pygmies that had occupied the "island" upon his arrival to remain, accepting their praises and being worshipped as a god. To amuse them, he often travelled to other Pygmy villages so that they could launch frenzied attacks for supplies; the arrival of Bahb-Elonn soon became the worst fear of countless Pygmy tribes throughout Lustria.[1b]
Bahb-Elonn and his guardsmen wanted for nothing. He had instructed the Pygmies in various methods of agriculture, and soon the steps of the pyramid were covered in an abundant growth of fruits and vegetables. Animals were bred on the island for meat and rounded up at leisure when needed, and the raids on other Pygmy villages provided any other supplies that were required.[1b]
Inevitably, Bahb-Elonn grew bored. He began to delve deeper into the mysteries of daemonology to amuse himself, but this proved to be his undoing. Encouraged by successful minor summonings, he prepared to summon a Greater Daemon, intending to use it as a personal valet and bodyguard. The summoning was a disaster, and Bahb-Elonn found himself trapped in his own magical circle, locked in combat with the creature he had summoned. In desperation, he uttered a powerful invocation that slowed time tremendously within the circle. He hoped that the guardsmen would notice something was amiss and be able to reach him and slay the creature before it could destroy him.[1b]
Unfortunately, Bahb-Elonn had overlooked the fact that the "controller" of the island had to sit on the throne linking their mind to the pyramid for one hour in every twelve, otherwise, the power levels would begin to drop. At first, the guardsmen ignored their master's absence; they were used to him disappearing for days on end to dabble in some arcane experiment. They carried on as normal, and in any case, the "island" was due to attack another village soon, and there were preparations to be made.[1b]
However, when several of the lights failed and the "island" began losing height, they realised something was wrong. As they pondered their next move, a voice suddenly warned them that power was dangerously low, and if something wasn't done, the whole complex would be destroyed in 240 time spans. They didn't know how long a time span was, but when another warning followed soon after with only 230 time spans remaining, they decided not to waste any more time; they had to find out where Bahb-Elonn was, and quickly![1b]
This was easier said than done. They had previously only been allowed to enter the upper levels of the pyramid when Bahb-Elonn had needed them on the flight deck. On these occasions, Bahb-Elonn had personally come to collect them, deactivating various defences, and had insisted that they carry neither armour nor weapons. They soon discovered the reason for his insistence, and by the time they reached Bahb-Elonn himself, only nine of them were left alive.[1b]
An immediate rescue attempt resulted in two more deaths, so they abandoned their efforts to save Bahb-Elonn and continued upwards, intending to take control of the "island" themselves. When they reached the flight deck, they changed their minds again. Power was now so low that the "island" had struck a hill near its intended destination.[1b]
The guardsmen knew that if they chanted there, they could increase the amount of power available. Bahb-Elonn had made them perform this very function previously when he had needed extra power for a particularly complex maneuver. They, therefore, started chanting, hoping that Bahb-Elonn would be able to extricate himself without their help and would come to save the situation.[1b]
As the wizard's guards chanted, they were rewarded with the announcement that there were now 140 time spans remaining until destruction -- twice the time that would have been left without their intervention. Encouraged by this, they continued, unaware that down below, another party of adventurers had set out with the intention of exploring the "island".[1b]