Ta-Shedet

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Prehistoric Article This article contains information said to be from Prehistoric Times. The validity of prehistoric content is dubious at best due to poor recordkeeping in the era, and should be considered unreliable, or at best: Legend.

Ta-Shedet

Type	City
Location	The Kharmaja in Pteris
Inhabiting Race	Elves

An ancient elven city lost in the dunes of Pteris long before 180BR, the city's disappearance has vexed scholars and adventurers alike. What treasures, ancient magic, and mysteries are buried there?

About

Little is known about Ta-Shedet, since it mostly existed in prehistory before any records. The few snippets scholars have are pieced together from ruins, artifacts, oral traditions, and the records of a human traveller Marcellus the Wanderer. For example, it is widely believed the elves of Ta-Shedet worshipped Corellon, not surprisingly, and that one of its last pharaohs was Queen Meritamen assisted by her vizier Areanka. It is believed to have been in western Pteris, somewhere among the dunes of the Kharmaja today.

It was believed that in order to navigate the chaos of the early era Quelmar Seasons, Ta-Shadet had upside-down pyramid-like structures in place which could keep their citizens safe from natural elements such as storms or earthquakes. While these pyramids were often found collapsed into ruins, some speculate at their prime, the pyramids could hover above the surface of the realm, as their upside shape would be impractical to balance on.

History

Scholars have several theories about the disappearance of Ta-Shedet. Here is an incomplete list of theories or contributing factors, listed from most to least accepted.

• Ta-Shedet was along a river that regularly flooded (the Phendesian). This river dried up, causing a famine.
  • A subset of scholars believe the Phendesian dried during a particularly cruel summer, since the seasons fluctuate wildly.
  • Others believe that with the arrival of humans around 0BR, the new species created an upriver dam that blocked too much water flow.
• The city became overpopulated and overused the land without fallowing, starting an elf-made famine.
• Some religious sects believe a series of seven divine plagues annihilated the city, some pointing to Anubis, Lolth, or even Mielikki.
• Social unrest between elites within Ta-Shedet and those in the rural outskirts of the city-state broke into violence. The farmers went on strike, the urbanites starved and retaliated with military might, and the small society collapsed.
• A never-ending winter, part of the seasonal chaos, ended the city.
• There was endemic warfare among Ta-Shedet and other city-states.
• A particularly devastating sandstorm swept over the city, either ruining the fields or even burying the city whole.
• Strange beings from far realms came and whisked the city away.

See Also

Gods of Ta-Shedet