Amalgam Ladder

"From the stars we hail, and to the stars shall we return. But fear not; nay, rejoice! For you shall come with us."

-Dynezig the Collector

The Viscera Reclamation for the Amalgam Ladder continues apace among the orks of Aestrona. Every waking moment is bent to this ultimate task; that of gathering the requisite organic material for the construction of the necrospire that will carry them to the moldering husk of the Vat-Ceron which spawned them. There the orks intend to revive the ancient beast with the Grafting, a modified version of the cloning process they are perfecting in their Grinding Houses. Constructing a vast, automated factory on the surface of the beast, the orks will tear apart their own bodies to be grafted onto the Vat-Ceron, repairing its wounds and bringing life back into the withered corpse. When the creature rises, regenerated, into the darkness of space the orks will rise with it - the ultimate, perfect parts.
The Amalgam Ladder itself is a spire that extends tens of thousands of feet both above and below the ground. Currently it stretches toward the next nearest moon, a step on the journey toward the corpse of the Vat-Ceron. Underground the orks have no intention of stopping. They'll bore straight through the moon and out the other side to serve as a stabilizer for their soaring structure.
Though the orks have no religion per se, the Amalgam Ladder might be called their holiest site; it is their cathedral, their shrine, and the terrestrial symbol of their apotheosis quest. Consequently the orks regard it with narcissistic devotion and will defend it to the death. It is their greatest work, repository of their finest parts, and their hope of salvation.

We have heard of the ork's strange ladder before, I know, but having lived in the south all our lives we have never seen it. I believed the tales of its terror and might, for why should I not? Yet my knowledge was insufficient to impress the truth upon me.
I tell you, my son, that when we sailed round Eirjo's Horn and I first saw the Ladder I thought to myself, "What a tiny thing for men to be so afraid of," for it was only a dark spot against the sky. I would have missed it entirely if a crewman had not pointed it out as he made a ritual sign of protection. I have crossed the glorious Bridge of Excium and thought that no terrestrial structure would ever match it. Yet as the hours passed and it grew larger it dawned upon me that even the mighty trees of Pania Rora, who stand upon its mountainous heights and touch the clouds, had not yet shown their canopy above the curve of the horizon. Fear entered my heart, son.
For more than two days as we sailed north the Amalgam Ladder grew in height and terror, until I could no longer leave my cabin for the dread of it. I do not know how the people of the north dwell in its shadow without going mad!

-Excerpt from a merchant's letter

Purpose / Function

The orks intend this to become a bridge to cross from moon to moon, drawing them closer to the corpse of the Vat-Ceron where it rots, still grasping the regenerating Gardener below with its withered appendages. The necrotic nature of the structure makes this seemingly impossible purpose feasible; like a giant, muscular arm it holds itself against the pull of gravity and its own weight, flexing ever deeper into space.
Currently there is a debate among the orks. With Excium's development of space-sailing technology, should the Amalgam Ladder be abandoned or can purpose be found in both?

Special Properties

The entire structure, like all ork necrotecture, is animate and will defend itself against perceived intruders. Its self-healing properties make it resilient against any damage and by nature of its monstrous size it is functionally indestructible. There is no known conventional or magical weapon that is capable of dealing enough damage to the tower to topple it before it regenerates.

Architecture

See Necrotecture.

The Amalgam Ladder by Broderick Blaze

Alternative Names

Skyblighter, The Charnal Cathedral, Blackspire

Type

World wonder