Doomuez — Nezhgub (/ˈduːmuz/)
Beneath most modern cities of the Fourth Age, there are tunnels. These tunnels are usually quite rudimentary, usually just tunnels and trenches dug out of the dirt or stone beneath the city proper. They act as conduits: for water, for sewage, for people. That's it. Some are more elaborate, being lined with concrete or other materials, but they are all largely the same. Not so for Nezhgub.
Whle Nezhgub has the same basic infrastructure as other cities, it also has a mechanical works the likes of which most eyes have never seen. Radiating from the Meuzhzel Stadium, in all directions, are tunnels, caverns, rooms, and other shapes that are not necessarily describable. And the tunnels are full, whether with the classic contents water or sewage, or with the mechanical equipment that runs the city. And goblins. Innumerable, everpresent goblins.
The problem with all of this is that no one in the city above is aware of any of this. They know that everything works, and is kept working, but no one questions that no one from the city operates the stadium, or maintains the sewers, or running water of the city. They all just work.
The goblins live and work beneath Nezhgub. They operate complicated machinery in tight corridors. Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? of them operate beneath the city. No one really knows the count, except maybe Derogus. They operate the complicated and dangerous machinery that is used to power the city and, specifically, the yearly Tournament.
Meuzhzel the Wise (the ruler who created the Tournament) worked with an architect to design the ground level and buildings of Nezhgub. But he hired a mad mechanical genius named Derogus to design the inner workings of the stadium. But she also designed the water supply, waste removal and processing and more.
The goblins work constantly changing shifts in seemingly random ways. The machinery is loud, with constant clanking and rumbling, but the noise is well insulated from the above-ground city.
Over the course of her many delves into the underground caverns, Derogus found Second and First Age buildings and constructs deep underneath the city. Nezhgub is now tapped into those resources with "modern" (nuclear? fusion?) and magical tech combined in unique and unusual ways. It is unlikely that anyone could duplicate the work of Derogus.
There are probably many weird things in the Doomuez:
Portals to other realms?
Strange, wonderous, and monstrous creatures?
Goblins have a small army that keeps monsters occupied and at bay.
Derogus still lives beneath the city, maybe a bit like Master Blaster from Thunderdome.
Wizard trapped beneath the city? Forced to work for Derogus?
Nuclear process failing? Corrupting magic? Vice versa?
Goblins have foremen that act a bit like Zathrus from Babylon 5. They are all different, but all look the same and sound the same. The primary difference between them is their knowledge base. People from outside the goblin community (and probably Derogus) cannot tell them apart with out extensive interactions.
History
When Meuzhzel the Wise first started contemplating what would become the Tournament of Champions, he knew he wanted an arena that could react to the combatants. He wanted a dynamically changing space that could be a challenge for a combatant in and of itself. So he looked far and wide for an architect or designer who could create such a thing. He finally found it in Derogus, a small, unassuming woman, who was brilliant. While she was mentally less-than-stable, Meuzhzel knew she could help him build his dream.
The initial construction was just for the stadium. It was constructed under Derogus' supervision by a small army of (human) carpenters, metal workers, magic users, and artisans. When complete, the operations of the stadium were wondrous. But when it was done, Derogus didn't stop. The human workers were taken away, but she found a small nest of goblins in her explorations under the city. They became her workers. That nest now has a population that is possibly higher than the city above during the tournament, and they continue to work under Drogus' command, operating, maintaining, and expanding they city from beneath.
Comments