The Ancients
The Statues of the AncientsEstàtues dels Antics (often called simply The AncientsEls Antics or just The StatuesLes Estàtues) are giant statues spread all around the world, both on the surface of the planet and underwater. They are shrouded in mystery, as they are not man-made, never seem to decay, and are the source of the Arcanurgic power. All major cities have at least a handful of statues in them or in their vicinity due to their high strategic value, but their presence seems to predate the founding of any city.
Morphology
Most Ancients are humanoid and anywhere from 100 to 500 meters tall, although some represent animals (like the Chonky CatGatot in Barcelona). Most Ancients that represent humans don't have a daemon next them, which many people find odd or even disturbing. They are made of materials that resemble stone or metal, but this is only a resemblance. The actual material they're made of is unknown, and hasn't been found anywhere else on Earth other than as part of the Statues. It can't be broken, scratched or molded in any way, and it hasn't been found to react to arcanurgy. This material is simply referred to as "Ancient Mineral". Since time immemorial, people have tried to find a pattern in the position of the Statues, but so far none has been found. They aren't arranged in regular intervals, and due to their high strategic value major cities are often build around clusters of them.Arcanurgic harmony
The reasons are unknown, but arcane power comes from the Ancients. The closest an arcanurgic device is to one, the more powerful it will be. There are ways to increase the efficiency of arcanurgy, but there's no doubt that controlling clusters of Statues is key for both warfare and city infrastructure. This relationship between arcanurgic devices and Ancients is called arcanurgic harmonyharmonia arcanúrgica.Origin
There are multiple theories about the origin of the Statues, although none of them have been confirmed. These are the most popular ones:Creationist theory
The most popular theory states that God (or another supreme being) created them for an unknown purpose, such as watching over humanity, protecting the world, or acting as messengers. This theory has a lot of support because many old religions seemed to worship these statues. Gods of ancient mythologies around the world seem to be based mostly on Statues that members of these societies had seen. According to this theory, ancient societies would have seen the arrival of the Ancients and created religions around them. However, critics of this theory point out that, if that were the case, history would be full of contradictions. For example, the city of Athens is named after the goddess Athena, whose Statue is located in modern London. Additionally, some Ancients in inhabited areas don't seem to have relation to any known religion (such as the aforementioned Chonky Cat).New origin theory
Other people believe that the Ancients are proof that the current human civilization is not the first developed intelligent civilization to exist. Humanity doesn't currently have the methods to create anything like the Statues in such a large scale, but a previous more advanced civilization might have. The question that remains, which critics keep bringing up, is why. While the Ancients are useful for arcanurgy, creating unique Statues seems highly inefficient and impractical. Then again, their inner workings are a mystery and some argue that their shape is critical for their function.False Life theory
The third theory puts forward that the Ancients might not be as static as people think. This theory is based on the fact that old records describe some Statues in a way that doesn't seem to fit their current appearance. For example, Athena is described as carrying only a sword, but it currently carries a spear and a shield. According to proponents of this theory, this suggests that at least some Statues slowly change their appearance to fit common ideas shared among large groups of humans. Critics are quick to point out that old records are unreliable. They could be incomplete, omit certain information because they assume pre-existing knowledge, or simply have errors in the translation or transcription.contents
by Ondo (using Stable Diffusion)
An 200 meter tall Ancient in the center of Barcelona, nicknamed the RoundheadCaprodó due to its dome-shaped head, which traditionally flies the flags of Barcelona and Catalonia.
I don't know what the Ancients are, but they are dangerous. They've even killed me a couple of times, and those were among the most painful deaths I've experienced.
Ooo, so interesting and mysterious. I love all the different theories as to where they came from.
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