The Bedrock Parliament

One does not often think of the kings and queens of the right-minded world capable of cooperation. They always seem to squabble and claw at each other, biting at each other's realms and power, often uncaring of those that get trampled under their feet. Even when faced with common enemies, that behavior can continue, working together only so much as to preserve oneself.
The Bedrock Parliament is perhaps the only sign that things could be different.
An ancient stone structure, constructed at the center of the continent and far grander in scale than anything any one king could order, one queen could fund, or emperor could find the resources for.
It has been a constant in historical accounts, always being spoken of with reverence and an impressed air, but so far never having been elucidated upon. No one seems to know its origin, though many don't seem to truly care. After all, why does it matter where it came from when you can still make use of perhaps the greatest fortress ever constructed and whatever secrets are buried deep within it?
The fortress itself follows a multi-walled design, with three curtain walls connected by completely enclosed walkways. These walls even inspired the modern 'star' design of forts, with angled walls perfect for minimizing the damage of cannon fire and the points of the star allowing for excellent fields of fire along the walls of the fort.
It does make this author wonder what inspired this design long before the modern instruments of war ever saw the field of battle. Perhaps it is simply serendipity. An old design that works better than ever expected.
An even more interesting aspect of its design lies at the center of the walls, like the heart of a flower is protected by its petals.
The central keep.
It's far more than that, though. Besides being big enough to house an incredible amount of people, houses many other wonders that we don't fully understand as of yet.
The first two are the easiest to grasp.
The bottom floor is impressive but in reality, is an antechamber of sorts. A place for a last-ditch effort of defense. The floor above, however, houses the true Bedrock Parliament.
Exiting from the stairs coming up from the floor below, one finds themselves in a room ringed by thousands of seats, like someone took an amphitheater where the Sonuero would watch their pit fights, and transplanted it to be the second floor. The rows of seats go so far back that the crystalline light sources that illuminate them are swallowed by darkness when standing at the lowest points of the room. At that same point, sits a raised dais of stone. The focal point of the room. Upon the platform, a large, circular, table sits. Its surface is split into nearly two dozen sections by a series of lines carved into it, originating from its perfect center.
The room is so large that the only way anyone could possibly communicate within it, let alone if its seating was full, is with the assistance of a windspeaker to eliminate echo and raise one's natural volume. To this end, there is a small dugout in each section of seating. Be this the original intent or not, scholars think it a perfect place for such assistance to sit and have a good awareness of anyone who might speak.
The second wonder is a bit more... reserved, we might say. Inversing the place in the central keep, to the floor just above the top-most, is a place with a clear purpose. What that purpose is, however, is a bit unclear. The chamber itself is practically empty, other than a small carved section on the floor bearing the mark of eight pairs of human hands.
The walls are each carved into panels, forming the room into a large octagon. Onto each, a passage is carved. The order is somewhat debated, but a scholar friend of mine recited it to me as such:

We twelve kings make our intentions known to those who come after us.
We have learned that humanity must survive, despite banners and crowns.
We realize that once we are gone the lessons we learned so painstakingly will be as well
We thus put this great reminder in place, one that will outlive us
We cast our crowns into its stone, for the good of man
We shall watch our creation for eternity, wardens of the future
We demand the doors of our fortress remain open, when logic permits it
We shall enforce our will.

For the world will be better for it.

Purpose / Function

It seems that the entire structure is designed to house vast amounts of people, and protect them from most conceivable threats. It is many floors of what has to be dustbrought granite due to its supernatural strength, even farther than the ability of even our most advanced Dustbringers. In the past, military officials have taken the time to try and figure out the secret to its strength. They haven't succeeded. In part because tools are unable to penetrate the stone.
The fortress itself is so massive that the builders constructed Eidosmake plots of land and irrigation that maintain themselves as well as draw nutrients and water on their own , and could feed the hypothetical occupants indefinitely as long as the fortress has access to sunlight.

Architecture

Every inch of it is wrought from Eidosmake stone, aforementioned to be tougher than anything our current understanding of Eido abilities can make.
Everything is carved with purpose in mind, free of ostentation, and yet an obvious skill and care shine through, giving the impression of decoration if one looks at it. Many walls are fairly bare stone, but areas that we can determine as sleeping quarters considering the masses of bunks (also carved from stone), have an almost wooden texture to them, or large frescos carved directly into the walls, or other such decorations to break up the monotony of its reddish walls.
Even without windows, it maintains a level of light, provided by a series of oval crystals embedded in the walls, floor, and ceiling at even intervals. These crystals all emit a low but usable level of light continuously and are the only way to see within the confines of the fort without suffocating the fort's inhabitants with air consuming torches.

Tourism

Many people have made a sort of pilgrimage to the site for various reasons, from religious purposes to curiosity, to the fear of the end of days. That last idea, a fear that the end of the world is coming, is what had caused the current state of the fortress to come about.
While the fortress itself is occupied by a multicultural array of soldiers hailing from many different countries, the outside is not so regulated. Along its walls, an entire town has popped up.
For the time being, the citizens of this little town simply live with the looming shadow of the fortress blocking out the sun overhead.

RUINED STRUCTURE
Unknown

Founding Date

Unknown

Alternative Names

The Kings-Tomb, Anskartel, The Granite Cage, Our Last Place

Type

Arsenal