The name whispers on the wind, carried on the dust of forgotten empires. Caducary – a place not marked on any map, a distortion in the very fabric of time and memory. It exists in the heart of the Shifting Sands, a desert that breathes and changes with the moods of the gods. Legend speaks of a city built of obsidian and starlight, a repository of knowledge lost to all but the most persistent seekers.
The Caducary was, according to the fragmented records recovered from the ruins of the Obsidian Library, constructed by the Architects. They were not beings of flesh and blood, but entities woven from solidified thought, driven by a singular purpose: to collect and preserve the echoes of moments before they vanished from existence. They didn’t build cities; they *extracted* them. Each structure, each artifact, was a carefully crafted vessel to hold a single, fleeting experience – a laugh, a tear, a battle, a birth. The process was, and remains, inherently unstable. The echoes themselves are prone to corruption, twisting into grotesque parodies of their original forms.
The Architects vanished centuries ago, leaving behind only these decaying reminders. Some believe they ascended, becoming one with the very memories they sought to protect. Others, the more cynical, claim they were consumed by their own ambition, their minds shattered by the weight of eternity.
The desert surrounding Caducary is not merely a wasteland. The Shifting Sands are sentient, responding to the presence of those who seek to enter the city. They manifest as illusions, mirages, and, occasionally, physical obstacles – towering dunes that rise and fall with impossible speed, sandstorms infused with psychic energy. These are the Guardians, protectors of the Architects’ legacy.
The most formidable of these Guardians is known only as the Chronophage. It doesn’t resemble a creature in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a vortex of temporal distortion, capable of pulling individuals into fragmented timelines, trapping them within the echoes of the past. Survival within the Shifting Sands requires not strength, but awareness – a deep understanding of the delicate balance between memory and oblivion.
“The city doesn’t offer its secrets freely. It demands a price – a piece of your own past, willingly surrendered.” - Lord Valerius, Cartographer of the Lost
The Obsidian Library, the last known repository of information about Caducary, was located within a vast cavern beneath the city. The walls were lined with crystalline tablets, each containing a single, perfectly preserved moment. However, the tablets were not arranged in a logical order. Instead, they seemed to shift and rearrange themselves, as if attempting to mislead those who sought to decipher their meaning.
Recent expeditions have reported sightings of “Remnants” – individuals who have spent an extended period within Caducary and have become irrevocably altered by the echoes. They are often described as exhibiting contradictory behaviors, speaking in archaic languages, and displaying an unsettling detachment from the present.
If you ever find yourself drawn to the Shifting Sands, heed this warning: Caducary is a place of profound danger and seductive beauty. It offers the potential for unparalleled knowledge, but at the cost of your identity. Be wary of the echoes, for they may not be what they seem.