Under the sands there is great power. Not forgotten technology or secret weapons or forbidden magic. There are the remains of a once prosperous city, long abandoned for reasons unknown. A city built for its citizens, not for a king or cadre of lords. Ancient waterways that can be accessed from any street, bathhouses kept open at all hours, temples and markets squares in every quarter, gentle ramps up the hillsides for the elderly. It was made not with forced labour or kidnapped people, but with seasons of voluntary work from all who lived there.
That is the great power. Knowing that somewhere can be built for the people by the people. Anything can be achieved without the need for pain, and that is a fact that scares the incumbent powers. Oppression is not a necessary tool of progress, just a desperate grasp for control.
Paddy Dobson
3rd June 2023