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Since life first came into existence, so has existed its grim twin, death. For all things, returning to dust is an inexorable eventuality, but there are always legends of those who can cheat death. In a time long ago, far beyond all men imagine, there is a city upon a hill where legends are real.
At the peak of the mountain is the source of this anomaly: Providence. This arcane orb of incredible power radiates its Blessings weekly through the city built on, in, and around the mountain home. Called Monolith, this city is inhabited by tens of thousands of sentient golems called Workers, who rely on the Blessings to survive and must toil daily in the city to ensure that Providence, their deity, continues to sustain them. New Workers come to be as shells filled by the spirits of newly-dead humans, plucked one in five thousand from their flight to the afterlife and anchored to a mechanical body by a mirror called Salvation. With no memory of their previous life, they begin a new existence. Continued exposure to weekly blessings will, piece by piece, convert living things in the city into new Workers. In this way, the promise of immortality is real, but with a price, since no Worker may ever leave Monolith.
There is a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel, however. After an indeterminate but generally long length of time, a Worker can visit the temple of Providence and become a Traveler. Taller, more proficient in fighting and magic, and more diverse in capability and form, Travelers can leave the city for however long they wish. Upon ascending, they also regain the memories of their human life. It is a council of six Travelers, called the Journeymen, that act as Monolith's ruling body. They oversee its expansion, interaction with other nations, and superior manufacturing industry.
Monolith's origin is shrouded in mystery, but can, like all of its characteristics, be traced back to Providence. The records of the first Worker indicate that by the time he was created, the Light -Providence- and the Mirror -Salvation- already existed. Where the singularity of magic came from, or who crafted the artifact that brings new Workers to life, is utterly unknown.
So, if you want to live forever, seek the valley among the western range that harbors the legendary city of Monolith. There, you will find freedom in a vibrant solidarity of labor.
This is an old civilization, one of the oldest if not the oldest. It is situated in an oasis in an arid biome, wherever we decide to put our badlands basically. Monolith takes the form of a grand city built encompassing a mountain, with various tiers that rise along with its slopes. Surrounding the mountain is a great valley, about half of which is submerged beneath water. It is there that most of Monolith's 'normal' attributes end. Everything else revolves around an orb of light housed in an open-air temple at the mountain's peak. Called Providence, this orb emanates a unique magical energy -Blessing- that pulses through carved lines in the city's buildings and roads once a week, provided certain standards are met.
Most interesting about Monolith are its inhabitants. Monolith is home to tens of thousands of golems called Workers. These beings range between four and five feet in height, can be made of metal, wood, rock, clay, obsidian, or straw, and, while resembling ultra-primitive robots, each house the spirit of a person. In essence, the people of Monolith are machines with the minds of people, though only their voices and personalities remain from their past lives. The Workers come to be in two ways: either the spirits of humans heading for the next life are caught by a mirror-shaped artifact called Salvation and sealed inside an inanimate body, or visitors to the city are transformed, piece by piece, by weekly Blessings. The Workers need the Blessings to survive, and if they are deprived of it, the magic holding their spirits in their bodies runs out and they effectively die. To ensure that Providence, which is equivalent to the Workers' deity, continues to send its Blessings, at least four fifths of the population must each day toil in the city. As such, almost no-one may leave, and the culture as a whole is rather reclusive.
The society of the Workers is very much like other human society, perhaps even more so. It is vibrant and benevolent, with a few quirks. Labor and life and both celebrated, and since Workers live until either they fail to receive a Blessing within the span of a week or their bodies become so decrepit that their spirits leak out, most live indefinitely. In addition to ordinary labor, Workers often improve upon their city, pursue various forms of art, and work to expand the edges of the wall-devoid city in a slow crawl to the edges of the valley. Since Blessings are the only things Workers need to survive, they can exist comfortable underwater, and many do. Because normal humans can become Workers by spending time in Monolith, the promise of immortality is very real but very costly, since none can ever leave again and must spend most of their days working. However, there is a distant end to the monotony: after enough time spent serving Providence, a Worker can, after an indeterminate but often long length of time, go to the temple of Providence and be transformed into a Traveler. Travelers range from six to seven feet in height, more resemble humans, and are far more diverse in their capabilities, an important one of which is their ability to leave Monolith for however long they wish. Unlike Workers, Travelers can and often do use powerful magic, and they journey through the outside world to bring back knowledge and specimens to add to the archives. After becoming a Traveler, a Worker regains the memories of his or her previous life, and this is often an impetus for leaving the city to settle affairs. Humans who have immigrated to Monolith must first become Workers before becoming Travelers, a process which takes a different amount of time for everyone but generally takes more than fifty years.
Monolith is ruled by the Journeymen. This council is composed of six Travelers who have each ventured into the outside world, one representing each material the Workers are made of. The Journeymen each serve 5-year terms and appoint their own successors. The power they have over their city is limited, usually only involved in unusual concerns.
Random notes
-The only way to distinguish male and female Workers are their voices. Travelers' more distinct, unique bodies allow more expression.
-Each Worker and Traveler has colored eyes and a similarly colored core. The cores, located at the center of their chests, slowly grow brighter and then darker in a neverending cycle. The rate at which this happens is determined by how long the Worker has gone without a Blessing. Faster beats mean more peril. The color is random.
-The faces of the Workers and Travelers are immobile, fixed in a single expression. This expression best reflects the individual's personality.
-Workers are generally slow, methodical, deliberate, and considerate. Travelers tend to be more quick and bold. Both are capable of combat but Travelers are way more adept. Workers carry tools with them at all times; when turned into a Traveler, these tools become powerful weapons.
-Aside from the whole immortality gig, a major strength of Monolith is trade. It has excellent manufacturing and uses primitive engines for transport that outperform animals.
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