Fort Basilicok
Fort Basilicok is an ancient ruin, first constructed as the final stand by the Nornir against the dreaded Basilicok. The ruin was eventually lost to time, but an entrance was later discovered underneath of Alenhatam. Though the fort isn't pictured clearly in the books, the above image appeared in the Stray Journey anime.
Overview
Overall Shape
The Surveyors of Basilicok named each section of the ruin, with the main entrance being the spine, roughly 5 meters (16 ft) wide with no doors. This passage continues in a gentle curve. At one end of the passage is the head, and at the other, the tail. At both ends lie a spiral staircase roughly 10 meters (32 feet) in diameter with a pillar in the middle, both leading down to the bottom level, or up, through the barrier and into the canal. The overall shape of the ruin, which is said to have the shape of a living creature, with a single point at the 'head' and 'tail' and a gentle winding hallway implies that the ruin is in the shape of a snake, lending to what the Nornir perceived the Basilisk to look like.
Main Chamber
The chamber where the final battle of this ruin took place was roughly 100 square meters (328 square feet) with white walls. It was lit by Wyrd Graph that floated in the air by the ceiling. At the back of the room stood an altar roughly the size of a theatre stage, and on it stood the statues of the six species of dragons: Wyrd Dragons, Fairy Dragons, Deep Dragons, Red Dragons, War Dragons, and Mist Dragons. Behind the altar, a huge 21 foot portrait of Sister Istershiva, one of the Nornir who used to live in the city.
Contents
When Basilicok was rediscovered, it was found that it contained countless weapons and artifacts, including hundreds of Killing Dolls.
Entrance
The entrance of Fort Basilicok is part of the sewer system, hidden at the bottom of the stairs leading into the canal, in a room beneath one of the bridges. It's fairly unassuming, and almost forgotten. An iron lid in the floor takes you down an iron ladder into the depths of the sewer system. An hour through the sewers lies a dead end in the system, with a small hook-shaped crack. This is the unintended entrance of what remains of Fort Basilicok. This crack was once a fraction of the size, but was widened by the survey team, until it was wide enough for two people to walk side by side into the ruin. This entrance leads down a 100 meter corridor.
Sorcery
Fort Basilicok still has a variety of spells used to maintain the ruin, ensuring that the Fort would be accessible to the Nornir years into the future. Some of those spells are:
• Light spells.
• Oxygen spells, ensuring that they wouldn't run out of air, even if they were buried alive during the battle.
• Barriers to keep the water from the canal out (though the occasional fish falls through it.)
In addition, the fort contains weapons designed to defend it. This includes metal spheres roughly 50 centimeters (1'6") in diameter, with at least several contained in the bottom level. These drift slowly through the air, then flash and release lightning bolts. Because of the rate at which the orbs rotate, basic photothermal waves, light spells, etc. are bounced off of the surface. To destroy them, they must be targeted while that rotational spin is slowed down in preparation for launching an attack.
History
Construction
Fort Basilicok was constructed at least 1,000 years ago by the Nornir, who built the fortress for the purpose of defeating the Basilicok, a magical beast sent by the gods to destroy the dragon race. 1,000 years ago, they finally managed to defeat the Basilicok. It's said that during the course of the battle, the fort was destroyed, and the surrounding area turned to desert. The only surviving part of the fort was the underground level of the fortress.
Ultimately, the Wyrd Dragons chose to build upon the broken land. They healed it with their sorcery, constructing a large canal over what remained of Fort Basilicok. This is how it remained for nearly a thousand years, as the city grew up around the canal.
Rediscovery
Far after the city had risen around the canal, and what remained of Fort Basilicok, a large crack was noticed in one of the walls of the sewer system. It was discovered that this crack led into an underground ruin. This allowed both a Killing Doll to escape into the city, and for a survey team to examine the ruins. However, by retrieving the Killing Doll, thought to be a mere object, and taking it back to their research lab to study, they inadvertantly sealed their own fate. The doll killed every member of the Damsel's Orisons (Alenhatam Branch), besides Stephanie, who escaped.
When the pursuit of sorcerers in the city eventually lured Orphen back to Fort Basilicok, a battle broke out between him, Cleao, Stephanie, Majic, Vulcan, Dortin, and the Guardian of the Treasure, the awakened Killing Doll. Through this fight much of the bottom level was destroyed, including the altar where several statues of the dragons and a portrait of the last surviving Nornir, Istershiva, were located. A devastating blast fired by Majic knocked a hole in the wall, causing the entire ruin to flood in less than 10 minutes. The final nail in the proverbial coffin came when Orphen guided Dortin to use the Killing Doll's own symbols against it, activating a symbol on the disabled doll that it used to destroy the Damsel's Orisons. This resulted in a large-scale explosion that destroyed what remained of the fort.