Adab (ruin)

Adab is an ancient ruin located in the southeastern part of Iraq, within the Pashalik of Babylonia, under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. It lies approximately 120 miles southeast of Baghdad, on a vast, low-lying plain that is almost entirely treeless. The region is characterised by an intensely hot and semi-arid climate, with little rainfall and frequent dust storms that obscure the horizon. From a distance, the ruin appears as an immense, weathered mound, rising 50 feet high and spanning two square miles, its surface littered with broken bricks, half-buried foundations and the remains of a civilisation long forgotten.

Adab is considered one of the lost cities of antiquity, its name and legacy lingering only in fragments of ancient texts and the stories of those who dwell nearby. Those who have dared approach the ruin speak of peculiar bricks protruding from the eroded earth — some convex in shape, others made of a pale limestone unlike the materials used in more recent constructions. What buildings or streets might still remain below the mound are unknown, as no attempt has ever been made to truly unearth Adab. Travelers have occasionally stumbled upon old inscriptions in a script few can decipher, and those skilled in ancient tongues claim the name of Aruru, the goddess of creation, appears among them.

Though mostly avoided by local villagers, the ruin is not without visitors. Fortune-seekers, smugglers and scholars from Baghdad have all ventured into the crumbling tunnels that occasionally open along the mound's edges. Some return with bits of pottery or weathered clay tablets, while others emerge shaken and empty-handed. Many do not return at all.

Background

Adab dates back to the Akkadian Empire, once a thriving city devoted to the goddess Aruru, revered as the creator of humankind. Though much of its history is lost, ancient texts describe Adab as a center of religious and administrative power, ruled by priest-kings who oversaw vast temple complexes. The city's significance waned with the collapse of Akkadian rule, and its final destruction came in a cataclysmic event — possibly a massacre — that left its inhabitants unburied, their bodies lost beneath the shifting sands. As such, many of those in the ruins were never granted proper burial rites. As a result, necromantic disturbances are a persistent danger.

Accounts from past expeditions describe the unearthing of vast crypts, from which hundreds of undead have emerged, overwhelming excavation teams and attacking nearby settlements. These disturbances have led to catastrophe, with villages falling under siege by roving hordes of the unquiet dead.

Recognising the danger, the Pasha of Babylon has issued strict decrees regarding entry into the ruins. Any venture into Adab must be well-funded, well-armed and carefully planned, with sufficient provisions to confront the potential resurgence of the undead. Unauthorised expeditions are punishable by severe fines or exile, as the consequences of reckless intrusion could be disastrous. Despite these warnings, rumours persist of hidden chambers filled with Akkadian relics, untouched libraries of clay tablets and artifacts linked to the goddess Aruru herself — temptations strong enough to lure fortune-seekers into the depths of Adab, despite the dangers that lurk beneath its sunbaked stones.