SECRETS OF WHITEWALL

From Thirdexalt

HIDDEN HISTORY The Shogunate tried to destroy records of Whitewall’s glorious origin as Ondar Shambal and paint its Celestial Exalted residents as megalomaniacs, tyrants and perverts. When the Syndics took over, they purged the city archives of these false tales, but also of a good deal of authentic Shogunate history. During both purges, however, people loyal to the old regime hid books that supported the history they believed. More of Ondar Shambal survives than one might expect. The Shogunate’s founders feared to demolish too much of the Unconquered Sun’s own city or to remove too much of the city’s old religious imagery. Instead, the usurpers filled carvings and covered murals and mosaics with white concrete. For instance, the city’s famous walls used to bear carved scenes of the Unconquered Sun’s deeds and allegories of his rule in Heaven. People who recycle the stone from damaged buildings (mostly in Foretown) often find old concrete flaking off to reveal bits of inscriptions or bas-reliefs. The Whitewall College of Architecture carefully records these architectural fragments. So far, the Syndics find it politically inadvisable to attempt widespread removal of the masking concrete and restoration of the images beneath.