Campaign Chunk Volume 11.01 – El Dorado
El Dorado is the term used by Europeans to describe a mythical tribal chief of the Muisca native people of Colombia, who, as an initiation rite, covered himself with gold dust and submerged in Lake Guatavita. Over time, the stories and myths changed from a man to a city, to a kingdom, and then finally an empire.
Legends say that the city was , whilst not made from gold (as gold is a poor substance to build from), was covered in gold and many of the natives used it in decoration, jewellery and everyday items and artefacts.
Many attempts have been made to find El Dorado, the so-called “City of Gold”, or as a minimum some evidence for it. In the late 1500s the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, following some rumours, explored in search of a city called Manõa on the shores of Lake Parime, which was believed to be a second location for the lost city, but to no avail.
Over time, Spanish conquistadors and numerous others searched Colombia, Venezuela, and parts of Guyana and northern Brazil for the city and its king. With nothing to show for it, eventually, the search for the golden city trailed off and ended, leaving El Dorado to be treated as a myth and a legend.
Hooks & Rumours
- Several skeletons have been found by divers in Lake Guatavita. Each of them has what appears to be gold covering their bones and there is a high amount of the material in the soil and lake-bed around the location. Authorities are rushing to keep this information quiet to prevent looters and opportunists from deciding on the area to harvest the gold.
- Evidence has surfaced that the El Dorado was buried when the land it rested on sunk due to a massive sinkhole engulfing the city. This evidence is currently under investigation and heavy security.
- Some are suggesting that Walter Raleigh discovered something horrible about the fate of El Dorado and swore his crew to silence on pain of execution for not only themselves but also their loved ones. Nothing has come forth about this except for a rather cryptic note that alludes to hints of something “…dark and beyond…”
- During an excavation, miners have discovered the remains of a gold mine that , has the gold within not been 90% removed, could have provided enough precious metal to cover a small town or city. The gold here has a curious contamination to it, which grants it a way of being identified. This would be nothing more than a curiosity if a large amount of the gold had not been recently discovered buried in Queensland, Australia.
Inspired by – El Dorado
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado
Volume 10 of the compiled and updated Campaign Chunks is available at DrivethruRPG.com
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/184856/Campaign-Chunk–Volume-10–Mysteries
