The ziggurats here provide plenty of high ground and cover for any force able to capture and outfit them with defenses. The middle ziggurat is especially secure. While it will be difficult to capture, this middle structure may be worth the effort due to the commanding presence it holds over the rest of the valley. Alternatively, you could attempt to make your way around the mountains that hem in this valley, though that poses difficulties of its own.

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Millennia ago a StarFort crash-landed in this valley. The crew of the vessel integrated with the locals and used their replicators to produce food and supplies on a massive scale, allowing the tribe to quickly overwhelm their neighbors. The location of the ship became the central, holiest site in a vast empire. Eventually, the ship's reactor malfunctioned, and the successors of the original crew were unable to repair it. By that time this society had become so dependent on the food and supplies from the advanced replicators that the knowledge of agriculture and other crafts was completely forgotten, resulting in widescale famine. The leaders of this civilization believed they were being punished by their gods and began sacrificing huge numbers of people in an attempt to regain their god's favor. Those sacrifices took place inside the frame of the downed vessel perched at the top of the largest ziggurat of this valley.