The City of the Gods - Inspiration

I just hit the 98K mark on book 2 - the Question which Must Be Answered. I have the final 12 chapters outlined in a downhill run. At this rate, it should top out at 129K, plus the 136K (unedited) from book 1 = 265K of dark, detailed sword and sorcery. My only rule was : even the bad guys have to be convinced that they're the good guys. This all started from a photo of Mount Girnar and the song “While the Earth Sleeps” by Peter Gabriel and Deep Forest. I've been using them as a touchstone ever since. The one on the right has a similar feel and I've been using it for my authonomy cover.