This is a tour of what I have been working on in Minecraft. It is basically intended to be an abandoned civilization. The player will work their way through it, trying to figure out the history and culture of the people that once lived here. These will be communicated via wall-etchings (ASCII art signs) that players will learn to decipher and understand.
This is not finished yet, and there's still much work to be done on it. Any place you see non-redstone torches is probably a place that is still in progress of being worked on (when I'm finished with a room, I replace all the lights with lava+glass lanterns, and in the future will replace those with actual lanterns when they're implemented)

Discovered the entrance to an old mine

Strange glyphs surrounded the entrance.

Entering, I found halls to the left and right.

I decided to take the rightmost path. There was an old corridor and a ladder. I decided to check the ladder.

Looking up, I saw clear sky.

I passed one floor before I reached the top, but my eyes stayed fixed on the clear sky. Eventually, I emerged into a huge structure open to the air. An enormous 'A' symbol seemed carved into both sides of the chamber.

Spirals of gold and diamond circled the ceiling and floor

Standing in the center, I found myself looking up into the sun at noon, perfectly aligned with this...observatory?

A path by the ladder lead out to the open, and what looked to be the mountain above the mine. I got a chance for a full look at the observatory.

I took some time to look into the valley, where a carved out area at about the same level of the other floor I passed when ascending the ladder.

Entering the observatory again, I looked out the gold side to a view of the distant horizon.

Returning inwards, I looked at the etchings on the wall. The first was what looked to be a creation myth below a symbol for the sun.

On the opposite side, beneath a symbol of the moon, what I assumed to be an end-times myth.

Confused by some of the symbols on the etchings, I descended the ladder to the floor I had skipped and found myself in a library marked with a symbol I recognized from the myth etchings./p>

Within the library, a small area near the back that seemed to have some diagrams intended for instruction. A social order? A mythos? I wasn't sure./p>

Past the library, I found what looked to be a kitchen and common area.

There appeared to be a place to prepare food.

And a source of fresh water.

As well as an old fireplace.

Peeking up the fireplace, I saw open sky and a symbol.

I then moved past the library and found myself looking at a mass of overgrown plants.

This was the carved out area I had seen from the outside. Plants grew everywhere.

One back room held a makeshift desert.

Another, a faux-swamp.

I looked back at from where I had viewed this area from the outside.

I then traced my steps back to the ladder and the path.

The path was old and musty, so I returned to the branching point near where I entered the mine.

Now, I took the left path and found myself in an area partially carved and partially natural.

A small chamber to the right held an impressive throne, flanked by lava and hard stone.

To the left was a huge chamber with a monolithic set of doors.

Descending the stairs, I found myself in what appeared to be some kind of court, or common area. Small living spaces were carved into every available area.

Remembering hearing water, I found a spring in one corner of the room.

Seeing something through the water, I pushed my way through to find myself looking at an impossibly deep chasm. I quickly headed back to the court.

I approached the doors and found them slightly ajar.

Within, was a strange arrangement of diamond and gold, flanked by lava and water.

A simple I had seen often in this culture's carvings.

Descending the steps, I found myself on what looked like it might have been a holding place. Perhaps for some relic, perhaps for sacrifices. Here, obsidian, lava, diamond, and gold all met at an empty altar.

With nothing else to see, I left the court and backtracked, continuing to follow the path left from the entrance. Here I found myself in a small hall.

I continued down the corridors until I found a small room.

It appeared to be a former smithy. There was metal and fire and water, and the sooty footsteps of its once owner.

And one thing that seemed to make little sense...a work of delicate artwork.

Pressing against it, I found the painting gave way to reveal a small hidden room.

It appeared at first glance to be a sooty living space.

But then I found a long stairway

That lead deep underground.

I saw a doorway, but noticed the smith's footsteps seemed to lead in another direction.

This took me to a huge library. In the center of the floor was an odd contraption of light and dust that confused me.

And on the rightmost wall, another carving similar yet different to one I had seen before.

Quite different...

I went through the library and came to another fork. This time, I elected to not follow the smith's path.

Something glowed in the distance

A great contraption with heavy treads and an ominous feel.

With a nose made of sharpened diamond.

There was an entrance on the belly of the beast. I climbed up it to find a control room. I pressed buttons, but nothing occurred.

Returning to the fork, I followed the smith's path.

This took me to an old mine track, although the rails had mostly corroded away.

Hopping onto a cart, I looked at the chamber it swept through.

A huge formation of diamonds hung from the ceiling.

The cart continued, getting faster

And faster

I was finally able to make out where it was heading

and then noticed a gap in the track

The wreckage of a previous cart, and dried blood littered the crash site. I managed to pull myself from the wreckage

Finding a path along the left wall, I navigated my way up.

The track had lead to an excavation site.

Filled with a substance that filled the air with a metallic tang.

Seeing no further sign of the smith's footsteps, I made my way back out.

And here I paused and gazed into the dark hall. I followed the hall tentatively, as it wound its way darkly around a corner.

Suddenly seeing a lit door in the distance, I found myself filled with a sense of quiet dread. Something felt...off. Trusting my instincts, I retreated.

I traced my way back through much of the mine, eventually returning to the entrance and remebering the old dusty hall I had yet to take.

This time I followded.

And continued to follow even as the hall's air became glutted with sand particles.

And followed still, when the smell of salt water filled the cavern.

Eventually I came to a chamber where I saw a strange device floating in a pool of water.

The chamber had three pools, each with a giant golden door.

The devices seemed to be submersibles. The first was a small one.

Looking large enough to hold a small family.

The central pool had a huge submersible, but something seemed off kilter about it.

Diving down, I found its back engine panels appeared to have cracked, with the vital lava now heavy and inert stone.

Entering the sub, I found the entire device at a strange angle.

The final pool..oddly empty.

There had been a ladder near the entrance to this room, and I followed it up to a small watchpost above the sea. From it, I could make out the observatory in the distance.

Swimming out a ways, I was able to make out the three golden doors from the water's surface.

Tired for now, I resolved to continue my expedtion on another day.