Perhaps you'd been there before, maybe grown up there and got out as fast as you could, or languished there due to no way out, or even thrived, if you could not only adapt, but become a Vyras supporter, or better yet, for your safety, a -vocal- supporter.

Or perhaps you'd recently learned of Achethe (a`-KEETH), or happened upon it, whatever your case...Whichever way you learned of it, under the Vyras rule, you'd have our sympathies if exposed to Achethe.

The mainland closest to The Isle of Sapphiredge, which also served as the Halfway Point between Crystal Shores and Sapphiredge, was a convenient journey 14 hours by dragonback or a week and three days by sea. There were many provinces, hamlets and townships in Achethe; but the hub of activity was in Achethe City.

Formerly, Achethe was in constant contact with the Lost Isle of Crystal Shores; when the island sunk, the citizens Achethe took a few of the colonists into their land upon hearing of the gruesome tale of death on Crystal Shores. However, it was not out of compassion that they were taken in; a partial reason was to make examples of some who'd renounced their homeland, and to extract just punishment as this action was deemed traitorious. From seemingly nowhere, decades-old, valid warrants as well as some works of fiction with an agenda, were dusted off, and many who returned were rounded up and publicly executed.

Achethe City had seen better days; Uprisings of the masses, due to long-simmering tensions under Vyras rule sparked weeks of violent riot. Fires also broke out and left thousands dead in the wake of the unrest. The network of capitol buildings, from the old, elegant Registrar and Document Halls to the expanded Prison system, were all housed in Achethe City, but were left as damaged, rotting, burned-out hulks of ruin.

A grand, awe-inspiring network, both significant for the forward-thinking and progressive design, of sewer systems and tunnels sprawled underground, but went neglected and ultimately abandoned by the City. Once official operations were disregarded, the sewer system became the backdrop for something else entirely.

What went, and continues to go on beneath the City was and is something not discussed publicly, nor do many dare to explore: Once slipping from view, down into the bowels of Achethe, it is and was a very rare occurrence to be seen again alive.

Many of those who resided within this community were said to be relocating to the outskirts of the Capitol, a flight from urbanity. Where they ultimately went is unknown, as at the end of Vyras rule, much of what documentation survived the Rioting became lost.

The Southside of Achethe City hosted the Harbor/Port of Call. While once renowned as a paradise for tourists and locals alike, the early tales of Crystal Shores had lured those who formerly flocked to the sands of Achethian beachfront away, taking their precious tourism gold with them. Now with the sinking of the island, the beaches in Achethe once again see tourists coming to its shores adding to the mainstay of income, although it is not the wealthy tourist crowd; Achethe's beachfront had a seediness, dirty undertone, due to several years' neglect and abandonment in favor of Crystal Shores. After the Riots but before the end of Vyras rule, the passing sailors poured their sea pay into the Taverns and the women who worked in the skin trade raked in gold tidily; fighting arenas thrived as well, where bets were placed by the bagload; as well as both legitimate and illegitimate activities. The Southside was practically a ghost town during the brutal winters.

Even under the strict rule of Emperor Vyras, a travel advisory was issued, strongly warning against entering the Slums of Achethe. For there, in the ghettos, crime ran rampant, never resting. This area was once confined to the strip of roads lining the inner city to the Harbor, but with the aftermath of the Riots and so many years of oppression, the slums had spread from the confined area to what appeared in almost every sector, every ward; to be nearly an all-encompassing blight. Shantytowns amongst ramshackle homes seemed to sprawl through parts of the sector, snaking in and through the city like a boa constrictor determined on choking the life from its prey. The official militia of the country turned a blind eye to the Slums years ago, having learned that enforcing order amongst the savages was impossible. The crime rates were horrendous, and extreme poverty was the norm amongst those trapped there. If you found yourself lost and wandering in the Slums, it was pretty much accepted that you might never return.