| Varsylis |
| Varsylis was once the greatest city in Shiarah, and perhaps the greatest in the world. Dating back to the mid 5,000s ACD, Varsylis is also one of the eldest cities in the world. Claimed to have the best the world had to offer, with a thriving market, infallible defense, and strong rulers, Varsylis was indeed a thriving city. For over eighteen thousand years, Varsylis was the capital of Shiarah, a realm that rivaled Aelthiur in power, and for many long years was unquestioned in its glory. However, since then Varsylis has fallen. Kobolds were always looked down upon by the peoples of Varsylis, much as they were throughout all of Aldreia. None could see the role they would play in the downfall of Varsylis, for when the tribes of Hagarsveld declared war upon Shiarah once again, the tribes orchestrated the kobolds into destroying Varsylis from the inside while Hagarsveld sieged their indestructable walls from the outside. Taken completely unaware, the peoples of Varsylis fell prey to Hagarsveld and the kobolds, and thus lost the war. Varsylis was ransacked, and much of the city was destroyed. The peoples were massacred and all the while the remaining armies of Varsylis huddled inside the citadel with Emperor Jhorune. Varsylis fell that day, and has never recovered. The people signed away Hagarsveld and let the kobolds leave free, and Shiarah lost its once great might. Emperor Jhorune hid within his citadel in fear and paranoia, but his son, father of present day Empress Illia, claimed the throne within Emperor Jhorune's allowance and moved to Nixarian, the present day capital of Shiarah. Varsylis has yet to recover, even over the past seventy years. Now, less than a fourth of the people who once lived in this thriving metropolis call Varsylis home, having abondaned the city for better living environments. Surprisingly, Emperor Jhorune still lives within the city, and he has been granted government over the city as his own, though he still considers himself emperor of all Shiarah. Emperor Jhorune is now nearly one hundred years old, and people believe, or rather hope, that he will die soon. Varsylis contains dark influences from the raven elves and technological influences from the gnomes, but more importantly Varsylis has retained many of the powerful magics of the Aeon of Soaring Hearts, being one of the few places not to have been decimated during the Aeon of Black Ice. As of late, however, magic has been becoming odd and slightly unpredictable in and around Varsylis, for many mages have found there magic not functioning exactly as they cast it. Many believe this is because of the many years that magic has been so common in the area. The flow of magic has become disrupted in the area due to the strain that magic has so long felt here. Magic in Varsylis The dark city is located lies along the Tien'Nekroba River, and about half a days walk northeast from the mountains. Varsylis sits on a small plateau known as the Auric Table. Though the Auric Table was once luscious and known for its fertile soil and beautiful plant-life, it has become little more than dust, the soil completely unusable. The city itself, even though it has fallen into utter ruins, is still a marvel to behold. Throughout the entire city runs roads built on and above the ground, connecting buildings that touch the clouds. Torches of blue flame that never die line the streets, making the city ever illuminated. Statues, all ancient, diverse, and great, can be found lurking throughout the entire city. In no other city is the display of both magic and technology as great as in Varsylis, for the steam power of the gnomes can be found around any corner, and the citadel itself floats completely unaided within the core of the city. Visitors to Varsylis will first see, above all else, the walls of Varsylis. Many cities have walls, but none like Varsylis. The walls of Varsylis consist of huge towers of black, resembling large clawed fingers rising out of the ground and curving toward the center of the city, that surround the city and are spaced about a hundred paces apart. The towers are the color of obsidian, and over three hundred feet high. They come to a point at the top, and slant slightly inward toward the city. Though many are destroyed or simply remain unused for any number of reasons, when activated blue bolts of energy begin to form between the towers, much lightning. Attempting to pass through the energy based walls, or touching them at all, deals 3d8 points of electrical energy damage and 3d8 points of raw magical energy damage unless the person can make a DC 20 reflex save. If a person tries to pass through the wall, they take the full damage and must make a DC 25 fortitude save or be repelled backwards 10 feet. There is no entrance into these towers, and they are nearly indestructible. They have a hardness of 200, and their outer walls are three feet thick with 100 hit points. Furthermore, they have a spell resistance of 35. The towers have a square base, thirty feet wide on all sides. Oddly enough, the towers that are broken have no spell resistance and are completely hollow, have a hardness of only 10 and the walls have 20 hit points. Whenever one of the walls of the tower is breeched, the tower releases huge amounts of energy and becomes useless. Everything within 100 feet of the tower takes 10d8 points of electrical energy damage and 10d8 points or raw magical energy damage, or half of this with a successful DC 30 reflex save. The southern and southeastern areas of Varsylis are nearly completely ruined, as well as the tower walls. The eastern area, which was once a glorious temple district, has fallen into disrepair and is nearly abandoned. The northern area is the most intact and still retains some of the city�s former glory. The citadel lies in the middle of the northern area, as well as many of the great skyscrapers. All of the towers in this area function correctly. The western area is well inhabited, though this is the area where most of the scum live and few nobles ever come to this area. |