The Ruins of Goldwall

Regions of Enelis

History

The grand metropolis of Aureusurbis [Goldwall] was once the greatest city on Ularin. It was the original city of the Nomenir refugees, then later becoming the capital of the expanding Nomen Empire. It was also the center of trade and cultural diffusion on the eastern coasts. Nearly every settlement in the east was connected to the city in some way. Even as the Nomen Empire declined, and eventually moved its capital to Ardolia, the City of Gold continued to prosper. The Noradrie invaded and captured the city for some time, looting and stealing many of the artifacts that had remained, incidentally diffusing them throughout the east. When the Nomens recaptured the city, it was in a poor state and the population of the city continued to dwindle in the years following. When the Nomen Empire split into two empires (north and south), Goldwall became the capital of the northern Empire

In 1 G.R., the Night of the People’s Rebellion was a bloody and violent uprising that saw control of the city returned to the people and to democratic rule. Many of the corrupt noble families were run out of the city (if they survived the first night), and the Emperor was beheaded in the city’s grand plaza. Word had spread throughout Ularin, such that it is still as a date marker in official records. The population of the city began to grow again as people flocked to the city. As famine and plagues ravaged the lands, many serfs who had been struggling under oppressive lords in the south fled their homelands and headed to the fabled City of Gold. It was a place of promise and opportunity for anyone with a willingness to work for the community.

This joyous time was short-lived, however, as 130 G.R. saw the arrival of the Dohkan warships on the coasts of Verland. The armies of the Dohkan marched northward, razing and destroying everything in their path. It was an army of chaos and destruction that would eventually reach the city of Goldwall in 134 G.R.. The Dohkan armies stopped outside the city, seemingly gathering together in a great force in the hills as their navy blockaded the Golden Bay. The city of Goldwall sent out diplomats and ambassadors, begging for the many scattered kingdoms of Ularin to send forces to meet this destructive force. The city gathered its own militia while sending out as many families that they could to flee by ship. The navy would be nearly destroyed as it pierced through the Dohkan blockade, sending refugee ships north to Cancer Island near the old Nomen settlement of Auroravotum.

Many speculate about what actually happened next, but everyone agrees that the Dohkan must have been responsible. The city of Goldwall suddenly exploded in a mushroom-cloud of fire and magic unlike anything ever seen on Enelis. In a near instant, the greatest metropolis known was simply gone. After the fires dissipated and darkness filled the sky, the Dohkan armies entered the ruins of the city to destroy what was left. Shortly after, the armies of the Dohkan marched north into Angmar, continuing their path of destruction.

Adventure

In the centuries since the Last War, Goldwall has remained an avoided ruin. Trade roads have been rerouted away from the city, with many travelling merchants even preferring the underground path through the Dwarven kingdoms of Kalavar to avoid the area entirely. Rumors persist of strange monsters in the region, animals and beasts contorted by the magical energies that devastated the city. The city itself is said to house a society of the undead, those who clung to unlife in the city’s destruction. Others claim they’ve seen strange lights glitter in the shadows of the ruins. Still others speculate how much of the city’s ancient treasures still dwell in darkness, waiting for would-be treasure-hunters to seek their fortune.