Achi'vyerdum

When Achi'vyerdum was still thriving, its architecture was at the forefront of the continent. It was a multilayered city, with great archways, palaces, castles, and numerous towers dominating the skyline. As much as was seen above ground, even more lay beneath it. A bustling metropolis full of people, it boasted great research facilities and laboratories dedicated to magic. The city once stood proud and glorious, a beacon of innovation and grandeur. Now, it is a nightmarish place of strange magics and ruin, its splendor turned to shadows and echoes of its former self.

The War for Midranor

 

Strategic Isolation and Naval Dominance

  By the early 4th millennium, Achi’vyerdum had established itself as the dominant force on the continent of Ëndria. Although it consisted of a single, heavily fortified city-state, its advanced technology, mastery of arcana, and naval superiority allowed it to project power on a continental scale. Its geographic isolation—shielded from the heartlands of Ëndria by the Whispering Towers—necessitated an emphasis on maritime travel and trade. This led to the development of an unmatched naval presence that secured trade routes for much of southern and eastern Ëndria.   Key beneficiaries of this naval protection included the Thelvara Dynasty, the dwarves of the Silver Mountains (including the city of Thar’ziq), and the northern realm of Venethal. By maintaining safe passage across the eastern seas, Achi’vyerdum allowed these regions to flourish economically and militarily in the early phases of the war.  

Military Involvement in the War

  Although Achi’vyerdum was not a primary target during the early stages of the War for Midranor (3017–3109), it played an essential role in the continental defense. Its forces—comprised of arcane specialists, advanced siege machinery, and early mechanized units—were deployed to critical fronts across Ëndria. The northern realm of Venethal faced constant invasion by demonic forces from Carceri, and would likely have fallen decades earlier without Achi’vyerdum’s intervention. Simultaneously, the Thelvara Dynasty faced a two-pronged divine invasion, which Achi’vyerdum also supported with both manpower and materiel.   By 3056, Achi’vyerdum’s forces were stretched thin across multiple fronts, while its homeland remained lightly defended. It was during this year that the city fell under catastrophic circumstances. The specific details of the city’s destruction remain elusive, but records indicate a sudden magical cataclysm followed by a massive structural collapse, resulting in the submersion of the entire city beneath the sea. Many scholars widely believe that Zarveth was responsible for the cataclysm, citing it as evidence of his capacity as a god inhereting power of multiple planes of existence.  

Immediate Consequences of the Fall

  The collapse of Achi’vyerdum in 3056 proved to be a turning point in the War for Midranor. Without its naval protection, the eastern seaways fell into chaos. Raider’s Ravine, long suppressed by Achi’vyerdum’s naval dominance, surged in influence and became a haven for piracy, cutting off trade and supply routes between the southern kingdoms. The Thelvara Dynasty, which had come to depend on Achi’vyerdum’s logistical support, suffered immense territorial losses and was forced to reorient its military strategy. The Silver Dwarves lost their maritime trade access, particularly impacting Thar’ziq, which relied on sea-bound imports.   Venethal, already in a precarious position, was entirely overrun by infernal forces within three years of Achi’vyerdum’s fall. To this day, all of Venethal remain under occupation by extraplanar entities.  

Legacy and Remnants

  The legacy of Achi’vyerdum continues to shape geopolitical and academic discourse. Its technological artifacts, arcane constructs, and mechanized units have proven nearly impossible to replicate, owing both to the loss of knowledge and the uniqueness of its magically gifted human population. Expeditions to the sunken city remain prohibitively dangerous due to wild arcana, planar anomalies, and unstable ruins. Very few functional relics have been recovered.   One rare exception is the emergence of scattered descendants of Achi’vyerdum’s military personnel. Since troops were stationed in allied regions at the time of the city’s fall, some individuals survived and later integrated into other societies. Though these lineages are difficult to trace, certain families within the Thelvara Dynasty claim ancestral ties, sometimes through military records or preserved heirlooms.   Some legends speak of surviving ships from the Achi’vyerdan navy, but these vessels—if they exist—are exceedingly rare. Most were either destroyed in war or deliberately targeted by pirates following the city's collapse. Surviving examples are regarded as artifacts of immense historical and magical value.   The Thelvara Dynasty's post-war investment in their Seabound Sentinels, particularly through the Emerald Wardens and their creation of sentient vessels, can be viewed as a direct response to the vacuum left by Achi’vyerdum’s naval loss.   In scholarly circles, Achi’vyerdum’s fall marks the end of the continent’s golden age of arcano-engineering. Despite the proliferation of magical institutions and technological experimentation across Ëndria, no modern polity has achieved comparable feats of synthesis between technology and magic. Achi’vyerdum remains the subject of extensive academic interest and speculative reconstruction.