Ramathia
Overview
Ramathia is the name of an island and city off the southwestern coast of the Duchy of Occidens in the Lands of Men.
The city itself is old and vast and, prior to the Doom, was once a source of great sea trade and exploration, as well as serving as the seat and capital of the Duchy. There were many harbors around Ramathia, serving all sorts of ships as well as a large fleet of the King’s Navy. The island itself held a great and dormant volcano that held endless caves and passages underneath its flanks. The port city of Skalfier, on the mainland, was established to serve as the connection between Ramathia and the Kingdom.
The Duchy abandoned Ramathia in 3 AD and it has not been resettled, or even visited, since. Rumors abound that pirates have settled in Ramathia and are living like kings off the abandoned wealth and riches there.
History
The city was established by the Elves when they arrived to the Lands. The city was known as Ricoer (in ancient Elven tongue, meaning "First City" or possibly "Freedom City"). When the civilized races gained their freedom, the Elves allowed the humans to claim the city and island as theirs.
During The Doom, great sea creatures, strange humanoids living under the waves and the ocean itself plunged Ramathia into war and chaos. The great volcano erupted, burying a portion of the great sea city in ash and lava. Harbors and coastal villages were destroyed.
Recent Events
Elven Conclave
In the Fall of 56AD, elves from the southern lands held a Conclave in Skalfier and declared a Search would be held in Ramathia to find any records that might have survived that could shed light on the location of the lost elven homelands. Hints of this possibility had been discovered by a group of adventurers (The Southern Seas Campaign) exploring a lost mage's library, and shared with the Conclave by Graian, an elven mage and member of the adventuring party.
Elven Search to Ramathia
In Summer of 57AD, three elven ships (Lustrina, Amarisa, Celesta) left Skalfier and traveled to Ramathia. The elven Foamfollower and Seadreamer families were the leading representatives. The ships arrived safely at the city harbor, but the Lustrina was lost to a strange whirlpool inside the harbor. The remaining ships made landfall to the west of the city along the island coast.
Elves and adventurers set out to explore the city. They made contact with surviving Wild-folk and were guided into the city. Exploration of the city found it somewhat intact, though there was much damage from the volcanic eruption during the Doom, and a large crater/sinkhole in the center of the city.
Further exploration of the island to the northwest of the city led the elves to the location of the first landing of elves. Ruins of elven structures were found, as well as carvings which shared a much different story of the landing than was common belief among the elves!
The Arrival of the First Elves
The carvings, as confirmed and detailed by the Search's Elder Eriael, gave a much different account of how the Elves arrived. They were refugees of a race of elves that lived under the Sea!
As Eriael told it:
We did not arrive to Nicoer by ship, lost from our homelands. We arrived from under the ocean's waves, fleeing the tyranny of constant strife, never-ending wars between cities that drenched our history in blood. Sindrill was a king of a city who tired of watching his kin and followers die. He was a powerful leader, beloved by many not just of his city, but of other cities. It is said that he alone would be merciful in siege and battle, where other kings would slaughter entire armies, he would allow the citizens to return.
This resulted in the terrible anger of many of the other kings and finally one emerged, Nacalmo, who swore to destroy Sindrill. The good king recognized that the cost to defend against Nacalmo would be terrible. So, he gathered those who wanted to find a new life and fled. They were declared rebels and traitors by the other cities and pursued.
A wise and powerful elf queen and sorceress, Tenyana, had been promised by her father to Nacalmo upon his success against Sindrill, but Tenyana fell in love with Sindrill and fled with him. Nacalmo's wrath was greater than the heat of a fire elemental and he pursued Sindrill across ocean floor and chasm. Their battles were terrible. Tenyana, fearing for Sindrill's life and the lives of the Rebels, created a Horn - the Horn of the Seas.
It has but one purpose - to tell Tenyana where Sindrill is - so that she could escape and find him. She then gave the Horn to Sindrill and surrendered to Nacalmo. It was not enough though, Nacalmo's pride had been wounded and he'd sworn terrible oaths to kill Sindrill so he continued to pursue his foe. Eventually, there was the final battle. Sindrill's forces, with the hidden help of Tenyana, were victorious and the pursuers were nearly wiped out, but Sindrill was gravely wounded. Nacalmo retreated, with Tenyana a prisoner so that she would suffer for the rest of her days.
Sindrill intended for the Rebels to do something that had only been whispered about - to live above the waves. He believed that by living on the lands and rocks, that our brothers and sisters of the seas would not find us, as they had no regard or care for what was above the waves. So the elves came here, to Nicoer, and here Sindrill saw his first and last dawn above the waves, and died.
This has been hidden because we knew that the blood of our forefathers is in our veins, hot blooded, lustful, and yearning for war. The Elders of the cities and ships made a sacred oath that we would not pass this knowledge down, save between each others. That we would be the guardians against the wrath and vengeance that the elves of the seas would take upon us. That we would grow strong enough that even if we were found, we could prevail...