Eiosia
Ruler: N/A
Government: N/A
Approximate: size: Large City, believed to have been abandoned over 2,500 years ago
Resources: Unknown
Population: None
Alignment: Probably Evil
Language: None
Deities: None known
Description: The abandoned walled city of Eiosia sits at the edge of a towering cliff, overlooking the sea. The mirror- polished black stone blocks that make up the walls and buildings of this mysterious city are found nowhere else in the explored lands, and no clue remains to tell who built this once glorious city…or how.
The empty buildings contain no drawings to reveal who or what once lived here. There are no writings, no remains, nothing. The only clues lie in stories so old that they are legend, with no means of separating fact from imagination. Every structure is built of the same black stone, and the streets are paved in the same substance. The only color to be found is deep within the structures, in the form of rich mosaics, as brilliant and bright as the day they were created, depicting pristine mountains, tumbling waterfalls, glorious sunsets and lush valleys.
The only living things present are the exotic and beautiful plants growing in a large greenhouse, which appear to be lovingly tended, even though there is no sign of another living soul. The reason that the city was abandoned is a complete mystery. There is no damage to the walls or buildings, no sign of a siege, no evidence of disease and no bodies.
If a building is raised elsewhere using even a single stone or block from the city, that building will not stand past the next new moon, even if the offending stone is removed. All of the other ‘normal’ stones or blocks which were used in the attempted construction are tainted, and must be destroyed, the site purified, and construction begun again with new materials.
Except in the single greenhouse, plants do not prosper within a 10-mile radius of the city, and nearby free-farmers and their families avoid the place. Some travelers who wander too close speak of companions who claim to be ‘called’ by the city, and who will go to any lengths to reach it. When restrained, these poor souls struggle against their bonds, thrash about, and refuse all food and drink until they are either released to answer the silent call or they pine away and die.
Dwarves will not tunnel or mine within ten miles of the city, and elves do not speak the city’s name. Perhaps the elves, first among the children of the gods, and with their vast stores of knowledge, know the secrets if Eiosia, but if they do they are keeping that knowledge to themselves.