Description
A city constructed almost entirely of fresh stone and concrete, especially after it had to be rebuild almost single-handedly by Governor Démos' geomancy magics. Considering the level of devastation it has suffered, the city looks remarkably whole, if unfinished; many of the houses being developed on the outskirts are little more than simple stone boxes created by magic, waiting to have the details and furniture handled by craftsmen who have moved in.
People & Organisations
An elderly orc with slight anger issues and a love of strange foods. A highly skilled geomancer and architect, in his younger days he was quite active in various construction projects across The Varolian.
Ágios Histo Koth
A middle aged priest of
Suróza who stands as a pillar of the community. As head of the largest temple in the city, he is often overworked, though his burden has been lessened after being reunited with his long lost wife,
Sofi.
Sofi(Koth)
Sofi is the plebian wife of Ágios Histo, without any powers of her own. She disappeared one night some twenty years ago, having been turned into a monstrous creature after declining the unwanted affections of a powerful entity. Thanks to the help of
The Exotics, Histo was able to undo her curse, and they returned to Acidon together, for the first time in decades.
A more recent arrival to the city, Lucian moved in following the dark week when The Underworld's hordes attacked. He is an extremely private man, dwelling in the tunnels underneath the city and only really leaving his home to deliver potions to the Governor. He was instrumental in creating the pheromones now being utilised to control the Giant Ants in the city, and rumours claim he is hiding a dark secret...
Klirikós Arda
The highest ranking preist after Histo at the temple of Suróza, Arda is a genasi woman with blue skin who perpetually smells of sea water.
Captain Nemertes
An arcane hybrid with extremely aquan features, as though halfway between a water genasi and a triton. She is captain of
The Phoenix, Démos' own private warship, and charged with the safe storage and responsible use of the ship's primary ammunition; a series of urns filled with Alchemical Fire to be launched via a mangonel.
The Golden Spears
A group of monster hunters based in a renovated temple of
Zia. They are currently led by a foolhardy half-orc named Kardok Fonas, a half-orc hunter with an odd fighting style based around dual-wielding spears.
Niccoló
A brilliant inventor who spent most of his life on an island under the disapproving criticism of a Mágos grandmother. Niccoló left the island after an incident with a Fox and a Cat, learning a great deal from
Garrac during their travels. He is responsible for
The Peregrine's incredible rowing machine that can do the work of a hundred men, and had become extremely popular in Acidon for his skills.
Places & Landmarks
Pillars of Acidon
Built by Démos himself, these tall concrete pillars are spaced evenly across the waterfront of Acidon. Each one has a ballista atop it manned by two guards, and are designed as a unique form of defence to protect the city; not only will attacking ships have to contest with half a dozen ballista being in range no matter where they move near the city, the pillars are spaced out so that it is extremely difficult to turn and maneuver without hitting them unless a pilot has a good deal of practice in the city.
The largest temple in the city sits on a risen section of the waterfront, overlooking the docks and the pillars. With two grand statues of dolphins mid-leap aside the massive doors, it is near impossible to miss. During attack from The Underworld, this temple served as a safehouse for the citizens, with divine blessings keeping demons away, and the city's defenders working to protect it from other monsters. It ended up being one of the only buildings still standing by the end, surprisingly mostly unscathed.
Renovated Temple of Zia - Golden Spears' HQ
A smaller temple on the opposite side of the docks from Suróza's, this temple to Zia sat empty and dilapidated for a long time after its previous owners abandoned it. But some years ago, a group of adventurers moved in with permission from Governor Démos, repaired the neglected structure, and set up a monster hunting guild. The guild was named after a magical spear found in the basement during renovations, as the hunters took it as a great sign of approval from the temple's patron.
Plinth of Heroes
One of the very first things Démos built while he was repairing his city, this structure has a wide circular marble base, and is supporting five beautifully crafted statues, representing
The Exotics. Centred in the back, his giant form standing above the others is
Sylas. On either side, standing guard with their shields out are
Garrac and
Soriz, and in the middle being protected by their allies are the mages,
Odessa and
Kaus.
Ant Tunnels
The giant ants in the city have been hard at work for the past few months, turning the once solid underground into a huge maze of tunnels and passageways. They have so far been mostly friendly, and don't seem to mind the citizens using their tunnels as well. Governor Démos has also begun reinforcing and carving out various sections of his own, looking to see if he can set up a proper sewage system to ensure clean water and reduce fears of disease.
History
Infant Kraken
Earthquakes in The Varolian often herald the attempts of a Kraken to escape their undersea prisons, where they have been held for centuries after attempting to battle either
The Gods,
The Immortals, or both. After an infantile Kraken was spotted following ships near Acidon, it appeared that one had at least managed to release one of their spawn, if not themselves.
Fearing that the creature would grow bolder and more powerful with time, Governor Démos asked for aid from
The Exotics. With aid from Kardok and
The Phoenix, Démos' own warship, the heroes maimed the hatchling, scarring it deeply and driving it far away from civilised waters.
Demon Siege
A week of death and carnage. A cult claiming to worship a Phoenix God, either a corruption of Talsia herself or one of her children, found a way to open a door to darkest corners of The Underworld. Uncountable numbers of demons poured forth night after night, with only the light of day granting the citizens temporary reprieve. Great heroes sallied forth to protect the people, and to end the threat before an Immortal arrived to wipe the city off the map to prevent demonkind gaining a foothold in this world.
Thanks to the combined efforts of
Exotics, Champions, Démos, Lucian, and many more, the city was saved after a climactic battle to close the hellish portal for good. The population and city both were devastated, but new settlers arrived and repairs began quickly.
Praelan Assault
Not even a month after surviving invasion from The Underworld, Acidon found itself under attack from Praelos, with a dozen warships on the horizon. With the city on its knees, there was little chance it could have survived alone. Thankfully,
The Storm Talon arrived before the attack could take place, and single-handedly tore the fleet apart with thunder and talons.
The nature of the attack has been subject to questioning, for the destroyed ships were all running on skeleton crews with far too few men to take and hold a city. Did the king know somehow that Acidon would be severely weakened ahead of time? Even if he did, why would he attack if he knew an Immortal would step in? Either this relatively untested king is a poorer general than his sires, or there is a plan at work none but him have seen...
City of Ants
Almost a year ago,
The Exotics brought the egg of a giant ant to the city and left it in Démos' care. In the time since, the egg hatched into a grand queen, then began producing soldiers and workers for her urban hive. While the people found the idea of sharing homes with the enormous insects bizarre, they had little but gratitude when the ant tunnels dug beneath the city turned out to be perfect places for citizens to hide during the Demon Siege.
After the city was mostly rebuilt, Lucian Mors developed a method to give orders to the ants using alchemical smells, and they have just recently been put to work, repairing ships and aiding construction using a strange, biologically created glue.
A Curious Kidnapping
Yurius Aquae, once a member of The Exotics before his near death experience with a Fury, had long since been accepted back within the ranks of Praelos. It came as some surprise then, when Yurius contacted Démos informing him of a plot to kidnap him.
Sure enough, Yurius arrived atop the back of a wyvern alongside some men under his command. Thanks to the forewarning, Démos was able to survive the attempt and kill all the Praelan soldiers who came after him. Yurius himself was captured, but not executed, and now remains within a secure cell deep underground the city.
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