Cenva, the Grave Village

(The following was transcribed in illusionary script, but transcribed as closely as possible under the direction of Professor Etinas, tenured professor of arcane studies at the University of Anconza.)
Professor,
I had enjoyed our last conversation on the nature of innate magic and its correlation to areas of high elemental concentration, and I came across a tale that I thought might interest you. Pardon the narration but it's not fluff I assure you -- just factors to consider.
In a more rural part of the Cremir Coast, near Vustor ( yes, I know how the academy feels about them, but that made it all the more interesting and less competitive), I met an interesting girl on the road. She was quite sickly, a bit on the thinner side, and keeping out of the sun in what appeared to be the most raggedy cloak one could find in the mud and dirt during the rainy market day that it was -- probably the covering from some beast of burden somewhere.
Now, of course a regular beggar girl would not have been of note (though I would have reached out to them nonetheless, out of goodwill of course). What caught my eye was that from her hiding spot behind an abandoned stall she was staring hard at a vegetable cart as it passed by -- and then, with a shaky flick of her hand under her cloak, willed an apple to levitate to her. Not with any obvious academy incantations, and as far as I was aware such workings were not possible with nature or holy magics, so I suspected a case of innate magic. I reached into my coat pocket and peered through my aura refraction lens, and sure enough she had a magical aura around -- barely visible, but of a deep and sickly violet the likes of which I had never seen. ( Not that I had much experience with innate magic users giving my studies, but I digress.)
She ducked away, and I slowly trailed after her, eventually following her into a small alleyway where she seemed to have been sleeping. I approached and made myself known, offering out a loaf of bread and some cheese as a sign of peace. At first she seemed terrified, but a few heavy seconds (and a grumbling stomach) later, she stepped forward and took them from me. At that moment I first glanced her hands -- thin, bony things, with veins of purple as if her blood was tar itself.
With an intense curiosity, I began rapidly asking questions of her, wondering where she came from and why she was all alone given her powers. A tinge of cluelessness in her expression of fear lead me to believe that she did not understand the Common tongue. Thankfully, I had prepared linguist spells in advance as a result of my studies and recited the appropriate incantations -- I can recall her eyes lighting up as my voice echoed and she, perhaps for the first time since she came to the region, understood someone who was talking to her.
She told me her name was Kina, and that she was surprised I spoke Kabronian. Obviously this raised a few red flags --- as you probably remember, the Kabronian empire was dissolved over 40 years ago and the vast majority of its land has been assimilated into countries that support the Common tongue. I responded by explaining that I was a student of magic, and that I could find help for her if she wanted to come back with me.
She thanked me profusely, giving me a tight hug and promising not to cause any trouble. She then gulped slightly, then asked me if I could save her brother as well. The rest of her family, unfortunately, was "either lost to the big baddies or fighting them right now".
It is on the topic of these "baddies" that I humbly request meeting with you, Professor -- as well as anyone involved in the studies of innate magic, elemental portals and leaks, and possibly an arcane defense investigator from the Crown's guard -- at your earlier convenience. For it is an atrocious evil that I fear even mentioning in print, for fear of interception and possible exploitation from less scrupulous parties.
For Kina is not the only one of her kind."
-- Daniel Helledin, apprentice arcane anthropologist
The Cartographer's guild, Straecor division

History

Cenva, now historically known in textbooks of innate magic as "The Grave Village study case", was one of the most infamous cases of innate magic bleed in known magic history. A small remote village in the [insert mountain range], once belonging to the former Kabronian empire, it appears this village was not assimilated into known society (as suspected some villages might, considering the massive landscape the Kabron empire encompassed during the height of its reign). They were remarkably self-sufficient, with everyone in the village learning a trade of their own, and even forging their own tools and weapons thanks to the nearby mine. It is speculated that this mine and ability to craft tools was given to them by the Kabron empire military outpost, though during their fall the small village was abandoned and left to their fate.
Perhaps the most likely reason for their survival without outside contact was the extraordinarily large proportion of their population that was born, in their words, "Gravemarked". From study of the first contacted "Gravemarked", Kina, as well as other subjects who were rescued from the village, they appear to be born with innate magic, specifically with magic signatures matching that of the still little-understood Gant Abyss.
Indeed, it was found that an abnormally large (and seemingly permanent) rift to the Gant Abyss was found deep inside the mine. And it constantly leaked out, manifesting shadows and darkness and even, at times, dark monsters that had to potential to ravage the poor isolated village. But Cenva, being so isolated (and believing themselves unreachable by the silence of the once mighty empire), thought that it was the bastion against this treacherous darkness. So what did they do?
They put the Gravemarked to work. Any newborns who were suspected to have "the Gift" (as described by their priests, refusing to use the common slang) were taken away from their family and trained in their magic, to spend their lives fighting against the darkness beneath the mines. They were, of course, fed well and educated as best they knew from their old Kabronian records -- archaic as they were, and socially regarded as heroes. But that did not excuse their life expectancy of 20 as a generous estimate, only because they did not send them out to fight until they were of age. (This was only possible due their fairly large though dwindling population and the relative infrequency of the attacks; had they been more sparse many scholars suspect they might have sent children down there out of desperation.)
To this day, the rift is under great care by several in the Gerceni Union, kept under a barrier and several seals and monitored only at a safe distance. Though there have been rumors and speculations no one knows for certain why the Kabronian empire allowed such a settlement to persist despite the dangers -- since by most estimates, the rift must have been there for decades, at the very least. Further research into this matter would be necessary for such a relevation, but is currently banned by order of the Gerceni Union.

Alternative Name(s)

The Grave Land, The Gant Rift

Type

Outpost / Base