Arcaia
Arcaia is a fallen nation in a land that may never be reclaimed. Once torched in divine flame from one of the strongest dragons to live and reduced to ash and smoke, the land is as close to the natural beauty it once held since its burning. In the hundreds of years since its fall, Arcaia has gone from a nation with some of the most advanced medicine the world knew, to a ruined land of lost secrets still yet to be rediscovered. Ruins of cities, overgrown and reclaimed by the forests, sit as the remaining monuments of what once was; now metaphorical writs of entitlement, claiming claiming the land in the name of the Eternal Fire, Ido.
Arcaia sits as a piece of history, with explorers and historians from all across Sedden marveling at the possibilities that await within. According to old texts, many believe that those of Arcaia could cure illnesses without magic that mortals have yet to do since. They charted the stars, and claimed to be able to read them. Arcaia is a trove of hidden secrets, lost to time and destruction.
History
The lands of Arcaia: once, a human kingdom stronger than any other. A land of innovation, medicine, and progress in what was once a time of evolution for mortality. There was a time where the other lands of Sedden spoke of Arcaia as a land of myth- a place so magical in description that those who'd never been there couldn't help but doubt its existence. In the early days of mortality, Arcaia stood tall with five pillars holding it tall, high above the rest. Five human cities, now ruined landmarks of times past, sit like a constellation of history across the jungles where they once claimed the bounty as their own. The fading history books remember them as Ankione, Deloton, Rhithila, Neapita, and Olbae.
Though, as it always goes, tragedy would strike the nation. A volcano in the central Rotsa mountain range blew, clouding the skies and raining death on all within miles. One of the five great Arcaian cities was within the radius, and was lost to the catastrophic explosion. The second largest of the five, Olbae, had fire rain down on its denizens in the dead of night with few survivors. Little did the citizens of Arcaia know, that was just the beginning. Beneath the recently blown volcano was a great beast, a red dragon, who'd awoken from his nearly millennia and a half year slumber. The great dragon Ido, the self proclaimed eternal fire, had surfaced to reclaim his empire. He would emerge above the mountains and scan the countryside. He would roar out, words echoing across the land, calling out for his comrades, to no avail. Ido would cry out in anger. He was passionate, but not stupid. It was no secret that red dragon culture was built high, and their nature was to look to the suns. He would soon learn that he was most likely the last living red dragon of his former empire, and he was enraged.
His eyes would turn to the humans, what he saw as his replacements. These weak, small, pathetic, small minded, and short lived creatures were the race that was to replace dragonkind on the surface? This was unacceptable. He turned his power, his might, and his fury on the humans of Arcaia. Their armies would stand, but to little avail. One by one the cities would fall, and the people of Arcaia would slowly be pushed back. Over years the dragon would make assault after assault, and though he had shown his strength to waver at times, he would always turn out on top. He'd face armies alone, and leave with little more than a few scratches.
In time, Arcaia would fall, and Ido would claim the land as his own. He would retreat into hiding within his original residence, the volcano Rotsa, and return to his slumber. He'd left his mark on the land, leaving each charred and ruined Arcaian city as warnings for any settlers. A simple statement to any who pass through, and to any who consider staying long:
"This place does not belong to you."
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