Leyline

Ruined City of the Djinn

Once a bustling city, vibrant colors scattered throughout the streets and rooftops, stands barren and alone, the oasis once surrounding it desolate and dry. The days of echoing music and riddles are nothing more than just a myth to those that dare travel through the cracked city streets, picturing a city that was once seen as pushing the boundaries of what many thought possible. Even the Leylines that once flowed through the city like canals have disappeared, leaving this land a shadow of what it once was.
In the days of old, the city once known as Leyline was busy and full, the monolithic buildings reaching to the sky and surpassing all that had been built before by the Divine Races. Under the teachings of Olik, the Djinn that called this city home searched for divinity through knowledge, embracing every fact and tidbit they could find. Their city advanced in magical technology, holding the key to all magic in Isekai, the largest Leylines at their disposal. No city could rival the accomplishments that stood on display in Leyline.
But just as quickly as the Djinn appeared on the land, they disappeared, their legacy erased to be nothing more than a twisted legend. The monoliths of knowledge that once stood in Leyline crumbled, and the infrastructure that harnessed the power of the Leylines buried beneath a world that no longer wanted those that tested the limits of possibility. While the city was built over millennia, it all was wiped away in a single breath, all knowledge of the Djinn, of the true magic of the world, gone to never be remembered.

Demographics

Leyline existed at a very early point in Isekai’s history, meaning that few peoples existed across the world. The Sphinxes built their library while the Ancient Fey and Dragons roamed the lands, but the Djinn chose to build their city where the Leylines were strongest. Because of this early time period, only Djinn ever called Leyline home and few others ever visited the city.
Even at its largest, Leyline did not have the populations of many modern-day capitals throughout the world. While the city often seemed larger than life, it was more due to how the Djinn chose to manifest, preferring the size of Dragons to that of the Ancient Fey. The city sprawled for miles so that the entire population of Djinn on Isekai could call the land home, investing themselves in the knowledge and technology of their homeland.

Infrastructure

Ruins of Leyline

Ruins of Leyline by Image via Midjourney, created by Riverfang

The ruins that remain in Leyline are often hundreds of feet tall as the Djinn built cities that could house the largest of people on Isekai at the time. They often chose to grow their size so they could rival that of the Giants and Dragons instead of remaining the size of the Ancient Fey.

In every way, Leyline excelled. Using their wealth of knowledge, the Djinn created a city that could truly function on its own with little input from them. Sewer and water systems, trash collection, food production, and anything else that was deemed a “menial” task could be automated through the use of the Leylines. Some records exist amongst the Sphinxes that show a city where no one needed to work as magic was used for everything. All needs were supposedly fulfilled through harnessing the Leylines and utilizing magic taught to the Djinn by Olik himself.
Towering structures made from stone were seemingly drawn from the earth, carved and shaped with technique and aptitude far beyond that of the most well-trained Dwarf. These buildings were meant to house people that stood stories tall, giants in the world before the Giants came to be. This larger than life appearance stemmed from their ego, their knowledge that far surpassed anything that the other Divine Races knew. Everything in Leyline was created so that the Djinn could focus their time and energy on pursuing knowledge and magic, not the basic necessities needed to live.
Little if any of this infrastructure remains today as time has not been kind to what remains of Leyline. Decimated buildings, crumbling viaducts, and other structures remain but are shrouded in unknown magic that hinders travelers. Few have ever reached Leyline in modern times to see what remains of the legendary city. Avian Scholars have attempted study from the air, but even that is difficult. It is believed that the only remaining records of life in Leyline may be found in the Southern Library, but even the Sphinxes are reluctant to speak of the fate of the Djinn.

Districts

As decimated as Leyline is, some research has been done into the structures and organization of the city in its prime. It is believed that the Djinn built multiple districts that were often separated by the Leylines in order to provide an equal supply of magic to each district. In cases where this wasn’t possible, it is believed that viaducts were built to move the power of the Leylines where it was necessary, creating massive structures of stone that often defined the skyline in some areas.
Crop farming seems to have been done around the edge of the city where smaller viaducts were used to move water from outside sources, whether it be from one of the many rivers close by or the Lake of the Five Paths. It is truly unknown where the Djinn sourced their water and many other goods as the location of Leyline seems to shift frequently, often being noted by current travelers as they attempt to pass through the Djinn Ruins.
The remaining ruins that can be easily studied do not offer any clues into the other districts that may have once existed in Leyline. Certain markings on the walls are assumed to be either ruins of some type or a more ancient version of Djinn that was used to activate certain magical technology, but even the most well-read Scholars have struggled to come to any conclusions about most of the buildings.
It is believed that the city had a central district that housed a great deal of the knowledge kept by the Djinn, but so much of the knowledge has either disappeared or is far beyond what modern-day people can comprehend. The Djinn are often referred to as "other-worldly" because of this and the odd markings that litter their ruins.

Ruined Viaduct

Ruined Viaduct by Image via Midjourney, created by Riverfang

The viaducts of Leyline were once an intricate network that moved both magic from the Leylines and water across the city to where it was needed most. Now, only crumbling vestiges remain, leaving pools of water amongst broken structures.

Crest of Leyline

Crest of Leyline by Image via Midjourney, created by Riverfang

At one point, the crest of Leyline stood as the pinnacle of magical technology, a point that few attempted for fear of pushing the boundaries of what was thought possible. The Djinn didn't believe in those boundaries, seeing the chalice in their crest as a bottomless cup of knowledge that all should partake from.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
Unknown

Type

Capital

Location under

Djinn Ruins

History

Leyline was not a city built in a day, instead, hundreds of years went into perfecting and building the infrastructure that could allow the Djinn to pursue their own interests. From the first day that Olik brought the Djinn into the world, they began building their metropolis, creating a place of burgeoning magical technology where they could test the boundaries of what the world thought possible.
For millennia, the city continued building and growing, stretching past the irrigation and Leylines that once defined the fledgling city. Viaducts and buildings appeared seemingly from nothing, springing from the ground into sheer walls and defined carvings. It seemed as if the city never reached its full size, always growing until the Djinn disappeared.

Modern Day

Those that brave the expanse of the Djinn Ruins to reach the ever-moving location of Leyline will find little more than crumbling relics of what once was. Monoliths of perfection are left abandoned and dying, the once pristine walls falling to the earth as rubble. The journey to reach this place is difficult, forcing many to turn away instead of facing the impossible.
Scholars have attempted to study the remains of Leyline but the deep magic of the area makes this extremely difficult. The location of the city is said to shift as well disappearing from time to time. The ruins of the city fade or change, causing most to stay away as no current Scholars understand the magic that radiates from the earth in and around Leyline.