Relics of Taangis: Ruins

Taangis built several large urban centers during its empire days. Some formed about trade hubs, while others were developed to support operations like mining or fishing. Some became remote religious centers, others research-oriented collaborates. When the Taangis Empire collapsed, so did several of these urban communities. Many were looted and only stray stones and odd outlines in the earth mark where they once stood. These ruins can be found throughout Theyndora, often in remote locations difficult to access due to overgrown roads and unfriendly terrain.

The Taangis Empire ended 651 years ago, though its influence on the conquered territories had waned considerably over the preceding fifty. Many urban centers that fell with the empire had already decayed to the point their abandoment was all but assured.

Well-known Ruins

Ambercaast

Ambercaast, Jilvayna, was a remote scientific center that became a mining city when deposits of the very rare gem, blue amber, and aquatheerdaal, an important component in Taangis weapons tech, were discovered there. No one is quite certain why the area became a large city; it rested in mountainous terrain difficult to reach by road, with heavy winds making air traffic treacherous. Unlike other cities, due to the rareness of blue amber and aquatheerdaal, the mines remained open and functional, even when the advanced tech used within them died. Despite the falling output, enough was mined to make the ruling family of Jilvayna rich. The population dwindled but did not completely die until Dentheria invaded. At that point, even the small settlement that remained vanished from common reference. Years later tales began to circulate about odd tech found there, monsters and ghosts, and ubiquitous odd lights. Most believed a syndicate had taken up residence, and cautioned others to avoid the place. The lure of blue amber and aquatheerdaal, however, brings the adventuresome to its gates.

Asef

Asef, in Andef, was the primary port used by the Taangis Empire to move people and supplies from the larger continent to Theydora. At its peak, it had a citizenship of nearly a million people. When the empire collapsed, shipping split to other harbors. People drifted away as trade dwindled, and looting of the remains sealed its fate. The harbor is still in use, but the community is a fraction of its previous self, and deteriorating buildings span the countryside for miles around it. It became a modern sensation when Dentheria invaded, because they lost an entire Skyshroud over the place. The Andi whisper that the angry ghosts of times past downed the airship. Due to the cost of retrieval, Dentheria has chosen to leave the pieces of the Skyshroud where they landed upon crashing, not even bothering to retrieve the tech--or the bodies--inside. Tales about hardy adventurers sneaking into the remains and vanishing are common and fear-inspiring.

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Clevenbak

Clevenbak began as a transportation hub for military equipment in northern Veldan. A small settlement grew up about the outpost, providing housing and services for the soldiers employed to maintain it. The precious metal cleven was discovered there, and the small settlement gorged with new memebers eager to earn fortunes in the mines. The withdawal of Taangis meant the withdrawal of the people who understood how to use the mining equipment, and the machines broke without upkeep. People dirfted away, leaving behind a tiny community who attmepted to repair and reclaim the mines. Dentheria has restarted a larger mining operation there, but left the ruins of the previous settlement alone. It is littered with past tech, collapsed structures, and twisted metal building materials.

Ilthendias

Ilthendias was a monastary in southern Ramira, secluded in the Ruby Mountains. At its height, two hundred thousand people lived in the area. After the fall of Taangis, supplies became impossible for the city to import, and due to the lack of farmland, food became scarce. People left to survive, including the monks. The city fell into complete ruin when an earthquake toppled the remaining buildings two hundred years after it was abandoned. Ramiran gossip claims the Skulls have conscripted the vast tunnel network that once connected the monastery to the city, which was built lower on the slopes. Dentheria mocks that belief--mainly because they cannot find the exact location of the settlement to check.

Triple

Triple was the community founded between the intersection of three rivers in Veyor. The wide plains provided rich farmland, and a small city rose to promote the trade of goods. Taangis took over and the area made millions for the empire. As with many things Taangis, when the empire left, so to did the people with experience and know-how. The city died, and locals founded a newer settlement downstream. Only farmers bringing their produce and goods to market travel its streets anymore, mainly due to the carrion lizards that have made the ruins their home. It is known as one of the more dangerous ruins in Theyndora, though some claim that's on purpose, to protect secrets better left buried.

Zaster

Zaster was an ancient Abastion city long before Taangis invaded. Even the mighty empire left it alone, and it grew into a sprawling metropolis, fat on a discontented populace that sought sanctuary there. In a spiteful act, the last Taangis general to leave Abastion shelled it into oblivion, his revenge for their rebellion. Tens of thousands died, and the festering bodies drove the remaining people into exile. The ruin attracts tourists from all over Theyndora, for it still possesses several structures that are relatively intact, and that date from over four thousand years ago. It is a busy place during daylight--and humans leave it to the ghosts at night.