Ardis
Ardis is the former capital of the Immortal Principality of Ustalav. It is located in the eastern region of Soivoda, in the County of Ardeal and is the largest settlement in Ardeal.
Native Ardealians refer to Ardis as the True Capital of Ustalav, regardless of whether they remember the city’s slow desertion with the court’s relocation south. With the stubborn arrogance of those still bristling from the sting of decades-old defeat, the people of Ardis cling to their pride, their traditions, and their vaunted past, as nearly all else has passed them by.
Appearance
Gargoyles clamber upon the needle-sharp towers and lean onion domes of Ardis’s aged architecture. Sweeping arches, somber spires, and rib-like buttresses once served to give the city center an air of hallowed circumstance, as if every dark stone edifice were the setting of some great import. Yet, as if no longer supported by the magnitude of the deeds that once transpired within their halls, many formerly great buildings show the weight of somber years, appearing ever more like neglected crypts and sagging tombstones. While neglect shows throughout Ardis, some of the city’s districts now stand largely abandoned, the thoroughly pillaged communities primarily the demesne of rats and squatters.History
In 4534 AR, an event known as the Great Ardis Fire destroyed parts of the city, including the Gulcharin Sanatorium. The Sanatorium was home to Grivellus Rhodenso, Ustalav's famous "Baron Librarian", and the fire killed him and burnt his priceless library. It was once a haven for artists, authors, poets, and the elite of society, until "Eunuch Prince" Valislav Ordranti moved the capital to Caliphas in 4674 AR. Ardis is also the birthplace of Soividia Ustav, a legendary hero from the Age of Enthronement, and founder of the nation. When the Fellowship arrived in the city, they learned of a serial killer name Umbereth who had recently escaped. It was here, too, that the group consulted Vaggan Roe, Sage of Ardis, to learn more about geomancing, as suggested by Professor Lorrimor's Ailson Kindler. Neferu also consulted with Father Ossimander at the Church of Pharasma. The meeting did not go as expected and the priest attempted to get Neferu to turn over the Sepulchral Swaths of Tanoth-Gha, an object he should not have had any knowledge about. Neferu gave the fragment to the Unworthy Soul and sent him back to the Boneyard to protect it. While touring the city, Kyrrn followed a group of thieves into Evercrown Cemetery where they broke into the Venacdahlia Mausoleum. When she attempted to intervene, she blacked out and woke up eight hours later in another location with a bloody silver dagger. She would later learn that she had been possessed by the Lost Prince, Leiralt Odranti, whose soul had been trapped within the blade and then made to murder the would-be thieves.Demographics
11,800 humans, 100 dwarves, 75 elves, 55 halflings, 50 other
Government
Noble overlord
Points of interest
Blindstone
Evercrown Cemetery
Merridweigh Gardens
Our Lady of Lanterns
The Palace Tower
Evercrown Cemetery
Merridweigh Gardens
Our Lady of Lanterns
The Palace Tower
Maps
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Ardis
Featured In
Chapter 10 - "Estates of Ruin"
Chapter 10 - "Estates of Ruin"
Alternative Name(s)
True Capital of Ustalav
Old Capital
Old Capital
Type
Large city
Population
12,080
Inhabitant Demonym
Ardealian
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
Related Reports (Primary)
Related Reports (Secondary)