It was beautiful in its prime. Many called it Phaiyon's second sun. I wish I could've seen all of those radiant buildings back when the world was still whole.
This elven city is located on (island name) within Phaiyon's Southern hemisphere. It's considered a sister location to
Kal'Cimreth. Both settlements were founded by a pair of twin brothers who could never agree on anything.
While Kal'Cimreth still exists in the present era, Elaestria was abandoned several months before
The Great Shattering. Most people don't know what truly happened; everyone vanished overnight, leaving nothing but cracked buildings behind. Only the surviving twin knew their secret and never revealed it to anyone else.
A City of Light
Elaestria shone as bright as the sun and acted as a beacon for ships lost at sea. Its buildings stood tall and glistened in the light. The city had a strong gold, yellow, and white color scheme. A large golden statue dedicated to a sun deity stood at the city's center.
It was also a safe and peaceful city. The streets were always well lit. Most light sources were large magical orbs that floated in the sky. Crime rates were low and everyone could walk at any time of day with peace of mind.
Locations of Interest
Elaestria boasted the largest library in the region. It covered everything from ancient magic to science, myths, and history. Elven scholars often competed for the chance to browse its tomes. There was a portion open to the public, but most of its knowledge was restricted. There were no books left behind after the vanishing.
Located in the city's Northern region was an exclusive bath house. It was open only to members of an expensive club. There were natural hot springs, spa services, and a collection of rare wines. Only one spring survived; it still contains fresh hot water.
Vanished
Five months before the shatter, a majority of Elaestria's citizens vanished. Anyone nearby on the day would've seen a bright flash of light accompanied by a violent earth tremor. Whatever happened left behind only empty buildings. Large cracks covered many and the central statue was found shattered to pieces.
Remnants of runes scorched into surfaces were also discovered. They were associated with teleportation magic. The only other noticeable change was the city's color. It was somehow drained, leaving behind nothing but hues of gray.
Most of the ruined city managed to survive the shatter. Its people were still missing, never to be seen or heard from again. Curious scholars sometimes visit to try and piece together the truth of what happened.
Behind the Veil
Several months before the city vanished, a powerful prophet foresaw something terrible happening to the planet. This was well before the shattering and
Callidora's Warning. Elaestria's founder relayed this info to his twin and pleaded with him to join them. The latter declined, claiming his brother foolish and pursuing a solution too dangerous to their people.
The city gathered its greatest mages and set about shifting Elaestria and its citizens to a different plane. It took a great deal of power and drained the land of energy during the process. The surviving twin believes they succeeded, but that was not quite the case.
Elaestria did manage to teleport, but not fully. The exact reason is still unknown, but something went wrong. Everyone's physical forms were lost and did not make it to the other plane. Their souls did not pass on either. Instead, their spectral forms wound up stuck between realms in a limbo state. They forever wander an after image of Elaestria, never aging and with no solution in sight.
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