Varagost
Ages ago, Varagost was a city of the elves, a magnificent citadel of towering pinnacles, graceful arches, glistening fountains, and courtyards of fruit trees. The sister of the city of Aranost to the northwest, Varagost was home to poets, singers, and musicians said to have been without equal in Akados.
But even among the long-lived elves, death eventually comes, and so it came to Varagost and Aranost. Each was sacked by the armies of Hyperborea as they sought to carve out an empire for themselves on Akados. The forests surrounding the cities were cut and burned to permit the legions easy passage. The cities were unwalled, since no enemies had ever before threatened their realms, but magic surrounded them, suffused them, and protected them. And so the invaders had to use magic as well, which brought down the foundations of the cities. In the case of Varagost, it also caused the lands about it to sink, which permitted the waters of the gulf to flood in and cover over the ruins of the elven city with a salt marsh.
Today, the Great Salt Marsh remains, and just the tops of a few towers of Varagost rise over the muck and water. Occasionally, adventurers enter the marsh to seek what treasures the elves might have left behind when they fled the destruction of their city. If any have returned with such treasure, no tale has yet been told.
Comments