Atankor

For an empire that rose so high, its fall was so absent of absolution, so devoid of dignity, that many now do not speak of it except in hushed tones...

— A historian in the Free City of Melcor

The city of Atankor used to be the jewel of Vesrae. People would flock from all over the continent to learn magic in its esteemed academies and traders would brave the treacherous desert crossings to travel to its wondrous bazaars. But a terrible plague not even a decade ago led to the end of the city and chased away all of its visitors, leaving it an empty husk. People have begun to filter back in, but none of the original lizardkin have returned.

History

The city was founded very soon after the lizardkin began to inhabit the Desert of Haltar. They began to tap into the latent magical energy deep underneath the city, using it to construct magically-powered wells to help the fledgling city grow to its current size. As time passed, more and more craftsmen, aspiring wizards, and far-off merchants from across Vesrae came to the city to trade with one another.
That is, until the plague. At first, a few travellers from the neighbouring Princedom of the Steppes sought lodging in the city, and were welcomed with open arms despite their sick appearance. Within literal hours of their arrival, most of the city's wells were mysteriously poisoned with the disease, and much of the city's population died during the night. All those who weren't ill or caring for the ill fled the following day, but many of them accidentally brought the disease with them, leading to the downfall of the entire empire within a month.
Once Clan Mosinar had basically been wiped from the face of Dreandril, the Vitlesh from the Princedom of the Steppes began to fill out the empty ruins of the towns and cities, including Atankor. The issue is that they have not yet figured out how to work most of the wells, as their magic seems to have been locked to prevent unauthorized use during the plague.

Founding Date

48 PR

Type

Town

Population

2000

Location under

Desert of Haltar

Ruling/Owning Rank

Viceroyal Mayor

Owning Organization

The Viceroyalty of Versal Phanta

Related Historical Events

• 731 Post-Rising
  The Fall of Atankor
• 4th - 6th century PR
  The Second Shining Age