Gharan Minayen (XA-ran Mi-nai-yeen)

"Where the ancestors can be heard"

Entering the city, I could see birds nesting in the stone towers that once overlooked the steep causeway. A flock of them were stirred by our approach and flew up to the obelisk [that initially alerted us to the city’s presence]…
We walked for around an hour, passing through rubble-strewn streets and open gates. All I could think of while climbing was: where did they all go?

— Elrik Sarothar Koldanar, Journey in the Wind

Elrik never did find the answer to that question. Nor did any of the travellers and researchers who explored Gharan Minayen over the ensuing decade. It remains a mystery to this day, with many competing theories. But Elrik did solve one mystery: where it was and what the city's people left behind.

Tiered city in the clouds

Gharan Minayen was once home to the Gorzen Lithekin. They named the place for the winds that blow through the Whistlepeaks which mimic the sound of singing voices. Based on explorers' diaries and Elrik's detailed account, the city used to be full of the musically-inclined; Gorzen oral histories speak of a mighty Academy of Enchanters who used the musical tones of the mountains here to cast powerful spells.
The city is laid out in three concentric rings with large stone causeways connecting each ring to the next. Gardens, now overflowing with wild vines and flowers, crowned the walls of the city and filled in gaps between buildings. Towers sit at the base and head of each causeway, many of them crumbling.

CW: poisoning

RUINED SETTLEMENT
Date of destruction unknown

Type

City

Location under

The Whistlepeaks

Included Locations

• Crumbled Tine

Inaccessible Location

The reason that Gharan Minayen went undiscovered for so long is the reason that few have ever travelled there; it is simply so hard to reach. The Whistlepeaks are known to be infested with a variety of Zaraz-kin experiments that tend to be deadly to the uninitiated. The path to the city is also hard to find and harder to follow, as it winds through many mountain passes and the trail has fallen into extreme disrepair. Lastly, the valley that the city is found in has many rivers and streams that are tainted with some unknown poison, deadly to anyone who takes an unwise sip.

All images in this article were created by me, EmperorCharlesII, unless otherwise indicated.