Ruins of Tohorys
The ancient city of the shadow mages
"What is this place?" This is Tohorys "All the buildings are destroyed... what happened here?" A massacre, perpetrated against your ancestors "My ancestors? You mean..." Shadowmages. This was their home.In the south-eastern region of the Kingdom of Darnia, between the obsidian hills and the Ruby Sea, is located the ruins of Tohorys, a city that was once home to the largest and possibly only remaining population of Shadowmages in Hysal. It was destroyed centuries ago, and left to decay since.-Calydan at the gates of Tohorys.
Industry & Trade
While the city was thriving, its two most important industries where mining, and fishing. What they mined was obviously obsidian, but also iron and copper. Unlike the sun hills to the north, the obsidian hills had little gold, and copper for bronze was the most valuable metal. Nowedays, many of the mines have collasped and only desperate people dare go its the few that are still accessible. Fishing used to be huge for the city's economy and also served to feed the city's population. Now, only occasional boats from Sapharys to the south or Haxarys on the other side of the Ruby sea fish around the city.
Infrastructure
Aqueduct
A small aqueduct that ran from a water source deep in the Obsidan hills to provide water to the city now lays largely in disrepare. Sections of it inside the walls leading to a small underground cistern was destroyed during the Sokralian attack.Harbour
The town's small port is also greatly damaged. Most of it's stone brick piers are broken, while the nearby warehouses lay crumbled, their stone walls still stained with ash and sooth, a clue to the city's tragic end.Roads
The stone roads leading to the city, from either Solthar to the north, or Sapharys to the south have long been abandoned and consumed by sands or wild grasses, as people would rather travel between both cities by sea so they don't have to go through the ruins, which many believe are cursed anyways.Points of interest
The Mh'ra
The Mh'ra of Tohorys was the largest structure of the city. Three of its tall and slender towers have fallen down on the street bellow, but the 4th one, on the south-west corner of the building, remains standing. The building's golden dome still retains its luster even after half of a millenia of abandon, and shines brightly even far away from the city. While the temple was spared by the destruction of the cultists, the buildings around it, as well as the people who had taken refuge inside were not. Holes in the wall can be seen throughout the building as Shadow mages fought bacm despretly against the cultists. Their squeletons can still be found inside, huddled around the altar.The Black Gate
The Black gate, also known as the southern gate, is a large limestone brick gate located along the southern section of the city's wall. It's exterior facade is covered in a tapestry of large Obsidian shards, giving it a dark glimmer in the sun. This gate was spared from most of the bombing and fire, and thus, along with the temple, remains one of the only locations in the city that are still relatively preserved.The Library
The library was a small building, located across from the Mh'ra, on the other side of the city's main public square. It acted more as an archive of the city's history andthe history and origins of its inhabitants. While it, and the vast majority of its contents were destroyed, its legacy lives on in both the city of H'noxar, on the firemage island of Fes'nhai, and in Sapharys, the water mage city, where it inspired the construction of a similar structure.The Cemetary
The city's large cemetery is located just outside the city walls, on the hills to the west, and contains the tombs of thousands of souls who lived and died in the city over the course of it's long history. A few soulmages, particulary Soulweavers, say that they can feel many restless souls in the city, but that the cemetary is the biggest hot spot.Geography
The city is located along the western coast of the Ruby sea, between the cities of Sapharys to the south and Solthar to the north, although it is much closer to Sapharys than the later. To its west lies the obsidian hills, a string of low lying hills running along the coast. The eastern side of these hills is covered in grass and small shrubery, especialy in the south, who turns parts of the hills green for a few weeks druing winter.
Climate
The city's climate is semi-desertic. It is hot throughout the year, with very little fluctuation between summer and winter. Winds blowing from the ruby sea do help keep the region cooler than the interior, west of the Obsidian hills. The region recieves little to no precipitation from spring to automn, and regular light showers during winter, although these tend to be more substantial to the south, like in Sapharys or even in Loxanthar.Trigger/Content Warning:
Mentions of massacres perpetrated by armed forces against civilian populations.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
The city was destroyed in 224 Bc, 594 years ago
Alternative Name(s)
City of Shadows
Type
City
Population
A few dozen humans
Location under
Owning Organization
History
Tohorys was likely founded around the same time as the City of Solthar to the north, during the Dawn age years, as the kingdom of Darnia expanded its territory towards the Ruby sea. Some old records seem to point to the city being founded by mages fleeing the city of Hurys. The city's population grew during the First Age, reaching about 30k inhabitants according to a Khartian census taken about 100 years before The Long Winter.
The city was abandoned for a few centuries during the Long Winter, and it's inhabitants probably migrated to the Nyos river valley, before coming back by the start of the Second Age. The city was rebuilt, but it never again reached the population it had during the First Age. Nonetheless, its population remained overwelmingly composed of Shadowmages for the duration of the Second Age as it stalled around at 10-15k inhabitants.
In 224 Bc, after years of their movement growing in Darnia, around 20 Sokralist cult members made their way to the city of Tohorys, where they posed as emmisaries from the capital bearring important news. They gathered as many people as possible into the city's library so they could hear it. Meanwhile, another group of cult members had infiltrated the large airfield outside the City of Goranthar and managed to steal 4 Winged ships, each loaded with Milkfire bombs. Three of them managed to take off, but one was held down with harpoons. The cultists inside were questioned and they admitted their plans. Autorities tried mustering their own ships, but found them sabotaged.
Back in the city, the cultists stalled for time waiting for the winged ships to arrive. Some in the crowd grew suspitious and tried to leave, but found the doors locked. They realised it was a trap, but it was too late. The winged ships arrived over the city and started dropping bombs, which exploded on impact, spreading the sticky flaming liquid everywhere. The first placed bombed was the packed auditorium, killing neary everyone inside, as well as the gates leading out of the city, trapping it's population inside. Some managed to scale the flaming rubble, but found more cult members waiting for them outside, and while the mages managed to kill most of them, few even made it out of the city. In about 10 minutes, most of the city's inhabitants were dead.
In the aftermath, the few dozen or so Shadowmage survivors died one by one in the following 3 years, surrounded by guards to make sure the cult couldn't get to them. The reason for their death is debated, but most suggests the trauma they suffered sapped their will to live, and life slowly left them over time. The hundred or so Mages left in various places in Darnia did not attempt to rebuild the city, as it's ruins were thus left abandoned. eventualy those mages would leave by boat, and presumably sink off the dead coast as they where heading for Syrkania, thus bringing their population to extinction.
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