Yeah... Keriwen was a nice place to grow up. Quiet. Uh, too quiet for me, back then, which I'm sure just shocked the shoes right off you. But no... there wasn't anything special about it. Which may be what made it special, if you know what I mean. Because looking back now... I think it's the only slice of normal I've ever experienced.

That's why what they did was so bad. It's a specialness that places like Ruavine or the High City can't replicate because they're peaceful, you know? Nothing is going on there, which means you get to calm the fuck down. And everyone needs that sometimes. As it turns out, even me.
— Grigorius Bieloskytes to Cain Amortus
 

Overview

For many millennia, the small sky island, Keriwen, served as the host of the small town that bore its name. Divorced from the more demanding atmosphere of the larger cities of Astrum, it was a community of laid back villagers and farmers that largely kept to themselves.

Then, one day, an apocalypse came to Keriwen.

Now the island serves as a silent monument to the fallen, still uninhabited save for the fauna that live and thrive there.

General Information

Keriwen is a beautiful sky island located in the northern skies over Astrum. Like many sky islands, it features seemingly impossible geographical features supported by the Void Energy energy that powers Empirica Sin.

The land itself consists of a single stretch of land that somewhat resembles two islands fused together. The smaller section to the north is largely dominated by the Belfarus Mountains, while the southern half features numerous forests and the Keriwen river along with several streams.

The river does not have an obvious source for the water that constantly falls off of the edge of the island; notably the water doesn't seem to reach the ground.

Locations

The most notable location is the burned down village of Keriwen and the destroyed farms that surround it. Wandering through the spell-scorched area, one can still find remnants of the people there and their lives: half-burnt toys, the skeletons of the local store and the local bookshop, and a few dozen homes.

One may also find a few scattered bones of the dead - while the bodies were collected and laid to rest, animals had already begun their grim work, so not all of every body was recovered.

The most commonly visited area is, of course, the Bieloskytes farm where the famous, controversial, and famously controversial former Sword of Paradise, Grigorius Bieloskytes grew up. This small, four room house has been particularly mangled, and burned in words of challenge can be found on the remaining walls and floors, though the elements have largely made them unreadable.

Creation

The town of Keriwen was founded in 31672Y by a recently retired Aurali Serat, Belfarus. After having served in the The Radiant Dawn (also known as the Celestial Host) for over 5,000 years, Belfarus grew tired and chose to opt out of continued service.

While he initially settled in the High City, the bustle and chaos frustrated the man, who longed for quiet, peace, and relative solitude. With that in mind, he moved to Keriwen, having a house built there. Soon, they were joined by other veterans seeking solace, and then by the loved ones and friends of those who settled there.

Eventually, this turned into a small and humble, yet thriving town that valued tranquility and isolation from conflict.

Destruction

In 32870Y, the March of Pyres descended on Keriwen and razed it to the ground as part of their rampage of vengeance against Grigorius Bieloskytes for his participation in the Endless War.

While there, they butchered every living Celestial in sight - largely villagers with little battle experience. When they reached the Bieloskytes' farm, the March not only killed Grigorius' parents, they then burned threats and challenges into the walls and floors in the hopes of triggering Grigorius' famous temper. It worked.

In the days after the Massacre, the bodies of the fallen were removed from Keriwen and sent to rest.

Though there has been some discussion of resettling the island, thus far no one has actually done so.