Geinsteinn Ruins

Over a thousand years ago, Geinsteinn was the largest city in Stildane, a grand port city of its ancient era. Its palaces were the largest and richest, its apartments stood the tallest, and its walls were the thickest; people from all over the continent came here to trade, or to revel in its monthly festivals held in its grand plazas. Now, its plazas sit empty and moss-grown, its palaces are haunting and barren, and its walls are bone-strewn rubble. Oddly well-preserved shipwrecks of a millennia are visible near the docks, though the old wooden piers are now just ancient stone ribs in the water. The mossy cobblestone roads are unusually loud to step on, while the city itself is eerily quiet. Visitors feel like intruders here. No living thing can enter without feeling distinctly unwelcome. This grave-city is not for the living, and ill-fates befall those who ignore their intuitions and explore the ancient ruins. Heed the advice of the farmers who live nearest by: Do not cross the Geinsteinn Wilds, do not walk over the bone-rubble, and do not linger or explore this cursed place.  
And yet, the Ruins have an allure to them. Whatever is forbidden must be hiding something, right? The mystery alone is enough for some to investigate. Not to mention the desire for land - whoever cleanses this place (and, by logical extension, the wilds) will have a reasonable claim to become its lord. 
There is also the matter of loot, of course. The ruins do actually have wealth in them: in various hidden places all around the city are memorial rooms, listing the names of everyone who died in the city, and holding 'grave goods' commemorating them. Gold and treasure from the surrounding area that is lost has a tendency to vanish and re-appear in new memorial shapes in memorial rooms. As shipwrecks in the area are pulled into the docks, their plunder is also added to the piles. And, most notably, the treasury of old Dovenar, from the 1600s, was pulled in here. 

What Remains

The historically inclined know that Geinsteinn is not actually the remains of the old city - the conquerors who destroyed Geinsteinn actually dismantled the city and buried it across what is now the Geinsteinn Wilds. Even if that hadn't been, time would have not left this well-preserve of structures. No, the ruins we see today are a lovingly made recreation conjured by whatever entity (or entities) shaped the wilds as we currently know them. It also reflects what Geinsteinn felt like or could have been - the palaces are actually even grander, the streets even windier, the apartments even more numerous, than the actual historical city of 500 ME. 
You might wonder, why is this recreation of a city so dangerous anyways? Well, several reasons. 
There are the obvious magical threats, which are numerous. Curses are a common, as are magical wards. Illusions and temporal warps (anomalies that can trap people in the memories of themselves or others) are common. Old dead intruders hide in the wall as mummified guardians, ready to stumble forth and attack trespassers distracted by wards or illusions. Malevolent specters attack those who disrespect the city or its former inhabitants. The wild's already existing monsters often roost here. Possession of those who try and sleep here is common.
Ironically, some of the most prepared adventurers have fallen to the mundane threats, though: this place is, oddly enough, booby trapped. Since it is a memorial recreation, not the original city, it is easy to miss that elaborate death traps are built into the foundations of the ruins. Many a mage, unaware of the nature of the city, has been maimed thinking "this room was just a normal wine cellar, there wouldn't be a scythe trap here". 
Knowledge of the ruins is fairly scarce, and mostly monopolized by The Exorcist's Guild. This is intentional; by royal edict, the Exorcists must get the queen of Dovenar's approval to share maps of the ruins of critical information with any agent or contractor. There is a fear that, if word got out about the ruin's loot and layout, people would be emboldened to plunder it - and that excessive plundering and traffic into the ruins might provoke more hostility from the wilds as a whole. There is no feasible way for the royals to fully bar people from the wilds (and therefore the ruins), but better the fools die unsuccessful by their own mistakes than provoke monsters who might attack innocent peasantry. Given recent disturbances, the chances of any new adventurers getting those maps are close to none.

RUINED STRUCTURE
520 ME

Alternative Names

Geinstenn ruins

Type

Ruins

Parent Location

Geinsteinn Wilds

Owning Organization

Kingdom of Dovenar