Ruins of Quess
Before the outbreak of the Divine War, Quess was the second city of the Empire of Turelion's Ultaru Province, and it was the province’s major port through which the agricultural bounty of the Relialo Plains was shipped across northern Kelbonnar to be traded as far away as the Princedom of Dasmarr in the west and the Emirate of Xori in the east. Sadly for its inhabitants, it is now remarkable for being the only major settlement within the Empire of Turelion to have been destroyed as a direct result of the fighting of the factions within the Divine War.
Knowing that the Astartians had a larger Celestial host at their disposal, along with more Divines on their side to begin with, the Polephemites took a gamble that Astartes would commit a substantial amount of his forces to protect his mortal adherents in the Empire of Turelion, provided that it was significantly threatened. To that end, Polephemon took the decision to attack and destroy a city of significant size and importance, but not one so large as to enrage Astartes and provoke an all-out assault on Polephemite territory. Unfortunately for the city Quess was chosen and in the fifth year of the war, Quess was attacked, its people slaughtered, and the city left in ruins. An unforeseen side effect of the attack was that Salastar III, known as ‘the Unfortunate’ the then ruling Emperor of Turelion was also killed in the attack, having been present in the city conducting an official visit at the same time.
Polephemon's gamble paid off though, as ever since the sacking of Quess, a significant proportion of Astartian forces have been deployed keeping watch over the Empire of Turelion and guarding it from further attacks from the Celestial Plane, forces which would otherwise be making a substantial impact for the Astartian war effort.
The Ghosts of Quess
Though Quess still lies within the borders of the Empire of Turelion, it has remained a ruin for well over five hundred and fifty years. The reason for this is a legend that has shrouded it, referred to as the Ghosts of Quess. Across Ultaru Province and further afield in other parts of the Empire of Turelion and the nations that border it, people whisper that Polephemon not only destroyed the city but cursed it as well. When settlers attempted to reclaim the city about 10 years after its destruction all contact was lost with them. Of those that subsequently travelled to Quess to find friends and family, who managed to return, they all reported that the settlers and many of the original citizens of Quess had been transformed into warped creatures that rose up from the sunken districts and pools that now cover the city. Some, it is said, take the form of bloated corpses, some hellish abominations with attributes of both the humanoids they once were and all manner of creatures from the depths fused together. These abominations are said to be led by the spectre of Salastar III, the unfortunate Emperor of Turelion who happened to be in the city at the time of its destruction. These stories have led to Quess remaining a ruin, a fate from which it seems the city will never recover.Defences
It’s economic importance, alongside its strategic positioning near the province’s western border with Thaleros and Ymeris to the west, meant that Quess was strongly fortified, with three concentric rings of fortifications with the innermost ring encircling the city’s harbour quarter, which included the docks themselves and the many warehouses within which the goods brought to Quess for export were stored under heavy guard and careful watch.
The other rings of fortifications, the first encircling the largest district within which most of the city’s population dwelt and the second containing the residencies of the more affluent citizens, alongside many more specialised trade, craft and service businesses, were both formidable fortifications in their own right with thick curtain walls, interspersed at regular intervals by towers. The fortifications were designed so that the outer most wall of the city was lower than the wall which protected the harbour quarter, so that each layer of fortifications looked down upon the next. The only gateway that provided access to the harbour quarter was set within the city’s large central keep, which acted as its defensive heart, and garrison for the guard, as well as the centre of the city’s administration.
Whilst the fortifications suffered significant damage during the Polephemite attack, the quality of their construction means that a substantial amount of the fortifications still stand in reasonably good repair.
Industry & Trade
Prior to its destruction, Quess was a trading hub and the ruins of its infrastructure reflect that. Large roads cut through the city’s three quarters in arrow straight lines, converging on the gateway at the base of its keep which leads to the harbour quarter, which itself is dominated by the shells of warehouses and depots what were able to house thousands of tonnes of goods at any one time.
In addition, large compounds where merchant and trading companies used to concentrate their goods before moving them on to the harbour district dominate the landscape of Quess, creating superstructures of interconnected buildings and courtyards that each stretched over several streets, almost acting as communities themselves within the city.
Geography
Quess was situated on the northwest coast of the Relialo Plains in an area of flat, level and stable land on which the city and its once formidable defences could be built. Originally the city was fortunate to have a large sewer and drainage network, capable of handling large amounts of rainfall, the intense storms that crashed in from the Icefang Ocean to the north and the waste from the city itself.
However, this infrastructure was damaged in the Polephemite attack and huge scars were created in the cityscape. Over the years, this has allowed the sea to encroach more and more into the city, completely swallowing whole streets across all three districts and forming large lakes and ponds in others.
RUINED SETTLEMENT
83DW
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