Loforia

Loforia is an enigma of a city that even is outside of my reach. All that we can go by are rumors from those who traded with its inhabitants. They tell stories of a magnificent city deep underground. If only I knew the location and could go see for myself.

— High Sage Syronikir

Loforia is one of the most mysterious cities in Niorath. Many know that it exists somewhere deep in the Lower Realms but its exact location remains unknown to this day. From time to time the people living on the surface hear rumors from those living underground. This at least helps to get an idea of what the city would be like.
A few things are still a certainty however. The city is under the control of a powerful Daski faction which goes by the same name as the city. They claim to be the chosen of the god Lofior, who is often seen as an evil god by other followers of the Eregr pantheon.

Niorath

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This map shows the world of Niorath and its various biomes and nations. The north and south pole areas are still rather unexplored because they are frequently covered in ice. Various species live there but they have not played any major role in the history of the planet. The other continents are much more populated and have seen their fair share of changing occupants.

Some areas of the world are quite different from the normal natural biomes. These are chaos areas, region affected by the dangerous Chaos Tempests who can corrupt the land beyond recognition. Many of these are the result of forbidden magic going very wrong and have often meant the end of the empires that performed the related rituals.

Extra Information

Founding Date

Unknown

Location

The city is most likely located in the Lower Realms not too far from Deldirom and Aelerium.

Owner

Under the control of the Loforia factions of the Daski Elves

Population

Unknown

Primary Races

Daski Elves but possibly also some Dwarves

Known for

Powerful military, high technology level, worship of Lofior

History

Founding

Little is known about the founding of Loforia but some legends claim have found their way to the people of the surface. According to the legends there was a long period of strife that forced the Loforia faction of the Daski Elves to move into new territory. They came to a gigantic cavern that was dimly lit. When the Daski looked up at the source of the light they saw a large metal ship that many believe could have been a Divine Vessel.
When they approached the vessel the god Lofior appeared before them. He told them that from now on they would be his chosen people and never want for anything. The Elves set up camp and found the city of Loforia around the vessel of Loforia. And just like Lofior had promised the Daski Elves there prospered ever since.

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Growth

Most of the history of Loforia is unknown as only very little information about it filters through to the surface. Citizens of the city were, however, sometimes seen scouting or trading around the Lower Realms. Although they never gave the exact location of their city, they did mention some things about it now and then. From these encounters we know that the city has become quite large and appearenly has many large towers made from metal, glass and other materials not known to others.
The gear that they had also seemed to improve over the years. At first only a few of them were seen with gear similar to Prime Asmer technology. Over time, however, the number of Loforians seen with this gear only increased. This has led to a belief that somehow the Loforians have found a way to create or replicate advanced technology from the Gods. Although most gods are silent many now think that there is perhaps some truth to the claim that Lofior is guiding their people. In a way this would explain their greater technological knowledge compared to other nations.
For most of history their have been no accounts of Loforians venturing out of the Lower Realms. However, recently some reports of scouting parties have started to appear. So far they have been seen around Deldimor, Aelerium and Kavonia which leads to the assumption that perhaps Loforia is located not too far from those regions.

Layout

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Center

Since there are no trustworthy records of anyone seeing the city with their own eyes, we only know about what the Loforians traders have mentioned over the years. Apparently the city has been built around something that the Loforians themselves refer to as Lofior's Palace. They claim that it is a gigantic metal construction filled with vast hallways, shining floors and impressive light displays. Whether Lofior actually lives there is unkown but at least the building is definetly used as a seat of government.
Around it there are many large towers made from metal, glass and other synthetic materials. The Loforians describe these materials as a sturdy and easy to produce. Other buildings are hewed out in the various cave walls or giant stalagmite and stalactites.
According to the Daski Elves Loforia is a city of lights. Streets are never dark and within all buildings there can be light regardless of the hour of the day. It is not known if the Loforians create this light using magic or other means.

Outskirts

It is not known how far the city actually reaches. It is a common belief that the city stretches at least several kilometers from the center. The edge of the city has, however, never been found. Scouts did ocassionly stumble upon an outpost of the Loforians. This gives a general idea of where the city could be but no one has thus far been allowed to travel further into their territories.
From what the Loforians themselves mentioned to traders we know that the outskirst of the city have lower constructions and are the main areas for industry and agriculture. There is believed to be a very efficient system of flying vehicles to move goods from the outskirts to the center but this has never been verified.

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Fog

Loforia is located in a large cavern which is believed to be filled with some kind of fog. Most of the time this fog stays near the ceiling of the cavern but it can descend further down. For some reason light can be observed through this fog most of the time which can give the city an eerie atmosphere. What the source of this light is remains unknown to this day.

True Location (spoiler)

Unknown to all but the inhabitants of Loforia, the city is actually much closer to the surface world than one would think. The Infor Crater in Aelerium is filled with a thick fog that never goes away. If one were to descend deep enough into the crater they would eventually reach Loforia.
Any expeditions into the crater thus far have been unsucceful as the fog somehow works as an anti-magic field. As most explorers use some kind of magic to try to get down they often fall to their deaths. When an airship tried to descend into the crator it stopped working and crashed into several buildings of Loforia. Since that even the Loforians have put up a shield that blocks unwanted objects from going through. Only precipitation can be let through the shield if wanted.

Economy

In almost all cases the Loforians want to trade resources for Falls. They themselves are often known to sell Tremor Falls but never other kinds. When they can they try to get their hands on any other types and are willing to trade a good amount of resources for them.

Metals

When the Loforians venture outside of their territories there are various goods that they want to trade. Most of these are metals and other raw materials that the Elves of Loforia seem to be able to extract in great amounts. When they move these materials throughout the Lower Realms they are known to use a sort of hovering vehicle not too different from the Blaze Cart freighter.

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Food

From time to time the Loforians are also known to trade forms of food. The food that they deliver is quite different from the usual fungi-based diet of those living underground. Somehow they are able to grow surface food such as certain vegtables and fruits. Nobody knows how they actually manage to accomplice this so deep underground.
Besides the usual food they also have some products that are not seen on the surface. Many of these are quite nourshing and appear to be similar to sea weeds. In some cases these are compressed in small pellets which are said to be able to feed someone for an entire day.

Medicine

One of the more curious things that the Loforians trade is medicine. In the surface world it is not common to try to heal someone with other means than magic as Nature and Divine Magic Magic are pretty common. This is, however, not a luxury that many in the Lower Realms have. This is why many living there are keen to trade with the Loforia faction as a good supply of these could help a community for years to come.
This medicine can be found in various form. Sometimes they are liquids but other times there are powders or melting tablets. Some of these perform the same function and it is really up to the buyer to decide what method they like best.

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Weapons

Anyone who encounters a Lofrian trading caravan can see that the soldier protecting it have some advanced weapons. They are pretty similar to the guns used by the Pavan Empire but they are much more advanced versions.
Thus far the Loforians have never traded any of these weapons which makes it quite difficult to tell how powerful they are. However, since there are no known cases of anyone actually winning against a Loforians squad, these weapons must pack quite a punch.

Further Reading