Ancient Zerbath

Once a prosperous town, filled with thronging crowds of traders, and filled with the engineers of the brief Age of Expansion, the ruins of Ancient Zerbath now stand deathly silent around the shattered citadel. The majestic pillars of the old city have crumbled and fallen like teetering rock formations amongst the shells of ornate buildings and cracked, moss festooned roads. Perhaps the most chilling memory of Zerbath's past, though, are the rusting, skeletal remains of the industry and magical contraptions that doomed The Lands of Ruination , still leaking their magical aura. In it's golden age, Zerbath was an industrial giant, with all manner of magical machinery being manufactured there, from iron golems to airships, and it's wealth dominated The Kingdom of Archaria. The clang of ironwork was heard miles around, and it's exports kept the country at the top of the technological ladder. Now, it lies a deathly ruin.

Infrastructure

In it's heyday, Zerbath boasted a large mechanical industry, with saw mills working day and night, and foundries working hard to produce the mechanical contraptions the city depended on. The city had a sound sewer system, that led into the Zerbath lake. Further East, in The Blackwyrm Mountains, there were many iron mines and dwarven-engineered furnaces. During the great ruination, these iron mines were used as escape routes for survivors to the lands surrounding The City of Keelford .

History

Before the age of expansion, Zerbath was little more than a quaint mining town in the lush Blackwyrm valley. It made it's wealth from the iron reserves nearby, and was lorded over by a wealthy viscount. For years, the town slowly grew from it's megre exports. However, accross The Blackwyrm Mountains, The City of Keelford was growing as a centre for trade along the coast, and a trade route was needed to connect the Blackwyrm valley to the main trade lines. Zerbath, as one of the principal towns of the valley, and being directly west of keelford, was an immediate contender for the town where this roote would start. Construction began on the mountain route, and zerbath immediately started to feel the effect of the trade. To be continued...

Geography

The Ruins of ancient Zerbath are located in-between the Zerbath swamps, and the Western Archarian Mountains.

Natural Resources

The Zerbath Lake, now the Zerbath swamps, were a reliable source of fish for the town, and The Blackwyrm Mountains were rich in iron, which proved invaluable for building the machinery that the city relied on. Just before the Great ruination, there were rumours that rare gemstones, rich in magical power had been discovered in the mountains south of the town, which has led many treasure-hunters and miners, especially dwarves from the surrounding mountains, to delve into the area, most never to return.

RUINED SETTLEMENT
0 AC

Alternative Name(s)

The City of the Lost (post ruin)

Type

City

Population

Unknown, but the last survey before the Great Ruination suggests that it came close to 40,000.

Location under

The Lands of Ruination

Included Locations

• The Half-Ruined Temple of Mirosaer