Athenia

Athenia is a large city on the island of the same name. It, along with Veluca and Estania, represent the three barrier islands between the southern continent and the Isles of Tongues and northern continent, which makes it a major trade hub due to its central location. It was at one time the home of the College of Biogenesis and still holds close ties to the organization even in the modern day, though conflict between the College of Biogenesis and College of Reanimation is prevalent due to the bloody history between the two groups in the region.

History

Athenia was an independent city-state on the island of the same name. While prosperous it came under the control of the Immortal Empire in the year 2054NA and later, after the fall of the immortal Empire and reformation of it as the Black Sun Empire, was conquered again in 3057NA. It would remain a part of the Black Sun Empire until the year 4723NA during the Creation War, during which time it was almost entirely destroyed and then re-settled as, once more, an independent city-state following the collapse of the Black Sun Empire.
Athenia was once the home of the College of Biogenesis, during which time it was among the most powerful cities within the Black Sun Empire and had enough economic power to rival that of the royal family. Spurred on by their wealth and the power of biogenesis at their back Athenia, Veluca, and Estania all declared their independence from the Black Sun Empire, followed by the half of the Isles of Tongues still under Black Sun rule. This conflict would begin what would later be known as the Creation War.
For Athenia’s part in it, they used their considerable naval power to resist the Black Sun Empire for two years before the Black Sun Empire managed to break through Athenia’s navy with the use of powerful magic and make landfall. Then began the Battle of the Living and the Dead. Athenia’s army was obliterated in the first battle as the reanimators of the Spider Cult unleashed their necro-collossi on the city combined with a large force of undead chimeras and a small coalition of mundane troops to protect the reanimators themselves.
Athenia was crushed almost immediately, but the College of Biogenesis, long frustrated with being suppressed by the Spider Cult’s influence in the empire, retaliated with their own army of centaurs, minotaurs, and satyrs. All half-breeds created by the college for this very battle.
The battle waged on for weeks on end. The reanimators held firm control over the captured port but were unable to press into the deeper city. Though they defeated the initial waves of halfbreeds and reanimated them into their own ranks the biogenesists continually changed tactics, producing all manner of new creature tailor made to fight the urban war being waged. Harpies, winged humanoids with deadly talons, proved to be especially potent as they could fly over enemy lines and assassinate the reanimators. The Black Sun forces transitioned to bows to counter-act this and the slain reanimators were returned to action, but their supply of black blood was rapidly dwindling.
Finally one of the Black Sun Empire’s immortal legions reached Athenia. Six thousand undead soldiers stepped off the ships and joined battle. But more importantly they brought one of the Blood Cauldrons with them, giving the reanimators an endless supply of black blood.
The battle soon turned and the College of Biogenesis could not maintain a war of attrition with the newly reinforced Black Sun forces. Their own creations were reanimated and turned against them and in the end the College of Biogenesis was destroyed.
Unfortunately so too was the city. While some of the population fled deeper into the Isles of Tongues the bulk of the city’s population had been destroyed in the ensuing battle. The Black Sun Empire claimed control of the island, though they would get little real use from it and significant forces were deployed to take it.
Athenia would be re-settled after the war and, in time, grow to once again prosper. But the scars of the battle are still visible even to present day and large sections of the city are in ruin, kept as such as a reminder for the destructive power magic can yield when used in war.

Type

Large city

Population

600,000