Gladio
Lidia Valentine
"Okay! We've been here 30 minutes and already we've been attacked by multiple monsters. I have all the research we need, let's go now!"
Lucia
Gladio is a large barony located in extreme western North Cassel. It is bordered on the north by the baronies of Sacellum, Reina, and Roy, to the east by Genos, and to the south by various baronies of the Dragon Marches, including Treveri, Leuci, and Sequani.
A large part of the province is inside the Mountains of Cil, and there is a canyon that runs through the western edge of the province that leads to Treveri. This is one of the only passages across the mountains in the entire kingdom. Roy's Canyon also runs through here, split in the middle by the baronies of Sacellum and Gladio. Gladio has the southern half.
Geographically, the baron is split into three major areas. The East has rolling, forested plains and the majority of people live here. The capital city of Oroton is here. The West is filled with icy peaks and deep canyons. Centaurs mainly live here but humans and elves often come here in search of gold. This gold is mined and sent to Oroton to be processed before it is shipped off to the rest of Cassel
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2534, Iron Age
Oroton
Baron Patra Osorio
10,718 km2
Continental (East)
Subarctic (West)
Tundra (Center)
Ice Cap (Center)
93,000
84% Human
8% Elf
8% Centaur
Oroton
Baron Patra Osorio
10,718 km2
Continental (East)
Subarctic (West)
Tundra (Center)
Ice Cap (Center)
93,000
84% Human
8% Elf
8% Centaur
Alma Plateau
The center section of Gladio is a large plateau that is impossible to reach with the exception of a large stone bridge that runs across Roy's Canyon. It connects the Northern Alma Plateau with the south. This bridge is 8 kilometers long and is referred to by many as the Bridge of Giants.
If the endless shrines and spirits in Sacellum weren't enough for weary explorers, then the many massive monstrous creatures in Gladio are. No one is sure where these creatures come from or how they survive up here. The icy lands at this elevation do have some value to the people below. There are large deposits of many different types of aethercite crystals, and the Iron Age's need to magic is going to bring them up here eventually. Until then, this place is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous places in Cassel and only the most foolish explorers and the bravest (still foolish) warriors come here.
The land still hasn't been fully mapped yet, but there are several notable landmarks. In the center of the plateau there a long abandoned city. The buildings there are made of stone, concrete, and metal and half of it is buried in snow and ice. The city is in nearly perfect condition from when it was abandoned many thousands of years ago.
In the center of this city is a very large crystal tower. It has a similar design to the metal and stone buildings, just made of crystal instead. The tower is broken somewhere in the middle. It shattered long ago and no one is quite sure how tall the tower was. Also in the city is something quite similar to what can be found in the The Olimian wastes. There are thousands of people in the town, crystalized, in nearly perfect condition, frozen for all time.
The greatest concentration of monsters is also in the center of town. These creatures range from terrifying fire drakes to ice wyrms and Yetis. Many explorers and warriors have attempted to defeat these creatures to get to the secrets in the center of town, but most are either killed or forced away. The task of clearing the the town of monsters is too much for one or two people to accomplish.
Several hours after reaching the town:
Renelle
"...I was hoping there would be a crystal guardian to kill, but... oh well. All the monsters in the area are dead, so my job is done for now. Hey, Lidia, you're free to do your thing!"Lidia
A few weeks after getting out of the area, Lidia sent her research to the College of Cassel:
Lidia's Research
So, After gaining access to the plateau with the assistance of two very lovely knights that are unfortunately taken, I made it to the center! The architecture of the city lines up with what the Olimians built during the Silver Age. Most of the structures are concrete reinforced with steel, which lines up with what we've found in other ruins. Here they are almost perfectly preserved. Iron Age engineers might learn a thing or two if they examine these ruins (good luck getting up here!)
Anyways, there is a large but broken crystal tower in the center of this city. It isn't The Big One, but I doubt we'll ever find that one. After poking around the inside of the tower (and waking up some ancient evil that the previously mentioned knights were able to kill!) I found some old scrolls in one of the storage rooms. I couldn't read them all the way, so those were sent to Salika to be translated.
I'm very sure this tower was responsible for turning the people of this city into crysal statues, and it is likely responsible for the monsters in the areas as well, but I'm not sure why the tower existed. Not yet at least. My best guess is that it was some sort of Silver Age science experiment. Maybe it was a prototype of The Big One? Maybe a bunch of these were built at a set radius around the big one to amplify its power? We have found evidence of these crystal towers in other parts of Vreathe, but I'm not sure. We'll know more when Salika translates those scrolls.
- Lidia Valentine
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