Isnhrion

> "*Isnhrion has, since its founding, been a marvel of the civilized world. Its prestige is insurmountable, and its walls unscalable. Isnhrion truly is the capital of the world.*"
> ― Galius Julius[source]
>
>

**Isnhrion**, also known as **Isnh**, serves as the capital of the Empire and the wider Civilized World. Originally founded as a mining colony in the Age of Legends, Isnhrion gained prominence as the second capital of the Mayaar Craceran Kingdom, and later, as the capitals of the Attican and Ashen Empires.

## Description

### Geography

Isnhrion is located in the Ieros Valley of Eldrion on the shores of Lake Tormac to the west of the city of A'nsera, and north of the city of Elkurion. The valley is protected and surrounded by the Mountains of the Moon which only four passes lead through: The Rose Road (To Atlas & the Reach), The Stone Road (To Yherion), The Sea Road (To Elkurion), and The Gem Road (To Aarandell). Castles like Fort Legion guard many of the passes.

Isnhrion itself is surrounded by walls sixty feet tall that go around the entire city. The city is divided into seven districts which almost all surround the Ember Tower: the Imperial Ring, the Plaza District, the Ruby District, the Arcanum, the Temple District, the Imperial Plaza, and The Undercity. Within these districts are many different businesses and locations, the most notable of which include the Ember Tower - home of the Emperor, and the College of Mysteries - one of the most prestigious universities on the continent.

## History

### Age of Legends

#### Initial Founding

Isnhrion did not begin as the great city that it is today. Long before any of its grand destinies, it was a minor colony of the Eldyaar people established in the Ieros Valley after First Contact when the Eldyaar, led by Cracer the Shipwright, landed on Eroris. Cracer had ordered an expedition send to the area to mine the precious jewels that were abundant in the valley's rugged hills and open plains. In its time, Isnhrion was considered a frontier outpost, not even being worthy of its own name. It was subject to frequent raids by the Hawk Men, the original inhabitants of the Vale, and the settlement seemed poised to remain a minor dominion of Cracer's Kingdom up until the arrival of the legendary Tormac the Builder.

#### Tormac the Builder and the Black Stone

In the aftermath of the First Dwarven War, when the races of Yaar and Khundar warred for the fate of Eroris. A individual coming from the north entered Ieros Valley. There is little text written about him, but it was known that his name was Tormac. The nature of this name, unlike that of most elves, has led some to believe that instead of being an Eldyaar, Tormac was a dwarf. Nevertheless, Tormac discovered a mysterious Black Stone on the area that the Ember Tower would later be built on. The local Hawk Men greatly feared the Black Stone for some unknown reason, and, as such, Tormac declared that he would construct a great city on the area of the stone; one to rival that of Yherion. This was the true start of the city of Isnhrion.

#### King Ayred and the Sack of Yherion

In the time after its founding and the moving of the capital to Isnhrion, much changed in the world. The Ren, ancient powerful beings from what is now Orsinium, disappeared without a trace. A blasphemous prophet claiming that only one god existed, was banished along with his followers to the volcanic islands of Vval and Alistra leading to the rise of the Valyaar race of elves. The most significant event during this time, however, was the landing of the Nords in AoL 1121. Though this event did not directly effect Isnhrion in the way it did the rest of Eroris when it happened, in time, the ripples of this event would trigger the infamous Sack of Yherion in which Nymeria the Fox, granddaughter of the first High King of Norravägg, Orrin Stormcrown, laid waste to the capital of Eldrion in three dreadful days of slaughter. King Ayred Craceran, the great-grandson of Cracer, was able to flee the bloodshed that occurred on that day, but he decided that Yherion was no longer safe as the center of Mayaar civilization. Instead, he decided to move the capital to Isnhrion in AoL 261. It was in that same year that construction on the famous Ember Tower was started, which would only be completed in 1E 0.

### First Era

#### Argilac the Red; The Rise of the Norman Empire

In the waning days of the Age of Legends, Argilac the Red rose in revolt in the Naryid territories of the Reach and led the burgeoning Reachman race to rise and overthrow their elven rulers. This revolt bore fruit on the 25th of Autumn's Moon (10) AoL 1 when Argilac's forces were able to capture Elfethyr, on the shores of Lake Lenora, and declare the start of the First Era and the formation of the First Empire of the Reach. In reaction to the fall of the Naryid Kingdom, Queen Elisven the Defiant declared war on the new state, marching her armies into the Reach in order to restore elven rule in the province. Instead, this army was defeated in the Battle of Cameron Bridge in which the Mayaar armies were forced to retreat back into Isnhrion. Argilac pursed, however, and attempted to take the elven capital in the Siege of Isnhrion which lasted from 1E 3-1E 4 ending in an eventual Reacheon retreat. Isnhrion was battered after a year of war, and the weary populace turned their attention to rebuilding.

#### Fall of Isnhrion; Nymeria Triumphant

With the eventual collapse of Argilac's empire in 1E 821 due to internal strife, what is known as the First Interregnum, the period of time between the fall of the Reacheon Empire and the rise of the Nymerian Empire, began. During this time of chaos in the provinces of man, the Naryid retook control over the Reach and began to enslave its once free population. This action, however, would led to the eventual extinction of the Naryid race. For in the year 1E 1158, a young Aduran girl named Nymeria rose in rebellion against her Naryid overlords. She claimed to be a emissary from Kuruth, there to punish the elves from straying from the path of the Divines. With her at the head of a rapidly growing army of Reachmen, and with an alliance with High King Agmar of Norravägg, she was able to rapidly push the Naryid and their Mayaar allies back to the gates of Isnhrion where a combined elven army was defeated by the forces of Nymeria. In the resulting peace, Eldrion was incorporated as the newest imperial province of the Nymerian Empire with Isnhrion as its capital.

#### The Capital of the Empire and the Rise of the Nymerian Order

With the moving of the imperial court of Nymeria to Isnhrion the city began to grow more as a population center than it was during the early reign of the Craceran Kings. It was during this time in the history of the city that the Undercity, a den for mostly non-elven crime and scum, developed in the abandoned mines and tunnels that had once been the main industry of Isnhrion in its growing years. Nymeria also greatly expanded the Ember Tower, bringing it to a new grandeur through a combination of Eldyaar and Aduran architecture.

The inclusion of Isnhrion as the capital of the Nymerian Empire also made it subject to the political chaos that would envelop it as time marched forward. It was a critical target of the Primordial armies of the Arch-Primate during the Ascension Wars, in which the leader of the Divine faithful revolted against the corrupt rule of the hedonistic Empress Isis in 1E 1641. It was from these religious rebels that the Nymerian Order arose from the teachings of a radical priest by the name of Narathzul advocating the establishment of a xenophobic state that imposed the "will" of the divines on its populace. Nevertheless, in this time of chaos for the Nymerian Empire, they were able to capture Isnhrion and declare the Nymerian Empire and theocratic state. The fifty years that would follow in which the majority of Eroris would ruled by the forces of the Nymerian Order be known as the Purges.

#### The Purges and the Rise of the Light-Born

The fifty years in which the people of Eroris had to fear the attacks of the xenophobic Nymerian Order was an especially hard time for the city of Isnhrion. Being majority High Elven, the Nymerian Order cracked down hard on what it believed were undesirable peoples in the city. Many underground resistance movements arose during this time, and they, along with many others in the Empire, decided to launch a full scale revolt against the Order in the War of Righteousness in 1E 1690. All this conflict, however, was halted with the arrival of the Light-born.

The Light-born were seven incredibly talented arcanists who, trough their magic had acquired eternal life. The little that we know about them comes from Valyaria, being that it was the only province to escape the purge of knowledge carried out by these powerful arcanists. Though they did not claim to be gods, when they first appeared, they cleared possessed what many would claim to be the powers of such. Using these abilities they were easily able to put a stop to the violence of the War of Righteousness, establish themselves as the overlords of six of the seven provinces, and declare the beginning of the Second Era, the Era of the Gods.

### Second Era

#### Forgotten Hero

It is said that during the Forgotten Hero's journey to reforge the Infinity Blade in order to put an end to the reign of the Light-Born, she travelled to Isnhrion in her quest to gather the pommel of the mighty blade. It was there that she met Toross, who was able to inform her of the location of the pommel in Ilrodan's flying isle of Tal'ender. This was just before Toross betrayed the Forgotten Hero to the forces of the Light-Born, allowing her to be momentarily captured in the spring of 2E 3998. The Forgotten Hero was eventually able to escape, which would led to the ultimate showdown between the Hero and the Light-Born Ilrodan at the Battle of the Isle.

#### The Rise of the Attican Empire

After the fall of the Empire of the Light-Born in 2E 3999, the Second Interregnum officially began as many oncesubservient kingdoms to the Light-Born asserted their independence. Isnhrion was caught up in this struggle when in 2E 4001, the Kingdom of Eldrion was reestablished with Omoris Craceran as its first independent King since the days before the Nymerian Empire. This freedom from foreign rule, however, would not last long, for in 2E 4211, Remus Atticus, after coming into possession of the whole of the Reach and parts of Norravägg, invaded the city of Isnhrion taking it as the new capital of his Attican Empire. This signaled the start of the Third Era as Remus reintroduced the worship of the Divines into the Empire.

### Third Era

#### The Elder Wars

When the tentative peace between the Empire and Eldrion was shattered when Adyuin III murdered Emperor Remus I in 3E 30, Isnhrion quickly came under siege. As the de facto capital of the Attican Empire, and the de jure capital of Eldrion, it became an important battleground of the two factions as Veran I sought to avenge the assassination of his father and Adyuin sought to reclaim the city of his ancestors. The First of the Elder Wars lasted for five long years in which much of the area around Isnhrion was devastated as the army after army marched through in order to pursuit some far-flung goal. The war finally ended in the Treaty of Yherion in which everything would remain much the same as it was before the start of the conflict. Isnhrion would remain in Attican hands, and Adyuin would be able to return home with his life. This treaty, however, was not to last for in 3E 127, the Second Elder War began.

During the second conflict, the elves of Eldrion were much more successful in regaining territory lost at the end of the Second Era. Most of this success is due in part to the internal instability the Empire faced under the reign of Emperor Karstaag, generally agreed to be the worse Emperor of the Attican Dynasty. The war came to a quick end in 3E 130, a hundred years after the start of the first war, when Adyuin was able to capture the city of Isnhrion in one great siege. The court of Karstaag was forced to flee into the Reach, establishing its capital in Lenora, where the Empire would try to rebuild after losing one of its most valuable cities.

The Third and final Elder War would not occur until the 6th Century of the Third Era. Though during much of this time the Empire and Eldrion fought off and on in many skirmishes along the border regions, the year 3E 504 is generally considered the date that the final Elder War began when Remus III invaded Isnhrion in what he hoped would be the final war to claim the elven capital as his own. The war was brief and deadly, ending only one year after it began. Much of this is attributed to Adyuin III's increasing age, almost five-hundred and twelve by 3E 504. With his increased frailty and the passion and energy of his young so many years ago gone, Adyuin III signed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace in 3E 505 in which he was forced to once again surrender Isnhrion to the Empire. This was the last Elder War, for this was the last years of both the Attican and Craceran Empires.

#### The Assassination of Veran II; Start of the Third Interregnum

For nearly sixty years until 3E 561, the Empire was ruled from Isnhrion. Remus III, and his grandson Veran II after him, both worked diligently over the years to encourage more non-elven immigration into the city. The number of people living in the Undercity exploded, making it all the more devastating when the Red Plague struck again in the 3E 550s, decimating the population. Yet, through all the strife, the Empire was able to maintain control of Isnhrion... at least until the assassination of Veran II and his heirs.

Coronated in 3E 551, after his grandfather and father died in the Red Plague, Veran II was the ruler of the Empire when, in the closing days of 3E 560, Adyuin III, along with all his heirs, was killed in a horrible fire that had engulfed the Sun Tower where the lived in Yherion. With their deaths, and the fracturing of Eldrion into many petty fiefdoms all squabbling for the pieces of the fallen Craceran state, Veran II prepared to lead a great campaign to add the elven realms into his Empire. This campaign, however, was never to come. In an event still theorized about by the time of the Fourth Era, on the 2nd of First Light (2) 3E 561 Veran II, along with all his children, siblings, and other close relatives, was assassinated in the halls of the Ember Tower. The walls of the Imperial Palace were said to have been coated red with blood from the actions of that day as the Attican Empire came to an end.

In response to the death of the Imperial Family, the Wise Council convened in Inshrion in order to elect a distant relative of the Emperor to the rulership of the Empire. Agreeing on no such candidate, and those having been chosen refusing the throne, the council then chose to elect Lhoris Varian, one of the only elven members of the Wise Council of that time, to take the title of Potentate and rule in the stead of the Emperor until one could be elected to take over leadership of the Empire. This election, however, sent shockwaves throughout the Empire. Many harbored great prejudice and hate for all things elven and rejected the authority of the new potentate. Many others, seeing an opportunity to break away in the chaos of the succession, chose to formally declare independence from the Empire. Potentate Lhoris was left powerless to stop the tide of rapidly growing succession, and by the end of 3E 561 he was left to be the potentate of Isnhrion as the Third Interregnum spread across Eroris.

#### The Third Interregnum and the Rise of Alaro Ashen

The start of the Third Interregnum for Isnhrion was a black time in the city's history. Though, through most of the time period, the city was ruled by the Potentate who claimed authority over the whole of Eroris, there were many moments during the Interregnum that the city fell to opposing forces. The most notable of which being the Emperor Taticus, a Reachman from Atlas, who was able to capture Isnhrion and declare himself Emperor over the short lived Achesian Dynasty. The reign of his descendants came to an end when in 3E 1449, a force led by a descendant of the former Potentate was able to recapture the city and reestablish the authority of his office over large parts of the Reach and Eldrion.

By 3E 2241, the office of Potentate fell into the hands of the infamous Emperor Aurandur who has been confirmed, through research of observations and mentions of this Potentate to be a Dread worshiper. Aurandur, after gaining the office, declared himself Emperor and attempted to bring his dark master, believed to be the Dread Lord Xuvius, into the mortal realm. This plot, however, was halted by Aracio, the top general of Edenyur Craceran, who was able to capture the city in 3E 2243. King Edenyur traveled to Isnhrion in order to declare himself Emperor over a uniquely elven empire. Before he could do this, however, he was mysteriously assassinated the night before his coronation, leaving his general to be crowned the first emperor of the Ashen Dynasty, Alaro Ashen, who would bring an end to the Third Era in 3E 2284.

### Fourth Era

#### Wars of the Phoenix

When Alyari I died in 4E 362 his son Akkar ascended to the throne in a great ceremony in Isnhrion. Conflict first erupted when several nobles threw their support behind Omoris I to become Emperor. This action by many of Akkar's vassals would eventually erupt into the Wars of the Phoenix in which Ashen fought Ashen for the Imperial Throne. Isnhrion became a frequent target between many of the opposing factions as it contained the seat of power and the royal treasury. Within the hundred years between 4E 362 and 4E 488, the city came under siege thirty-eight times as each claimant sought to keep the capital for themselves. Isnhrion would suffer greatly from the continual wars of the Empire, almost to the point that Empress Ilyana briefly considered moving the capital from Isnhrion to Yherion in order to better safeguard the Imperial Family from harm. In the end though, when the Wars of the Phoenix came to an end in 4E 498 the capital remained firmly situated in Isnhrion, where it would remain as the city rebuilt after a century of conflict.

#### War of the Black Phoenix

After Aren II perished in his foolish invasion of Akou, his son, Alaro IV ascended to the Imperial Throne in 4E 794. At first, everything appeared to be stable, as the Emperor was coronated without a hitch in the middle of First Seed (3) 4E 794. A few days later, however, while the Emperor and his immediate family feasted in the halls of the Ember Tower, they were all poisoned by Melkor, commonly known as "The Black Phoenix", in his plot to seize control of the Empire. For the other Ashens that remained in Isnhrion, Melkor ordered that the city's gates be closed off and all kin of his be killed in order to secure his position on the throne. Melkor's purge however, was unsuccessful in eliminating all of his relatives. Azelian, a distant cousin of Melkor, and Ivran Ashen, Melkor's youngest brother, were able to escape the purge of many of their family members. Uniting with several others opposed to Melkor's power grab, they declared an open rebellion against their relative in order to take back the Imperial Throne to its rightful owner, this conflict, which would last from 4E 794 - 4E 821, would be known as the War of the Black Phoenix.

The fighting lasted for twenty-five grueling years, during which Ivran, considered to be the Ashen with the strongest claim to the throne, was killed by Melkor beneath the walls of Summerset. Azelian, now the last of his dynasty besides Melkor left to claim the throne, engaged his cousin in the Battle of Ivenstar in the spring of 4E 820 and successfully routed his army forcing him to flee back into Eldrion. Then, in one fell swoop, Azelian assaulted the walls of Isnhrion and slew his cousin at the foot of the Ember Throne, putting an end to the War of the Black Phoenix with himself crowned as Emperor Azelian the Great.

## Districts

In Isnhrion there is a total of seven major districts: The Imperial Ring, also referred to as the Palace District, the Plaza District, the Ruby District, the Arcanum, the Temple District, the Imperial Plaza, and the Undercity. These seven districts are all surrounded by the Serverian Walls which protect and defend the city from outside threats.

Starting from the center, the Imperial Ring is perhaps the most well known of the districts of Isnhrion for the fact that it contains the grounds of the illustrious Ember Tower. The Ember Tower has long served as the seat of power for many successive Emperors and Empress of many long gone Empires. Originally built during when Tormac the Builder erected his first palace on the site of the mysterious Black Stone, the Tower would eventually come into existence when it was ordered built by King Ayred Craceran.

Though the tower itself is what most of the people of Eroris see as the most breathtaking section of this district, the true beauty of the Imperial Ring comes from the astounding Nymerian Gardens said to be a gift from Geia herself. It is often said that when the Emperor needs to convince a stubborn diplomat, he simple takes him to the gardens and lets the plants so the rest.

Next, forming the core of the city, is the Plaza District where most of Isnhrion's trade takes place. Centered around the opulent Kuruth Plaza near the Dragon Gate of the city, the Plaza district is home to Isnhrion's great marketplace where many of the Empire's foremost traders gather to sell their wares. It also contains the majority of the city's inns and taverns serving as areas where the weary travelers can rest and recuperate before venturing further into Eldrion. It is the most populated part of the city, and contains the majority of the Elven population of Isnhrion.

The next district is the Ruby District which serves as Isnhrion's economic center. It is in this district many different artisan guilds reside, administering over many different workshops that permeate the district. Due to the large deposit of rubies, and the industry surrounding their mining and cutting, the Ruby District is home to a sizable Dwarven minority with their own temple of Khun and community leaders. If there were ever a place where a person, looking for work, could find a well paying job in a skill set, it is in the Ruby District.

After this is the Arcanum, Isnhrion's mystical hub. Home to the College of Mysteries, one of the most prestigious universities on Eroris, it has attracted many Reachmen, Mayaar, and Valyaar to work within its halls. Many an Imperial Battlemage has been turned own from this notable college which makes the district it resides in all the more sought. Many famous arcanists have made their home in this district the most notable of which being Archmage Selywin Cadmus who serves as the leader of the College of Mysteries circa 4E 901.

Next is the Temple District, which is only notable for containing the leadership of the Eight Divines in Eldrion and the Temple of the Divines where it rules from. It is where the Emperor or Empress of the Empire is usually coronated and it's leaders have often come into conflict with the Arch-Primate in Lenora.

And then there is also the Imperial Plaza, which is the smallest district for the reason that it only contains the headquarters of the legion and the baracks to house them. From its center in Fort Legion in this District, the Imperial Legion can easily receive orders from the Emperor himself and then disperse them to its legionaries. The Imperial Plaza itself, for which the district is named, is most commonly used for parades and inspection.

Finally, there is the Undercity, which is perhaps Isnhrion's most notorious district for the simple fact that it is not on the surface; it is beneath your feet. Stretching out for leagues in the sewers, mine tunnels, and underground rivers of Isnhrion, the Undercity is Isnhrion's secret seventh district. Built during the reign of the Nymerian Empire in the abandonded mining tunnels of old Isnhrion, the Undercity quickly established itself as a den of thievery and drug abusers. The council that runs the Undercity, the Rhalata, is a shadowy organization said to compete even with the
Thieves Guild when it comes to the number of pockets picked. The body has often come into conflict with the "Uppercity" (as they call the surface areas of Isnhrion), over who has control over what in the dark tunnels of the Undercity. This disagreement has a history of occasionally erupting into violence when the guards of the Uppercity charge down below in order to drive out the scum that live in the tunnels below their feet. But, as hard as they try, the Undercity always endures as Isnhrion's criminal underbelly.

## Gallery

Isnhrion from the Valley Entrance.Flag of Isnhrion circa 4E 901.The Ember Tower the seat of the Imperial Government.Isnhrion circa 4E 901.Castle Karstagg circa 4E 901, the imperial dungeon of Isnhrion.The Leap of Ryenar, the Imperial ArenaThe Undercity, Isnhrion's dark criminal underbellyIeros Valley, the region in which Isnhrion lies.