Laetheril landmarks

## Fortress-Monastery of Peak Khelvan

This massive complex is located in Peak Khelvan, one of the highest mountains of the central range of Laeth. Its construction started in the year 480AS and finished in 507AS, after the Eneriades order used a sudden surge in popularity among the Syndrion population after helping them defend against a number of Naftyr raids to convince the Ruling Council of the need of the order to have centralized headquarters.

The fortress is built on the slope of the mountain, and boasts a capacity of up to 600 individuals, both in living quarters and capacity for rations. It is also equipped with training installations, stables, libraries, and a great hall designed to make an impression on important guests. The last main area is the eagle nests, where the companions of the Knights are fed and taken care of.

## Black Pyramid

In the year 543AS, a small group of Quanti explorers discovered in the forests near the north-eastern mountains a strange pyramidal structure of unknown origin. It was described as a 21 meter-tall monolyth of pyramidal shape, with an entrance closed by a heavy blackstone block but with a fiery shining light emerging from its crevices. This odd pyramid seemed to invoke the reverence of the native Naftyr tribes. The structure almost seemed to repel life itself: although surrounded by nature, the stone presented absolutely no moss or vegetation of any kind, and the soil around it was devoid of any plants. The structure hasn't yet been able to be opened.

The apparent lack of animal or vegetal life in the surroundings of the pyramid should have made it an ideal place for encampment, as the explorers would have been protected by its repellent effect; however, this effect had an effect on them as well, as they later reported that the feeling of unease in the surroundings of the monolyth was so intense that they decided to take the risk of passing the night among the wildlife.

## Arcane crater

The large explosion caused by the Deimus Aelle in 553AS left behind a sizable crater, of around 15m of diameter and 3m of depth in the center; multiple sages died in the conflagration, and the building the experiment took place in was completely levelled. The explosion area had a strange effect in its surroundings: the debris that was shot away in the arcane reaction was frozen in place mid-air, as if it was being held still by an unknown force, and while living beings could wander around in the crater without worry, magical users often reported physical and mental pains after spending long amounts of time in the area.

Despite these oddities, the true reason for the relevance of this crater was the magnifying effect it had on all kind of arcane spells and experiments: the loss in lives and material was quickly forgotten, as the impliactions of having such a powerful catalyst right in the middle of the group's headquarters settled in. The reconstruction plans were centered around the magical field, and dozens of studies have been conducted since, both about the crater and using it.

## Statue to the Winged Knight

The Statue to the Eagle Knight is a stone statue located in a surfacing rock of the northern river of Laeth. It was sculpted in the year 659AS shortly after the rebellion in Faelonor, one of the only military conflicts in the White Wars, in which an anonymous Eneriades knight was hailed as the leader of the uprising. The knight in question acted officially of its own accord, moving through the lower echelons of society to sow the seeds of revolution and smoothing relations between the different popular factions.

The construction of the statue was somewhat controversial due to the polarized opinions about the revolution, since part of the population was actually opposed to it. Over time it has nevertheless become a staple of the city, welcoming and bidding farewell to ships coming and going through the river waters.

## Arc of Leyri

The growth of the Quanti ports during the IXth century was unprecendented, and the best example of this expansion was Leyri's harbor: the most populated city in the Quanti territories and the biggest point of entry for merchandises of all kinds. Many goods from all over Laetheril went first through this port rather than travelling directly form origin to destination, so developed were the logistical routes that started in Leyri, and the few foreign merchandises that entered the island did so through the Quanti city as well.

It was during this period of economic bonanza that the Arc of Leyri was built, in the year 870AS. It's a massive stone arc that goes over the port's entrance, engraved with historical scenes and floral motifs, intended to cause an impression of awe in any strangers to Leyri: it represents the wealth and prosperity of the city, as well as its opulence and pride.

## Statue of Laureant Giordines

The city of Namur, located in the western island, is one of the few examples of artificially founded cities in Laetheril. It finds its origins in a massive expedition funded by Laureant Giordines, a wealthy Quanti merchant from Leyri; his goal was to set up a permanent colony in the small island to exploit its untapped resources, and to this day, Namur serves as the main commercial alternative to the Leyri harbor.

The initiative to build the statue was finally successful in the year 905AS, mainly thanks to the influence of the Giordines house: the result was a 7m statue of the family patriarch placed in the city's central plaza, overseeing the many trades and exchanges happening there every day.

## Open pit of Beril An

The prosperity streak of Laetheril in the Xth century arrived even to the Naftyr cities of the south: barely a town in the old days, Lhen is the prime example of a rapidly sprawling urban area that went a little too far. The rapid development of Lhen dragged with it a massive increase in its population, which in turn created an almost impossible-to-meet demand of construction materials. The natural answer of the elves was to open more and more mines and quarries, from which massive quantities of stone and minerals were extracted.

The biggest and most prolific one was the open pit of Beril An, officially inaugurated in 915AS: an open-air mine that was reported to provide up to a quarter of the raw materials of the city in any given month, on average. Small towns were formed around the pit whose sole economical activity was to work in the mine, and whose foodstuffs were all imported from other surrounding towns in an improvised system of concentrical circles that was centered around the open pit of Beril An.

## Pre-Laethian ruins

During the expansion of a small village near Faenora, in the northern Quanti territories, in the year 969AS, a mysterious complex of ruins was accidentally unearthed. Initially thought to be the remains of an abandoned settlement, the government of the provincial capital took control when the scale of the constructions was fully revealed: a massive complex lay hidden beneath the dirt, with what appeared to be hundreds of buildings in various states of decay. Although the elves weren't strangers to the occasional ruins, the sheer scale and complexity of these picked the curiosity of powerful individuals, as there were no known Laethian cities that had been in that place, so these ruins were effectively proof of a pre-Laethian civilization in the island.

Since then, the emplacement has become a place of study for many scholars from all across Laetheril; while knowledge and funding are sparse, slow advancements are made every few decades, when the whims of rich Quanti merchants allow for it.

## Gardens of Antomacchia

The city of Ilvandar has a longstanding tradition of integrating its surroundings into its architecture, creating mixes of marble and nature. They have become masters of this art, and its ultimate expression is the Gardens of Antomacchia: a massive wave of green and blue and red that sweeps the center of the city, carefully managed by teams of dozens of expert gardeners that take their role with the utmost respect.

Its first seeds were planted in the year 1072AS, and the Gardens naturally grew over the city center. In many cases, regular citizens were "asked" to leave their homes to relocate to another place, in order to let the vegetation grow: although there was no law that actually forced them to leave, noone in history has refused this petition, as having your old home be overtaken by the Gardens' vegetation is seen almost as a sign of good luck. The city government often helps the families relocate too, in order to smooth the transition and avoid troubles.

## Runic gate

While the mountain Etheril tribes had already spent more than half a millenium living in the central peaks, there were still a lot of areas that hadn't yet been thoroughly explored. In a random foraging expedition in the year 1131AS, a small group of elves found what appeared to be stone steps, that led to two massive stone doors hidden beneath lush vegetation. These doors were engraved with markings of unknown origin, and were completely embedded in the side of the mountain, apparently closing the entrance to an underground complex.

After the initial shock, it was discovered that the doors were unlocked, albeit hard to open due to their weight: what lay behind was a dark, humid corridor that went down into the depths, with no end in sight. A few exploratory parties were sent soon after the discovery, but none returned, which turned the mysterious entrance into a sort of taboo. The occasional ambitious or desperate adventurer ventures downward from time to time, but noone has been successful so far.

## Walls of Uru

Hidden in plain sight, the fields of southern Laeth give cover to the Walls of Uru: an odd rock formation of aproximately 500 meters, that provides constant shade to the lake that borders it. Although known to the local populations for generations, it has only recently been brought to the noble classes' attention, starting at the beginning of the XIIIth century; many of them have taken leisure trips to the location, each one hoping to be the one to uncover the mysterious origin of the Walls of Uru.

The rock itself is solid and made of a single block, not different from the stone of any mountain. However, the strange shape of the Walls has spawned a whole legend around them: some erudites consider them natural oddities, while others claim that they sprouted from the ground by the workings of magic, and yet others place its origin up in the sky instead of down.