Ellyon was once the great elven capitol in all Dvulvash. Today, this great city lay in ruin. Abandoned. A city so grand that it dwarfed all the other western settlements in Dvulvash combined! Now just a shadow of its former glory hidden beneath the trees while the forest has slowly reclaimed this elven city.
The Ancient Ruins of Ellyon[]
There isn’t any sign of some great battle that took place here. No evidence of an incursion of any kind. Just neglect. It's as if the elves just simply left. The age old trail continues to lead travelers through this ancient ruin of a city when traversing across the continent, however, the travelers never stay long. Most believe Ellyon is cursed.
Despite the belief that the ancient ruins is some kind of unholy ground, it does not deter those seeking answers to one of history’s great mysteries. No one really knows what had happened to one of the greatest civilizations that the world had ever seen. There is very little information even regarding that these elves existed. Everything known about Ellyon is mostly theoretical. From countless excavations and expeditions around the territory scholars have only deduced from the architectural designs and what little historical art they could find that this had been an elven society. Aside from that, the scholars only agree that the elves that once ruled over this forest had been quite advanced for their time.
As if the colossal trees of the Darkwood weren't enough, the magnificent architecture imposed a feeling of insignificance on travelers that most are not fully prepared for. Most especially from those who first venture into forest. While the occassional traveler may always have a feeling of discomfort when camping within the walls of Ellyon, it is still a safe haven on this busy trade route. Many veteran merchants who traverse this route show little emotion outside the ordinary while in the elven ruin. Quite the opposite actually. All along the ancient capitol are littered with bonfires of various campsites. Among them, you can see some of these merchants laughing, trading jokes, gambling, drinking, and some even dancing around the fire. They believe the notion that this land is cursed is just nonsense. To some of the more nervous new-comers, this display of levity is reassuring. Meanwhile, the other stubborn travelers believe these laughing merchants must have gone mad.
Ellyon remains a popular site even for today's archeologists. While there may not be any valuable treasures left thanks to over a millenia of pillaging and scavengers, there are mysteries that still hold value to those in the wizarding community. Great Archmages hire teams of surveyors to set out with and investigate particular sites within the ancient city that still hold powerful residual arcana. It is in these portions of the city where a much deeper, even older "undercity" exists. Then, there are those much more skeptical among the great wizards who condemn such pursuits. Some even promote the theory that this so called "undercity" is actually an entry point into the Underdark itself! That the elves that used live in Ellyon all those ages ago may be the ancestors of what is now known today as the Drow.
Ellyon’s fate has always been a topic of great discussion and there are countless radical theories that exist.
The People[]
There close to nothing known about the civilization that once called the city home. Today, you will only find travelers, merchants, and excavators mainly just passing through. Never settling in for very long.
There are few creatures and monsters that have taken up residence in the ruins. Kobolds are among the most commonly known, however, mainly keep to themselves. Other, more wicked monstrosities have been reported. Believed to be the result of ancient, powerful dark magics that still have residual power have created abominations of the local plant life and even taken hold of the minds of men who have become mad raiders known only as "Ravagers". Who knows what other creatures lurk in the shadows.....
Adventure Hooks[]
"Most of my fellows have focused their efforts on the structures above ground. They have not spent they time that I have in Ellyon's underworld; the "basements", "catacombs", and "dungeons" of the city. Though the deeper I delve, the more answers...and mysteries...I seem to uncover. More ruins exist underground then above. Architectural engineering shows that floors support each other rather are carved out of the earth. And the farther I explore, I eventually find each structures "basement" to be interconnected with each other. Even with all that I have mapped, there are still deeper levels left uncharted. This will be my last excursion into the ruins. Gods willing I will find the evidence I need to validate my theory: Ellyon is a single massive building...buried." -Last know words of Professor Serviliano
Apprentice Tharp is leading a small expedition into the ruins of Ellyon to discover the fate of Professor Serviliano. Help the Apprentice in his noble efforts. Hopefully, the pay is worth the endeavor.
"The Ravagers. Sickly, evil. Corrupt. They say the first Ravager was made when an Elf murdered his entire family. They have since been known as Cannibals. However, the Ravagers have expanded. There is an area that is hidden within Ellyon. One that everyone knows is there, but not where exactly. Every single man who found it and explored it has gone missing. The Ravagers must have found him. Whenever a body can be found, it appears to have been brutally murdered, the skin peeled off, and the body eaten. I pray to the gods above that the Ravagers did it in that order."
-Said by Captain Jocuba, overheard by Priscilla
Seek out Captain Jocuba. Perhaps there is some chance that this horror can be prevented against future innocence.
18 surveyors went to study an area of Ellyon dubbed "Skid Row" by an earlier expedition. Only two returned. The surviving surveyors told a horrifying tale. A massive plant had overgrown one of the buildings. It's long, tendril like vines grew every which way and many huge purple flowers budded here and there on it. As the surveyors approached, it suddenly lashed out, grasping several of them. They were pulled into the flowers, which revealed themselves to be large toothy mouths. The remaining surveyors ran for their lives, only to be ambushed by a pack of kobalds. Taken by surprise, the party was easily captured. One by one they were feed alive to the monstrous plant. Thanks to blind luck, the two survivors managed to slip away. As they ran into the night, they heard the plant begin to speak. Each flower/mouth crying over and over "Feed me. Feed me. Feeeeed meeeee!"
Venture into Skid Row and destroy this abomination which has taken “root” in the ancient ruins.
"It is said that Ellyon has been neglected. That it is cursed. That the elves living there simply got up and left. However, the truth may surprise you. For the city was attacked. The elves were massacred. But it was so long from the time the massacre took place and the first traveler risked traversing to the Elven Capitol that the bodies were corroded away by the elements and the city overrun by beasts and plants to see the evidence. However, that isn't to say that some have tried. They are now called the Ravagers. Elves who look for ancestors, Dwarves looking for gold and Humans looking for glory have been converted. Finding a singular and particular truth about the city sends those individuals into a frenzy and a madness that sends them off deeper into the forests, away from the paths. Some say that the Ravagers were the ones who massacred the Elves of Ellyon. However, the ones who claim that are now Ravagers just like us, son. The outside world must never know about the massacre of the elves. Our lord would kill us at the hands of our friends. And we don't want to upset the great Lord of the Mad, now do we, son?"
-Atorkhan, Ravager Raid Captain
There have disturbing reports lately of brutal attacks against travelers camping in the area. Ellyon is vital to most all trade missions in Dvulvash. Some very wealthy merchants are offering a considerable reward for anyone to put an end to these raids and discover who is behind them.