The Citadel
Overview
The Citadel is a floating fortress suspended high above the clouds. It is the seat of Arvendor power and culture. It is both a refuge and a responsibility - a grand achievement built upon secrets, maintained through discipline, and dependent on forces that few fully understand.
The Citadel is grand and impossible. It hovers impossibly above the clouds. Only airship or powerful magic can reach it. It serves as both a defensive stronghold and a centre of civilization. It houses the repositories of Arvendor knowledge and culture and contains sacred spaces for worship and spiritual practice.
Foundation
The Citadel does not float through its own power. It is held aloft by the Runemark of Eternity, a master rune housed in the deepest vault of the ancient crypts beneath it. The Runemark is the source of all power within the Citadel. It keeps the fortress suspended above the clouds, powers all its magic, and sustains the seals that contain what lies in the depths below.
The Ancients, in their wisdom, created a system where the Citadel's existence depends entirely on the Runemark. And the Runemark's power depends on the souls of humans.
The Crypts
History
Beneath the Citadel lie crypts older than Arvendor history itself. Much like the citadel itself, the crypts predate written record, constructed by The Ancients for purposes that have become obscured over millennia.
It's believed that The Ancients originally designed the crypts as containment. They were meant to hold things that were deemed too dangerous to exist freely in the world.
Later, during the cataclysmic Ombric-Arvendor war that erupted five thousand years ago, the crypts served a dual purpose. They became a sanctuary where Arvendor citizens were evacuated, a strategic battleground where fierce conflicts took place, and ultimately a burial ground for the countless dead.
Thousands upon thousands died in that war. And every death fed the Runemark of Eternity. The war provided such an enormous influx of souls that the Runemark was sustained for thousands of years. This is why The Citadel stood so magnificent and secure for so long. It was built on the blood and souls of that ancient conflict.
Structure
The crypts are divided into three main layers:
- The Upper Crypts: The most accessible layer, where the living Arvendor maintain the seals and perform rituals to honor the dead.
- The Middle Crypts: A deeper and more perilous layer, filled with the remnants of ancient battles, forgotten tombs, and restless spirits. This is where most of the war dead lie, sealed away in sections that few are ever allowed to enter.
- The Deepest Crypts: The most inaccessible and perilous layer, housing the vault where the Runemark of Eternity resides. Only the most trusted Arvendorian elite are allowed here.
The Forgotten Crypts
This hidden area has been intentionally obscured from Arvendor consciousness.
Within the Middle Crypts lie burial grounds and battlefields from the ancient Ombric-Arvendor war. They hold five thousand years of grief, haunting, and unfinished business. They are called "forgotten" not because no one knows of them, but because the Arvendor prefer not to think about them.
The forgotten crypt is a hidden layer that has been purposefully lost to history. Only a few living Arvendorians know of its existence, and even fewer have discovered it. Those that have didn't live long after.
After the war had finished, The Arvendor sealed away the Ombric in the Underworld and declared victory. Then they chose to forget about the crypts and their burden. The crypts exist, but most Arvendor prefer not to think about them. The one exception is Ezekiel. He refuses to forget. He spends decades in the crypts, learning the names of the dead, understanding their stories, preparing rituals to free them. His work is unglamorous and emotionally exhausting. But he insists it is necessary.
There is a significant gap in Arvendor historical records about what happened in the crypts directly after the war ended.
Philosophy
The Arvendor inherited both the Citadel and the duty to maintain it. This is not a burden they chose, but one they accepted. To be Arvendor is, in many ways, to be a custodian of ancient secrets and ancient containment.
Guardians like Sapphire represent this duty. She is one who understand that the Citadel's freedom above depends entirely on eternal vigilance below. Though, it's unknown whether she fully comprehends the nature of the sacrifice required to sustain it.