Atlas

Imarel Travel Guide - by T.A. Saunders ©2010 v1.2

Kingdom of Miroa S`Kyrai One of the few structures in all of Miroa that has not been destroyed by war or passing, is the Citadel S`Kyrai, from which Skaryn the Exiled once reigned over the majority of the sub-continent. The fortress is a massive structure, spanning several dozen city blocks worth in sprawling territory. Originally, the citadel had surrounded an Asyndi palace that was destroyed well before Skaryn ever came to Miroa. There are the remains of several barracks for soldiers and several homes; signs that a town was beginning to flourish within, with a handful of shops lingering in perfect condition for the most part, but abandoned to whatever darkness claimed the populous.

Those who have gone deeply enough into S`Kyrai have documented the ruins of the palace in question, along with a massive observatory, a library that nearly rivals the Great Library in Farwind and countless labyrinthine passages throughout the fortress itself that have long since fallen to disrepair, or collapsed from conflicts that history has no record of happening.

Those adventurous enough to enter S`Kyrai when the arch-lich still controlled it,  have recounted that so long as Skaryn himself remained undisturbed, most people have been able to walk right into the fortress and look at whatever they like, take whatever they like and leave unmolested by the countless undead that once wandered it.

Unfortunately, most of the valuable things people would want, such as the books and scrolls were in the library, where Skaryn used to lurk. Having mastered necromancy beyond all but a handful on Imarel, Skaryn was not to be taken lightly. One tale accounted a group of Moon Elf explorers, accompanied by a whole battalion of mercenary troops from Kasiq being utterly destroyed, save three survivors, for attempting to take the library by force.

Of those three, one later used an awl to bore a hole in his skull to bleed out the nightmares he was having, one smashed his skull open with a hammer for similar reasons and the last survivor managed to scrawl out the tale of this horribly failed venture on the walls of his infirmary room, before gouging out his own eyes with a spoon. Suffice to say, the wise did not challenge Skaryn for the one thing he seems to care about in the whole, vast citadel for centuries untold.

In 1340 AC, an invading force of 12,000 highly trained Warriors of Miroa marched on S`Kyrai with with the express purpose of vacating Skaryn and every last undead fiend that lurked within. The battle raged for weeks, quickly turning into a bloody slog through crowded corridors filled, wall to wall, with various sorts of powerful undead unseen elsewhere in the world. In the end, merely 3,000 soldiers survived, including their commander, Nilharys' son, Arathys and his Bone Fist Battalion.  Overall, this was considered a victory, with the heavy casualties, for having seen the destruction of Skaryn and the liberation of his vast library into the hands of the Miroan King.

Presently, archeologists are winding through the citadel, studying its secrets and unearthing rarities from a time long forgotten. Work crews have also been sent into S`Kyrai with the intention of restoring it, possibly for future use by the Kingdom of Miroa.