Erwood

Erwood was the capital city of E'veschyod, Yrdachai. It stood in an artificial valley in the North Hills, carved out by the Antecedents millennia prior to modern day. E'veschyod, as the region the city now stands was originally named in Old Yrdain, is considered its own state and was founded during the time of the Antecedents some hundred years before Agae Primordia. The circumstances of inner Erwood's construction are to this day, unknown, other than tales that spoke of its architects employing now-extinct supernatural abilities to break rock.

The Royal Palace, which stood on the Ford River, was the oldest standing building in Eia's history until ''The Third Ruin. ''Instead of being constructed from the ground-up, the Palace was carved out from a mountain, and added to in later years. Some of the surviving interior walls still show the ancient rock formations. Greater Erwood was subsequently built by primordians over millennia.

Due to the North Hills' abundance of ahniarak springs, Erwood became a literal powerhouse, distributing raw energy through niaducts to the nearest cities. Fertile land allowed the city to thrive with the added help of the Ford River, which was converted into a canal to prevent flooding.

Erwood was, and arguably remains the holiest and most sacred ground in all of Eia. Even after its destruction in 1752ASE, millions would flock to its ruins for centuries on end. Because of its importance to the Niarist Mond, it was left untouched after the battle that destroyed it, and allowed to be reclaimed by nature. Ultimately, Erwood became a forest and later sanctuary for wildlife, as well as a thriving tourist location.

Etymology & Origin
Erwood used to be called E'veschyod [Ehv-ish-yord] in Old Yrdain, hence the longstanding demonym of its citizens, Evitch. While Erwood has always been regarded as the most sacred ground on Eia, it wasn't the largest city until Ehvylus was destroyed in The Second Ruin.

The Throne
Since the establishment of the monarchy back before time could record, Erwood was the seat of The Primonarch of Eia. An obelisk of unbreakable stone that serves as the Primonarchs' Throne is a remnant of the original mountain that once stood in the early city's place, formerly a stalagmite in a huge cave system that no tool could penetrate. The ornate details of the Throne were added later, but since its discovery, it was considered something of a deity itself.

Citizenship
Erwood held its status as a utopian city for many years, mainly down to the strict citizenship tests required to vet migrants from anywhere. Expecting parents already living in Erwood would be made to ensure their children followed the same requirements. A potential citizen of Erwood was required to have contributed a certain amount to their communities under specific guidelines, and exactly to those guidelines to be considered for entry.

The Third Ruin
In the early winter of 1752 ASR, a legion of The Afterkind appeared in Gallnack, Mechichai, having been summoned through a portstone by The Speaker. This would be the same day marked as The Third Ruin, and resulting reset of the Eian calendar. It took but a week for the host to traverse the landscape and arrive at Erwood completely unseen, as they had, in their dormancy, adapted to travel through water and vapour to avoid early detection and potential repulsion.

Though The Primonarch RorymIII received intel about their approach, there were only a few who believed the news considering the mythical status of The Afterkind (having not existed for thousands of years). By the time he was able to convince even a small number of people that his word was true, The Afterkind had already infiltrated Erwood via the River Ford and were waiting in the molecules of water. The inevitable attack was sprung in the early hours of a foggy morning, allowing thousands upon thousands of glooms to appear across the city at once and begin a devastating mass genocide of Erwood's citizens, completely undetected.

For several hours, the chaotic disorganisation of the Evitch forces attempted to hold off The Afterkind, though they were entirely surrounded and outmatched, while all airborne vessels were redirected to evacuate as many civilians as possible as well as firing on the swarms of glooms and suicidal leapers. Hundreds of these vessels were brought down by the leapers, most of them ploughing into the densely populated districts below, causing further destruction and death. Some of the unfortunate ships came down on the banks of the River, bursting its banks and flooding the lower districts of Greater Erwood, practically wiping anyone still alive away, and washing the water-resistant glooms towards them.

Amidst the fast-unfolding panic, the Ditarch-Prince Devyntias was covertly evacuated from The Royal Palace and taken into The North Hills via an underground tunnel, where he would remain hidden in a refugee group. The Primonarch would tragically fall while defending The Royal Palace, shortly after The Pillar came down on top of it. By the end of the ordeal, tens of millions were slaughtered, and barely a sixth of the Evitch forces remained. The Afterkind ultimately withdrew from the city, not in retreat, but in celebration, leaving behind an ash-plastered ruin that would forever remain a graveyard. While a large number of civilians and soldiers managed the hide in the wreckage until the coast was clear, the majority of those who survived had abandoned their former home and fled into The North Hills, navigating to the nearest towns and cities to find sanctuary.

The first official statement regarding Erwood's fall and additionally, the Primonarch's death, came months after the event, spreading to the regions of Eia one-by-one as a haunting declaration was repeatedly transmitted: 'To all Eians alike, this is an emergency Starhalm transmission. Please remain calm and maintain order. This is an emergency Starhalm transmission. Erwood has fallen. It is with overwhelming sorrow that we announce, His Supremacy The Primonarch has been killed in the valiant defence of His City, laying down his life for ours, amidst the countless thousands whose lives were lost in service to Him. '

Post-Collapse
Erwood was left untouched for several years after the attack, but perhaps had a sizeable population still attempting to live in the ruins and what districts remained relatively unscathed. Due to its destruction happening so quickly and without prior warning, the world wouldn't find out until the first escaping vessels made contact with civilisation beyond The North Hills. It is estimated that the first occurrence of the warning came almost a week after the event, followed by a gradual but slow spread of the information over the next month. This would be accelerated when the reserves of ahniarak emptied and electrical power ran out across most of Yrdachai and Fordachai 2 weeks afterwards. This stage was known as 'The Ash Dawn', as at around the same time as the blackout, an enormous cloud of ash from the fires in Erwood swallowed the sky over northern Fordachai and Venkerhimoat, putting the region in a grey winter.

Over the following years, search & rescue parties would be routinely sent back to Erwood with the aim of moving any remain citizens out, after the site was declared a forbidden, hallowed grave by the word of then-Regent Devyntias Amberfern. This declaration was forgotten later on as it was never officially transcribed, and allowed the Starhalm government to begin excavating the precious stone of the ruin to start construction of New Ehvylus, which Devyntias quickly forbade and shamed. The law surrounding Erwood's ruins was finally set in stone, and the old city was at last left to nature's grasp.

After 200 years, the ruins of Erwood were at last opened to the public in controlled tours in sectioned-off areas. Due to most of Greater Erwood being flooded by the Ford, only the main road to the Palace was traversable, as well as some of the Palace itself. By which point, a vast expanse of flora had almost entirely sealed the ruins in green, giving new life to many species of animals and insects. The post-primonarchy government of Yrdachai ensured the regular maintenance and preservation of the ruins from then on.