Amkala
Did you know that Arkovia is the ancient birthplace of the Rhowari? I could tell you much of this land if you have time for a tale.
Please, I'd be interested to hear the tale of Old Arkovia.
The ruins that dot the landscape here were once part of a thriving culture in ancient times. Arkovia prospered by acting as a trade hub between the western lands and the great lake.{^n}{^n}From the little fishing village of New Harbor, which is hardly a harbor at all, the stone pylons of Arkovia's once massive docks can be seen still jutting from the water, the wood long rotted away.


Farewell.
How did Arkovia fall?
Arkovia was a proud city but its people were overly obsessed with war and titles. The nobility constantly maneuvered and plotted against one another, sometimes leading Arkovia into civil war.{^n}{^n}Some seasons, little was planted as the common men from different fiefs were called to arms by lords squabbling with one another. Eventually, society collapsed and a weakened Arkovia became easy prey to outside powers.Provinces were lost and the domain of Akrovia contracted, yet the city itself was never conquered by foreign foes. Its death was far more sinister...


Farewell.
What did happen to the city of Arkovia then?
In the final years, decades after Rhowan, the last king of Arkovia and the father of the Rhowari, abdicated the throne, the great houses came to outright war over the vacant throne.{^n}{^n}Eventually, an Oligarchy formed comprised of the most powerful remaining houses. Each was ever maneuvering and plotting against the others, all believing that if they could only seize power for themselves, they could usher in a new golden era for the city.Their machinations wrought only destruction and misery, hastening Arkovia to its ruin and driving them in turn to pursue desperate measures that brought them ruin on a catastrophic scale. Its weight is still heavy upon this land.


Farewell.
You mentioned necromancers played a part in the final fall?
The final doom of Arkovia, that which has cursed these lands ever since, was indeed delivered by necromancers. Necromancy is an ancient art but it flourished during the early days of Arkovia's history. That is until it was outlawed.{^n}{^n}Necromancers were hunted down and jailed in the Steps of Torment. There they were punished for their transgressions against nature, but the dark art could never be fully stamped out.It is said that one of the necromancers imprisoned in the tower never aged, even after decades of imprisonment, and they found that he could not be killed by any means within their power.{^n}{^n}He was known by the name Uroboruuk and his seeming immortality turned against him on the torturer's table. In the end though, he had his vengeance...


Farewell.
How did this Uroboruuk manage to carry out his vengeance?
As Arkovia waned, the Oligarchs became increasingly desperate and driven to extreme measures.{^n}{^n}When they learned of Uroboruuk and his strange immortality, they were foolishly intrigued. The great houses lusted for the secret knowledge by which they could achieve immortality for their bloodlines and they thought to compel that knowledge from the necromancer.{^n}{^n}Uroboruuk played upon their desires and betrayed them with a false ritual that they were all too eager to believe. The souls of the Akrovians were bound eternally to their cursed city while their mortal flesh decayed.


A Grim tale indeed. If only there was a way to ease the suffering of this land.
I sense there is something you're holding back?
Yes, the most terrible part of this tale. I had thought not to speak it but you seem determined to seek the full truth.{^n}{^n}The last part of the tale is of the children birthed after the ritual's magic had taken hold. They entered this world horribly deformed and inhuman. Their feet were said to be clawed and from their backs sprouted diseased plumage, like the feathers of birds who feast upon the dead. Not many venture into the Broken Hills anymore, but those who do say these accursed children of Arkovia have endured and now prey upon travelers who pass through those lands.{^n}{^n}Thus the doom of Arkovia was complete, wiping out the past and future bloodlines of the great houses and cursing these lands to this day.

Farewell.
I have to be on my way.
May your path be true.
Farewell.
Go in peace, but beware the spirits of this land. They are treacherous.
I'll heed your words.
You are always welcome here.


Thank you, I'll remember that.
