Aeor


 * &rarr; For the episode of the same name, see .

 was a pre-Calamity floating city that crashed in Eiselcross, currently being excavated by a few outposts for the ancient relics to be found there.

History
Long ago, the massive flying city-state of Aeor was a place of invention and magic, ruled by its mages, and considered one of the most powerful of the pre-Calamity arcane societies. Held aloft by brumestone, the bluish stone used in sky ships with the property of being easily enchanted to lift, Aeor's people had grown powerful enough to create weapons capable of killing the gods.

However, the city also suffered from tumult within, even as its success and growing abilities drew the ire of the gods. During the Calamity, a consortium of both the Prime Deities and Betrayer Gods called a truce long enough to crash the city onto the island of Foren in Eiselcross. It was believed that there were no survivors from the fall of Aeor.

Aeor was long believed to have been obliterated and its location forgotten. However, artifacts and relics from Aeor began to be discovered and started making their way into the Empire around 828 or 829 PD. Dwendalian, Uthodurnian, Xhorhasian, and mercenary expeditions began searching the hazardous terrain of its crash site for more. Kryn Dynasty and Empire outposts are currently excavating what remnants they are able to access of the fallen city.

Lady Vess DeRogna offered the Mighty Nein unspecified work "in the north" to be done sometime after the peace talks concluded. When the party inquired at her residence, she asked for their assistance with an expedition to Foren to investigate Aeorian ruins for artifacts.

Caleb was able to recognize and recall that the material used to power both the golems and the collar that he recovered from the Heirloom Sphere does not exist naturally, but was utilized as an arcane battery-type technology that was employed by some of the top echelon of archmages during the Age of Arcanum, and that some elements of it had been traded, usually scavenged from the ruins of Aeor to the north.

Crash Sites
When the city was brought down during the Calamity, the bulk of it crashed onto the island of Foren in Eiselcross. Large and small sections of it broke off during its descent and are scattered in various locations across the island. Some of the crash sites have been mapped, identified, and to greater or lesser extents, explored.

A2
The A2 crash site was at the bottom of a deep pit. The buried ruins in one direction held a street with a stasis bubble in which were frozen three of the ancient inhabitants of the city. The other tunnel led to a biological research facility containing several Aeorian hunters in stasis and at least one creature which had broken loose. Beyond that was a massive aboretum of warped and corrupted trees leading to a room containing a threshold crest.

A5
At the A5 crash site was a room in which was embedded a particularly large (one-and-a-half to two feet wide) threshold crest, which are used for teleporting entire cities between planes.

Cognouza Ward

 * &rarr; Main article: Cognouza.

One section of the city of Aeor was called the Cognouza Ward, and the leaders of that ward were called the Somnovem. The Somnovem orchestrated Cognouza's escape from the destruction of Aeor, and wish now to return. They betrayed Aeor to ensure their survival.

Praesidis Ward
The Mighty Nein entered the Praesidis Ward during their exploration of the ruins of the city. The location was identified as "Convocation Grounds, Central Deliberations", and held a large amphitheater with hundreds of mummified bodies surrounding a raised dais and podium. A central figure near the podium was caught in a stasis bubble at the moment the city was destroyed and the rest of the crowd annihilated. The neighborhood also held several other official-looking buildings among the homes.

Fauna

 * Aeorian hunters
 * Aeorian absorber
 * Aeorian nullifier
 * Aeorian reverser

Trivia

 * The names of the three wards identified to date appear to have latin roots:
 * Cognouza: cognoscere (to learn, to know, or knowledge)
 * Praesidis: praesidi (guard, help, protection)
 * Ars: ars (science, skill/craft/art)