Seething and churning with a calamitous fury, the ruins of Old Ildir and her capital of Ildrys are all that remain of the once glorious imperial heartland. It was here so many centuries ago that Balcorion rent the Heavens in twain, beginning the cataclysm that forever changed the course of Runera’s history. Old Ildir, Ildirys, and her surroundings are no longer recognizable after having been swallowed by the land and sea, thrust into a raging maelstrom known as the Maw, an all-consuming calamity of scorched rubble, shattered earth, and the bones of the long-lost. The ever-churning Maw is blanketed by a dense silvery mist, which is said to “drink the souls” of those who dare to tread within it. Neither the mages of the Conclave nor the logicians of [[Sython]] have found magical or rational explanation for its soul-stealing properties, but both have agreed that it is incredibly perilous, and should be avoided at all costs. Few accounts exist of what lies within the maelstrom, let alone its centre, for every ship that has passed through it has either never been seen again or has washed ashore as splintered driftwood many moons later. Many drunkards, [[Sannish|sannish]]-fiends, and other charlatans claim to have borne witness to the Maw’s secrets: a pearl-palace inhabited by alluring mermaids, the Bones of the [[Alor|Allfather]] himself lying in eternal rest, the secret underwater fortress of the survived Black Prince. Yet those who have truly seen what lies beyond the mists are more reticent to loudly discuss their findings around grease-stained tavern tables. In all the historical records the author has researched to illuminate the truth of the mist, the maelstrom, and what hides within, only one has proven of moderate credibility: that of Cécile de Avrais, the lone survivor of the Maywater, a tradeship bound for [[Ryblos]], which was set off course by a fierce storm. Her account is herein reinstated verbatim: > [!quote] <br>The Lost Lands of Runera <br>*Chapter 7: Old Ildir and the Account of Cécile de Avrais* <br>Eirenaios of [[Sython]] *No, no! I will not speak! I will not speak of It! When I do- when I, It hears me, It hears me and It comes to visit. Visit like It did before, in the waters, wrapping Its fingers, warm and wet, around me, around my legs, my thighs, my ears, my eyes. I feel It now, always now. Warm, wet, gentle. It likes best to whisper at night, at night when none can hear me scream.* It is certainly worth noting that, despite being a lady of letters, Cécile’s account was scribed on her behalf by the author Eirenaios, for upon her rescue from the shipwreck, Cécile clawed her own eyes from their sockets so that she might “never see It again.” ## The Old Empire >[!quote] Chapter XVII: Legacy of the Starblood <br>*Her Star Yet Shines: A History of the Ildirian Empire* <br>Pellinet of Leodin, 1,098 AC >*What can be said of a people who possessed everything? Untold riches, legions of slaves, a vast demeans of land, and the power of the stars themselves; this and much more was the birthright of the children of Ildir. Yet it was not enough for them. No conquest could sate their hunger. Thus do I say, with great controversy no doubt, that the night the girl Aurelia plummeted from the Heavens in a falling star marked the beginning of something ill, the birth of a beast with neither reins nor bridle, one whose savagery haunts us to this day.* Ildir did begin as catastrophe. Far from it; what would become the greatest empire of mankind emerged from the verdant grasslands surrounding the River Ildir, what was by all accounts an idyllic sanctum safe from harsh weathers and long winters. These early Ildirians were a simple shepherd folk, and only once did they find themselves pressed from all sides by the rising powers of Egaeia, Cydon, and Vherentia did they shelter behind stone walls and name one man as their king. This young kingdom warred with its neighbors, embarked upon petty conquests, but remained beneath notice for much of its history. That was until the falling star. Late one night in the capital city of Ildiris, the widowed regent Queen Elarys was being scrubbed and perfumed by her bedslaves within the comfort of the Silver Palace's hot springs. Yet as she laid recumbent amidst the swirling steams, a bright light could be seen in the night sky above. At first Elarys and her servants thought it a particularly bright star, but as the light grew every brighter and larger, they became alarmed. Thankfully, they fled from the pool, for but a moment later did plummet from the Heavens a falling star, a flaming meteorite that reduced the hot springs to a seething crater. And then, to the astonishment of the Queen and those present, something crawled out from the star's fiery heart. A young girl. The child looked to be of 5 or 6 years, and was completely naked of clothing and bereft of hair. Nor did she speak the Ildirian tongue, and looked upon the Queen with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Thus begins the story of Aurelia Starfallen. It is a long tale, best not recounted in full, but shortly after the child's fall from the sky she was adopted by Queen Elarys, seeing her arrival for a divine message. She was seemingly proved correct, for but months after Aurelia's "birth," she began to show signs of strange powers: in the morning she would say in her still-crude Ildirian "A storm comes this way," and sure enough rains would fall that evening, where but sunny skies had lingered all day. This mantic ability only strengthened as she entered adolescence, whence she began predicting the movements of foreign armies, the coming of disease, and the withering of crops. The Queen heralded her as a prophet, a child of the gods come to bless them with her gift, and the Ildirian priests confirmed this; having communed with the gods through the maddening process of Divine Possession, they learned that Alor himself had sent Aurelia to this earth, but strangely "not of his first volition." In time, however, Aurelia would reveal the fullness of her power, to the wonder and terror of all. Upon the eve of her 14th nameday, Aurelia Starfallen called down a falling star on the Silver Palace, and her adoptive mother within. The meteorite fell with a calamitous fury, reducing the entirety of the Palace to ash and rubble. Hundreds perished in the destruction. None know why Aurelia chose to slay Queen Elarys and the extended royal family, for all witnesses died in the conflagration, but whether it was a planned act of malice or an accident it matters not. For in the chaotic aftermath, Aurelia rose above the ashes and proclaimed herself "Empress of Ildir, and woe to all who would challenge me." Soon, Queen Elarys was forgotten, and the Ildirians rallied behind their new Empress. Aurelia led the Ildirians on a long and brutal conquest of their old enemies: the mighty Freehold of Vherentia, the rising kingdoms of Egaeia, the ancient houses of Cydon, and many others. By looking to the stars above, Aurelia could summon visions of the future,