Arch of Aroden

Ships pass through the Arch of Aroden.

The Arch of Aroden is a partially ruined, monolithic arch hundreds of feet in height and width and 15 miles long that stretches across the Hespereth Strait in far southwestern Cheliax, connecting the northern continent of Avistan to Garund. Both ends have been a part of the nation of Cheliax since their victories in Garund in 4137 AR, much to the consternation of the neighboring nation of Rahadoum. Through the heavily fortified port city of Corentyn, which controls the northern end of the arch, and the town of Khari on the southern end, Cheliax can effectively regulate all trade and naval traffic through the western part of the Inner Sea.

History

Avistan and Garund were not always separated by water. Before the impact of the Starstone in -5293 AR, a land bridge connected the two continents, exactly where the Arch is now located.

Beginning in 2555 AR, thousands of exiled clerics and faithful worshipers fled north across the straits as the Laws of Mortality spread from the city of Azir throughout the entire nation of Rahadoum, ending the Oath Wars. These refugees fled intense religious persecution in their homeland and poured across the strait into the city of Corentyn, to the great dismay of the local Chelaxian authorities. Amidst the religious upheaval and civil unrest their emigration had caused, a plan for the construction of a bridge connecting the continents emerged under the leadership of Lord Kevid Chemoch, ruler of Corentyn. Lord Chemoch succeeded in finding a way to focus all of the city's religious fervor and created a combination large public works project reliant upon slave labor, and a tribute to the god Aroden. The arch was completed in 2606 AR. Numerous invasions from the south were attempted using the Arch, until Cheliax seized control of its southern terminus in 4137 AR.

After the collapse of the Arch, the keystone was dragged from the seabed by the azarketis of Killiani and gifted to Andoran in 4670 AR. The Archstone bears the symbol of Aroden and was used in the construction of a monument to Talmandor in the Field of Concord known as the Archstone Monument.

The Arch today

Ships pass near the southern end of the Arch of Aroden in Khari.

What remains of the Arch's northern span begins in and composes the western edge of Corentyn, which is built around the foot of the arch and whose walls connect to the Arch. The southern span abuts Khari.

With the center third of the arch collapsed, the Arch is no longer an effective bridge between the continents, even though it remains a dominant visual feature of the settlements of Corentyn and Khari. The Arch also acts as an important marker of the end of the Inner Sea's relative security before entering the more dangerous Arcadian Ocean, or vice versa.

Deep beneath the Arch in the Hespereth Strait and unbeknownst to people on the surface, Killiani's azarketis work toward unknown ends with ulat-kini allies to sink ships and sacrifice sailors to an artifact that calls itself the Eye of the Slumberer. Their attacks were long performed quietly under the cover of night, but as of 4715 AR had become brazen enough to draw the attention of the Chelaxian Navy.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.