The Ruins of Auromia

Auromia was once the capital of the world. Its gold dragon rulers transformed the city into a monument of their rule, full of palaces, temples, statues and fountains. It was said that at its heyday, the city boasted over a million inhabitants. As implausible as that figure may sound, in these days where even the largest cities do not reach even a fifth of that total, the gold dragon emperors had established infrastructure to ensure that even the poorest citizens had an excellent standard of living, and food was imported in from across the world to feed them. 

With the fall of the gold dragons, the Eternal City's decline began. The High Ordinarchs established themselves in Auromia, but the disruption meant that the city's population plummeted to more realistic levels. Ancient noble families with estates in the countryside took over the administration of Auromia. The city's decay became complete when the Ordinacy, due to the influence of the green dragons, moved to Aterni.

Auromia is now an empty city, its population barely 30,000. Its remaining citizens live in poverty, in the middle of crumbling and abandoned buildings. Grass grows through the streets, and wild dogs roam them. The noble families who live nearby feud between themselves for scraps of empty prestige, while bandit gangs go unchecked in the city. Nicola di Enrico is its self-proclaimed lord, and is trying to restore its past glories. The city is still seen to be important symbolically, but the few visitors can see that its time is past.

Image result for roman ruins painting
Art: 'A Capriccio View of Roman Ruins'. Giovanni Paolo Pannini, 1737.

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