Creator Ruins
There are still aging signs of the civilization that dominated Rym some three thousand years ago, ruins scattered throughout the northern hemisphere. The Creators built many of their advanced structures out near-timeless materials, such as a metallic-hued concrete that turns aside all elemental forces, or the black steel, adamas, which defelcts even the most powerful magic. Even these materials could not withstand the forces unleashed during the Twilight War, and what little remains is often completely unrecognizable. The largest concentration of these ruins can be found on the continent of Axis, with an additional scattering throughout Penduk and its outlying islands. A detail of these structures and their (former) purposes can be found below.
There are also a number of Wonders, great monuments from the Age of Reason that stupify even the most jaded of travelers. One such wonder, insane as it may be, is the City Mind, an artificial god made by the Creators to combat Rym's true pantheon, and usurp their seat of power. Other include.
The Astral Fans
There are four of these incredible structures (see above illustration) suspended in Rym's troposphere by ageless magic. At an altitude of ten thousand feet, they are merely coin-sized to observers on the ground, but up close each of these gigantic horizontal disks measures a thousand feet across. Within a framework of marble and golden adamas spins an enormous fan, protecting a magical portal between Rym and the astral plane. Each of the fans is named after the wind it generates; North, South, East, and West, and each is colored in a corresponding color of marble (white for north, red for south, blue for east, green for west). The Arcanar are the only ones who have been able to study the fans in any detail; two hang over open ocean near the poles, while the east and west fans are suspended above Endland and Tamara respectively. They believe them to be pressure-control buffers which may have once allowed Rym's weather cells to be run like clockwork.
Each fan operates on a seasonal schedule, though this routine has fallen completely out of order. It may have once been possible to cancel Winter by simply adjusting a few controls. Beyond the stone hoop lies the endless blue void of the astral plane, a faintly shimmering portal opening into a fabulous blue vista of cloudscapes. Unfortunately, the fans spin far too quickly for anyone to slip thought without being sheared to pieces, and even those who want to try must fight through incredible winds just to reach the portal. When not actively generating wind, the fans and portals shut down, leaving a silent, floating monument. The people of Rym have also dubbed them 'cloud shredders' or 'cloud portals'.
The Ready Beacon
Another of Rym's mysterious wonders, the Ready Beacon, is the name given to an unexplained pulse of light that strobes on and off periodically from the surface of Rym's large ocean moon, Tropos. The bright pinprick of light flashes every few seconds, and is visible when covered by phase shadow, or during a new moon. The beacon has been flashing for thousands of years, and has formed the basis of chronology and timekeeping for the more advanced races. The precise intervals have gone unchanged throughout history. With a decent spyglass, and clear skies (both on Rym and Tropos), one can make out small dots of land around the pulse-emitter, which may be a tower of some kind.
Nobody knows the significance of the Ready Beacon. It may simply be a marker, or a Machine of some kind. Without actually traveling to the surface of Tropos, it's quite hard to tell. Even the origins of its name are shrouded in mystery, going back to the days of the Twilight War. Some of Rym's inhabitants have given the light spiritual significance, while others have attributed it to clashing titans or other mystical phenomona. There is, however, a very good reason for this wonder's name. Find out.
Industrial: These could be the remains of a factory, refinery, technology center, or any other partially or fully-automated facility. Most contain dead, rusted-out equipment, heavily deteriorated commodities, and possibly skeletal remains. Looming mechanized arms, delapitated fractioning towers or smoke stacks, cranes, pumps, and other such mechanized items are also quite common. Most industrial ruins contain a great deal of metal, some of which may be salvageable. There is only a minute chance that any of the equipment will function, and an even smaller chance of figuring out what the function is.
Residential: Ruins of this sort were once homes or dwellings of some kind. They could be toppled apartment complexes, rubble-filled house foundations, or even the remains of communal living areas such as a school or hospital. These light structures fared the worst during the Twilight war, most being composed of light wood, metal, and stone, easily incinerated, washed away, or crushed. Residential ruins are also the most frequently looted, often containing large numbers of skeletal remains and their strange personal effects. Some have even become home to monsters or bands of thieves.
Commercial: Most commercial ruins include stores, warehouses, shopping centers, and other business-related structures. Most have been heavily looted, both before and after the Twilight war, and anything left behind was probably well hidden. Only certain categories of goods could possibly have endured the ages, and, when found, most of these items end up being mis-applied and therefor rarely live up to any dangerous potential. Some of these structures may even contain hidden troves of jeweled Creator coins, which now form a large portion of the Tamaran economy.
Military: Structures of this kind tend to be in the best shape, having been built to withstand the ravages of war. Many of them didn't even manage that. Structures such as hangars, air strips, munition dumps, or personel bunkers are just a few relics left behind by the Twilight War. These structures may contain Creator weapons, though few, if any, will be in working order. They may also be guarded by semi-functional security systems, such as automatic guns, U-frames, or anti-personel mines. they tend to be well-sealed if still intact, and many will contain skeletal remains in rotting military uniforms.
Landmark: Creator landmarks include such things as giant, toppled statues, erroded monuments, faded murals, and other works of achitectural art. Most of these were built during Rym's golden age, and reflect a civilization of splendors, now crumbling to dust as the eons pass. Some of these landmarks have been hauled off to the Tamaran Empire as a tribute to the Decider, but most are too heavy or too far gone to make it worthwhile. Other landmarks include pre-war temples, overgrown park plazas, crumbling arches, bridges, and other aethetic feats of construction.
War Machine: This could be a rusting hulk of some sort, such as an armored vehicle or crashed aerodyne. It could also be dead U-frame of greater-than-average size. Dead war machines are generally quite harmless, though some may still contain unexploded ammunition or poisonous emitions of some sort. Creator war machines have a distinctly gothic look, and most are stamped with the insignia of the old empire - a black-gauntleted fist clutching the sun. Some may even contain components that may be salvaged by other Machines, be they weapons or task modules.
Motorway: During the Age of Reason, the Creators contructed vast networks of paved roads that allowed for rapid, linear transportation between cities. These motorways are little more than cracked fragments now, mostly overgrown or buried over the centuries. Some, however, are still relatively functional, and some small towns have cropped up along those stretches used by merchant caravans to cut down on travel time. Some of these ruined motorways also contain rusted hulks of engine carriages, most of which are little more than twisted framework.
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