Sunken Ruins

The Sunken Ruins located in Yuriba Lake is really more a single ruin, a series of rooms that makeup one building. The lack of a roof over most of it, and the loss of some walls, helps to give the illusion of it being multiple buildings. Deep within the lake, only a skilled swimmer can easily hope to explore them.

Burial and Recovery

The exact details of how the ruin came to be at the bottom of the lake are unknown, but it is easy to assume that an earthquake broke the island on the lake and caused the building to sink into the water. The active, living state of the lake and the river that flows into it, caused the ruin to be buried in silt and mud, the cool temperature at the bottom of the lake and the silt helping to preserve the ruin rather well.

Early in 2004, the mage-quake which struck the island helped to expose the ruins, the brief flood of water which flowed through the river into the lake strong enough of a current to push away the silt. The strength of the quake likely also raised the earth somewhat, further helping to expose the ruin.

Features

The ruins are rather extensive, multiple rooms making up a significant building, a mansion even by modern standards, likely something near castle like for the era of the building, the Ancient Era. A Lilian merchant's home, the expanse of the building a testament to the merchant's wealth. Most of the rooms are empty, whatever was within them having been washed away, but a few shards of pottery are still easy to find.

Most of the walls are broken, but several still have hint of murals, though exact detail are still difficult to see. The easiest identifier of the era of the ruin would be the arch of Black Marble, the Lily Civilization the only known group on Yuriba to have used the marble in any abundance.

The main feature, and exploratory draw of the ruin, is a spiral staircase descending further into the ruin, no silt or mud blocking the way further in.