The Ancient Ruins of Antarctica are a series of underground structures built by the Tolgethic peoples, a lost civilization that practiced ancient magic, approximately 150,000 to 100,000 years ago. The ruins, along with their mysterious supernatural powers, were discovered by modern humans at the beginning of the New Era when settlers began establishing colonies there.
These ancient underground structures have been found mainly in west Antarctica, in present-day Aetheria. Ruins have also been discovered in New Victoria, Rothera, and the Polar Territory. Evidence has been found of ruins in Espya as well, but the Espyan government denies these claims.
The discovery of such extensive ancient ruins in an area where no human civilization was previously thought to have existed caused an upheaval in archaeological and historical communities across the world. As history was rewritten overnight, thousands of scholars and explorers flocked to the Antarctic colonies in the ensuing years for a chance to explore the ruins. In an effort to prevent the strange powers within from getting out to the world at large, the Torchlight Historical Society formed to research the ruins and their magic in secret.
In the year 366, the existence of the ancient ruins is common knowledge in Aetheria and the world, however, the existence of magic remains top secret and tightly controlled by the Torchlight Society. Despite this, Aetheria is rife with urban legends about strange occurrences and paranormal activity, earning it the nickname "the most haunted country in the world."
There are around 20 large underground ruin sites known throughout Antarctica, and many hundreds more smaller sites under and above ground. Although groups like the Torchlight Society have extensively searched the continent for more ruins, some have been constructed many miles below ground, so they have not ruled out the possibility of some locations remaining undiscovered.
The Democratic Federation of Aetheria holds the majority of discovered ruins. The first ruins discovered were the Nightwind Catacombs beneath what is now the town of Nightwind, southwest of Avondale. Other significant ruin sites include the Pewter Mountain Ruins, the Ancient Stadium of Rothenia, the Nacahst Island Ruins, and Highgate Temple.
Highgate Temple is the largest and best preserved above-ground structure, located on a mountain north of Highgate. The temple is open to the public and attracts thousands of tourists every year.
The Seaside City is one of the largest ruins, stretching for miles beneath the northernmost part of the Rotheran peninsula. The local government maintains it in cooperation with the Torchlight Society.
Mostly smaller ruins have been found in present day New Victoria, although the government works with Torchlight in an ongoing search to uncover larger ruins.
Several smaller ruins have been discovered in the central Polar Territory, the neutral territory in the center of Antarctica which contains the south pole.
Although evidence of several large ruins in the east Antarctic country of Espya has circled online since the early 3rd century, their government denies the existence of any such ruins. Nevertheless, the Espyan Archaeological Division of Historical Discovery has existed since Espya's founding, though its operations are even more secretive than the Torchlight Society. The two organizations have a tense relationship, and both are believed by the general public to regularly spy on each other.
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