Fortuna in Palia: where it is and what's there

map: Royal Highlands
Type: Ancient Ruins

The City of Kings truly lives up to the splendor of its name.
–Ulysia

Fortuna was a large Ancient Human city that was once located in the Royal Highlands in Palia.

Location

Fortuna, also known as “the City of Kings”, was a city of the Ancient Humans, situated in the northern half of the Royal Highlands. Since the old palace of King Mudan is located nearby, it can be assumed that Fortuna lay within his empire, which was presumably called Valeria.

The exact location of the city is unknown, but Ulysia described in her first letter that she could see Fortuna and its markets even from the hills of the Steps of Renova. The moniker “the City of Kings” indicates that King Mudan's palace – that was later extended to include Enfield Manor – was considered part of the city. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the Formae Amphitheatre and the Forum were within the city boundary, or at least, close-by. If, what is now called Old Fortuna, was located in the city as well, then Fortuna must have been a metropolis, spanning both sides of the Kestra River and encompassing large parts of the northern Royal Highlands.

Description

Fortuna was a rich city; Ulysia wrote about its “splendor” and was awed by the "bustling markets".

History

It is not known when Fortuna was founded, but during the reign of King Mudan, and before the Mirror Protocol, when Ulysia first saw the city, it was already large. Because of this, the proximity of the royal palace and its markets, Fortuna must have been of trans-regional importance for the Ancient Humans. Ulysia herself established a merchant guild in the city that spanned the empire, furthering Fortuna's prestige and fortune.

When Ulysia was of old age, the use of immortality serums was seemingly wide-spread among the citizens to the point that death was considered “taboo”. This probably fell in the period after Aurus' discovery of Cosmoflow.

What exactly happened to the city during the final period of the Ancient Humans and after their disappearance remains uncertain for now. The entire area, where Fortuna must have been located, has been reclaimed by nature; only ruins of the Ancient Humans and traces of Amber Echo remain.