Artaraka

Early History
Artaraka was first peopled by exiled criminals from Vash'eth, who had been sentenced to "execution" via an unstable portal near the magical city. Portals had been known to instantly kill those who went through them if the conditions were right, and this particular portal had never once brought anyone back. In truth, it simply sent victims to the island of Artaraka, a tropical island located off the coast of Kiarous.

While many exiled this way did in fact perish due to starvation and exposure, eventually stragglers managed to combine their efforts and form small villages on the island. Newcomers were quickly inducted into the society of outcasts and taught how to survive. Vash'eth eventually faced destruction in the War of the Three, cutting off this stream of newcomers and their news of the outside world. Isolated from the rest of the world, the denizens of Artaraka slowly forgot their origins. Tales were passed down of benevolent dragonlords casting their beloved servants to a far away land, lest they suffer the destruction and death brought upon Vash'eth by vengeful gods.

Eventually other portals were discovered in the jungles and mountains of the island. With inquisitive minds constantly at work, Artarakan mages activated the portals, rejoining the outside world for the first time. Their isolation gave them plenty of time to experiment with the portals, tinkering and testing for centuries as the rest of the world plunged into chaos. Outposts were formed in remote locations scattered across Creation, closely guarding the portals that Artaraka controlled, as well as the secrets of their research.

Recent Events
While still rather secretive, Artaraka has become much more open to the outside world in the past century or so. Its outposts remain carefully guarded and outsiders strongly discouraged to not approach, but Artarakan cities in Kiarous are largely open to outsiders. These lands function as a source of income and resources for the ever-expanding experiments of the mages.