Amdapor
Amdapor was a city founded at the beginning of the Fifth Astral Era. One of the city-states that arose around the 3rd century, Amdapor fell as quickly as it appeared. Credited with the creation of White Magic, Amdapor was one of the many magi cities embroiled in the War of the Magi, and held part of the blame for the Calamity of Water.
Beginnings
At the beginning of the Fifth Astral Era, when the survivors of the Endless Frost started banding together and colonizing, a large group of Hyur migrated to Central Aldenard (now known as the South Shroud), using the boughs of the trees for protection from the snow and ice, and the sturdy, plentiful stone there to build homes, eventually forming a community. By the year 1000 of the Fifth Astral Era, the city-state of Amdapor stood strong as a pillar of Eorzea.
The City Proper
The people of the city of Amdapor worshiped the goddess Nophica, the goddess of plenty and abundance, and cherished nature. Though they were unsuccessful in communing with the Elementals, they were nevertheless ingratiated to them and allowed to live on their land, even hunt.
Over several hundred years, Amdapor slowly expanded their territory, ensuring peaceful relations with the neighboring cities, and sharing their abundance and knowledge of nature with them. Over time the other cities grew to view Amdapor as "a respected elder watching over the other eleven cities", and garnered the moniker of Ancient City".
Using the primitive magicks that still remained after the Fourth Umbral Calamity, the people of Amdapor bolstered the defenses of the city, and managed to sow life into the elaborate stone carvings in the city, creating the first Soul Magicks. They used these stone sentinels to ward off invaders, like the Demon Wall, a golem designed to look like a Voidsent to scare off intruders.
When the city of Mhach began studying void and dark magicks and using them to lay siege to the surrounding cities, Amdapor recognized the importance of being able to not only defend themselves against their dark magic, but counter it. Thus did the Amdaporans begin studying how to weave the intent to heal, purify and ward into their magic. Through this study of the arcane, the first White Magic was created.
With White Magic, Amdapor was able to keep Mhach and their void magicks in check, creating an uneasy but sustained peace across the twelve city-states of Eorzea. Looking to Amdapor as an example, the other city-states began their own research into the arcane, developing their own magicks. Eventually, the advancements in spellcraft caused the people of Eorzea to flourish, creating varied cultures and societies, mirroring the advancements the Allagan Empire made with technology. However, this acted as a double-edge sword, as while the city-states maintained the facade of peace, each was preparing for a potential war by mastering their offensive magicks. Amdapor was not immune to the mounting tension either. Though on the outside they appeared to be a bastion of art and culture, many of the stone guardians began appearing on every corner in the city. Eventually, military posturing began to increase. And though the actual catalyst had been lost to history, soon all of Eorzea was engulfed in the War of the Magi.
The Battle of Amdapor
Through their conquest, Mhach invaded several of the city-states, coming eventually to Amdapor. Though the mages there fought valiantly against the Voidsent that flooded into the Amdapor Keep, it was taken with little effort. It wasn't until the Mhachi reached the city proper that the White Mages of Amdapor were able to seal Diabolos, the void-prince, forcing Mhachi to withdraw. Though this victory saved Amdapor, it could not forestall what the war had set in motion; the constant twisting and draining of the aether of the land to sustain the war had corrupted the aether, causing a massive imbalance. by the year 1500, the balance of aether had shifted almost completely towards water-aspected and when the people of Eorzea finally noticed, all the seers in the land could only envision darkness in the future, that a calamity was upon them, and soon the tide would engulf everything.
The Birth of Grand Companies
Though the Calamity of Water was inevitable, the remaining city-states begrudgingly put aside their war and worked together to try to find a solution. Each city formed special task forces to correspond with each other, sharing information and protecting the civilians. These specialized groups would come to be known as the first Grand Companies. The Mhachi developed their Ark, and what remained of the people of Nym were sent out to sea on what what known as Operation Maelstrom. Unfortunately, these efforts were ultimately in vain, as what would come to be known as the Void Ark would ultimately fail and curse the remaining Mhachi people, and the flood would wipe out Amdapor.
The Ruins of Amdapor
Several millennia later, the ruins of The Lost City of Amdapor still stand, though the ruins have been overtaken by mold and fungus due to the corruption of aether caused by the Seventh Umbral Calamity. However, experts believe that the stone structures and relics will be relatively unscathed, as they already stood the test of time. Even today, the information gathered from Amdapor helps historians paint a clearer picture of the past.
Amdapor Keep
The ruins of Amdapor Keep were once concealed by the illusions of the Elementals, however after the Seventh Umbral Calamity, the Lambs of Dalamud had recently broken through their enchantments and taken the ruins as their stronghold, where they would attempt to summon a physical form of Dalamud, whom they believed to be a god trapped in the Lesser Moon. Fortunately, the Warrior of Light and a party of adventurers were able to put an end to their schemes before the summoning could take place.