Elysara

Metropolis: Population 82,139 (79% human, 12% letheni, 5% vesperkin, 4% other)

History

Elysara is the heart of the Rathmore Empire, and the second largest city in the world. The city was founded in the Age of Creation, but took until almost the Reckoning period to grow to its current size. It was originally a city state within the Erumore Hegemony during the Age of Creation, but after Torrel Rathmore held a dinner party for the leaders of the hegemony and slaughtered them, demanding fealty from those who remained, he instituted himself as the sole ruler over northern Arak and so began the Rathmore Empire in the early Upheaval period.

Following the Age of Darkness, when it was discovered that the terrible dark creatures that assaulted Aellorah from the skies were attracted to magic, King Torrel Rathmore outlawed magic under penalty of death. This tradition has been upheld until modern day, though the reasons for outlawing it have been forgotten to time. In modern times, the Rathmore family has created much propaganda to convince the masses that magic is a tool of darkness used by evil people, and that one can only trust their own skill and combat prowess. This warped view is due in part to the Rathmore Empire's extremely militaristic views, and also enforced by the emergence of the Grave Rot Plague centuries ago, which the Rathmore Empire made claims was the doing of a sorcerer.

Though Elysara was hit hard by the Grave Rot Plague, they recovered more quickly than other parts of the world where Humans are present due large in part to their policy on mandatory birth rates, enforcing requirements on each citizen to have a certain number of children before age 30, and restricting trades in which men and women are able to partake. These mandatory birth rates were instituted following the Grave Rot Plague, but have yet to change, resulting in the city's explosive growth.

Government

Elysara is the seat of power in the Rathmore Empire, whose current ruler is King Colton Rathmore. He dwells within the Vegora Exelus, the royal palace, which sits atop a small mountain in the city. King Colton is despised around the world for his family's long-standing tyrannical rule over northern Myr, which dates back to the Upheaval period. Many think King Colton a hypocrite for ruling from the seat of the palace while preaching strength among his people. But King Colton is an accomplished fighter on his own, skilled with both spear and shield, and the bow. Though it is true that he far prefers hunting, going on days-long hunting trips with his Vegoramudidi, to hunt everything from boars and deer, to bandits and harpi.

Economy

Elysara has a flourishing economy built around production of military equipment, blacksmithing and smelting, textiles, and food. Scarcity is uncommon among the common folk; though the unfortunate reality is that this is only possible due to the fact that the city uses slave labor to gather resources, making materials to produce goods dirt cheap. Many raw materials come from the town of Dulentis far to the west, which is a penal colony where slaves and criminals gather ore, lumber, and other raw goods that are sold extremely cheaply to artisans around the city.

Smiths with the knowledge to work with Esciten are almost like celebrities, as it is the pride and joy of the Myrmidoni. The general public is not aware of how Esciten works beyond just a general knowledge that it absorbs magic. The knowledge that Esciten can be grown by feeding it charged Flow is kept secret from the public. The city handles Esciten refinement in the town of Iscabal near Mt. Valgar, and the raw ore is brought to Elysara for refinement and processing. The metal is kept under the second most secure guard in the Empire, next to the Vegora Exelus.

Notable Locations

• Vegora Exelus - The royal palace is an ostentatious place, built from white and black granite, decorated with blue granite accents and bronze, plants hanging from high, and with walking mats made from woven grass. The palace is the dwelling of King Colton Rathmore, and all members of the Rathmore family before him. The palace is one of the most well-guarded places in all of Aellorah, and not much is publicly known about the interior. What is known is that it contains one of the most well-tended gardens in the city. There are rumors that the palace is haunted due to the thousands of Letheni who have lost their lives to the Rathmore Empire's cruelty over the years, as screams can be heard throughout late at night; however, some have alternative theories about these screams, attributing them to King Colton himself.
• Chetha Sezan - A large memorial garden located in the heart of the city. There is a large monument in the center of the park surrounded by three of the most influential figures in the city's history; Torrel Rathmore, the Rathmore Empire's first king; Marcel Decat, a Myrmidon turned hero who led the charge to stop the Sithi-ji invasion of the Empire in the last Restoration period; and Erigan Tolinn, the smith who discovered and harnessed Esciten. The garden also contains statues of various other kings throughout the Empire's history. It is socially expected that citizens will routinely visit the garden to pay respects to the three at the central monument. If it is noticed that someone has not paid their respects in more than a month, they can be publicly flogged.
• Vegora Luthell il Myrmidoni - This academy located near the lake is the training grounds for the Empire's Myrmidoni, the elite soldiers that have allowed the Rathmore family's tyranny to exist for so long. The Myrmidoni are taken as children at the age of 7 and trained in the spear and shield. They are also taught to read and write, and are indoctrinated by the Rathmore Empire's harmful rhetoric in order to continue the cycle. Those who question the Empire's dogma are given only a single chance to understand their error of their questioning; as further questioning is met with quiet execution. The final test of the Myrmidoni is a triathlon involving swimming two miles, running five miles, and then a fight against another Myrmidon, in which the victor must kill the other. Completing this final test earns a Myrmidon an Esciten shield, and they are inducted into the Empire's military.
• Valen il Paltos - This enormous arena lies at the base of the mountain atop which sits the Vegora Exelus. It is 400 ft. in diameter and has several structures within for large scale battle training, competitive combat games, and the most distasteful form of entertainment -- Letheni hunts. The Myrmidoni use the arena to do large scale combat simulations, which the public may watch. There are frequent games and competitions held here, the former for entertaining the masses, and the latter for entertaining King Colton. These competitions are used as a way to earn the favor of King Colton in the hopes of becoming Vegoramudidi, King Colton's royal guard. Those who manage to win a competition may challenge one of the Vegoramudidi, and should they best them in combat, they may kill them to take their place among the royal guard. Those who fail are disgraced and their bodies are fed to wild dogs. The most horrifying event that the city's citizens gather for are the Letheni hunts, in which a multi-level maze-like building is employed in which Letheni slaves are released and hunted by combatants. Letheni who manage to reach the top of the maze and touch a flag are exempt from the games and hunts for one year. However, most do not make it this far.
• Nerol il Gavini - Camps found not far from the Valen il Paltos where the Letheni are kept. They are surrounded by Myrmidoni and used for slave labor. The camps use poor quality cloth for tents that soak in the rain and do not hold up well. Due to their poor living conditions, mistreatment, and hunts, it is not uncommon for rebellion to cross their minds. However, less than one hundred Letheni have ever escaped captivity in Elysara, and most who do are hunted down by the Myrmidoni immediately. Those who try to resist or rebel aren't executed -- their families are; followed by public humiliation.
• Vespen Mell - An enormous lake more than 120 miles wide at its largest point that serves as a source of water and fish for the city. Its name means "midnight lake", and is so named for the dark waters, which are due to its extreme depth. The lake reaches all the way into a subterranean water source in the Deephollow; though none have managed to explore the furthest reaches, as doing so would require magical intervention, which is outlawed. The name is also associated with the fact that those who go swimming in the lake after midnight seem to go missing, leading to the city cautioning citizens not to swim in the lake at night.

Culture

The most prominent part of culture among the Rathmore Empire is their obsession with strength and their military. Men especially in the military cannot bear to be perceived as weak, and there is even a cliff near the Vegora Exelus where Myrmidoni cast themselves off of if dishonored. Refusing to serve in the military is not an option if you are able-bodied and among the first three born to your mother. There is a great degree of shame placed upon children too weak to become Myrmidoni. The process to become a Myrmidon is grueling, and more than half of children taken to the Vegora Luthell il Myrmidon do not survive. Myrmidoni are conditioned from a young age to crave recognition for their skill and strength, and to abhor weakness.

This is no more prevalent than in the games and competitions held at the Valen il Paltos, a large arena at the base of the mountain where Myrmidoni compete to earn King Colton's favor. There are regular tournaments, and the glory of earning recognition from King Colton is more than enough of a reward for those involved; but those who can best one of King Colton's Vegoramudidi (royal guard) in combat can finish them off to take their place -- though this does not happen often. The Valen il Paltos also hosts games of all kinds, the most distasteful of which are called Valen il Nerol (trash games), in which Letheni slaves are dragged out to the field and used as fodder for young Myrmidoni in training, hunting them in a large maze-like structure. Letheni who are able to reach the top before being caught and killed are excluded from the games for one year.

The Letheni are universally slaves and servants in Elysara. No Letheni may move about the city freely; they wear iron collars and are escorted by slave drivers. The locals have been conditioned to believe that the Letheni are monsters in humanoid form, like a Goblin, that use their humanoid appearance to deceive Humans into thinking they are one of them so that they can feed on them at night. It is possible that this belief was in some way influenced by vampirism in Myr, which while less common than in Arak, is still present. Locals spit on the Letheni in the streets, and Letheni who have displeased their masters can be punished by having the tips of their ears cut off.

There is no more dangerous place for those gifted with magic to be than in northern Myr, especially Elysara. Magic use is punishable by death, and there are frequent public executions of suspected or confirmed magic users. The Sorcerer's Cabal has lost many promising associates to these witch hunts, as citizens have been led to believe that magic is a tool of darkness used by corrupt, evil people. Because they value physical prowess and martial skill, magic is seen as 'cheating' and dishonorable; something only a coward would use. Because of this hate for magic, more than a few have been accused of sorcery by those who want to get rid of them, leading to false witch hunts. To some degree, King Colton has tried to prevent false accusations by threatening harsher punishments for false accusers, but this doesn't work simply because it is more difficult for the accused to prove their innocence than for the accuser to accuse them.

Myrmidoni generally only serve from when they turn 15 until they are 35, at which point they age out and can retire. After retirement, most pursue trades such as blacksmithing or other artisan professions in order to produce goods and services needed by the Empire. Generally, professions such as smithing, smelting, textile production, stonemasonry, and others that produce materials useful to efforts of conquest are seen as more honorable, and there is a sort of caste system in place where those with skills considered more valuable to the Empire are afforded more luxuries than others. Myrmidoni take great pride in the Esciten shields they receive during training, and will not part with it short of death. Myrmidoni make sure to recover any Esciten from fallen soldiers so it does not fall into enemy hands, and it is presented to their family when they die. Being handed down a father's shield is a great honor for a son.

Defenses

Elysara does not have the typical walls seen around cities of similar size. This is for several reasons; the soil surrounding the city is fairly saturated and can't support structures as heavy as stone walls. It's also a matter of pride, perhaps arrogance, that the Myrmidoni don't consider The Commonwealth to be a real threat, trusting that their patrols and army will keep any threat away. They're not entirely wrong, as The Commonwealth has struggled to get anywhere near the city, but they're far from impregnable. Buildings in the city are typically built on distributed foundations using stone pillars buried in the ground packed with gravel to prevent them from sinking.

The mountain on which Vegora Exelus resides is a different matter entirely. With a much sturdier foundation, there are a number of strong defenses against invasion that would make it very difficult to ascend. The roads leading up to the top have outcroppings above them with heavy rocks which can be dropped onto the road as weapons, and to block passage. There is also a rail system built along the mountainside going up the path with a groove cut into it that allows a beam to ride along, sticking out over the path, atop which a spring-loaded spinning blade sits, ready to cut in half anyone who dares to approach uninvited. The rail is also used to guide other defenses and utilities down the mountain, such as smoking barrels to obscure the path. Myrmidoni also sit atop the outcroppings ready to drop boiling oil on invaders. Finally, there are several portions of the road that have gaps that have retractable bridges sitting over them that can be pulled up to prevent advancement.

The city makes use of an identification paper system. Those entering the city who do not have identification papers from the Empire are subject to extremely strict questioning, bordering on psychological torture. Those wishing to trade with the Empire would be far better suited to travel to Luxandra. They show preferential treatment to Humans, and then Vesperkin. All other races will be subject to extreme scrutiny. However, Sylvareth will be immediately executed, as they are seen as an abomination.

It goes without saying that the Myrmidoni act as the city's defense and law enforcement, so it is a martial law territory.

Crime

There are very low levels of crime in Elysara for the simple reason that punishment is very harsh here. You can be tied up and dragged through the streets while residents throw things at you for an offense as minor as graffiti, or worse depending on the content of said graffiti. Theft is punished by the removal of one of the offender's hands. Repeat offenders are tortured by the Myrmidoni. Offenders of violent crimes more serious than fist fights are simply executed; though if the offense was against a woman, you will be severely tortured first. With the city's opinions of Letheni, it is unsurprising that they are put to death for even minor offenses, to ensure obedience.