Virtue

The city of Virtue is the capital of the Kingdom of Vah'kan. King Vah'dis lives here. It is lodged deeply within a valley of the Spine, and its fresh water comes from Lake Virtue.   Though dwarfed in size by Qarah's Dream, Virtue is nonetheless one of the largest cities in all of Aj'kar. It was built entirely around the castle of the King, Righteousness; all roads lead to the castle, one way or the other. The city is heavily patrolled; not only does this prevent attempts on the King's (or his Descendants') live, it also makes sure that the crime rate in the city is extremely low. Indeed, Virtue may be one of the safest cities in all of Aj'kar. However, as a trade-off, even offenses that would be considered minor in other cities are punished here. King Vah'dis insists on keeping his seat of power as clean as possible; both figuratively and literally.   Despite the harshness of the laws in this city (or perhaps because of it), many buildings that normally would not be found in Siarvald have been built here. This includes the Yasamaqi embassy, as well as a prestigious magic school known as the School for Virtuous Mages. Unlike the schools in Qarah's Dream, there are no tuition fees to attend; in exchange, the graduates of this school are immediately employed by the Kingdom and get to work on very specific tasks, mostly involving magical research though some are used as private enchanters.

Locations

A lot of the locations within Virtue are not given a proper name; instead, they are called by their function. For example, the general store is called "Virtue's General Store". It should be noted that the only shops open during the day are the inns and the general store; everything else is mostly open at night, where people from Siarvald are free to browse them.

• Righteousness, located on top of the city itself.
• The King's Warehouse: Despite its name, this large building, located close to Righteousness, does not merely serve as a storage space for weapons and armor. It is also there that the Kingdom's military research is conducted. Has been more active as of place. Built of stone.
• School for Virtuous Mages: This state-sponsored school teaches all forms of spellcasting to potential students. Those who successfully graduate from this school are immediately employed by the Kingdom.
• Sunrise's Kiss: This temple, dedicated to the Lightbringer is situated on a lower yet more exposed plateau, so that it gets more sunlight during even the colder seasons. It is known for having a stained glass roof which, when illuminated (roughly towards noon), projects a religious story upon the floor: the tale of the Lightbringer defeating the Betrayer. A field of sunflowers grows nearby.
• Moonlight's Shadow: A temple specifically dedicated to the worship of the Guide, this temple stands in a shadowed nook within the Spine itself. It is visited by many drows and holds city-wide festivals at night.
• Warm Embrace: A temple specifically dedicated to the worship of the Father and the Mother, this temple stands close to Righteousness and is the only one that the King visits regularly.
• The Crowned Head: A popular inn in Virtue, located right after the military checkpoint at the entrance of the city. Open all day and all night, this is one of the rare hubs of activity during the day.
• Yasamaqi Embassy: Ambassadors from clan Qarah call this stone building their home, and do their best to ensure that diplomatic relations between Yasamaq and Siarvald stay amicable.
• Grand Tribunal: A grandiose building that stands on the topmost levels of the city. This is where criminals are tried if their guilt could not be established immediately. Heavily guarded at all times.

Notable people

• Kelven Torar, the drow rector of the School for Virtuous Mages. Known to often speak with the king, and selon tends to the internal affairs of the school.
• Nenyanna Seeris, the High Attendant of the Moonlight's Shadow. An elderly drow, known to be very kind with a tendency to ramble on.
• Thomas Flintvigor, the First Child of the Father. An elderly human who has worked for the crown since a young age.
• Kendan Clearsight, the Sunrise's Witness of the Lightbringer. A young man who took up the duties of his father after his death.
• Agis Liarora, an old elf and archivist of Righteousness' library.