Nova Naritas

Humans comprise the vast majority of the people here (65%), while the rest of the racial groups break down as follows:

• Dwarves--15% (Due to the proximity to Vecsforge)
• Elves--10% (mainly High Elves who seek shelter from the anti-magic elements in the other parts of the Shattered Lands)
• Half-Elves--5% (normally rare, this groups is large enough to occupy a small quarter in the city due to the mixing of Elf and Human populations)
• Other race--5% (divided between Halflings and Gnomes, primarily)

For the most part, all races are treated equally, though there is general distrust of Dragonborn since large mercenary companies comprised of aforementioned people betrayed the Cydonians and carved out their own little kingdom at the far end of the Asturian Peninsula.   Tieflings are rare, but generally accepted since they tend to have a natural arcane bent. There are even some Tiefling instructors in the Imperial Arcanum, the premier school and archive in Cydonia.

The government is divided into two main sections, local (civil) government and the Feudal Council:

• Civil Government--encompasses the Lord Mayor's office, the Mage's Conclave, and the Citizen Assembly. The former two offices must be occupied by wizards, mages or eldritch knights, while the Citizen Assembly can be occupied by non-magic citizens. These bodies handle most business that has to do with governing the city and the surrounding area. They deal with all incoming trade as well as all civic projects: both foreign and domestic.
• The Feudal Council--This governing body is comprised solely of the Knights of Cydonia. Each noble house sends its head to meet and discuss matters of state. The council handles all inter-province disputes, all international dealings, and all military matters affecting the general defense of the Kingdom of Cydonia.  

  Nova Naritas is one of the few Magocracies in the known world. most societies eschew this kind of government, but the Cydonians embrace it as they feel more connected to their imperial roots.

The southern part of the province boasts the old border wall, which was constructed shortly after the collapse in order to ensure the rebel factions could not advance any further north. After the rebels were pushed back, the wall remained and fell into disrepair.  However, the city itself has a two layered outer wall, complete with guard towers and barbicans, encircling the city on both sides of the river.  Locals guards in addition to men-at-arms man the towers and guard posts and patrol the hinterlands regularly to ensure that no disaster will befall the city.  The hills, mountains, and the river all provide natural boundaries that would hinder any potential invasion.  Indeed, the weakest point of defense is the harbor, but even that area is bristling with naval defenses.

Because of its imperial history, many of the ancient innovations still exist in this city.  A sophisticated sewer system helps keep the lower city clean, and crisscrossing aqueducts supply the various wards with plenty of fresh water from the rivers and streams in the mountains.  In addition, there are rumors that the city still possess some of the ancient technology that made the empire so powerful.

The people are spread out amongst the city's ten wards:

Political Ward--the council and general assembly buildings govern this district, and many of the nobles and lords who participate in politics have their residences here.
1. Artisans Ward--many of the smiths, crafters, artists, and artificers make their home here. If you need something made or repaired, you come here before the items are sold to merchants in the market.
2. Erudites Ward--This districts houses the Order of the Quill and the Arcanum Nostrum as well as half a dozen other smaller academies, universities, and archives. Any scrivener worth their salt makes their way through here.
3. The Grand Promenade--Just about anything can be bought and sold here. The central plaza holds the main market stalls, but the surrounding streets are a labyrinth of shops and hawkers. Many of the merchants boast that "if it can't be found here, then it can't be found at all."
4. The Docks Ward--as the name suggests, this area is where all manner of vessel can be seen, hired, or purchased. While there is a little shopping to be found here, the docks consists mainly of piers, wharfs, and warehouses.
5. The Lance Ward--The military makes it's home here. While there are small garrisons and patrols throughout the city, the main barracks and training grounds are here.
6. The Sprawl--The prosperity of Cydonia does not reach all of its citizens, and those that struggle the most can be found here. Many of the more unsavory elements of society do business in this district, so many of the well-to-do avoid it while the local guards frequently patrol it.
7. The Pearl Ward--Situated on the Palatine Hill, this district boasts its own small wall to enclose and protect the wealthiest citizens and nobles of Cydonia. In addition, many of the noble houses maintain a residence here as well as in their home province.
8. Diplomats Ward--Any representative who wishes to hold a place in the city has a small embassy here. While most political business is handled in the Political Ward, some smaller treaties and agreements are handled in the embassies, away from prying eyes.
9. The High ward--This area sits on the highest hill, and a hodge lodge of things inhabit it. The Adamantine Tower houses the Astrarium (the science and astronomy academy), a small shrine to the All-Dragon and Bahamut, as well as a content of the guard who use their spyglasses to scout for threats. Then the Bard's College has a branch there, many aristocrats are attracted to the safety of its hilly terrain, and, finally, the cities main religious sanctuaries can be found here. The main deities worshipped are Bahamut, Pelor, Torm, Tyr, The Raven Queen, Helm, Melora, and Ioun.

Any newcomer to the city might be overwhelmed by all that is available here, but have no fear, a guide is just a few coins away.

The factions in this political and cultural capital seem uncountable. The city is a nest of intrigue and wheeling and dealing, but here are the most notable guilds, factions, and major power groups:   Guilds:

• Arcanum Nostrum--the premier mages guild within the city and Cydonia proper. All wizards of great renown within the kingdom all hail from this erudite establishment. Its ruling council has many members within the city convergent, and there are rumors that they have great influence over a few members of the Feudal Council as well.
• The Order of the Quill--the writers' guild offers all manner of mundane scriveners to get training and make a living. While they do boast a magical academy within their walls, their primary interests are recording history, acquiring old imperial relics for the museums, and acting as all many of clerks for any legal work.
• The Merchants Guild--the clue is in the name. All local merchants, hawkers, buskers, and stevedores have to get a license from the guild in order to do business within the city walls.

Political Factions:

• The Imperialists--This group harbors dreams of reviving the old Asturian Empire by reconquering all of the Shattered Lands before attempting to reacquire much of its lost provinces in the Wildlands and beyond. Even after the disastrous attempt at reconquest that lead one of Cydonia's greatest knights and noble houses to betray them, they still try to push the knights to mobilize their forces to conquer their "unruly" neighbors.
• The Order of the Lance--the regular army is made up of Knights, their heirs, and their vessels, but the rest of military is made up of men-at-arms from this order. They are pushing for a seat on the Feudal Council in order to give a voice to the common soldier. They want the kingdom to have a non-noble, citizen army, local militias, and the magical cavalry.
• The Diplomatists--These members wish to use voice and quill to subdue the kingdom's neighbors without all the messiness of military conquests. While some see these people as weak, the Diplomatists have made great strides in ensuring that Cydonia's borders are not violated and that the Kingdom avoids any costly engagements without cause.

Miscellaneous groups:

• The Hidden Legion--the thieves' guild that claims dominion over much of the old imperial fiefs. While not as present in some areas of the Shattered Lands, there are rumors that their business flourishes in this capital of capitals.
• The Old Ecclesia--While worship of the old gods is not strictly forbidden, it is frowned upon. This factions wishes to resurrect the worship of the great titans and elder gods that supposedly gave birth to the world. Chief among the old deities are Lumina, goddess of light and bringer of order, and Shade, god of darkness and harbinger of fate. IN the past, their activism was looked over, but recently, their actions have proved troublesome for the local authorities.

Nova Naritas was not much of a city before the collapse of the Asturian Empire.  It was a small garrison and fishing town; however, its location become key once the imperial loyalists had to flee the center of the empire.  In the last years of the Imperial Era, the capital had been destroyed in a calamitous explosion, and many of the survivors fled northeast towards the old Cydonian province.  The rebels and insurrectionists had chased them all the way to the Naritas pass.  there, the Imperialist made their last stand.  They rallied their surviving soldiers and set an ambush north of the pass.  When the rebels approached, the imperial forces launched an attack on the flanks while the main force attacked the front.  In the ensuing battle, the rebel general was shot in the eye by a silver arrow, and once he fell, the rest of the forces quickly routed.  Afterwards the Cydonia Wall was built, which weathered several more attacks before they were soundly pushed back.  While this was going on, the imperial diaspora was underway, and the Cydonia province was transforming into a state all it own.  Naritas became Nova Naritas and served as a military and eventually administrative capital for the Imperial Remnant.  Eventually the small fishing village became the center of one of the most stable and, arguably, prosperous states in the Shattered Lands.

The Shattered Lands is not a great place for tourism, but Nova Naritas is an exception to that rule.  Because the city embraces all manners of magic, its academies and schools draw people from all over the continent.  Also, seeing as it boast an unbroken connection to the old imperial history, many historians, curious onlookers, and adventurers make their way to the crowded streets of the 10 wards.  For those seeking a more outdoorsy experience can venture eastward towards the Vecs mountains where, for the most part, bandits and all manner of ne'er-do-wells have been cleared out ensuring a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable mountain time.

Much of the architecture in the older parts of the city (1st and 2nd wards) is from the old empire: wide curved arches and colonnades giving a classic facade to large interiors surmounted by larges domes.  The religious spaces tend to have a central design to them with plentiful windows in the clerestory to allow the light of the gods to fill the space.  The newest parts of the city have a dwarves influence with high vaulted ceiling and wide pillars giving the buildings a grand feeling, while at the same time showing more practicality and function.  The rest of Nova Naritas is lend of different styles brought by the various denizens who have managed to travel into Cydonia.

The city rests on a series on a series of small hills surrounding the mouth of the Cydonia River, thus ensuring a steady supply of fresh water.  Several miles east of the city are Vecs mountains, which are a formidable eastern border.  In fact, the terrain is one of the main reasons that the city survived the calamitous collapse of the old empire.

The Cydonia River supplies the city with all of the water it needs while the hills and mountains to the east provide a steady supply of minerals, precious metals, and lumber.  The one resource that is at a premium in the province is arable farmland as the hilly terrain makes agriculture difficult.  Lastly, the mouth of the Cydonia River forms a natural harbor, which makes trade by sea much easier.