Levkarest
Levkarest, the capital of Borca, is a city of elegance and poison—both literal and political. Perched amid rolling vineyards, misty forests, and veiled estates, Levkarest presents itself as the crown jewel of refinement within the Domains of Dread. But beneath its cultured veneer lies a nest of vipers: whispers, duels, secrets, and subtle murders are the true currency of this shadowed metropolis.
Levkarest is a city where beauty is a mask for malice, where each compliment carries a barb, and where every rose is laced with venom. It is the dark heart of Borca—a place where courtiers smile as they serve wine laced with death, and where power, passion, and poison are the tools of survival. To thrive here is to master the art of the masquerade. To fail is to be forgotten—buried in satin and lies.
Demographics
Predominantly human aristocrats, merchants, servants, and courtiers—everyone with a mask, literal or otherwise
Levkarest is a city of appearances, where status is everything and sincerity is rare. Nobles duel over insults delivered in coded language. Scandalous affairs are whispered behind lace fans. Social maneuvering is sport, and assassination is an art form.
- Ivana Boritsi, who rarely appears in public, rules through charm, fear, and an extensive network of spies and poisoners.
- The city thrives on gossip columns, exclusive salons, and conspiratorial masquerades.
- Poison is everywhere—subtle, beautiful, and symbolic. Knowing how to mix, detect, or survive it is a mark of status.
- Though richly adorned, justice in Levkarest is purely ornamental—those with power determine guilt and innocence.
Infrastructure
Levkarest is beautiful and baroque, filled with wide promenades, terraced mansions, shaded courtyards, and high-arched bridges that span canals and ornamental reflecting pools. Statues of tragic muses and forgotten lovers line its walkways. The architecture is a marriage of delicate artistry and iron discipline—like everything else in Borca, it is meant to impress, seduce, and conceal.
- Perfumed gardens line the streets, masking the stink of rot beneath.
- Mirrored salons, sprawling manors, and tea pavilions dominate the upper quarters.
- Servants’ alleys and whispering tunnels thread through the city’s underbelly, facilitating quiet deaths and clandestine meetings.
- The city is known for its masks and fashion—almost everyone of note wears a facial covering, symbolizing status, mood, or deceit.
Points of interest
- Palazzo Boritsi: The Darklord’s personal estate—lavish, impenetrable, and filled with lush gardens that conceal deadly flora. Few are ever invited within.
- The Lavender Theatre: A grand opera house known for tragic performances that seem eerily prophetic. Some actors disappear mid-season.
- The Violet Veil: A famed apothecary and perfumery rumored to sell rare elixirs and poisons to those who know the proper password.
- Masquerade Square: An open plaza where masked revels, duels, and executions take place. The mood can shift from celebration to bloodshed in moments.
- The Garden of Glass: A haunting, beautiful cemetery of crystal tombs and statuary, often used for secret rendezvous or final farewells.
Tourism
Levkarest is poisoned beauty. It invites you in with perfume and velvet, only to watch you slip beneath the surface of lies and treachery. Themes of decay beneath refinement, vengeance, and the fragility of trust dominate.
- Masks are omnipresent—not just physical, but social and emotional.
- Love is weaponized. So is guilt.
- The city thrives on toxic relationships, many dating back generations.
- Death comes elegantly, with a smile and a glass raised in toast.
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