Druidsden District

The Druidsden District is the middle-west part of Halamahi, a vibrant residential and crafts district that ranges from poor worker housing to wealthy merchant businesses.   Much of the wealthier homes are by the oceanfront, particular a wealthy neighborhood known as the Azirabo Piers - a favorite place for the upper crust of the middle class, very fashionable among merchants. Even the Piersfolk are not the ultrawealthy of the Assembly District, of course; these aren't manors, but high-rent homes with a small handful of servants, gardens, and lovely decorations, just a short walk from some reasonably-nice boutiques and cafes.   Venturing deeper inland, things quickly become eclectic. Working class districts bump into better-off middle class enclaves, all mixed together and organized more along religious lines than class lines. The Druidsden is absolutely overflowing with temples of every kind. Every neighborhood (except for the Azirabo Piers) orbits one or more temples that serve as community centers. These temples are mostly Suweskivari - Pratasa is probably the most common here, though a generic syncretic Suweskivari-Sumoxan is also quite common. Basically every major organized religion has at least some presence here in one temple or another, even the more distant ones.   The massive mixture of faiths, social classes, crafts backgrounds, and cultures makes for a uniquely vibrant intellectual culture in the Druidsden. Free speech is protected on these isles but is particularly robust here. Printing houses here churn out dueling papers and pamphlets, and all kinds of eccentric ideas bounce between the taverns and coffee houses.   Visiting pilgrims, merchants, and tourists are known to do Templewalks - tours of the various temples to give offerings to every pantheon, as a show of general piety. Templewalks are considered entertainment as well as piety, as touring pilgrims see all kinds of art, cultural displays, and architecture. Festival dates are quite popular for this, especially festivals associated with larger and richer congregations. Templewalks are also a great way to get pickpocketed, as pilgrims with coinpurses ready with offerings wander the district aimlessly - attracting many rogues and scoundrels. Wealthier pilgrims hire guides to help navigate the district for this reason. This situation means that the Druidsden has a bit of a reputation for burglary and deceit, and even permanent local residents may become targets if they wander unaware.   In May, visitors often gather here to participate in the great holiday of Pratahova - typically a Suweskivari holiday, which has a unique twist here in the city. On Pratahova, the temples of all faiths gather to hold a great parade led by the Hanahai (particularly the Threadbearers and Keepers of the Dead), which slowly makes its way out of the city and to the Vault of All Gods. The Vault of All Gods is a great temple-museum that is said to hold aspects of all gods safely in selkie hands; a kind of prison for stolen religious artifacts mixed with a museum for local idols intended to exert power and control over the divine. This parade is similar to the Templewalk but is intended to bring divine blessings of all gods on the Khilaia.   Notable locations here include:

• The Sacred Motosui University: The grand academy of the sacred isles and most respected center of knowledge by the Khilaia. The Sacred Motosui University studies international technological knowledge, trains lawyers for the Treaty Court, trains speakers for the Assembly, trains priests for the Cults, and trains magicians. It is a very esteemed center for higher learning in all its forms, that greatly privileges permanent residents and powerful clans over distant fleets. It is also kind of isolationist - it admits no non-selkies and has refused to partner with The Darzan University. This is the seat of power of the Selkie Loremasters and the training grounds for the Hanahai bureaucrats.
• The Joined Temples of Lily: A series of massive temples - Pratasa , Suweskivari-Sumoxan, Halikvar, and Aretan - joined together by a tower-complex that serves as the Healing Church headquarters here. All people here revered Lily of Red and the druids of old, but in wildly different ways. This complex serves as a monument to religious cooperation and healing, and many of the town's best druids and druid training programs are here.
• The Greyhouse: The Greyhouse is a large funerary complex in the far interior of the Druidsden district that handles funerals and mortuary services for a wide variety of customs and religious practices. The Greyhouse is notable in that it is sponsored and partnered with the Keepers of the Dead in helping manage the Selkie Pelts of the dead and coordinating with the various temples to ensure that all pelts are properly cared for. The Greyhouse is also the headquarters for the Exorcist's Guild of the Khilaian isles - as an independent organization. The Keepers of the Dead are very closely partenered with the Exorcists on the sacred isles and do much of their work here, after all.