Cathair

Overview

Cathair is the massive capital of the Kingdom of Maith. Cathair is the most populated city in the world. On a yearly basis, thousands of people flock to Cathair for a plethora of reasons - refuge from an ongoing conflict, a peaceful place to settle down, and many religious pilgrimages. The city is surrounded by colossal walls of white marble. Hundreds of guards march atop the walls and screen every visitor looking to pass through the massive gates of pure gold. Cathair has a very large refugee population due to the seemingly good treatment of refugees in the city. The gargantuan city boasts ten districts. 

The Ten Districts of Cathair

The Rioga District: The Rioga District is home exclusively to the royal family, their relatives, and honored guests. The huge homes - all more appropriately referred to as mansions - are typically empty throughout the year. These homes are uninhabited and strictly reserved for royal family members and honored guests from other countries who are visiting Cathair’s royal family. 

The Aeducan Palace also sits in the Rioga district and towers over the city - although the Aeducan Palace is only the second highest building in the city. Each building is lovingly hand carved from white marble, giving the entire district a pristine facade. The royal family employs dusters and maids to clean each of the homes on a weekly basis, regardless of how soon the homes will be occupied. 

The Uasal District: The Uasal District is where the non-royalty upper echelon of society reside. Public officials, successful businessmen, and noble families make up the majority of the Uasal District.

The Uasal District often appears very busy, however the vast majority of the chaos comes from indentured servants and house staff scurrying around as fast as they can to bring back whatever their “employer” needs as soon as possible. The only other noticeable foot traffic within the Uasal District comes from the rich strolling to brunch or heading to a picnic in Sapphire Park by Lake Dhybys, which is an artificial lake existing only within the boundaries of the Uasal District.

The Gnath District: The Gnath District is home to the middle class of Cathairian society. Merchants, laborers, non-noble employees for the royal family, and many more all reside in the Gnath District. The streets are mostly clean and crime rates, although higher than the Uasal and Rioga Districts, are relatively low.

The paved streets of the Gnath District are always busy with the hustle and bustle of people heading to and from work. The Gnath District - excluding rare exceptions - is the most prestigious district that members of the Beast Races call home. Within the confines of the Uasal and Rioga Districts, members of the Great Races are by far the most common residents.

The Bocht District: The Brocht District holds the poorest citizens of Cathair.The Bocht District is where many former refugees end up after gaining citizenship and “graduating” from the Teifach District. The Bocht District is a labyrinth of narrow, filthy streets. Crime rates in the Bocht District are the highest in Cathair. Despite being the alleged upgrade from the Teifach District, the Bocht District is less maintained, dirtier, and poorer.

Due to the virtually non-existent present of guards in the Bocht District, the district is primarily run by gangs and other criminal organizations. Crime and disease run rampant in the Bocht District, with residents receiving little to no healthcare or medical treatment. In past pandemics, the sick and the dying would be quarantined in the Bocht District, as those from the upper classes did not care about whether citizens in the Bocht District became ill and perished.

The Teifach District: The Teifach District is where refugees stay. The Teifach District is clean and well-maintained, thanks to the “generosity” of the wealthy in the city that has nothing to do with the tax cuts granted by the donations. Donating money and/or resources to the Bocht District offers significantly less financial incentive than donating to the Teifach District.

Refugees are offered resources and services to help them either become citizens of Cathair, or to provide them safety and security until they’re ready to move on. The maximum time that a refugee may spend in the Teifach District is one year, although this time may be extended based upon current global events. For example, during the Dragonspine Skirmishes, refugees from the war were permitted to stay in the Teifach District throughout the entire duration of the war.

The Chosaint District: Simply put, the Chosaint District is the city barracks. The Eagle’s Eye is the focal point of the Chosaint District, and it is also the tallest defensive tower in the world. The Eagle’s Eye allows one to see hundreds of miles in any direction. The flat plains of the Kingdom of Maith make it even easier to spy enemies from a very long distance. Guardsmen stay within the Chosaint District in the barracks, while their families are granted special housing near the barracks to keep the families close together.

The Dhia District: The Dhia District is the religious hub of Cathair - and the largest district in Cathair. Pilgrims from all reaches of the globe travel to Cathair to bask in the enlightenment that the enormous Temple of Dhybys provides. Thousands of monks, clerics, paladins, and inquisitors reside within the titanic holy grounds of Naofa Square.

Naofa Square is perpetually filled with the whispered prayers of the crowd, creating a persistent hum of wishes and gratitude. The Temple of Dhybys itself- a hulking tower of white marble, engraved with all aspects of Dhybys’s divinity - stands omniscient and omnipresent in the heart of Naofa Square.

The Rince District: The Rince District is the stomping grounds for the artists and entertainers of Cathair. Bright, colorful flags and banners line the theatres, taverns, and showrooms throughout the Rince District. The Rince District is one of the few places in Cathair where the rich intermingle with the lower classes - after all, who doesn’t love a good show?

The Ceird District: The Ceird District is the home of the creator. Craftsmen, artisans, artificers, blacksmiths, and all creators and inventors in between work within the Ceird District. Surprisingly, not many things can be found for sale within the Ceird District. Most of those who work in the massive shops sell their goods out of the Rince or Tradala Districts.

The primary purpose of the Ceird District is to provide large facilities where one can rent a space to manufacture their products. The streets and air of the Ceird District is thick with smog from the fires of creation.

The Tradala District: The Tradala District is the market district within Cathair, second only to the Grand Bazaar in Iti. One can find everything they need in the Tradala District, although unlike the Grand Bazaar, alcohol can only be sold in small quantities without a city-issued permit and illicit drugs are (almost) impossible to find.

Solise

Cathairians don’t have many formal celebrations. Due to the size of the city, it’s difficult to find something that everyone celebrates. However, Cathairians do celebrate Soilse. Soilse is a celebration of the coming of spring and its promise of warm weather and abundance. 

Soilse is always celebrated on the first new moon of spring, where hundreds of thousands of paper lanterns are released from every corner of the city, creating a dazzling light that can be seen from miles away. The entire city is algow from the light of the lanterns. Out of concern for the plains around them catching ablaze from fire during dry seasons, the lanterns are lit and elevated by magic rather than fire. 

Every magically inclined person in the city is responsible for keeping the lanterns lit and floating until precisely 5:00am - an hour for each of the original gods. For each hour, festival-goers will perform a different task or action at the top of each hour.

At midnight, adults will drink a pint of ale for Omis. Children will typically mimic the adults around them by drinking pints of juice or milk.

At 1:00am, participants will march through the streets in a militarized fashion in reverence to Shodon and her militaristic values.

At 2:00am, revelers will cry and shout, unleashing their heartbroken cries as a prayer of peace to Aris.

At 3:00am, the darkest hour, the entire crowd falls silent to listen for the voice of Phaetus on the wind. Not a word is spoken until the end of the hour. At this time, the march toward the Temple of Dhybys begins.

At 4:00am precisely, the crowd begins to fill the Temple of Dhybys. Prayers and hymns thanking and celebrating all of the gods, although Dhybys in particular, create an immense uproar in the streets. Some say that the sound of the songs being sung can be heard as far away as Seredina - although this has never been proven.

At 5:00am, lanterns lose their glow and slowly drift towards the ground. The next day, the poor are paid to pick up all of the lanterns in the city.

Soilse tends to be very jarring - and sometimes quite frightening - for those not aware of the traditions of the holiday. For this reason, anyone is allowed to simply watch the festivities, so long as they do not interrupt them. For example, during the Hour of Phaetus, observers are asked to simply remain silent so that the festivities are not interrupted. 

Religion and Culture

As one may be able to guess from the gargantuan Temple of Dhybys, religion is a large part of Cathairian culture. Most people in Cathair tend to follow Dhybys, although due to its immense population, large groups of every major religion can be found in Cathair - except for Mephistopheles.

In Cathair, it is completely legal to spontaneously lynch a follower of Mephistopheles. This is because many believe that Mephistopheles and his worshipers are the aspects of evil incarnate. They think that the physical disfigurements seen in Mephistopheles disciples are the result of the worshiper’s body being physically incapable of containing all of the evil that lies within.

Despite this, there is a relatively large population of Mephistopheles worshipers residing within the dark corners of the Bocht District, where they typically reside in hiding from the rest of the Cathairian population.