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Aurel

Silver and gold, crumbling and old,   When did the promise of Autumn grow cold?
— Poems on the wind
  Aurel is the capital city of the Kingdom of Arsavela, acting as a city-state in its own right.

The Gilded State

Crown of the autumn lands, Aurel is often referred to as the City of Silver and Gold, a nod to its historic wealth and the longstanding success of its late Monarchy. Its opulent cathedrals long withstood the test of time, immaculate as they towered over the royal grounds and rivaled even Castle Amsa in their immensity.   No expense was spared in the building and paving of the city’s primary infrastructure, its oldest districts carrying the wealth of their kingdom in every step. The Alabaster Terrace, in particular, is known for being a spectacle, being the grounds which sit at the castle’s doorstep and houses much of the city’s nobility.

Historical Cityscapes

Largest city in the whole of Arsavela, Aurel shares one trait with its kingdom — its foundations are ancient, dating back to times before known history, even before the turning of the new age. Much like other settlements throughout the kingdom, this city was built upon ancient ruins of Antecedent civilizations which called the land their home prior to the modern kingdom's founding.   The city still contains numerous sections composed solely of ruins, with no further development. These relics of the past sit side-by-side with modern infrastructure, the contrast granting the city a perpetual air of timelessness and connection to its history, even if it is a history which remains rather unknown to its scholars.
Capital City

Government Type
Atreiman Theocracy
Demonym
Aurelan

Frigid Affairs
Aurel was ever a wonder many folks were drawn to visit, though relations have dried up between the kingdom and its many distant connections.   Its only regular visitors now are those who visit from Uris Braena, and rarely do ships arrive in the ports of Silverbay in the north, from regions such as Ba'Logor and Undmar.
Prophesized Return
Though the Alabaster Hand now sits upon the throne of Aurel and Castle Amsa, a prophecy told by the Fountain Mind made a declaration that this ruling party would claim is defunct.   Her words claim that a trueborn son of the monarchy would one day rise to reclaim his family's throne — the Hand has no fear of this, having slain every male heir to the Arsaces line in their act of deposition.
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Pure Devotion

While the Monarchy yet ruled, the Kingdom was an agricultural wonder, and left much of its governance to the prestigious farming families which reside in and work the lands below this grand city. All folks in the lands surrounding Aurel were free to set their own standards of living, request what they needed from the capital to ensure their continued success, and craft and enforce policy per their own understanding of the lands they lived in. When the Alabaster Hand took over, this collaborative lifestyle grinded to a strained relationship filled largely with dismissals and denial of assistance.   The once-welcoming and highly accommodating city the people knew quickly disappeared, replaced with a holy bastion for the god Atreimus, whom the people of this region knew as The Purifier. Much of the opulence forged by the Monarchy and its practices began slipping away, gilded streets chipping away and artful features degrading over time with the lack of any meaningful maintenance. Before long, only the Alabaster Terrace remained the marvel it was, with the noble and market districts preserving only what the locals could afford to maintain. Residential districts fell to ruin almost immediately as royal aid was withdrawn from the people, leaving them to fend largely for themselves.


Cover image: by Strixxline

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