Sepentum
Sepentum is the capital and largest city of the province of High Rift in the Aurean Empire. Like most settlements in High Rift, it is surrounded on all sides by large, crack-like ravines that plunge down hundreds of feet, leaving the city effectively on an "island" connected to neighboring islands by bridges. At the bottom of the ravines is a lush, swampy forest known as The Undercanopy. Sepentum's island is particularly large and the city is thinly spread out across it, as the ravines alleviate the need for any walls.
The decentralized city is thickest toward the center of the island, around the citadel and a large temple to Deyallor. The temple, a major holy site that attracts large numbers of pilgrims, is known for the massive steel dragon statue that stands on its domed roof. A few more clusters, mostly of small one or two story buildings, are found around the three main bridges leading off the island, while other buildings are scattered occasionally throughout the island. The spaces in between are used for herding animals, which graze on the islands sparse grasses, or for cisterns, some of which are large enough to resemble small lakes.
Like most of High Rift, Sepentum is dry enough to make most agriculture difficult, though it makes decent grazing land. The city relies on imports for food and most other resources, including wood, clay, and metals. Water is gathered in cisterns during occasional rains and is supplemented by water from the Undercanopy, which is carried up a narrow path along the cliffs using buckets. Water is a scarce enough resource that those who cannot prove residence in Sepentum are required to pay a fee to drink from the cisterns.
