Acheron

Acheron is home to people hailing from across the Two Lands, but is primarily made up of Altheans born and raised in the city. Eldaren, Kerijaani, and Lyriosi dwell within the city, as well as a constand influx of tradesmen and sailors from both Althea and Outland, making up the lower class of society.

The rich and wealthy of Acheron are made up of noble sires, powerful merchants, and guildsmen, who reside in either the apartments of Xacobet or private estates in the city.

The capital is primarily defended by its strategic position and geography, located in the middle of a bay and across a narrow stretch of land, with great mountains protecting its landlocked borders. The fortress of Xacobet offers immense protection from both land and sea based attacks, with massive walls and towers extending in and around the city.

Acheron is defended by the Sea Watch, a guard levied from the men of the city. They patrol the streets as well as man the numerous towers around the city walls and in the sea.

As Acheron is surrounded by water, many of the city's people work as fishermen, sailors, and bargemen. The streets are lined with shops and stalls selling all manner of goods, from armor and weapons forged in the city to saurian steaks imported from Outland.

Immense forges spurt out steel swords, daggers, and spears to supply the Royal Navy and Sea Watch, forged by the finest blacksmiths in the Two Lands, drawn to the capital to hone their craft. Merchants peddle food, trinkets, and wares in the Great Market, as well as a variety of illicit goods.

Ships from across the Two Lands dock at the ports around the city and beneath the Great Market daily, their holds filled with exotic fruits, silks, and treasures. From crates full of saava beans to barrels of Vorecian wine, Acheron imports more than half of its yearly food intake from across Althea and parts of Outland.

The most important of these trades is the grain supply from the farmlands in Goldgrass, without which the city would starve in months. Other imports include potatoes from Echtenshire, timber from Fador, and spices from Brownstone.

Although the origin of Acheron and Xacobet are ultimately a mystery, there are many legends and theories that speculate as to the enormous structures' creation. Some believe that a race of giants built Acheron thousands of years ago, citing the immense scale of not only the castle and city but the size of rooms, doorways, and walls. The Estari dictate that the city was placed by the gods themselves as a refuge for the survivors of the Starfall, however the subject is still a matter of debate among the scholars of both Althea and Outland.

The Great Market is the cornerstone of commerce and trade in the capital; a multistory complex of business and trade, supported by ancient stone archways and massive bridges and suspended over the waters high enough for ships to sail under to dock and unload. The market is a bustling hub of vendors and craftsmen selling all manner of goods and wares. It is often said that if something exists, it can be bought at the Great Market.

Though dozens of temples and shrines exist across the city, the Starhold is the largest and most impressive of these structures. An enormous maze of pillars leads into the halls, topped with a massive starry dome that can be slowly opened to gaze at the night sky, the Starhold is the base of the Estari's operations in the Two Lands. It houses hundreds of speakers as well as the head of the Estari faith, while also serving as a massive center of worship and refuge for the city.

Like Castle Xacobet, most of the actual structure of the city is submerged underwater, lost during the flooding of the Starfall. Old black and grey stone buildings litter the entire city, built thousands of years ago by the city's founders. Many were repurposed and added onto, and great shanty towns and bridges appeared across the old city. Massive archways and rising spires line the city, identical to those found on Xacobet.

Very little of the city stands upon solid ground, built upon ancient foundations or cobbled together archways and bridges. Great canals flow throughout the city and fresh water is carried down cliffs via massive ancient aquaducts. A city of shantytowns and old stone buildings, all under the shadow of Xacobet, the great black fortress that stands over the city.