Arc-Couchant

Arc-Couchant rises on the coast of Radiant Mirror, near the center of Varzzen. It was named after its sibling city, Arc-Levant, the capital of the fallen kingdom of Chereb. Its location at the heart of Rusterov made the location a popular place of trade and negotiations even before the capital was founded.

Although the duchy of Sparklebay covers the coast of Radiant Mirror, Arc-Couchant is not a part of the duchy. It is its own barony, with the Queen of Rusterov acting nominally as the baroness of the capital. In practice, the queen spends a lot of time dealing with foreign relations, so the day-to-day ruling of the city often falls into the hands of the mayor of Arc-Couchant.

Le Repos des Couleurs is the queen's official residence. Rising high on the cliffs, looking over the city, the palace was already easy to defend, and the additional walls, gates and watchtowers built during the War of the Eight-Legged Terror are still maintained. The defenses have done little to tarnish the palace's lustre, its white stone walls reflecting the glow of the sun during the day, and the moons during the night.

Close to the palace, and nearly as well protected, are the embassies of the noble families of Rusterov, the homes of the city's wealthiest merchants, and high-end inns and taverns for important visitors to the capital. All buildings here are old, but many have been renovated so thoroughly that little if anything remains of the original architecture, making the wealthy district of the city a true mixture of styles from different places and ages of Rusterov.

The harbor of Arc-Couchant is among the most impressive in all of Varzzen, despite only bordering a lake. Piers made of stone are still being expanded to make room for ships of Sparklebay and Auroma alike. Despite many insectoids' dislike of water, someone is always arriving or leaving the great harbor.

To most visitors, the various market squares are the reason to visit Arc-Couchant. All of Rusterov's and Auroma's goods can be purchased here - rare items for far-away lands often find themselves sold here at a premium. With so much stuff passing in and out, smuggling and contraband are also a constant source of headache for the city's guards.

But the heart of Arc-Couchant is the Court of Masks. It is almost a city within a city, made up of temples to different masks of Mairun, the god of beetles. Celebrations often begin here and spread out to the rest of Arc-Couchant - and with so many temples, there seems to be a reason for revelry every day.

Court of Masks houses temples for most major masks of Mairun. The largest six are worth a visit to any traveller or faithful:

1. The Keep of Duty: Taking inspiration from temples of Auroma, the Keep has its own forge as well as a training yard, where the city's guards and the temple's acolytes train under the guidance of senior priests.
2. The Curious Museum: The Museum houses many rarities countless faithful have donated during the centuries. It also holds records of more and less famous adventurers. There's no way of knowing how much of the tales are true, but why should truth spoil a good story?
3. The Carouser's Brewery: This temple is also the largest brewery of Rusterov. With so many celebrations, good drinks are always needed. The temple also sells the products of their brewery, ensuring that Court of Masks always has the funds to function.
4. The Scholar's Study: A place of learning and study, far from the prestige of Cor Quae'thum, but much closer to the common Rusterovian. Both the natural world and the supernatural are studied here. Most magic items from Court of Masks originate here.
5. The Theatre of the Heart: Theatre of the Heart actually contains several theatres, so a visitor can always choose the play they want to see. Masked performers act in all kinds of stories, from historic epics and religious tales to modern comedy.
6. The Hospital of Light: Anyone is welcome to seek care within the Hospital. The air in it smells different: the aroma of herbs and medicine remind anyone of the purpose of the Hospital, even outside the sick rooms.

Between the other buildings are the homes and shops of artisans, who take full advantage of the high availability of material from the different markets to produce their goods. The homes of laborers surround the city, the laborers offering their skills to maintain the city or to get hired by a visitor. Of particular note are the shipwrights. Most people of Varzzen live far from large bodies of water, so the skill to build a ship is a rare one. But the proximity of Radiant Mirror makes ships very useful - and keeps the skills of shipwrights in demand.

A bit of farmland surrounds Arc-Couchant. There isn't much room for farming - the barony of Arc-Couchant is small, and can be seen in its entirety from Le Repos des Couleurs. The farmland is bordered by the farmlands of Sparklebay. Arc-Couchant must import much of their food, and all of the nearby farmers of Sparklebay will always find a buyer.

With the city built so tightly, many inhabitants have constructed great cellars, giving themselves more room. Unlike the neighbouring nation of Cavana, Arc-Couchant doesn't have a common tunnel system. This lack of planning has resulted in builders accidentally digging into an existing room, forcing them to fix the resulting damage.

Present

With the White Flood stopping in Cavana, the Tunnel War didn't directly impact life in Arc-Couchant. No Detrinian forces reached the capital, but their pillaging did draw soldiers away, and forced people to ration their food. Still, everyone agrees that those were mere inconveniences compared to what happened in Cavana.

The freshly-crowned Jazzabell Greatlite has been a constant source of gossip. The queen was barely an adult when she was crowned, and her lack of experience is obvious to any beetle over a century old. Still, the queen's presence is a delight to anyone, and since she still has centuries of lifetime remaining, she could give her people the stability they need in the aftermath of the Tunnel War... assuming the old duchesses let her rule without their constant guidance and demands.