Darth Ultron
2016-10-30, 05:29 PM
Eltabbar: Eltabbar is the hidden heart of a country that puts forth a hardened image. The city is surprisingly beautiful in nearly every respect, from its glittering canals to its greenery and artworks. There are many fine buildings with columns and marble, and while the greatest are public, a number of private noble houses are quite impressive. The squalor of the slave quarter is negligible compared to the gondolas and the major thoroughfares. This is where Thayans aspire to go on their honeymoons, or to find a suitable marriage. It is also where all Thayan bards would like to perform.
Located in the cities Dark Quarter is the Church of Spirits, the temple of Velsharoon.
Made of dark granite, the Church of Spirits has no windows to the outside. The only entrance to the building is a pair of gothic, iron doors leading onto the square. Each door is decorated with a skull. The building design is a stepped pyramid, in essence like a square of granite with a smaller square on top and a smaller square on top etc. It’s about 60 feet high. Silver guttering runs around the edge of each layer and down the edges of each corner.
Inside, the temple if all dark corridors of black marble, unadorned with any decoration. Heavy, unmarked iron doors lead into all the rooms and the overall effect is extremely dark and it seems to swallow sound and light. Illumination is provided by sticks of crystal housed in slots in the wall that glow gently. Around the outside of the building are the habitation cells of the disciples that live within the temple and further into the building are the quarters of the higher priests, torture chambers, sacrificial chamber and the altar of death.
*Location: In the center of Thay, near the Thaymount, on the southern shores of Lake Thaylambar. Most of the oddly shaped tharch is used for growing crops, and a number of Nar ruins are said to dot the landscape far from the city.
*Climate: Like all interior Thayan cities, the weather is fair, with scheduled rainfall at night. The city suffers more often from magical mishaps than any climate changes.
*Geographic Features: The canals of the city are well-known but surprisingly orderly. The lake is plentifully stocked, and the mountains rise steeply to the West. The major road through Thay, known as The Slave Way, leads to Eltabbar from the coast. The road is carefully kept and slaves are marched instead of teleported, so as to break their spirits by the time they arrive in the city.
*History: Eltabbar was founded in 923, a year after Thay won its independence from Mulhorand. Placing the new nation's capital deep inside seemed only natural, but was said to have darker motives. It is near the Thaymount, where the nation's premiere wizards have secret laboratories and forges, and thus sometimes suffers from earthquakes. It was also the heart of the civil conflict amongst the nobles that no one likes to talk about but which necessitated the creation of the Eltabbar Census. Since then, registered noble families can only host a set number of blood relations within the city limits at any given time, a number which has steadily dropped since the creation of the Census but which must be declared to the Census office. Each house is allowed a permanent number of inhabitants and a temporary roster of visitors that can stay for up to six months.
*Reputation: It is known as the center of Kossuth’s worship, the slave trade, politics, and art; it is also the second largest city in Thay.
*Relations: Eltabbar has a rivalry with Bezantur, the most populous city in the empire.
*Religions: Bane, Kossuth, Siamorphe, Waukeen, with lesser gods in minor temples and shrines. The churches of Eltabbar all require regular tithing and/or service, although they are careful not to cross the will of the Red Wizards. Most churches use discounts and special services as bargaining chips over the majority of the populace; such things are never assured, except for Red Wizards.
*Notable Heroism: Generals for Thay often hail from Eltabbar, but are trained at the military academy in Pyarados. The Tharchion spends a good amount of time in the city.
*Notable Scandals: Those who try to flee noble families and duties are looked down upon, and traitors to Thay are reviled.
*Important Celebrations: Major holidays for the churches are conspicuously grand.
*Criminal Element(s): The city is run by evil and vengeful wizards. Any thieves in the area steal from visitors, not from locals(but not always...of course)
Feel free to start somewhere...we can make and build as we go on
Located in the cities Dark Quarter is the Church of Spirits, the temple of Velsharoon.
Made of dark granite, the Church of Spirits has no windows to the outside. The only entrance to the building is a pair of gothic, iron doors leading onto the square. Each door is decorated with a skull. The building design is a stepped pyramid, in essence like a square of granite with a smaller square on top and a smaller square on top etc. It’s about 60 feet high. Silver guttering runs around the edge of each layer and down the edges of each corner.
Inside, the temple if all dark corridors of black marble, unadorned with any decoration. Heavy, unmarked iron doors lead into all the rooms and the overall effect is extremely dark and it seems to swallow sound and light. Illumination is provided by sticks of crystal housed in slots in the wall that glow gently. Around the outside of the building are the habitation cells of the disciples that live within the temple and further into the building are the quarters of the higher priests, torture chambers, sacrificial chamber and the altar of death.
*Location: In the center of Thay, near the Thaymount, on the southern shores of Lake Thaylambar. Most of the oddly shaped tharch is used for growing crops, and a number of Nar ruins are said to dot the landscape far from the city.
*Climate: Like all interior Thayan cities, the weather is fair, with scheduled rainfall at night. The city suffers more often from magical mishaps than any climate changes.
*Geographic Features: The canals of the city are well-known but surprisingly orderly. The lake is plentifully stocked, and the mountains rise steeply to the West. The major road through Thay, known as The Slave Way, leads to Eltabbar from the coast. The road is carefully kept and slaves are marched instead of teleported, so as to break their spirits by the time they arrive in the city.
*History: Eltabbar was founded in 923, a year after Thay won its independence from Mulhorand. Placing the new nation's capital deep inside seemed only natural, but was said to have darker motives. It is near the Thaymount, where the nation's premiere wizards have secret laboratories and forges, and thus sometimes suffers from earthquakes. It was also the heart of the civil conflict amongst the nobles that no one likes to talk about but which necessitated the creation of the Eltabbar Census. Since then, registered noble families can only host a set number of blood relations within the city limits at any given time, a number which has steadily dropped since the creation of the Census but which must be declared to the Census office. Each house is allowed a permanent number of inhabitants and a temporary roster of visitors that can stay for up to six months.
*Reputation: It is known as the center of Kossuth’s worship, the slave trade, politics, and art; it is also the second largest city in Thay.
*Relations: Eltabbar has a rivalry with Bezantur, the most populous city in the empire.
*Religions: Bane, Kossuth, Siamorphe, Waukeen, with lesser gods in minor temples and shrines. The churches of Eltabbar all require regular tithing and/or service, although they are careful not to cross the will of the Red Wizards. Most churches use discounts and special services as bargaining chips over the majority of the populace; such things are never assured, except for Red Wizards.
*Notable Heroism: Generals for Thay often hail from Eltabbar, but are trained at the military academy in Pyarados. The Tharchion spends a good amount of time in the city.
*Notable Scandals: Those who try to flee noble families and duties are looked down upon, and traitors to Thay are reviled.
*Important Celebrations: Major holidays for the churches are conspicuously grand.
*Criminal Element(s): The city is run by evil and vengeful wizards. Any thieves in the area steal from visitors, not from locals(but not always...of course)
Feel free to start somewhere...we can make and build as we go on