Almavira
All Roads Lead to Almavira
A city of great universities and lucrative guilds, scheming nobles and affluent thieves, master wizards and gunslingers — Almavira is the capital city of the Kingdom of Ayrith. It is a cosmopolitan hub of the mainland where people of any ancestry can be found filling any role. While just barely a human city by population size, citizens with roots from all over the continent can be found in abundance. With its bustling population, Almavira has grown into a bastion of trade, industry, innovation, and wealth. This openness to new technology has also made the city one of the only places where gunpowder-based products are produced. It is also known as the City of Lights, as its charming cobblestone streets are lit in the dark hours of the night by oil lamps, illuminating the city with a golden glow.
The Golden Strait
Almavira is built along The Golden Strait, a strategic crossing connecting the two halves of Sol's mainland. Situated in the very center of Sol, Almavira has grown rich not only from the lucrative trade of its strategic location, but also from the taxing of foreign vessels going north and south. This desireable realestate has made Almavira the most desirable city in the region for warlords and potentates for centuries. Long before the Droth ever united into a single kingdom, Almavira was considered the greatest city of their people, and it is no small wonder it was chosen as their capital upon unification. The bustling trade enabled by the strait has not only invited fabulous wealth for the city's luckiest residents but criminal opportunities aplenty for the more bold among Almavira's more daring visitors. Ships from all over the continent grace the Royal Port, keeping Almavira ahead of the pack when it comes to new technologies and innovations, with most finding their way to its harbor quickly.
Guilds and Charters
Almavira is well known for its plentiful guilds and trade companies, which benefit from its immense population, relatively free flow of trade, and strategic maritime real estate in the center of the continent. Chief among these is the notorious South Sol Trading Company, a mercantile organization tasked with procuring and monopolizing exotic goods from faraway lands in the south and southeastern reaches of the continent, such as spices, nutmeg, coffee beans, sugar, tea, and so on. The company has a royal charter and significant coffers to enable these activities, though they also carry a dreadful continental reputation for their piracy and aggressive theft of resources, not to mention allegations of slavery, a trade ostensibly outlawed in Ayrith . Otherwise, the city is also home to many other guilds and organizations, from respectable artisans' guilds specializing in glasswork, painting, and poetry to the cunning Silent Syndicate, a notorious thieves' guild. Dark rumors even suggest the infamous Nyx's Cabal has a presence in the city. While the middle districts of Almavira are a battleground of competition for its guilds, the city's criminal underworld has almost as many shadowy organizations.
Districts
Sublime District
Highest of all the districts, the Sublime District is where one can mainly find the nobility and other highborn inhabitants of the city. As well, it is the location of the Red Palace, the ultimate seat of power in the kingdom.Creation District
Here, the most skilled tradespeople can be found such as talented smiths, enchanters, scribes, jewelers, and illustrious artisans. As well, the city's universities, academies, and the many buildings associated with the military are located here.Trader's District
Despite many tradespeople residing in the upper districts, this district gets its name for being the location of many traders' and artisans' guilds. They previously resided in the upper districts but the nobles and high classes felt threatened by the upstart rich commoners in these occupations and relegated them to a lower district. However, they have made it work, using their new proximity to the city's ports to get involved in lucrative trade with foreign merchants.Common District
Here, most of the commoners can be found including their buildings such as taverns, inns, shops, temples, stables, and so on. Its main attraction is the port which also means it is the seat of the notorious thieves' guild known as the Silent Syndicate. Naturally, the city's beggars, smugglers, afflicted, and other 'undesirables' can be found here making the district simultaneously rich in rumors, news, crime, and disease.Points of interest
The Red Palace
Overlooking the capital from its perch in the Sublime District, the Red Palace is the seat of power where the Queen resides. Beautifully built of local marble and famous for its ruby spires, tiles, and domes, the palace draws eager tourists from all corners of the continent. Here, the young Queen Evelyn sits upon the Ruby Throne surrounded by her most esteemed councilors and finest retainers. For a period every day, she takes petitioners from among the commoners of her realm. This majestic castle and palace is surrounded at all times by the finest guards in the city. Inside, courtiers, servants, and councilors of the crown abound, carrying out the day-to-day tasks of running the capital and the kingdom at large and indulging in the lucrative court intrigue that finds its way through the palace. The Red Palace also attracts some of the continent's most renowned adventurers, looking for work and often taking quests that serve the Queen herself.
Comments