Cities and Towns
Cities (above ~250k)
Home to around 3 million people, Ossanaha is a proud capital.
Based in the shadows of a dead volcano, it is a vibrant and large city. The entire silhouette city is dominated by the Winding Spire, a behemoth with 696 steps to the top meeting room that houses the Faith Keepers. From this insane vantage point, all the decisions of the imperium are made.
Taking second place in population numbers is Alalia, also the south most of the big cities.
Called the City of a Thousand Domes, the actual dome count is closer to thirty, all of them belong to important religious sites. Home to the Violet Bazaar, the first marketplace any new stuff can be found, it is also called the city that never sleeps.And you won’t go to sleep either, because the constant bell ringing won’t allow you to. The city has three ports, each a little bit farther from the open sea.
The largest military base by far, Fort Hagan really lives up to its name. It’s completely made out of refined igsan. With five towers and a location in one of the bends of Navia, getting to the base undetected is nigh on impossible, let alone trying to siege it. And that is even without counting the million or so soldiers manning it all day, all night, throughout the whole year.
Emona is the base of the Inquisition, and everything in this town revolves around them. Up to 200 inquisitors in training at any moment, this place provides anything they might need – smithies to craft armors and weapons, rooms for magical training, and enough pyres to make the city have a permanent cloud of smoke above it.
The few people that aren’t related to the Inquisition are usually there to exploit Attuatuca Tuder, the haven of magical and other ingredients.
Towns (above ~100k)
Barely missing out on the 250 thousand mark, Raphae attracts attention in a big way.
The entire town is one big reloading station/market, with goods being transported from ships onto river barges shallow enough to navigate the swampy land that the estuary of Navia turns to.
Due to the constant and never stopping rains, Raphae doesn’t have traditional streets – instead houses are connected via walkways, turning their attics into public spaces. There is where all the trade happens. Transport of goods is done outside the homes, but who does not need to be outside, won’t be.
The next major site on our list is the Arena. If you haven’t heard about it and the shows that go on in there, then I am afraid you must have been living under a rock for the last few decades.
The arena itself is owned by Tophat of BEAG, while the city that has grown around it falls under imperial rule. Both benefit from the imperial highway that leads here.
Almost 200 meters in diameter, the Arena is made of dyed igsan. There are twelve gigantic rib-like pylons extending inside it, allowing for cloth to be put in between them to shield the audience from the weather.
It also has a built in magic field, making it impossible for something to escape the arena pit, save for a Faith Keeper. The rest of the city is constructed to accommodate up to 90 thousand guests, which is almost exactly what the capacity of the arena is.
Vinovium houses the great Polyhedron, a center of all the knowledge known to the Imperium. An identical pair can be found in Ossanaha and Alalia, but the documents stored here actually get used, mostly for furthering research.
To the “faces” of the Polyhedron, various arrays of building are connected, each split by the field they study, so as the information they will need the most is located the closest.
Aside from providing any needs a glorified research facility would need (yes, even including the oversized cantine all scientists share gossip in) the town has a small port with a ferry to Cirhi, and the second highest tower in the Imperium.
Other notable places (above ~50k)
The half-castle-half town of Capsa exists for the sake guarding both the seaways that lead into Raphae and the land ways that lead from the portal.
Rothencium is the halfway point between the Arena and Ossanaha. It allows for travelers to take a much needed break and rest up, as well as conduct trade. It’s all about trade these days.
A smaller mirror to Vinovium, Cirhi helps with conducting research, mainly on subjects that require even more isolation. Additionally, the strait between the two is ideal for research of long distance communications that don’t rely heavily on magic.
The third largest port belongs to Comum, who provides almost all of the supplies to the Arena and Emona. In addition, it is home to a zoo with a variety of common and exotic species.