The city of Soliath is unlike any city you're likely to encounter. She is a small city, yet one of the fastest growing capitals in the whole of the Draconian Empire. Lord city of the northwest, she lies in a bay carved by the river Age, with the vast Q'lynnestine forest rising up on either side.
When you approach the city itself from the great south road, you first notice that the hilly forest begins to thin out to a broad valley. You see people more and more frequently; Woodcutters coming back from their axes, pilgrims come to seek the wisdom of the druids.
The city herself... An iron gate stands before you, guarded by a lone warrior. Low white walls stretch away to either side, covered with ivy. Soliath almost seems a living being, inviting you in.
Obligingly, you walk down the bustling main street. Hawkers cry out their wares and people flock to buy them. Children are playing games in the street, with their mothers searching for them, announcing the supper hour.
To your left rises a stark wooden building, pushing itself far above the small, tidy houses that crowd the city. An elaborately engraved bronze shield hangs above its huge doors, proclaiming this to be a House of the Sword; One of the garrisons of the realm, warriors here train and study to be knights in the service of the Emperor.
Passing all these residences, you come upon Soliath's commercial district, still upon the same street. Sailing vessels of all shapes and sizes dot the azure water of the harbour, as teams of strong men take cargo back and forth between the ships and the city. Several ships are ready to depart, willing to take you with them. You have but to ask their destinations.
Further on, the road ends at a grand plaza, an open space that is made with what seems to be golden bricks, aligned in the shape of a sunburst. A fountain sprays water into the air, catching it in wide, rippling pools. Many people congregate near the fountain, gaily chatting with the white-robed men and women nearby. You ask a peasant girl why the people are speaking to the robed folk, and she replies that the robed folk are the druids, and that people come from far and wide to seek their wisdom.
You stop at the plaza, and gaze at the buildings that dominate the city. Directly before you is the many columned Imperanon, the center of imperial power, and where the Duke of Nova Q'lynnesti resides. You can go here to learn more about the Empire as a whole, as well as its many cities, laws, and customs.
Behind the Imperanon, on a hill overlooking the city, lies the Great Temple of Kala, the focal point for the worldwide organization of druids. If you wish to know, this is the place to be. The druids within those walls are some of the wisest people within the Empire, as well as without. If you have a question to ask about this world, the chances are you'll find an answer here, under the burning torch of knowledge.
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Onaeus
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