OC October Challenge Day 9
The day 9 prompt is Eye Candy, and instead of a person, I thought maybe a scenic location in Aeosa might be fun, so here’s some lore about Tal’Kora, the largest and richest city on the continent (and the first city I ever came up with for the setting).
Tal’kora was a city of fabulous wealth and trade, a place unlike any other in the known world. What started as a port-city claimed by the old elven empire on the Idolen Peninsula far to the north-west corner of Aeosa, had emerged over the centuries as an economic powerhouse. Such was its wealth that it was granted independence from the then rapidly transforming elven state, and effectively turned the Idolen region into a sovereign territory all its own.
From then on, its prominence only increased. It hosted a population more diverse than any other; every race that lived on Aeosa could find their kin somewhere in the city. With the vast trade network it had constructed with every major power on the continent, came knowledge. Tal’kora was the home of the largest library in the world, doubling as the holy city for the god of knowledge and wisdom, Plathos. As such, it was a destination for scholars, seers, clerics, scientists and magic practitioners.
Even the poorest districts in the outer city enjoyed a surprising level of comfort relative to other cities of its size and density. The inner districts of the city were some of the most opulent places one could visit. The roads were pathed with granite, the manors and estates constructed of stark white stone, emblazoned with silver, gold and ivory, the people adorned with exotic jewelry and fabrics from across the lands.
All of this, under the shade of six, mighty, ancient elven arch-trees who towered hundreds of feet into the air. Each trunk thick enough to house a roost of dragons, they housed some of the city’s most precious landmarks, such as the temple of Plathos and his library, the Tal’koran military academy, university, the Arcanum, as well as many luxurious apartments, guest houses, and restaurants, and whose branches were grown seamlessly together by the Treeweavers who had sung them into being, creating an elevated upper-level to the city where only the richest and most prominent public officials, merchants, military officers, and intellectuals lived amidst the council chambers, army citadel, and many other key governmental structures.
The landscape surrounding it only added to its beauty. To the east, a lush and thick forest painted the coastline in rich greenery. To the north-east and north-west, snow-capped mountains guarded the city, save for a small, natural port around which the north end of the city surrounds, leading out to the frigid but calm Mirar Sea. Finally, to the south and the east lay flat and fertile fields for those farmers who had learned how to properly work the land. Many prosperous villages and town dotted the countryside beyond Tal’kora, and who benefitted from the vast markets on which they could sell their harvests and local crafts. The success of Tal’kora’s trade, however, had as much to do with the effort the people had put in to safeguard it, as it did with landscapes and geography. The capital of the Idolen did not rest on its laurels; where there is trade, there is crime.
Luckily, the wealth it had accrued was used protecting its borders and shipping lanes, both over the seas and land. A navy and standing army, as well as a well-trained domestic guard, and a keen intelligence gathering force were utilized to fend off any who would disrupt commerce and threaten the citizenry within its borders.
While not the largest military, those who serve the banner of Tal’kora enjoy some of the most advanced weaponry and armor available, thanks to the dedication of the Arcanum. Even the lowliest guard is given moderately enchanted armor and a silvered sword, while the soldiers proper are well-protected from magical as well as physical attack, and are able to give just as much in return. The four captains of each division, the Master of Ships, Master of the Guard, Master of War, and Master of Shadows, are titles handed down to only the most exceptional warriors among the upper ranks, and in recent decades, the crowning jewel of Tal’koran might became the Supreme Commander of these four captains, General T’lia Elisar.
The Golden Lady. The Tyrant Killer. The Wolf Slayer. Fiends-bane. The Tamer of Dragons. Her very presence in the city was a deterrent to all but the most foolish of interlopers, and a rallying cry of pride among the common peoples and the elite alike.
Truly, Tal’kora is a city upon a hill. A society whose prosperity has thus far been without end, and is in the midst of a seemingly eternal golden age.
But all ages have an end, now don’t they.