City of Kalosanthar

"Well, here it is! The great city of Kalosanthar! The Vrahlis of the West! Complete with its many colourful bazaars, narrow shaded streets and fancy temples every quarter mile!"

"And the heat..."

"And the heat, yes"

-Two travelers arriving in Kalosanthar for the first time.

The city of Kalosanthar is the kingdom of Darnia's largest city. It is also the largest settlement in Enaskia as a whole, although it is closely rivaled by the City of Kynrivel, on the other side of the continent. Despite being relatively young for a darnian city, it has far surpassed alFl of its peers thanks to it's strategic position along two major trade routes.

Demographics

The vast majority of the city's population are ethnic darnians, with small minorities of Hoxani, Nharish and Syrkani residents, each of them carving a small neighbourhood for themselves in the city. Soulbound Mages are nearly non-existant in the city, thanks to the kingdom's strict interpretation of Solian doctrine. Elemental Mages, despite being favoured, are also present in very small numbers in the city, as most of them living in Hurys and Goranthar further north.

Government

The city is ruled by a council made up of representatives of the city's most prominent merchant families. These representatives can be removed by the council with a simple majority vote by other members, in which case, closed elections are held. It is an open secret told between residents that the council is extremely corrupt.

Industry & Trade

The city's largest industry is shipbuilding as Darnia's largest shipyard is located just north of the city's main harbour. The city is also renouned throughout the continent for fine textile, which are sold in abundance at the city's great bazzar. Finaly, the city is also a major hub of the spice trade between the continents of Osian and Enaskia. Although it is not the main export location of Osian spices, as that honour goes to Aksa, it still handles a lot of it, and because it is closer to the Crimson strait than Aksa,, Kalosani merchants have better access to the Arrosian market. Historicaly, the city was also famous for its glass making industry, and while it still exists today, it is no longer a major part of the city's ytrade and economy.

Infrastructure

Harbours

Many harbours are located throughout the city. A few a private, such as the one that connects directly to the lord's palace. Most of them are public however, and serve ferries and cargo ships. The two biggest public harbours are located in opposite ends of the city. One is in the north of the city, and primarily serves merchants coming down from the Nyos river, while the other is in the southern end of the city, near the Market district, and serves the ships coming from the sea. The northern harbour is slightly more recent, as it was built 2 centuries after the southern one, as the later could not handle all of the trade flowing into it.

Bridges

Numerous stone and wooden bridges connect the western part of the city with the nearby island. A few also connect them with each other. Because of all of these bridges, ships have to take a channel thats further to the east of the city to reach the sea, or the Nyos. A single draw bridge, made of wood and metal, that was orriginaly powered by hand, but is now powered by a steam engine, allows acess to the city from the east, through the delta.

Districts

Kalosanthar is a large, dense city, composed of numerous distinct neighbouhoods.

The Market District

The most famous is obviously the market district, also called the Grand Bazzar. The titular building is located in the centre of the district and is a large building that covers several streets. Inside, the corridors are lined with shops, boutiques and stands selling all kinds of products and people haggling for the best price. However, the market stretches much beyond this single building. Many of the nearby streets are also lined with many shops and are covered with make-shift roofs, made of wood beams nailed to the nearby buildings and draped in brightly coloured shades, offering protection from the harsh sun above.

The Riverside slums

Between the walls of the western half of the city and the river, a large slum neighbourhood developed during the later centuries of the Second Age, as the population of the city outgrew the capacity of the city at the time. It is considered by most to be a den of crime and poverty, and soldiers are regularly sent there to "keep peace." Because of the lack of infrastructure like sewers, the neighbourhood reeks and thanks to its closeness to the city's southern port, it skinks the harbour too.

Points of interest

The Lord's Palace

Built by Kalosan the Great almost amillenia and a half agao, it has gone through significant changes and expansions throughout the years. It is a large building located on the western half of the city, on a small hill. Its turquoise dome, visible throughout the city, contrasts greatly with the almost white stones that make up its walls and the lush green gardens around it. It housed King Kalosan during his reing, and after his death, housed the kings of Darnia that succeeded him. However, after Darnia became an Esnian province, it was renamed to the Lords palace, where the provincial governor would reside.

Kalosan's Arena

Another building commisioned by the great conqueror, this large arena, first built in a classic Valcoren semi-circle before being doubled into a full collesum a few centuries later, regularly hosts gladiatorial matches between mages of all kinds. It resides on one of the islands in the eastern part of the city. Most of those mages come from outside the city, and travel here as it is where they'll be payed the most. Even Firemages from the island of Island of Fes N'haï come here to fight, despite the island's population generaly frouning upon the mainland.

"So they're payed to fight?"
"Yup, and a lot too"
"We do need the money..."
"Wait, no! Hold on! Get back here!"

-Someone getting a bad idea.

The Lighthouse of Kalosanthar

A very famous feature of the city that is in reality located just outside of it, on a rocky island just off the coast. It is around 85 meters high and divided into two distincts sections. A square base rectangle that make sup about 2/3 of the building's height and a circular top section making up the remaining third. A fire constantly burns on the top-most portion of the tower, lighting the way to the city's southern harbour, located just to the north. According to some estimations, it is the second tallest lighthouse in Enaskia, after the one in Aksa's great harbour.

The Grand Bazaar

The grand bazaar is a large interior market that was first built more than a thousand years ago, and has been subsequently expanded numerous times. It now covers approximatly 20 000 square meters, has about 50 entirery self contained and covered streets and countless alleyways between them. Various rare and expensive )sian spices, dyed textiles of all kind, glassware, Talismans and other jewlery, perfumes/encents, as well as a large catalogue of local food options can all be found here.

"Welp. I'm lost"

-Commonly sentiment expressed by people visiting the bazaar for the first time.

A Lost Monument of Knowledge: The Great Library of Kalosanthar

The library of Kalosanthar was once the largest Library in Hysal, before it, and parts of the city were burned and sacked during a Sokralian uprising in the city in the year 227 bc. They did this by instigating a panic in the city by claming that a large group of imperial mages were coming to the city to kidnap children, which was a common trope used against them at the time. They rounded up a few mages in the city, locked them inside the library, and a fire started inside soon after. The cultists blamed a Firemage inside, but other accounts claim that the fire was started by a small group of cultist in the building's rear instead. Whoever did it, the result was the same: countless works of magic, science and art are lost in less than an hour. 37 human and mage lives were also lost in the blaze. A monument honoring the memory of those lives was raised in 73 Ac, on the 300th aniversary of the tragedy, along with a public square, built on top of the ruins of the library.

Architecture

Houses in Kaloanthar are tall and flat roofed. They are built out of sandstone or limestone and close together, along narrow streets in order to provide shade to the ground below. Aditional sunshades are often added between buildings in those narrow side streets to provide additional shade to the ground. The city's main streets are instead often shaded by rows of tall palm trees.

Geography

Located just to the west of the Nyos Delta region, along Darnia's southern coast, Kalosanthar can be roughly divided into 2 parts. About half of the city is located on the mainland, along the western bank of the river, while the other half is split onto two islands within the delta. Beyond the walled city, and the slums along the river, is a vast stretch of flat fertile land, covered in farms, vineyards, and palm trees in the east, and sandy dunes in the west.

Climate

Because of its position along the coast, Kalosanthar experiences it experiences a milder climate that cities to its north, such as Hurys or Lyras. Just like those cities however it also eperiences no rainfall all year round. Clouds can rarely be seen in sparce numbers during spring and summer.

Map of Enaskia

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A map of the continent of Enaskia, as of the year 370 AC.

Alternative Name(s)

Vrahlis of the West/Conqueror's city

Type

Large city

Population

840 000

Inhabitant Demonym

Kalosani

Owning Organization

Kingdom of Darnia

Related Traditions

• Summer Solstice Festival

History

Kalosanthar was founded in the year 1191 bc, by the empire of the Valcoren Empire, King Kalosan the Great, as the new Imperial Valcoren capital, 2 weeks after defeating the darnian army for the 4th and final time outside the walls of Hurys, Darnia's capital at the time.
From the 1180s, to the 1170s, the southern harbour, the shipyard and Kalosan's palace, which will become the Lord's palace in the future.
In 1164, the first itteration of the Temple of Kalosanthar, a great pyramid temple finishes construction. It has since become the third largest Solian temple in Hysal, after the ones in the City of Solthar and the City of Vrahlis.

In 1152 bc, following the death of King Kalosan, Darnia gains independance from the crumbling Valcoren empire. The city becomes its new capital as Hurys continued to decline since its sack and partial abandonement 40 years ago.

Kalosanthar's population grows rapidaly for the rest of the second millenium bc, as it eventualy surpasses 150 000 inhabitants.

In the 1090s bc, a second harbour is built in the north of the city to accomodate the large amount of trade flowing down the Nyos river to the city. A few years after that, construction begins on the city's lighthouse, which finishes in 1079.

Around 800 Bc, Kalosanthar surpases the cities of Goranthar and Lyras and becomes the largest city in Darnia, with a population nearing 300k

In 740, in the midst of the Esnian empire invasion of the kingdom of Darnia, an Esnian army reaches the city, but turns back after realising it is too small to lay seige. The army is later defeated near the town of Kirah, but in 661, the empire finaly annexes Darnia and imperial soldiers enter Kalosanthar for the first time. The city becomes the capital of the new province of Darnia.

In 629, a revolt begins in Kalosanthar against Esnian rule, specificaly by anagry merchants railing about the new taxes imposed by Eania. The rebellion is crushed after a few days.

in 601 Bc, the city would be hit by the Blood-Pox, a highly infectious and deadly desease. About 35% of the city's population dies in about a year. The effects were felt for decades afterwards.

In 574, the city once again becomes the capital of an independant Darnia as a second revolt, this time about religious freedoms, sweeps through southern Darnia. A new king is elected by the city council and clergy.

From 534 to 531 bc, the 4th Darnian-Esnian war occurs, which sees the newly independant country being crushed by the Esnian empire. The newly formed Western Esnian Empire reconquers darnia and anexes it as a province, which it then separates into two, with the city of Lyras becoming the capital of Northern Darnia, and Kalosanthar becoming the provincial capital of Southern Darnia.

From 265, to 261 Bc, after a long period of peace for the city and Darnia as a whole, a new uprising in Northern Darnia, demanding more religious autonomy is violently suppressed. News quickly reaches Southern Darnia and are followed by new legions of imperial soldiers occupying the capital as a "preventive mesure."

The resentement of the population fuels the growth of a newly arrived Solian cult, called Sokralism. In 227, they launch their boldest attack yet in Kalosanthar and manage to burn down the Great Library, along with countless literary works on magic and science. The following year, they perpetrate another massacre, killing 122 mages along with 31 humans. After that, many more mages would flee the city, which started the decline of the city's mage population, which hasn't recovered since.

About 100 years later, in 127 bc, the Esnian empire, which still occupies both Darnian provinces, bans the practice of Solianism due to fears of Sokralism spreading further. This triggers a massive backlash not just in Enaskia, but also in their Arrosian territories, making them unable to effectively respond when the Arcan of Kalosanthar leads a revolt that eventualy liberates southern Darnia. Kalosanthar becomes the capital of Southern Darnia.

In 47 bc, the city's first cases of the The Blight plague is reported. It spreads wildly out of control in the city's slums. The sick are quarantined in a nearby uninhabited island to keep the main city safe, which largely works. However, by year 1 bc, the city which had reached a population close to 600k, lost about 300k inhabitants, half of them to the blight.

The kingdom of southern Darnia collapses in 17 bc, ater its king is killed by an assassin from northern Darnia, hired by the king there to annex the kingdom. However, his own kingdom soon collapses afterwards, leaving cities all over Darnia to fend for themselves against the Blight, which is by now ravaging the entire continent.

In the year 3 of the new millenium, the kingdom of Darnia is unified and restored, but the capital is moved to Lyras, as Kalosanthar is no longer the Kingdom's largest city and international trade had largely collasped at the time, making its economic power irrelevent.

However, by the year 300, Kalosanthar had rapidaly rebounded passing its pre AoC population and surged to 700k inhabitants. Its mage population did not recover in the same way however, as it remains in the low hundreds to this day.