Cardia
Cardia holds the north, crowned by the impassable Rinkan mountains to the far north, with much of its land covered in snow. A land made strict by its unforgiving weather patterns, Cardia has seen a number of academies rise in the last hundred years, though none more renowned and difficult to gain access to than the School of Dragoons, nestled in the foothills of Mount Tritoch. Cardia holds dragons in high reverence, something that they say they have always done, even during the time of the Empire, though this is a matter of some debate for historians.
NOTABLE JOBS
- Dragoons receive their formal training in the Dravanian Academy.
- The finest Blacksmiths and Armorers are trained in the Cardian mountains.
RUMORS & POINTS OF INTEREST
- Formal Dragoon training is given in the Dravanian Academy on the Third Ring of Cardia.
- The city named for The Forgotten is somewhere near Cardia, though it appears on no maps.
- The darksteel mine used for the spears dragoons use has been shut for a year.
- One of the houses of the exiled Court members is said to still be occupied.
Government
Cardia has a hereditary monarchy, with power passing to the eldest child. Regardless of gender, the ruler’s title is King. The current Cardian ruler is King Jessamine Dravanor, a headstrong human woman renowned for her prowess with a spear and her lack of patience for political maneuvering. Crowned in 1248 at the age of 19 after the death of the late Peiran Dravanor, Jessamine exiled three members of her court in 1252 and has yet to fill their positions two years later.
The Azure Dragoon is said to hold power over all others in Cardia, even the King, but the position appears to be largely symbolic. The Azure Dragoon’s identity is never publicly given and they are never seen outside of their signature blue armor.
Infrastructure
Cardia is built in five rings, narrowing the higher they rise on Mount Tritoch. The First Ring at the base of the mountain is by far the largest, with the greatest residential regions, as well as most of the markets and traders. The Second Ring holds workshops and foundries, as Cardian law prohibits anything made within the city to be sold to consumers directly by the creators. The Third Ring houses both airships and soldiers, with the military monitoring any air travel around the mountains. The Fourth Ring holds but thirteen houses, one for the King and twelve for the members of their court. The Fifth Ring has but one residence, and it is for the only person within Cardia who technically outranks the King: the Azure Dragoon. The Fifth Ring also holds the Dragonmount, a massive half-mile-high dragon statue carved into the side of the mountain.
History
The city of Cardia was founded in 119 AY as a base of operations for Alternan explorers looking to climb the Rinkan Mountains and travel north past them to find what lie beyond. It took fifty years for the explorers to give up, but the town that grew around them remained. Built along the slope of Mount Tritoch, the small town eventually expanded as high vertically as it stretched horizontally. Cardia is visible for miles across the plains.
Type
Capital
Inhabitant Demonym
Cardian
Characters in Location
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