Amara

The City in the Clouds

High atop the now fossilized remains of the once great tree Yanwe, the humans build Amara, the capital of the Duskvalley and the humans' fortress against the demons and shadows in the world.

Demographics

The people that live in Amara are mostly upper-class citizens and merchants with businesses in the city. They live in the southern regions of the city and the royal families palace takes up the most southern corner of Amara. Less wealthy citizens live in the northern areas of Amara, which with time turned into run down districts, known for their heightened levels of criminality and avoided by higher class citizens.

Government

The royal family rules over the city and Kuromori, the village that lies just below the city in the Duskvalley. The royal guards work as the police of the city, however they ended up mostly disregarding the northern districts.

Defences

Due to its strategically well-chosen location atop a gigantic tree, hundreds of feet above the ground, Amara does not need many defenses to be protected against any kind of enemy. The road that leads up to the city is heavily guarded, especially at night, and after sundown no one is allowed to go up to the streets, except for previously registered merchants and their carriages, and guests of the royal family. Leaving the city however is possible at any time of the day. In the years after Amara's founding, the city also had armed towers within its walls, to protect them agains those races of Shadowkeepers who were able to fly, namely the Dragons of the West and the Stormhawks. In the past decades however, these have been deconstructed as attacks were rare if non-existent and the towers were not longer needed. They had mainly served to make Amara's citizens feel more safe.

Industry & Trade

Amara is one of the biggest commercial intersections in all of Esterya. Their export focuses mainly on luxury items such as jewelry, fine fabrics, glamorous garments, and perfume. Back when their smithing business was still existent, they sold many weapons to other cities and to their own royal guard. With time demand for new weapons decreased as the general situation had gotten more peaceful, leading many blacksmiths to close down their businesses.

Infrastructure

Within the city itself, the main streets, especially in the southern districts are kept in good shape constantly, to allow carriages to pass through without problems, and to keep up the overall pompous look of the wealthier districts. However, when leaving the main streets, one quickly notices that this is merely a fassade. Most of the other streets that spread across the city like a spider's web, in between the tightly build houses, are way to small to fit carriages through them properly, badly lit, if at all, and generally in a rather bad shape. This is also why most people living in or visiting Amara move around on foot, as its is both cheaper and faster, since during the day when everyone is on the streets, visiting the shops along them, they can get really crowded and it takes forever for carriages to get through. The city's sewage system was build in such a way that it runs through what once were the branches of the tree the city was build on, down its trunk and into the nearby river.

Assets

The southern district of Amara consists mostly of shopping streets, which are very popular among more wealth people all over Esterya. As Amara's trade is specialised in luxury itmes, the city is the place to go for anyone on the search for fine jewelery or expensive gowns.

History

After the great war with the Shadowkeepers, the humans continued mining the valuable ore know as Solyrium from the veins of the gigantic tree that grew right in the middle of the Duskvalley, also known as Yanwe. With time the tree died and its wood petrified, leaving behind a giant, solid structure. They decided to build their new stronghold and capital on top of its former crown, to protect themselves from any enemies.

Geography

As Amara is build on top of the crown of a gigantic, fossilized tree, it grants an amazing view of the surrounding landscapes. In the west lie The Veiled Mountains, their peaks always surrounded by never breaking mist, and when the sun is sinking on the horizon, it makes them glow in the most beautiful colors. Towards the south of Esterya stretches The Eternal Forest, looking like a great green sea and when one directs their gaze north or east, the wide prairies reach all the way beyond the horizon.

Type

Capital

Population

15 to 20 thousand

Inhabitant Demonym

Amarians

Location under

Duskvalley

Characters in Location