The capital - and the only - city of the state of
Reignstone in
Chronan is built on an enormous ziggurat of the ancient
giants. The common people live in the so-called "Terraces" on the exterior, while the wealthy and influential families - known as the "Cornerstone Clans" - have laid claim on the enormous halls inside the ziggurat, commonly called "Chambers". The highest point of the ziggurat, the Crest Terrace, contains an enormous aerodrome as well as several temples and governmental buildings.
Airships are the only viable way out of the city, although the dwarven tunnel system extends all the way to
The Skyward Peaks up north. Steam-powered funiculars and elevators are used to transport people and cargo up and down the ziggurat.
The majority of the citizens are goliaths, mountain dwarves and humans. Because of the city's secluded location in the middle of the dense and dangerous
Grandwood, it is not very welcoming to outsiders. The population lives in a strict hierarchy that defines their daily lives and relationships. People that don't belong to any of the Cornerstone Clans are forbidden to live inside the ziggurat, and may only enter the Chambers to work. Recently,
Autognomes manufactured at the Gadgetory in
Magnapolis have started to replace living servants in the upper-crust households of the Cornerstone Clans, and many of the people living on the Terraces have been left unemployed.
Some 50 years ago, there was a violent feud between several of the Cornerstone Clans over the election of a new Metropolite, and it was then decided that to restore peace, the position would be filled with someone outside the city. The choice ended up being
Griamel, a formidable cleric hailing from the northern dwarven city of Aerdale, which remains independent from the Eight States. She has ruled the city ever since with an iron fist with the help of the
Polis Watch - ironically called the "Stonefaces" - to keep the quarreling clans at bay. Her reign has also brought in many immigrants from Aerdale, and with them they've brought the secret of runic magic.
Locations at the Chambers
Adamantine Mines (mine tunnels extend far beyond the city borders)
Cathedral of Communion (secretive temple of Aegias-Meteo at the heart of the ziggurat)
Colossal Crucible (temple of Kreusstross that manufactures most of the Colossi protecting the Eight States)
Durfulla's Consortium (temple of Politia Palladion, where the city council meets; named after a mythical giant priestess who used to rule the ziggurat)
Falconer's Clubroom (only accepts members of the Cornerstone Clans)
Fathomless Crypts (temple of Elethrain that extends deep into the underground dwarven tunnel system)
The Warhall (chambers of the Metropolite)
Locations at the Terraces
Artisan Terrace (the second highest terrace on the ziggurat that houses many businesses and factories)
Artificers' Guildhouse
Arundel Runecarvers (family-owned business specializing in magic runes)
Eerie Eyrie (popular horror-themed bar built at the edge of the terrace)
Lindbloom Garden Hotel (5 gold/night, the only inn catering to visitors of the city, it is located in a verdant park and connected by an elevator to the aerodrome above)
Stair Market (shops lining the giant steps leading to the Crest Terrace)
Charm & Poise Outfitters (sells clothing and armor, including ones made of adamantine)
Hermia's Aromatherapeutics (sells scented candles and potions)
Open Books (sells books and scrolls)
Azure Terrace (the widest terrace known for its blue-tinted roofs that house commoners)
Giant's Footstep Tavern (bar that has been built around a footstep of a giant pressed into the stone)
Carmine Balconies (the lowest terraces around the ziggurat, containing red-tile military barracks and accomodations as well as cannons and colossi defending the city)
Fort Isambard (large fortress guarding the main staircase leading to the upper terraces, headquarters of the "Stonefaces" and the city's only provisioner of weapons)
Proving Grounds (area on ground level where soldiers train against each other and captured beasts from the forest)
Crest Terrace (the highest terrace on the ziggurat, containing the most important public buildings)
Gutterberg's Pulpit (auditorium and temple of Manadis, named after a former metropolite, has different entrances outside and inside the ziggurat)
Motherly Mineral Baths (temple of Tritiana Mater, contains healing pools)
Pinnacle Aerodrome (the only airport in the city, holds the headquarters of the city's air brigade, "the Gargoyles", access to it is highly restricted)
Seminary of Higher Learning (academy and temple of Philomelo)
Umdorn's Siege (temple of Zaumaturge and the headquarters of the Inquisitors, named after the prophet who brought Reignstone under The Order)
Ochre Village (ramshackle district at the base of the ziggurat, where the poorest people reside)
Fish Market (also rumored to be the entryway for smuggled contraband into the city)
White Claw Lodge (base of the werepolarbear hunters prowling the Grandwood.)
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