Ruby Fields
Located in the middle of treacherous crags that are nigh-on-impossible to climb or traverse outside stands a lone tall plateau that dwarfs the surrounding crags. Built into it all the way to the top is Usilia's capital: Ruby Fields. The city is by far the largest in all of Usilia, dwarfing any and all comparisons. Its inside is full of tunnels, bridges and buildings built into the side of the plateau and all the way through it. The lower floors are lit up from underneath by the red glow of rubies that light that bathe the the lower districts in a dusk light.
Though the city has hundreds of floors they are divided into five general areas:
- Ruby Fields - the titular Ruby fields are a heavily defended district which common citizens don't have access to. Little is known about what happens in this area for the workers are forbidden to speak of it in any form.
- Military District - This area houses the largest concentration of Usilian troops anywhere and the prestigious Red Dragon Military Academy. in the middle of this layer, suspended only by gigantic chains is the Ruby Hold, a massive wooden structure built of the sturdiest wood in Usilia which holds prisoners above a seemingly endless pit. No person has ever escaped from this prison with their lives. Even if one could manage to escape the walls he could not survive the fall beneath it.
- Rock Forest - Most of the citizens in Ruby Fields live here, though this seems to be one of the least maintained and defended districts.
- Ruby District - This area has all the stores, business and entertainment of Ruby Fields. Most of these businesses have been passed down generations and the goods manufactured and sold here are of pristine quality, with prices to match. The whole district is lit up by lanterns empowered by the rubies, with stained glass surrounding them, making this district very well lit and extremely colorful.
- Shogun district - Another heavily defended district that houses representatives of each of the Lords and High Lords of the region, typically their children or spouses. Very few people actually travel to this district, but those that have speak of a larger-than-life stone sculpture of the Shogun that faces all of the houses on the inner part of the mountain as if to watch or cast judgement down upon all of them. At the very top of this district, guarded by elite troops and one of the Sword Saints, is a stairway that leads to the top of the plateau where the Shogun's residence lies. An immensely tall Pagoda surrounded by balistas, a fortified wall and the tallest Pagoda in all of Usilia.
Government
The city is run by the Shogun himself and the Military. While he does on occasion call upon one of the Lord Representatives to enact his will, he is always the one who decides how and when something is enacted. His subjects just carry out his words.
Infrastructure
Each layer of the city is dug out from within the cave itself to create. The Shogun hired experienced dwarves to help create the base structure and layers of the city which took over 300 years to complete. It took all the stone knowledge of dwarves, the ingenuity and creativity of halflings and the expert craftsmanship of elves to build the entire city while the Shogun's Pagoda itself was built entirely by elves.
Ruby Fields
Little is known about the Ruby Fields due a vow that all who work or visit it have to make when they travel there. All that is known is that it is where the rubies that are used throughout Usilia and given to the High Lords come from and the red glow of the rubies is powerful enough to illuminate the Military District and the Rock Forest districts without any use of external light. Despite being sought after, the usage or possession of rubies is forbidden, except for military and the High Lords of Usilia, with the penalty for it being death.Military District
In the Military District the impressive Ruby Hold was built from the strongest trees of the Sunrise forest, back before it became a dark and dangerous place. The chains were made in the district itself in a specialty-built forge that has since become a military forge used to forge massive metal objects for usage in structures or weapons. All of Usilia's large metal objects are forged in the military district and all have to be both endorsed by the Shogun and approved by the military.Rock Forest
Whereas the other districts tend to have wide-open areas with beautiful gardens, the Rock Forest is structured more poorly. The overpopulation of Ruby Fields forced the population to optimize the area of the large plateau as much as possible, so the floor is surrounded by tall tower-shaped buildings placed erratically along the plate which, from afar or when looked at from above in the Ruby District gives it the appearance of a forest.Ruby District
Arguably the most beautiful district of Usilia, this district is full of colorful lights, bridges and wondrous architecture that is as captivating to look at as it is impressive from an engineering perspective. Small islets with nothing beneath them except for the lower district which almost appear as if they're floating, when they are in fact held in place by carefully constructed and well disguised pillars and bridges with massive steal beams hidden underneath that support it and maintain the appearance that there are islets floating, though they are hard to spot unless you know where they are. This district is full of shops with all kinds of goods. The best traditional robes in Usilia, stores with the finest teas of the land, and ones that specialize in importing goods from different parts of the land and it is also where you may find theaters which the Shogun frequently visits. It is rare for him to leave his Castle at the top of the plateau but the Supreme Leader of Usilia makes it a point to attend to a Rakugo play. The distinct lighting of the Ruby District was created entirely by Halflings who were able to use the rubies' natural light to diffract, concentrate and disperse it in various forms throughout all of the establishments in the district.Shogun district
The second most secluded portion of the city is the Shogun district where family members and representatives of the Lords live. Little is known about it other than that you need a special pass to enter and leave it. The few people that do visit do comment on how it is the coldest of districts. Despite having beautiful houses and some trees that are able to grow thanks to a few large barred slits at the top of the plateau that let light in. It is often described as serene by some, with some of the Lords' families painting or playing beautiful melodies that echo throughout the large open chamber of the district. Others have described it as having a sorrowful spirit to it.History
The Plateau has existed in Usilia for as long as history can recall, but the city itself only started being built after the Shogun finished conquering all of Usilia. To the surprise of many, he picked one of the hardest-to-reach and most inhospitable parts of Usilia to become the new capital of Usilia, after the Great March was destroyed and to the surprise of even more people, he hired dwarves from Metrus to help him dig out the interior of the plateau and build the layers which would be the foundation for the city.
After 347 years of construction, after a generation of elves who helped the Shogun conquer the land had passed, Ruby Fields was finally finished, though the Ruby Fields district itself and its mines became operational very shortly after construction had begun.
Architecture
The style of architecture varies depending on which district you are visiting. While the lower districts, which were the first to be created clearly sport a more dwarvish or utilitarian appearance with blocky buildings and practical layout with little care placed upon maintaining any sort of balance, but from the Stone Forest district moving upwards the architecture becomes distinctly more elvish. The Stone Forest seem like hundreds of small Usilian houses stacked on top of each other and built into massive stone pillars whereas the Ruby District is full of light and impressive structures that are prime showcases of elven architecture and craftsmanship.
Geography
The city is located in the tallest plateau of Usilia and it is surrounded by the most dangerous crags of the region. The best and by far safest way to reach Ruby Fields is by following a single mountain pass that leads to the Great Gate of the Brothers. Climbing and descending the crags is an incredibly dangerous task to take and one whose difficulty all visitors of the capital can see. On the steep valleys surrounding the plateau where the city lies, the floors are littered with skeletons both of people who attempted the climb, those who were shot down by archers during their attempt, and other enemies of the Shogun after they were executioned. All who travel to the capital pass by these countless skeletons in what is known as the valley of bones.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments