The Shining City
The Shining City is a marvel of art and architecture. A monument to the wonders of prosperity and prolonged peace, or to some, an opulent symbol of excess and greed.
Emblematic of the nation that it represents, the city houses a plethora of people of different ancestries and backgrounds, from beggars to noble lords.
The Castle itself of course houses the Rydian Royalty, his servants and his inner guard. Surrounding the castle is the Royal Battlements. The castle is in the northernmost part of the city.
Most of the plethora of people live in the District of Erindith in the western part of the city, most of which is outside the old city walls. This District dwarfs the other in size, and although it mostly lies in the west of the middle district, it has grown to wrap all around the south and north parts of the old walls.
Traveling merchants and peddlers of wares must pay a toll on their way through the city. Of course this that means that inns and general stores are not allowed to legally operate outside the outer walls. A few still exist, usually disguised as simple residences.
The lucky few who were born with, or have accumulated enough wealth or influence over their lives, live in the District of Nero. This district is in the northern hills east of the castle, and consists mostly of walled off towers and mansions of interesting and beautiful architecture. A good many of the cities guilds also have their headquarters here, owing mostly to the greater size in housing and the increased security. This district is sometimes also referred to as the Castle District, as the castle used to not be walled off from it.
The southern part of the city by the docks is the District of Thassa. This is where most of the industry and storehouses of the city exist, as well as the main barracks of the Rydian army. This sector is the oldest in the city along with the castle, and the old dock is still in use to this day.
Within the inner walls, south of the castle lies the District of Evander. It is here that most of the trade in the city is done. Evanders square is an open square where anyone can come to sell their goods, as long as you have coin enough to pay the Trade Guild for the lot. Around the square are a lot of more specialized businesses, such as menageries, specialist blacksmiths and fletchers.
Government
The governing body of Rydia is very small, and so, especially in the Shining City, contractors and guilds are relied upon very heavily in the general upkeep, and effective governance of the kingdom. The contracts are usually made for short term, with strict laws making sure the kingdom keeps the upper hand in negotiations, and keeping the guilds from working together to drive up prices.
What the kingdom however does not contract out is the keeping of the peace, as this is done by a specialist arm of the rydian military named the Red Guard.
Defences
The Outer Wall is built more as a shelter than a defense, and although it is patrolled, the defensive protocol is to retreat to the inner walls once an enemy would be close to the gates.
The Inner Wall has two main gates. The Estergate, and the Westergate. These inner gates are heavily guarded, and any who pass through it are screened, although any citizen of Rydia may pass through freely.
The outer wall has three gates, all of which are usually open, although more conspicuous characters are usually stopped and questioned before they are let in to the city proper.
Infrastructure
The city, having been built fairly recently, was built with sustainability in mind. Under the city is a robust system of sewers and cisterns that both serve to provide the city with a fairly sophisticated plumbing system, at least in the more well off parts of the city.
The city roads, old and new, are well built and maintained, and the rydian road system stretches throughout the Luminous Vale, making travel faster and enabling efficient trade between most of the major towns and cities of Rydia.
North of the city, the plains harbor a multitude of windmills and granaries that process and distribute a huge bulk of the produce grown in south Rydia.
Guilds and Factions
The Rydian Trade Guild is among the oldest and most powerful guilds in the Shining City. They supervise or on some way facilitate a majority of all the trade in and out of the city, as well as owning and operating the market on Evaders Square. Many say that Amanass, their guild leader, is more of a king to this city than Liander is.
The Agricultural Union is a democratically run union that works on behalf of the countries farmers to ensure fair compensation for their work and products. They have tight bonds with the Trade guild, and are considered among the most powerful factions in Rydia, simply for its sheer size.
The White Rose, also known as the Artists Guild, are a large commissions network of artists of almost every type, from architects to painters to armorers. King Liander was a candidate put forward by this guild. Rydians tend to value art very highly, and so, the White Rose is one of the most powerful guilds in the Shining City.
The Guild of Wine and Spirits, was originally founded to regulate the consumption of alcohol, but now it is wholly dedicated to its production and distribution. Rydian wines are greatly coveted and expensive, as well as their harder spirits being very heavily exported to Berygg.
Sabins Adventurers Guild is a rat-catcher and mercenary network that was founded in the midst of war, and has declined greatly since the reign of Liander began. They are however now in the midst of a resurgence, and the nature and image of the guild is turning more towards the adventure that was once derided in the title.
Architecture
The cities architecture is considered the most beautiful in all of Isera, and the kingdom regularly commissions artist from far and wide to assist in the construction of new buildings in the city. The outer, more recent city walls, although much taller then the inner city walls, are overall considered more ornamental than useful, as is the trend with a lot of the newer districts.
Most of the old town, along with the castle, are built mostly from white marble and brass, both of which were in large part bought from the dwarves of Berygg, as part of the pact made with them as defenders of the mountain pass to Faris made upon the founding of Rydia as a nation.
Alternative Name(s)
The Capital, The Greatest City in This or Any Age.
Type
Capital
Population
80000
Location under
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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