Vrasathra
Overview
Vrasathra was founded ~900 years ago (counting from the appearence of the Spiral) by Trosarlor, the first king of Vraitha. The name Vrasathra means our purple lady because Trosarlor allegedly saw a woman in fine purple dresses at the spot where the main lighthouse stands. Apparently he took that as a sign and said "We settle here, the Lady told me that."
The chroniclers, scholars, historians and history books do not know what happened shortly after the founding. Apparently Trosarlor took the throne, started to build quarries, mines, the first port, married and got two daughters and one son. For some unknown reason he decided against his council, his friends and every tradition that the heir to the throne should have been the oldest daughter and with that created a matriarchal kingdom.
But according to the secret found in Vrisinas Emerald of the Cloudy Vale this is not how it happened. Apparently Vrasala, the first Mistress and grandmother of Vrisina, used powerful ancient spells to erase the memory of scholars & historians alike and rewrote the history books so that Vraitha would be a matriarchal society and kingdom.
But since Vrasala has eliminated every trace of the old kingdom, the king, his heirs except for the daughters and every memory of it, it doesn't matter anymore. Right? Right.
So Vraitha as it is now is a matriarchal kingdom and Vrasathra is its capital. And what a sight to behold. But lets not get ahead of ourselves, okay?
Structure & Districts
We are going from left to right, since the city is divided by two rivers, Vrajara and Vruja, the Wet Abyss and the Rapid Current. Vrajara is the northern-west river and one of the natural defenses of the Inner City and Vruja the south-east river and a natural defense as well. But lets start from the left side.
West Vrasathra
The western part of the city, officially called West Vrasathra - not very original, but try to come up with a name just for fields - consists mostly of fields, meadows for livestock and small farm houses. There are narrow watchtowers scattered between them to communicate as efficient as possible to the first defense or to announce visitors. For this they use a variant of the communication technique of Colourblade and torches which are coated with various chemical ingredients. Those burn in different colours for usage in the night when the Colourblade cloths are not visible.
Besides a few wells and the farms & fields described above the area in West Vrasathra is not so spectacular. Around three kilometre to the west lays the large quarry of Vraitha, basically their one and only source for their huge sturdy stone bricks. And from there a few kilometres straight to the north lay a few mines for metal and gems in direct reach to Vrasathra and the port city of Vroela.
Both sides of Vrajara have docks on the eastern and western shorelines. The first port is right behind the gates and in front of the first of three bridges along the river. The first port is mostly used for incoming and outgoing trade for the nations along the coasts of Koria. The second port lies behind the third bridge and is used for transporting goods inland and sometimes to the city.
In the middle of the ports some cool people built the shipyards. Those are outfitted with a sawmills, woodworkers and everything a ship needs like sailmakers and rope knotters. In this place the trade ships, fisherboats (if they have the coin) and the few war ships are constructed and repaired.
Both riversides have large defense towers with a big amount of archers and a few siege weapons for throwing rocks, oil barrels and spears. The southern area houses a few stables with horses and carriages for travelers. Technically one is for the military vehicles, one for entirely civilian vehicles and the third is a jack-of-all-trades, changes work items if needed.
Inner Vrasathra
The inner city sits on the peninsula between the two rivers and is in the south guarded by a strong wall and a few towers with a lot of archers and some siege weapons. The gatehouse is built offset to the rear so the four towers can protect the gatehouse; it also serves as a chokepoint.
The western part right after the gate - basically just go left - has the inns and the market district. "District" might not be the right word because there are no walls or gates anymore until you reach the palace. The markets have everything, beginning from fish over weapons to expensive linen, silk and other cloths and fabrics. A bit more to the north you have the huts of the fisher who are fishing inside the Vrajara and the main port.
The eastern part of the peninsula consists mainly of living quarters. Houses, huts and the various workshops of the city along the shoreline of the Vruja.
In the middle section of the city sits the main square with a huge fountain and four statues in honour of the fighting shieldmaidens and their brave men. A few steps to the north, between the living quarters and the fisherhuts, one can find the huge temple, dedicated to the Mother of Ravens and Feather of Crows. It is basically the central building before one can reach the palace. Around the temple and the main square the people of Vrasathra tend to mingle, to chat, to relax between their chores.
In the north one hits a wall, a gatehouse and behind that the palace of Vrasathra and seat of power of Vraitha. On the left side the servants and staff have their quarters and on the right side the few nobles their houses.
Behind the palace lies the royal graveyard, mostly called Mistress' Return. It has this name because the people of Vraitha believe that their holy Mistress is going to return to the warm embrace and the lab of the Mother of Ravens. It is not a place of mourning, it is a place of rejoice. And in this graveyard lies the Royal Crypt.
On the right side the palace has a secret tunnel and a small pathway to a small dock. This dock houses only one ship and this is the ship of the Mistress. This one is used for diplomatic missions and in case of an invasion and the royal family has to leave the city. In peaceful times some special deliveries are allowed to dock here or more secretive missions from other nations. The tunnel lies behind an artifical bush, covered in veins.
East Vrasathra
The eastern part of Vrasathra is separated from the inner city with the river Vruja, another natural defense. Here, protected by a a wall, the military training grounds have their place as well as a few smaller warehouses, everything built to support the military. This includes offices and labs from the scholars and builders who are designing and testing new ways of warfare, mostly for defense.
The wall which protects the military grounds is designed to withstand skirmishes and a lot of infantry, but would go down under incoming siege fire sooner than later. The grounds are just some sort of pufferzone so the guards can set up the first real defense with Vruja and the towers on the other side of the river. There are only a few small paths to get to the city itself, just large enough to be called street. In between the meadows and unused fields are flavoured with spikes, booby-traps, murder holes and pits with spikes at the end.
The women of Vraitha might have a big heart in general, adore their men and be very kind, but as warriors they are as ferocious as the northern clans or the Onyxkin dwarves. And they protect their land, their homes, their people with all their might and ideas.
Government
Vrasathra is governed by the Ministress', the priests and the Mistress herself with her Consort. The Mistress oversees the entirety of her realm, gives orders and directions and the Ministress' execute her decisions with subordinates or sometimes themselves. Being a Ministress comes with certain privileges and a relatively good payment, so normally the women of power try not to disappoint their Mistress.
If a Ministress should die or fall from grace, the position might be offered to a different Ministress (until further notice) or a man take the position for a short period of time until the next Ministress can take his place.
Religion
Military
In Vraitha the male military consists of three major groups: guards (city, wall, tower, whatever), Bluewings as the infantry and everything inside it and the outer palace guard. They are taking their responsibility to protects their women and Mistress very serious. A lot of man choose this way
For the women of Vraitha it is rather simple: if you can do it or have the potential, you can do whatever you like. The only position a woman can't take just that is the Blackwings - the inner palace guard - and the Ravenguard which is the personal security detail of the Mistress and her Consort. Mostly hers, but well, it extends to the Consort. For the Blackwings one has to go through rigorous training and if applying to the Ravenguard even more. A Ravenguard has to be deadly and should be able to protect the Mistress on her own against multiple foes, but is even deadlier in a group.
Resources
The resources of Vrasathra are mostly linen, products from goat, sheeps, plants, clay, fish and everything ocean-related. The mines to the north are only loosely connected to Vrasathra, so stone and gems are only a bit a resource of the capital.
Trading Inside & Outside
The trading itself is mostly concluded inside the city in the market district. One can buy fish and other living things right off the port if the merchants allow it, but the city demands that every trade is concluded on inner city grounds. Mostly because of the taxes.
The southern Vrajara port is used for goods and trades into the land, while the northern port houses a few war ships and the larger trade vessels which are sailing the ocean and visiting the coastal nations. The bridge south of it is a sturdy one and it needs to be because of the carriages and the traffic. Both ports are connected to the market district and can be reached by one of two bridges from the river.
Tradecollectors (female and male alike) are taking notes and estimates on goods, value and their taxes. A Mistress has to eat, right? Every Collector has a small list of taxes on specific goods. Here they make a distinction of type, weight, material and complexity. For example a bow generates lesser taxes than a longsword and a silken dress has a higher value - and so a higher tax cut - than a woolen dress.
But it also really depends on the trade one wants to be concluded. If they ship statues, it has to be by ship, preferably one of the larger ones, they can haul a lot of statues. A carriage is also possible, but it is more pricey (in terms of statues and stones). Pottery and jewelry on the other hand can be easier transported by a carriage and even the security detail is cheaper than the transport by ship. You see, it really depends what kind of good and how valuable it is has to be transported: it dictates the variant of transport.
The more exclusive trade is concluded at the quay next to the palace. This quay is only for exclusive deliveries to the palace and the Mistress herself (if it is not a diplomatic mission or an emergency). I mean, a corsett made with the finest materials by an elf? Damn right, this is exclusive.
Waste Management
Since Vraitha, and so Vrasathra, are up in the higher north they have to use whatever they can get. Bone, skin, flesh, threads, feathers, even human waste. So the human waste goes to the fields or is being burned in the fields or on one of the waste ships out in the open sea.
Besides that as said everything is going to get used. Cooked, sew, built, repurposed. If it is going to go into the burnings, then it is utterly broken and can't be fixed or repaired, only replaced. If it is metal or clay they attempt to save the material as much as possible, so it can be reused.
Tales
"One of the things I adore the most about the citizens of Vraitha and especially Vrasathra is that their merchants - most of them are women - don't give a copper coin about the Divided Feast and their influence or their threats. The Divided Feast can offer the best cuts and discounts and whatnot, but the merchants here... they just hire someone and even when that means that they have to hire mercs as well, they don't want to give the Divided Feast more ground than they have to. They adore my little donkey and my shop. At least I have the feeling they like it. I dined with a family of merchants and it is an interesting thing to observe a female-lead family. Their gaze and thinking differs a lot from mine or my colleagues. I feel I could learn a lot of things here. But first dinner."
"After my training and the first assignments on my own I finally got to visit Vrasathra. My assignment? Protect the Mistress during the meeting of the Seven Nation Alliance. And it was a bit like coming home. Everywhere you go they had hung up colourful flags or just wallscrolls or whatnot. And I could see the Colourblade coding nearly everywhere. They use it so naturally and not in a secret code like us Sword Maiden. The fun part is to have a look at the defenses first. Every army should have a hard time to get into the inner city. The southern wall is so thick like a ██████████ and I think I blushed a bit. I also took a short bath in the very clear rivers and yes, they are very deep. If one can't cross it via bridge or ship, good luck. Have you tried the finger food here? Fish on a stick, small baked potatoes or beets filled with other stuff. And the people are all so beautiful. I mean, just smile at a woman and she lights up like a candle and they are SO FRIGGING BEAUTIFUL! And now I am standing outside the door of Vrinis while she is getting ready. I already have instructed her guards - they are called Ravenguard, isn't that metal?! - and observed the guests and the location. I have to admit, I am nervous as well. But the truth? I don't know if it is because of the occasion, that it is my first large assignment with an actual QUEEN - sorry, Mistress - or because of Vrinis. I think I blushed a second time here and I hope she isn't telling the Daggers or the Queen of Blades. It wasn't really professional, but Vrinis is scratched out writing!!!"
"Vrasathra is really beautiful. Sure, it is cold, it is damp sometimes because of the ocean, but you can really see that the women here have everything under control. The streets are not so dirty, they are tidy and really well planned. They spend their money in the right way. I know Hulwar and Manvongr are a really pretty city as well, but nothing is like the way the women of Vraitha are doing. It is basically a giant middle finger to all the man-lead cities out there. You can see that more clearly in the workshop- and living quarter section and the market district. Yes, the shops might be a little bit disorderly, but you are not stepping in huge piles of dung or into a stinking puddle of... whatever it contains. Even the dye shops and the fishery is a lot more tidier than their counterparts in other cities. On the other side of the Vrajara one can see the shipyards and it is a sight to behold. Not as huge and impressive like the dwarven shipyards of the Amberkin dwarves high up in the north or Mearis in Pisocenia to the south, but there is a raw beauty to it. And last but not least the palace and its defenses. Neat, clean, colourful with all of those cloths and banners and balconies and decorations. Practical to a degree, homely to the most part. Firepits, torches, sofas with cushions. Even for the normal folk. As I said, those women have a different gaze and mindset than the rest of the world and we should be ashamed that the men of this world are not like this. It puts things into perspective."
Maps
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Vrasathra City Map
Map of the Capital of Vraitha, the city of Vrasathra.
Type
Capital
Included Locations
A great detailed city article. I love the detail of how/why the city was founded where it was. That's always a nice touch. Loved the section about waste management too.
Thank you, it was a bit of a headache because my mental image differed extremely from the position of the actual city and now I had to press it into... well, this small place. But glad you like it :D