Mornage

The capital of the Hyperion Empire, Mornage is a shining city with multiple rings of walls. While Erui Orthrond might be the oldest city on Lumarvis, Mornage is by far the largest and most populous. Frequently referred to as an impenetrable city, it has stood the test of time, with no invaders ever being able to break through its walls, though that does not mean they have not tried.

Demographics

Mostly human with some gnomes, dwarves, and elves mixed in. A handful of half-orcs and other races are also present but not nearly as prevalent.

Government

While Mornage is large enough to be its own kingdom, it is under the control of the Hyperion Empire -- or rather, it controls the Hyperion Empire. The Emperor is in charge of day-to-day affairs of the empire, though he largely delegates mode tedious tasks, or any task he does not want to deal with, to his advisors. He will typically have his War Council deal with any matters relating to the military, and civil matters, including control of the Obsidian Order, are handled by the Acusiont and Levion.

Defences

The walls of Mornage provide a defense that has proven impenetrable to even the most powerful attacks.

Infrastructure

Mornage has two notable pieces of infrastructure for its city. The first is the towering walls that both divide the city from the outside as well as divide the interior sections from one another. The second is the rails devised by gnomes that connect the different parts of the city together for those who own passports and pay for the fares of such transport. There are also the teleportation circles created by the Praesidium Archive for quick travel around the city for anyone who pays the steep costs for access to them--usually only the wealthy.
Mornage also boasts one of the most robust sewer systems that world has seen, though humans and other so-called civilized races rarely see within. It was created and maintained by a clan of kobolds brought from a red dragon lair den nearby (the dragon's name was Andutar and was slain by a group of adventurers several centuries ago). The kobolds were given food and a place to live and left mostly alone to go about their tunneling under the city. They ended up creating a warren in the depths, and at night, particularly within the Lower Disk, it is not uncommon to hear tales of the little dragonkin roaming the streets in search of scraps of food. However, these tales are largely unverified, though they are not untrue--the kobolds will sometimes go out in the night, but it is rare for one of the citizens to see one of them. The tales of kobolds roaming the streets are something of a ghost story to tell children in efforts to keep them behaved.

Districts

Mornage is a giant city, far larger than most people have or will ever see, and it could almost be considered a kingdom itself. It consists of several concentric rings of differing prosperity, each surrounded by a series of protective walls. Transport between the different sections of the city is largely conducted by an invention of the gnomes within Mornage which consists of mechanisms that will pull carriages along predetermined paths to stations around the city. For the rich, they may also purchase passes that allow for transport via teleportation circle to many different parts of the city.
Outer Wall
The outermost portion of the city consists of the aptly named Outer Walls, which tower fifty feet into the air. Guard stations are position periodically around the wall, allowing for a rotating regiment of guards to keep watch over both travelers coming in as well as ensuring no danger is coming to the city.
Agrarian Zone
In between the Outer Wall and the Inner Wall is a large swath of mostly empty, undeveloped plains that has been used for farmland for centuries. It is buildingless save for the many farm buildings of the workers of the Zone (who typically live just inside the Inner Wall and travel outside every day to tend to the land), allowing for both added protection against invaders as well as ensuring enough farmland to keep the city fed. People here are mostly left to their own devices so long as they produce a steady supply of crops coming every year.
Inner Wall
A massive wall slightly shorter but no less impressive than the Outer Wall providing the direct protection of the city.
Lower Disk
The first of the residential areas of Mornage, and perhaps the poorest and most destitute. It makes up the largest population of the city, and it is the highest density area. Due to the size limiting nature of the Inner Wall, houses within the Lower Disk are even constructed along the wall, slowly winding their way higher and even beginning to go over other houses. Houses here are generally small, allowing for more people to be crammed into the area. The roofs are usually brown tiled, illustrating the poor status. A foul odor seems to continuously emanate from the area. Those who reside in this area of the city cannot travel to other parts without a valid passport, of which few are given.
Within this Disk, crime runs rampant due to the somewhat indifferent attitude taken by emperors, leaving them mostly to their own devices. However, the Obsidian Order keeps a watchful eye on persons of interest, ensuring that no one individual gains too much influence or power within the Lower Disk. When this happens--though it is not very often--the individuals are captured by the Obsidian Order and brought for what they refer to as Reconditioning, where their mages format the individual's memory to ensure that they stay in line.

Middle Disk
The second ring, the Middle Disk contains the middle-class population of Mornage. This area contains a vast assortment of shops and restaurants, as well as the financial district and the Praesidium Archive, a renowned school of arcane learning and library, as well as home to the Praes, an order of monks that worships Ioun, the Knowing Mistress. Those who reside within this ring are free to move between all three of the different Rings, given they have a passport though they are much more widespread than the Lower Disk. The roofs of this area are usually tiled green and is typically much more peaceful with many flowers and trees that were missing in the Lower Disk.
Crime within this disk is kept more under control due to its closer proximity to the Upper Disk, as well as the fact that it is most difficult to get into it.
Upper Disk
The most affluent of the three disks, this is where the wealthy, as well as government and military officials, reside. The most important citizens of the city hold residencies here, and they are protected against criminal activity by the apparently omnipresent watch of the Obsidian Order. One of the points of interest here is the royal palace, where Emperor Ardus Kaine rules from. Most of the houses are walled compounds, and many employ a large swath of servants to tend to their gardens and homes. The roofs here are tiled in yellow, showing the wealth that is flaunted in the Upper Ring. Citizens from here are free to go wherever they please in the city--provided the Obsidian Order does not prevent them.
With the Obsidian Order' keen eye keeping a close eye on this Disk, crime is unheard of, as anyone who attempts to cause any sort of trouble is quickly found and taken care of--however necessary.

Assets

The assets of the people of the city vary wildly depending on which Disk one is in. Within the Lower Disk, the citizens are lucky to scrape together a few gold pieces, while the Middle Disk lives somewhat more luxuriously. Though, none compare to those of the Upper Disk, where the rich revel in their wealth and frequently throw balls and banquets that last long into the night.
The city's primary export is their gaisma crystals which have not been found anywhere else in the world as of yet. These are highly sought after by both the wealthy to flaunt their wealth and mining companies to light tunnels that react negatively to open flames.
Mornage's military is second to none, supplied with the finest weapons and armor made from metal from the Dwarven Clans as well as that from within the borders of the Hyperion Empire.
The overall value of Mornage is estimated to be in the billions of gold, though no exact measurement has ever been taken.

Guilds and Factions

The Obsidian Order - An open secret within the city of Mornage, the Obsidian Order state that their desire is to protect the city from itself. Their identities are kept secret from all but the Emperor and his inner circle, and the paranoid of the city find it difficult to know whether their conversations are actually private.

History

Mornage was founded near the end of the Prime Ages in an area just north of the Relentless Peaks where humans on an exodus from the Elven Kingdoms found previously undiscovered luminescent crystals within the ground. With the crystals lighting the way, they dug tunnels throughout, not unlike their Dwarf cousins, and created a subterranean city in the spot. It is believed that a partnership between Ioun and Erathis helped guide the initial explorers to this spot, and it was with their blessing that they constructed the city in their name.
Over the beginning centuries, they spread the borders of the city, mining out the crystals and selling them as a light source to the different kingdoms and areas around Invatore, resulting in flourishing trade for the fledgling city. Eventually, they broke through the surface, beginning to create the city as it is seen today. With this, the tunnels of the city were slowly abandoned by the citizens, and their use was turned to solely mines.
With the expansion beyond the caves beneath the Relentless Peaks, Mornage grew exponentially, capturing much of the territory around it and creating a kingdom. Eventually, it expanded to the Dueridian Ocean, conquering all of the land north of the Relentless Peaks and Iron Slopes. With this newfound territory, it was able to bolster its economy and create an empire that stands to this day.
Throughout its history, Mornage has endured countless assaults from roaming tribes and even the Elven Kingdoms in a time long past

Points of interest

Royal Palace: An ornate, circular building at the very center of Mornage, the Royal Palace is nearly a millennium old and houses the Emperor of Hyperia as well as his most trusted advisors. It towers hundreds of feet into the air, providing a shining monument to the power held within the city.
Praesidium Archive: This is a vast university in the Middle Disk and one of the largest schools in all of Invatore. It attracts scholars and mages of all calibers to it in hopes of gaining more knowledge to help them in whatever experiments they hope to complete. It is commonly believed, though never confirmed, that a copy of every book in the world is kept here.
Crystal Tunnels: The Crystal Tunnels are the remnants of the vast city that used to lie below the surface under the Relentless Peaks. Most buildings have been left to ruin, though a few have been preserved, and the tunnels themselves are still used by mining companies to supply the gaisma crystals they trade.

Tourism

Not many average people come to Mornage as tourists. Some may come to the Praesidium Archive to study and learn, and some others may be diplomatic envoys on missions for their nations to secure trade deals. There is little in the way of encouragement for people to come to Mornage unless they have very specific reasons to, and the secrecy behind the Obsidian Order does not help matters.

Architecture

The architecture varies based on where in the city one is. The Upper Disk tends to have larger, more ornate buildings with buttresses and steeples, their stone carefully cut to flow together seamlessly. In the Lower Disk, there is little in the way of decor, but it has a deeper meaning behind it. A shop may have a flowerpot hanging from their roof that serves as the sole decoration for the neighborhood with everybody pitching in to care for it. In the Middle Disk, there are a healthy supply of decorations, though most houses tend to still have the similar shape and feel to them, resulting in almost cookie cutter like neighborhoods. This is a stark contrast to both the Upper Disk, where each house is carefully designed to the owner's exact specifications, and the Lower Disk, where houses are just thrown in wherever they fit, leaving a sort of beautiful chaos behind.
Most houses are made of wood and stone procured from around the Hyperion Empire and even immediately outside the city in the Relentless Peaks. Some of the houses in the Upper Disk do import their materials from outside the empire in hopes of showing off their wealth, such as the beautiful stone carvings from the Dwarven Clans and rich wood furniture from the Elven Kingdoms.

Geography

The Relentless Peaks lie to the south of the city, providing an additional source of protection in addition to the city walls. To the west lie the Sea of Davellow, adding yet another natural barrier to the city. North of the city is the Frigid Expanse, where few travelers dare go for fear of being lost to the frozen tundra.
A river runs from the Sea of Davellow to a somewhat hidden port in the Lower Disk of the city. This river is mostly used for trade and as another form of transportation into the city.

Natural Resources

The Relentless Peaks supply much of the stone needed to construct buildings and walls within the city, and there are plenty of forests on the continent of Xuslon for a steady supply of wood. Crystals, named Gaisma, discovered within the mountains during the initial founding of the city are used around the world as a reliable light source for the wealthy of society, as well as anywhere an open flame might be deemed dangerous for use, such as in tunnels and mines.

Founding Date

Circa 2900 CE (Approximately 400 PA)

Population

3,000,000

Owner/Ruler

Ardus Kaine

Ruling/Owning Rank

Emperor