High Ost
The Home of Ao
I think I feel better just walking through the gates! If just being in the city makes that much of a difference, imagine what His blessing will do! But first, we have to get up all these stairs...- Burtric Welles, crippled pilgrim, to his pet sparrow.
Demographics
70% Human; 30% Other
Government
Unlike most cities of the Empire, High Ost does not have a governing council. Instead, the Emperor himself directly governs the city. Interested parties bring requests and grievances to the Emperor while he holds court, and the Emperor directs his considerable resources to solving the problems as he sees fit.
Defences
High Ost is the exclusive home of the Diamond Dragons chapter of the Emperor's Hands and, thus, is home to some of the deadliest warriors in the world. While their primary duty is the personal defence of the Emperor, the chapter also defends the city at large and its people. High Ost is also constructed in a very defensible way, with large walls ringing the differing levels of the city and a moat surrounding the outermost wall. Additionally, the frigid cold of the surrounding region, contrasted by the warmth of the interior city, makes sieging the city extraordinarily difficult and more of a drain on the siegers than the sieged.
Industry & Trade
The primary goods manufactured within High Ost are magical and enchanted items. With chapter houses of both the Topaz Pages and the Amethyst Flames, High Ost has some of the most skilled practitioners of the arcane arts within its walls. The extraordinary amount of enchanting demands a great deal of supplies from multiple sources throughout the empire and, due to this, High Ost is also an excellent place to find exotic goods and magical components.
Infrastructure
High Ost is built on and carved out of the slopes of Ost, the Holy Mountain and, thus, it is built in concentric semicircles which climb the slopes to the Cathedral Palace. It is said that there are more steps in High Ost than the rest of the Empire, combined.
Guilds and Factions
The Aoist Church: One of the two most powerful guilds in High Ost, the Aoist Church is the formal religious organization dedicated to the worship of the patron god of the Holy Osven Empire, Ao, the Bringer of Order. The church is headed by Archbishop Strict, an elderly tiefling male.
The Arcanum Imperiatrix: A consortium of magic-users of all sorts devoted to the study of the arcane. They are a citizen-run organization with no explicit political affiliation. Nonetheless, their influence as an organization of practiced arcanists makes them a powerful force behind the scenes throughout the Empire. However, as their main guild house is in High Ost, this is where their power is most concentrated.
The Abyssal Inquisition: A non-governmental organization of warriors and magisters who exist throughout the Empire, but whose primary guild hall exists in High Ost. They are devoted zealously to rooting out and purging demonic corruption. They also function as mercenaries and sellswords to the common man and, in certain circumstances, nobles, especially when fiendish problems are suspected.
Architecture
The buildings in High Ost tend to emphasize verticality, as if reaching for the heavens. Thus, tall spires, tall windows, and high arches are not uncommon. In addition, most of the large buildings and civic works in High Ost are constructed from the white-blue marble found around Ost, the Holy Mountain.
Geography
High Ost is set into Ost, the Holy Mountain, and climbs the slopes of the mountain in concentric semicircles.
Natural Resources
High Ost and the surrounding territories are not abundant in natural resources other than white-blue Ostian marble and furs from the heavily-furred fauna of the Resolute Tundra.
Alternative Name(s)
The Home of Ao
Type
Capital
Inhabitant Demonym
Ostian
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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