Rydant
The city of Rydant lies in the south-east of the Grand Duchy of Canyndor on the highland of the Tila Valley. The city is often regarded as the second city of the Grand Duchy, being a trade hub in the south-east, hosting many significant and influential institutions, the city itself has a very independent sway, especially under the proud Kappeli Dynasty . Rydant is notorious as the second wealthiest city of the Grand Duchy, its guilds and noble class using this much to their advantage, this fact often being cited as the historical reason as to why the people of the Tila valley often harbour an air of superiority if not outright separatist views towards the rest of the Grand Duchy.
The importance of the city is well observed in its approach, as the winding road that leads into the uplands of the valleys reaching the outskirts, one would see the thick walls and sturdy bastions of the city meandering around the ridge of the mild slopes. Once pasts these formidable walls, one is greeted to neatly aligned streets of townhouses and merchant buildings, each and every one of a unique design. The residence of the Surcount of Rydant, which lies at the south-east corner of the city, has been held by the Kappelli family for many generations and is a grand mixture of palace and fortress, the red clay and lead shingles forming the dynasty crest upon the long roof of the grand hall.
The famous traveller Flouraine Windcloak of Quercay wrote about the city of Rydant in his memoirs "Galia, An Empire divided among Rivers", describing it as thus: "The city of Rydant lies nestled in the foothills of the Palantars, protected like a grand turtle with its head protruding proudly beneath the mountains. One would wonder why such a city would prosper in such a remote location, I certainly pondered this as I wandered the neatly lined streets. Sheer will was the answer that called back. The Kappeli, a proud people, molded a city out of the rocks, bent the prosperous valleys to the will of the sturdy stone Kings of the Hill. Of all the cities and lands I've travelled in the old land of the Gales, from Brondholm to Hjalits, not one settlement lays so firmly within the grasp of its rulers as does Rydant."
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City
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