Oppara, Taldor
Introduction to Oppara
Life in Oppara isn’t difficult to handle, once you’ve learned the rules: if a senator tells you that what you want to do is illegal, talk to a different one; if the district tax you pay is too high, move to the next house over; if you require a diplomat to get the upper hand in negotiations, hire your rival’s out from under her; if you need an honorable noble, promote the nearest farmer; if you make a mistake, act like it never happened until people feel awkward and follow suit; if you don’t like your past, pay a historian to write a new one; if your office needs more funding, buy a weapon and declare yourself a military branch; and if you need to keep something hidden forever, claim it’s urgent and hand it to a government official.—Baronet Solmon Menander
Oppara is Taldor’s thriving capital—a shining monument to the grandeur and majesty once common to the entire Taldan empire. Seated on the black cliffs of the River Porthmos in Opparos Prefecture , Oppara bears all the gravitas and extravagance that 6,000 years of history have conferred upon it. The roofs and domes of Oppara were once plated with gold, earning it the nickname “the Gilded City,” and though past rulers stripped the gold away long ago to pay for the empire’s follies, the wealth and decadence of Taldor’s capital keep the spirit of that name alive.
Oppara serves as Taldor’s primary trade center, with traffic coming both from Taldor’s interior via the River Porthmos and from the steady stream of international vessels sailing in from the Inner Sea. It is also the home of Taldor’s government, hosting both the Imperial Palace of the grand prince and the polished marble halls of the senate. As the economic and political hub of Taldor, Oppara is the beating heart of the empire and the center of Taldan culture. Twin harbors provide goods to the city’s thriving marketplaces and restaurants, and they’re often so crammed with ships that the river cannot be seen. Public fountains and marble statues can be found at many major crossroads and plazas. Columned villas and grandiose temples from every age of Taldor’s history line the streets, and even the humbler merchant districts are holdovers from an unparalleled age of glory. Most of Oppara’s buildings are made of carved stone, and the roads are paved with either intricate mosaics or well-fitted cobblestones. Much of the city’s advanced public works have withstood the test of time, including its labyrinthine sewer system and the network of stone gutters that keep the streets clear of summer rain. The Grand Bridge of the Empire, emerging from the southeastern shore of the city’s heart to cross the massive Porthmos, remains one of the most ambitious and impressive engineering marvels in the Inner Sea. Two magically animated lion sculptures stand sentinel atop Oppara’s main gate, offering a glimpse into the greatness that currently lies dormant within the empire. At night, the city is lit with tens of thousands of lanterns, causing it to shine like a beacon in the darkness.
Society
Oppara’s current mix of glory and degradation stems from its past, as the city’s triumphs and failures over thousands of years have left indelible marks that shape its present-day society. An excessive, even blind pride in one’s heritage is a cornerstone of Taldan identity, and the empire’s slow degeneration has only exacerbated the issue as nobles and commoners alike make desperate attempts to cling to their glorified, self-aggrandizing versions of the nation’s history and its role in shaping civilizations across the continent. Though viewed as pompous folly by those from neighboring countries, this extreme national pride grants Taldor remarkable stability, with loyalty and patriotism bridging many of the gaps caused by the nation’s extreme stratification of power and wealth. Yet this pride can also prove the bane of Taldor, and by extension its capital, as nobles convince themselves they rule over an empire at the height of its power and refuse to update the country’s archaic social structures. Living in Oppara—an economic, military, and political powerhouse—adds fuel to these delusions, as the privileged few allow the heights of the city’s decadence to mask the depths of its decline. The presence of so many artists, clergy, merchants, nobles, and senators makes Oppara a flourishing and hectic society that can prove exceedingly difficult to navigate, especially for the uninitiated. Taldor is a complex nation, and its people are pulled in many directions thanks to the large gulf between the impoverished and wealthy, the competing forces of progress and tradition, and the influence of corruption on a chivalrous heritage. While the common people of Oppara are pragmatic folk who go about their daily lives without giving much thought to who is in charge and what their secret motivations might be, socialites find the Gilded City to be a roiling center of politics. Nobles and other elites live insular lives of excess, eternally concerned with gaining status through ostentatious displays of wealth and power, while sycophantic hangers-on rise and fall on their coattails. The current mayor of Oppara, Baron Oltar Vinmark, was appointed by the grand prince himself, and he has been a source of consternation for much of the nobility; as a former member of the Ulfen Guard, he lacks Taldan cultural mores, but as a favored friend of Stavian III, he is essentially untouchable—at least politically. As is common whenever public allegiances clash with private interests, spies and intrigue abound in Oppara. Taldor’s secret police, the Lion Blades, seek out dissidents and other serious threats to the empire, while nobles clandestinely plot reform, often to further their own self-serving interests. Despite the abundant political strife, many of Oppara’s commoners are relatively safe and well off, especially in comparison to those of neighboring cities and countries. Art and refinement remain rich traditions within Oppara despite Taldor’s financial foibles, and Opparan citizens, no matter their socioeconomic class, are surrounded on all sides by brilliant music, magnificent architecture, public sculptures, and skillful paintings. This only further reinforces Taldor’s national pride, engendering a sense of sophistication within even the most destitute dockworker. Most commoners have at least a few imported luxuries purchased from Oppara’s legendary marketplaces, as well as treasured heirlooms from Taldor’s prestigious past. Though some districts hold dangers in the form of thieves and cutthroats, most of Oppara is clean, well maintained, and patrolled by the city constables. Whatever the many flaws of the capital, citizens have little fear of major upheaval, trusting the might and traditions of Taldor to protect them no matter how chaotic the political situation becomes.History
Once a city-state built atop of the ruins of a settlement established long ago by the descendants of Azlanti refugees, Oppara became the capital of a newly formed empire when its first grand prince, Taldaris, began a 12-year campaign to unite the surrounding communities under a single banner. By the time the first emperor died in –1144 ar, the combined principalities had come to see themselves as a distinct nation. Next followed a slow and methodical conquest of the surrounding wilds and territories, with Oppara serving as both the naval headquarters and economic financier of these expeditions. In 1 ar, Oppara rose to even greater heights when Aroden pulled the Starstone from the Inner Sea and became a god in the process. The organized worship of Aroden sprung up almost overnight, with Oppara building the first cathedral to the god and becoming the center of Arodenite adoration within Taldor. Even today, more than a hundred years after his death, countless monuments and smaller vestiges of Taldans’ dedication to the Last of the First Humans can be seen throughout the city.
Oppara has suffered many blows and setbacks over the long centuries, though it has so far risen from the ashes in the face of all adversity. In –632 ar, the spawn of Rovagug known as the Tarrasque leveled the city, and as Oppara and other prominent Taldan cities scrambled to rebuild, unscrupulous exploitation of laborers triggered rebellion, both in the city and across the empire. Despite this, Oppara eventually managed to return to its former glory, rebuilt with robust civic improvements that have lasted into the present day, and with a working class that held little contempt for their erstwhile oppressors. In 4606 ar, the death of Aroden shook the nation of Taldor to its core, but Oppara has found new faith in Iomedae, the Inheritor, along with new purpose for the abandoned churches of the Last Azlanti. War with the neighboring nation of Qadira and the blunders of several of the Armies of Exploration have cost Taldor’s capital a fortune many times, but it has remained a thriving urban center despite it all. And though the slow decay of Taldor has had no small impact on Oppara, and while internal intrigues threaten the city from within, it continues to embody the proud resilience and spirit of the ancient empire it symbolizes.
Maps
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Oppara, Taldor
This map is the over city of Oppara. In addition to the layout, it also has the districts of the city.
Stat Block
N MetropolisCorruption +9; Crime +2; Economy +9; Law +7; Lore +9; Society +5
Qualities academic, bureaucratic quagmire, heart of Avistan, prosperous, strategic location, tourist attraction
Danger +10
DEMOGRAPHICS
Government OverlordPopulation 109,280(100,000 humans; 9,280 other)
MARKETPLACE
Base Value 25,600 gp; Purchase Limit 150,000 gp; Spellcasting 9th levelMinor all; Medium 4d4 items; Major[/br] 3d4 items [
Artisans/Craftsmen: Alchemist, Calligrapher, Cobbler, Painter, Potter, Sculptor
Shops: Bakery, Butcher, Trading Post, Trapper, Wood shop
SPECIAL QUALITIES
Bureaucratic Quagmire Taldor’s obtuse system of governance is mitigated only by the tendency of those in power to ignore it. (Corruption +3, Law +1)Heart of Avistan Though decadent and deteriorating behind its glorious facades, Oppara epitomizes the Taldan pride in 6,000 years of history and unparalleled influence on Avistani civilization. (Economy +2, Lore +2, Society +3)
MISCELLANEOUS
Alternative Name(s)
The Gilded City
Type
Metropolis
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
