Heart Of Shards
Built on the rocky floor a mile beneath the surface of the Sea of Shards, the Heart of Shards is a large city, the home of a significant population of Temshai's tritons and many of its sea elves. Much like the surface of the sea, crystal chunks abound in the city, though many are quite small. Surface-dwellers assume all the crystal in the sea is large, as only the largest could extend above the surface of the water. They don't realize the vast amounts of smaller pieces that exist lower down.
The city is surrounded by a dome-shaped, bubble-like, membrane that shimmers in the water. It acts as a barrier, passable only through a few portals spread around the lower reaches of the city. Inside the bubble, land-dwellers will find they can breathe freely, despite being in the water. The magic that sustains the dome and the environment inside it is maintained by the Zephyr Keepers, a group of Sea Elf druids that regularly inspect and test the dome and the breatheability inside it.
The city is fairly vertical, carved out of four large spires of rock and crystal. Hardened coral and the phosphorescent shells of various sea creatures are common building materials as well. The city appears bright and shimmery, enhanced by the Shardlight, a large, clear, crystal with many facets, suspended from the peak of the dome, upon which the Zephyr Keepers have cast a perpetual enhanced version of the Daylight spell to bathe the upper reaches of the city in perpetual light.
The branch of the Temshai Tram Network connecting Eleth Lilanor and Beacon runs through the center of the Heart of Shards, in a shallow trench known as The Seam. Covered in a glass tube, the tram is above-ground through most of its journey across the Sea of Shards, allowing travelers a unique view beneath the ocean.
Entering the Heart of Shards, the tram exits into the Midnight Expanse, the lowest level of the city where the light barely penetrates. The city doesn't export or import much from the rest of Temshai, occasionally using the tram, or magical means, to get things in and out of the city, though using the tram for cargo is rare, due to limited space. The Shard-dwellers, denizens of the city, have their own ways of crafting arms. They're known for their coldsteel weapons, metal forged with intense magical heat and very quickly cooled by the seawater. Much of their armor is crafted from the same shells used in their buildings, making it fairly reflective. A well-placed Light spell, reflected on the armor, can dazzle enemies. The Heartsforge Hall is a major institution in the Expanse, full of workshops for craftspeople of all kinds; the city's arms are created here.
Rising above the sea floor, the spires are divided into three tiers. The pinnacles of rock are connected by bridges, and each has large staircases and a central lift to easily ascend and descend between the tiers. The Opal Spire is in the northwest, and glows shimmering white from the abundance of shells decorating it. The Sable Fang is darkest and highest, rising in the northeast. The Coral Ascent is in the southeast, and has a reddish hue. The Prismatic Reach is the final spire, in the southwest; containing the most crystal chunks, it is a variety of colors.
Above the ground is The Gloaming, where most of the city's commercial interactions take place. The largest market area is the Tidewater Exchange, taking up an entire floor of the Coral Ascent. Most of the city's populace takes up residence in the Dawnbreak Rise, where residential neighbourhoods cluster around food vendors and pubs. The city's elite prefers the brighter light, and so the mayor and other important dignitaries reside in the Sunlit Apex, the city's highest and brightest level.
Establishments
There are three inns near the tram station in the Midnight Expanse. The Conch & Coral Inn is the most upscale, the Shark's Maw Pub is rough and sleazy, and the Silver Trident is in between. Gamblers with a little more taste look to the Siren's Luck, at the Gloaming level in the Prismatic Reach.
Type
City
Population
93,000
Location under
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Related Reports (Secondary)
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