Sheniqhal
Having stood basking in its full glory since the year 54 A.S., Sheniqhal has served as a regional hub of trade and the beating heart of the
Empire of Jadheng since its infancy. Largely owing to its mighty walls, magical wards and strategic location, the city has never fallen to invaders be it local or foreign ones.
City
Location
A large city of a few million and the capital of the Empire, Sheniqhal is located on both sides of the mouth of River Shei-lai, being bordered in both the North and the South by the Central Plain of Weiloc, and in the east, by the Sea of Daul.
Layout
The City is divided into two larger districts with several smaller subdivisions, the east side of the river houses the working class of the city, which also includes less fortunate merchants and artisans. Whilst in this Eastern district, one would be able to see busy streets and people at work, with many smithies being worked, granaries being stocked, Merchants arguing over prices with one another in their stalls and stores, Farmers passing though in their carriages with the harvest, to get it in time to the docks, so it can be shipped to other cities. Moving closer to the river, the fishery and shipbuilder quarter can be found, where the men of the same trades are hard at work - fishermen peddling their goods, emptying their ships of fish, so they are sea-ready next morning or boarding their ships, in order to set out to catch the more valuable fish that are much easier to come across during the night. The entire district is dotted with tightly built houses and lush gardens, where children can be seen playing with one another and smaller animals like birds and young Bial-mao's can be seen running around. Temples, taverns and shops are the last thing one would see before reaching the huge limestone bridge, which crosses over the great river Shei-lai. Before crossing, a gatehouse, which houses guards overseeing entry into the Western district, needs to passed and documents need to be shown from time to time, as to what is the purpose for a person to enter the Western district, in times of peace though, the gatehouses on either side of the bridge stand empty.
Once through the gatehouse and onto the bridge, a stunning view of the Western district opens up. The large walls obstruct the view for the most part, but the enormous towers, temples and fortifications, as well as the Keep of the Fateless soar above the height of the walls. Going through the gatehouse in the entrance to the Western district, the main plaza with seemingly hundreds of market stalls which are all buzzing with activity can be seen. Upon reaching the center of the plaza, to the east is the Keep of the Fateless, located on a hill and surrounded by another wall. To the west, rest of the city with the noble and rich townsfolk houses can be found, as well as another hill, where the Tomb of Daul together with the Temple of Time can be found.
When it comes to the defenses of the city, it is surrounded by thick limestone walls, where across the length of the entire wall, many towers are spread out. On top of each tower, large gem powered contraptions stand as the sources of the ward which protects the city from magical attacks, but also prevents the use of magic within the city. These gems can also used by the mages from the Temple of the Stars as sources of power for their magical attacks during sieges. The walls also boast ballistas as a form of defence, accompanied by braziers for fire arrows and pots filled with Taijerite concoctions. The City has four land entrances and a single entrance from the sea through the dockyards as an entry point, which are located on both sides of the river.
Landmarks
Sheniqhal houses many landmarks which are significant to the history of the
Empire of Jadheng, they are as follows:
- Keep of the Fateless
- The seat of the emperors of Jadheng, named after the first emperor. Made of a pure white rock, which was created by Daul using forgotten magic whilst in his enlightened form. Said to be indestructible, for, as research has shown, it is able to withstand explosions, fireballs, bolides etc. Was the first building to be built in the city, as Emperor Daul I wished to oversee the construction of the city.
- Temple of Time
- Located in the same building as the Tomb of Daul, the Temple handles the protection of the Tomb and houses the Disciples of Time, monks dedicated to the research of fate, time and change.
- Tomb of Daul
- Housing the body of Daul I and the Spear of Change, the Legendary spear of Daul that was used in Hencal Kai Tang. The Temple is off-limits to most citizens except monks, Emperor's court and the emperor himself. It is protected by the Sentinels of Time, trained by the Temple of Time.
- Gate to the Jial-hai-Shenfal
- Located deep under the city, under the Keep. It is heavily guarded as it is the entrance to the Realm of the Godlost, which is home to many beasts and creatures of darkness. The area has strict protocols and if not followed could summon hordes of monsters from the darkness of Shenfal. Only accesible to the Imperial court, the Emperor and the army.
Economy
Located in a central position on the mouth of Shei-lai, which empties into the Sea of Daul, Sheniqhal hosts the largest and busiest port of the Empire, where hundreds of merchant and fishing vessels pass to and from the great port city every day, from both other cities of the Empire as well as distant shores. It also houses the third largest shipyard, which focuses on the construction of seafaring merchant and fishing vessels, this is also where the Hegai class ships are made, which are considered to be the fastest ships in the eastern seas. The wood for the shipyards is brought from the Jungles of Esshi, that are to the north west from the city.
The city houses many guilds, ranging from merchant guilds to fisherman lodges, but the work of these guilds is overseen by the Riu-ha-Jiyu, which is in charge of quotas, licensing and prices, as well as the evaluation of novel goods and the impact they would have on the local markets.
There are several marketplaces where the trading takes place, but the most important one and the one where most of the merchants aspire to sell their goods at one day, is the Plaza of Sheniqhal. Same as the port, it is the largest marketplace of the empire, with several hundred stalls filled to the brim with clothing, jewelry, weapons, food, animals etc.
Being a large city of a few million people, in order to feed these people, it gets its food from the surrounding plains, where fruits and vegetables are grown in large fields, which can sometimes extend miles out. This land, which is owned by the nobles, then gets worked by the lowborn farmers, which cultivate it and get paid for their work. Around these fields, many villages have sprawled up, where the farmers and other workers live with their families, so its easier for them to reach the field that they need to labour in.
History
Foundation
The foundations for Sheniqhal were placed in the year 5 A.S., the same year the Empire was founded, but it was only completed in 54 A.S., with the creation of the Tomb of Daul. Prior to it being constructed, the area housed a few Jian villages and a small town. It is said that Daul I came from one of the villages, hence why he chose to construct the capital for his Empire here. The main reason for the long time it took to finish the capital, were the numerous invasions during the reign of Daul, which drew most of the attention away from the construction of the city.
Sieges
While the city has never been taken, it has been sieged many times, but most of the sieges took place after the death of Daul I as he preferred to meet his enemies on the field of battle.
The list of sieges are as follows:
- Siege of 34 A.S.
- When the earth elemental army of the Shenfali Wizard Calikos invaded Jadheng. After laying waste to the countryside and several smaller imperial forces, Calikos besieged to Sheniqhal for 2 weeks until Daul was able to break the siege and kill Calikos, the death of which sent the elementals back to Shenfal.
- Siege of 64 A.S.
- During the first bread revolt, when an unnamed leader of the lowborn surrounded the capital and held it under siege for 2 days. Came to an end, when his fighters learned that food supply had been redirected so it can be stolen and the blame can be placed on the imperial soldiers, which was all orchestrated by their unnamed leader. After learning this, the unnamed leader was captured and executed by his former supporters for betraying them and fooling them into attacking the capital.
(This list is incomplete. Additions will be made at a later time.)
The Glowbone plague of 32 A.S.
On the tenth day of he 2nd month of 32 A.S., a few villagers from the countryside had arrived at the capital, all of them were suffering from a very long cough and their teeth had began to glow. Whilst the ill were being treated, more and more people turned up at the capital seeking help, all bearing the same symptoms. This was then followed by a massive spread of the disease as the amount of ill people was too much to handle. To the current city, this would not have been to hard to handle as there were only around 400 people that needed treating, but back then, the capital was still under construction, so it lacked all the tools needed to contain the disease.
The outbreak came as suddenly as lightning from clear skies for in the following weeks, the number of sick people had increased tenfold and the ones who had carried the disease for the longest began to develop new symptoms, one which is the reason for the name of the plague - their bones began to glow and they were in terrible pain because of it, as well as their eyes began to bleed. When the simple sickness from the countryside turned into an uncontrollable plague, Daul I ordered the gates to be closed, the villages where the plague originated from evacuated and nobody to be let out of the city, whilst he and his court secluded themselves in the Keep to find a cure. During the following two weeks, Daul with his advisors were able to uncover the source of the plague and how to cure it, but for approx. 15 thousand people it came too late, as had already they perished.
The source of the sickness turned out to be earth effigies, which were placed in the vicinities of many farming villages around Sheniqhal. How they got there was only later uncovered when Calikos invaded from Shenfal, as he had used the energy and souls of the people of Jadheng to bind the earth elementals to his will.
The Great Flood of 612 A.S.
Caused by the overflowing of the river due to heavy rainfall, coinciding with higher than usual tide in the sea. It severely damaged the eastern district, many merchants went out of business due to goods lost to water damage. In the Western district, most of the area was fine, as it is elevated slightly higher than the eastern district, but some noble houses were still damaged and the Tomb of Daul had to be repaired as the water seeped into the main burial chamber, though the sarcophagus remained intact.
| Capital of the Empire of Jadheng |
|---|
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| Location | Central Weiloc, Mouth of the river Shei-lai |
| Foundation | 5 A.S. (Finished 54 A.S.) |
| Realm | Empire of Jadheng |
| Current Head | Summer Emperor Kihuan II "Whitearm" Tehocal |
Type
Capital
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