The Six River Cities

Early post-shattering civilisation in the Esmar valley rose around six city states of the the river Esmar: Antira, Corsten, Ebanaire, Lorinar, Ryalan and Venora. This text will give a brief overview of each of these historic Esmarian cities, now unified under the Kingdom of Esmaraine.

Antira

Surrounded by vineyards and wheat fields that stretch for countless miles along the banks of the Esmar lies Antira. Being close to so much agriculture, many of the wealthy families of Esmaraine placed their cideries and wineries in and around the city. The inner city was built upon the ruins of a pre-shattering city. This combined with the colourful painted houses give Antira its distinct look. Antira is considered the cultural capital of Esmaraine. This can be found in the citiy's aptitude for marble sculpting but also performative arts such as dance and theater.

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Corsten

Corsten gets its wealth and power from its nearby mines, the silver mines especially. The smallest of the river cities, Corsten lies high in the foothills of the Rila mountains. The rough terrain makes it unsuitable for large scale argiculture and so its size and population have grown little compared to the other cities. The city is quite vertical in nature, built around a steep hill atop which sits the old Barthe keep where the city's leadership resides. The city is made up different layers (or tiers) at different altitudes between which are inner walls and gates.

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Ebanaire

The capital city of Esmaraine. It lies in the center of the Valley, Making it an ideal location to govern the realm from. The city is known for its striking blue tiled roofs. A species called spiked beetle make their homes in the clay deposits used to make these roof tiles. The beetles excrete a saliva which gives the clay a blue tint. Ebanaire's university is the centre of learning for all of Esmaraine. Being the capital, influential organisations such as the Shippers Guild also base themselves in Ebanaire. The country's currency, the Vogra, is also minted here. In the center of the city is the grand Royal Palace, seat of house Bharrais. Inluded in this palace are the royal docks from which the annual great river party departs.

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Lorinar

Currently the largest city in Esmaraine. Lorinar connects the people and goods of the nation to the outside world. Almost all trade between Esmaraine and overseas areas flows through the cities. The ciders, wines and woven goods of Esmaraine are sent out into the wider world. And in return come goods from the island of Ligaru, the lands of the sisters and beyond. In recent centuries this regional trade has become more and more significant, leading to great wealth. With this wealth came a great influx of people from across the country, which saw the city overtake Ebanaire as the largest in Esmaraine. Lorinar is also where the royal salt water fleet is located, tasked with patrolling the Valnora Gulf and protecting the coastline from invasion. The city has two very different faces. The inner city is a monument to the new wealth of the upper classes and merchants with grand intricately decorated buildings. On the other hand the stream of people coming to Lorinar has resulted in large shanty towns outside the city walls.

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Ryalan

In the far east of the valley lies Ryalan. It is located deep inland the surrounding area is steppe grassland instead of the bountiful farmlands so common in the rest of Esmaraine. Grazing cattle like cows and sheep are common in these eastern lands. Ryalan and its region is quite impoverished and generally looked down upon as a backwater. It serves an important function as the realm's defense againt eastern invaders and raiders. The lands behind the mountains in the east are home to nomadic horseriders. Who often leave their sparse homeland to seek riches over the mountains. The two main passes are thus heavily guarded by the Fortress of Bracce and Ryalan respectively. Ryalan thus has a strong martial tradition.

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Venora

Mature Clown Spider

A city famed for it's Artisans. Prime among them are the many weaveyards that producing clothing, tapestries and more. Of particular not is Resam; a fine material made from processed spider webs. The web comes from a specific species of spider known as the clown spider (named for its colourful back). The process of carefully collecting the web is incredibly time consuming and as a result the Resam is incredibly costly.