Kos Thalas

Kos Thalas is a large, cosmopolitan city-state that acts as a bridge between undersea people and drylanders. Called the "Pearl of the Sea", the city is split into an upper city built above the waves upon the island of Ebari and a lower city that lies below the surface. The upper city is a large bustling port full of ships coming and going, with scattered structures breaking through the waves from below. Hidden underwater is a sprawling city. The lower city (and its structures tall enough to break through to the surface) mixes surface and undersea construction technology. The city was founded by the Silverpearls, a family of Sea Elves with connections to traders above and below the waves, but hosts a large population of Merfolk, Tortles , Tiburons, and some Cecaelia. The Silverpearls continue to run the city and each year the amount of money that flows through this trading hub increases. The upper city is home to the bustling Tidal Market, where aquatic merchants of varying levels of amphibiousness peddle their wares as the tides come in and out. There are also well-maintained lodgings for visiting diplomats from the surface world.
The Surf and Turf Inn is a fancy inn where drylanders can dine, dance, and sleep above or below the waves. The inn is a popular place for diplomats and merchants to meet to establish relations between surface and undersea businesses. Magic and engineering keeps this five-floor structure dry from the surface to the seafloor.
The Tubes. Kos Thalas sports an ancient series of lava tubes from a long-inactive volcanic system which they use along with strong currents and shifting pressure levels as a method of speedy transportation around the heart of the city and beyond. Experienced travelers know which way each tube flow goes and where it will come out. Inexperienced travelers may suddenly find themselves coming out the other end, a nautical mile in the wrong direction.
The Thalas Forum. This vast, bowl-like auditorium is used for large public gatherings where the officials of Kos Thalas share news and hold public debates on issues concerning the city's future. The Silverpearls have long been decent listeners and prize the input of their constituents. Sporting and musical events are also held here to entertain the public, due to the optimal acoustics of the pearly bowl.
Palace of Pearls. The ancestral home of the Silverpearls, from which the family lives and rules. This tall, spiraling, multi-turreted palace with its blazing bioluminescent lights can be seen far and wide in the heart of Kos Thalas. The palace also houses a contingent of guards at all times and is the rally point of the city-state’s army if they ever find themselves under siege.
The Remora Quarter. This section of Kos Thalas sits around the base of the ancient volcano’s slopes, further from the light of the surface world. Crime is much more abundant down here, where the capital’s less moral and/or less fortunate come to live, surviving however they can. Visitors to Kos Thalas are made very aware not to venture past the ring of bright scarlet algae deliberately cultivated around the volcano to mark the boundaries of the Remora Quarter—or as its downtrodden denizens call it, “living under the red”.
Ventra Downs. This popular giant seahorse racetrack attracts many of the local rich elites as well as a hefty amount of seedy criminals, all looking to fatten their purses and have a grand time drinking, gambling, and socializing. While the official owner/operator of the Downs is some publicly respected merfolk named Harko Numilen, the real owner—and the one who takes home the biggest chunk of the house’s take every night—is Dima Sharpsnout.

Type

Large city

Location under

Sunlit Seas