Solrest Proper, The First Flamefold
“Where the Saint ascended, the law was kindled.”
Flamefold of Obedience
Overview
The First Flamefold is the beating heart of Cathlidia—both its spiritual center and the anchor-point of the Ninefold Seal. Built atop the first and greatest of Azhi-Kael’s Hellrifts, Solrest is not merely a city—it is a crucible of divine law. Here, Obedience is enshrined not as submission to mortal authority, but as a sacred alignment to Solmara’s will.
At its core lies the Basilica of the Undying Flame, a sprawling, radiant cathedral said to hold Solmara’s unburned heart, and beneath it, the sealed gate to the Crown of Chains, Azhi-Kael’s personal dominion.
Key Sites
Solrest – The Flame-Crowned Capital
- The Basilica of the Undying Flame: The heart of Solmara's worship. Pilgrims kneel for days before the Eternal Brazier, believed to burn from the same flame that consumed her mortal body.
- The Embered Court: Where the High Flamewarden renders divine judgment. Verdicts are often accompanied by public branding or penance pyres.
- The Inquisitorial Hall of Chains: Half-prison, half-clerical fortress. Inquisitors train here, and heretics are “reformed” through agony.
- The Saint’s Ascent: A stairway of ash-polished stone that pilgrims climb in silence. Those who stumble must begin again.
The Pyric Conclaves
Each major district in the fold is governed by a Pyric Conclave, mini-councils of priests, wardens, and scribes who maintain local law, ritual compliance, and purity records. They report directly to the Flamewarden Ecclesiarch of the First Fold.
Culture & Law
- Obedience is not questioned—it is worshipped.
- Every citizen is assigned a Virtue Rank, publicly updated in flame-lit census halls.
- Disobedience is punished with ashfasts, brandings, or trial by flame.
- Silence is observed at dawn and dusk across the city. Speaking out of turn during ritual periods is heresy.
The Flamewarden Ecclesiarch
Ecclesiarch Maevan Rhun-Kir rules the First Fold with absolute authority. A stoic woman wrapped in gold-ash robes, she is blindfolded in public and speaks only through attendants—believing her voice must be reserved for divine law. She is rumored to know every citizen’s name by memory, and her judgment is said to cause braziers to burn white.
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