Solrest
Ruler: High Flamewarden Elsethra Virell
Location: Embered Hill, Heartland of Cathlidia
Government Type: Theocratic Autocracy
Faith: Church of the Radiant Flame
Overview
Solrest enshrines the virtue of Obedience, not as blind servitude, but as spiritual alignment to Solmara’s divine will. The citizens of Solrest are taught from birth that to disobey is to crack the very lock that keeps the world intact.
Beneath the city lies the Crown of Chains, the first and greatest Hell of Azhi-Kael—a domain where law is enforced through torment, and order is enforced by binding the soul. Solrest exists to purify obedience, so that it may not be reclaimed by tyranny.
Pilgrims arrive daily to walk the holy steps, kneel beneath the eternal brazier, and offer prayers before towering statues of martyr-saints. Yet behind its perfect symmetry and sacred flame, Solrest hides cracks—rebellious whispers, poetic dissent, and a city veiled in surveillance.
Districts
The Radiant Crown
- Basilica of the Undying Flame: Epicenter of Solmara’s worship; a vast, open-roofed temple housing the Eternal Brazier.
- The Embered Court: Sacred judicial hall where the High Priest renders divine verdicts beneath the open flame.
- Solmara’s Steps: A pilgrimage stairway of stone and ash, symbolizing Solmara’s mortal journey into ascension.
- The Mirror of Saints: Meditative plaza of polished obsidian tiles reflecting statues of canonized saints.
The Bound Halls
- Inquisitorial Hall of Chains: Grim stronghold of the Chainwardens; half-prison, half-library of heresy.
- The Ember Gaol: Dungeon of confession and repentance, where flame-wreathed chains hold the damned.
- Veiled Judiciaries: Roving inquisitors enforcing divine law behind veils of ash-gray silk.
The Sanctified Mantle
- The Torchmarket: Covered holy bazaar where commerce is watched by flame and scripture.
- House of the Flameborn: Orphanage and indoctrination center for children marked by sacred flame.
- Seneschal Ring: Administrative heart of the faith-state; houses the Circle of Ash where laws are sanctified in fire.
The Ashen Veil (Subterranean/Hidden)
- Crucible Alley: Maze of alleys where dissidents vanish—or rise again.
- The Emberveil: A hidden resistance movement of scholars, poets, and defrocked clergy.
- The Cindertongues: Underground network using poetry, song, and coded scripture to subvert the state’s message.
Culture
Flamefasts
Citizens participate in ritual fasting—subsisting on ash-bread and emberwater—to purge sin through hunger.
Ashbinding Ceremonies
Used in weddings and punishments; participants are marked with sacred ash as a spiritual and legal bond.
Vigil of Emberwatch
Held on the new moon; all light is extinguished for an hour to remember the darkness before Solmara’s flame.
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