Description
Palnos is a rare example of blending nature with construction in a way that appears harmonious to all but the wildest of elves. Marble temples and buildings weave between the towering trees, vines coat every surface, and animals of all shapes and sizes wander the streets right next to the people who live there. It is a popular haven for druids, though due to recent instability in the region has become less popular with the elves who used to frequent.
Many of the buildings have been built into or alongside the ancient trees, ensuring sure the city is largely vertical in structure, with bridges and the occasional enchanted branch assisting people with moving between locations. It is surprisingly sparsely populated, being smaller than all 5 other regional capitals, though serves as a trading and cultural hub for the spread out peoples of Détras.
People & Organisations
Rain King Aktis Delios
Teenaged son of Rain King Eurykles, Aktis has only recently taken up the mantle of Lord of Palnos due to the death of his father. He is surrounded at all times by arguing advisors and sycophants seeking to twist him to their goals, though has shown a keen strategic mind, skill with magic, and willingness to accept only the guidance he believes is truly sound. From the outside he appears a combative young man trying too desperately to fill his father's shoes, yet has allowed his vulnerability and frustration to be seen by the first people who treated him as a person to be spoken with instead of a lord to be controlled.
His first large scale action as ruler of his city has been to improve trade with Teráka, offering them a loan of lumber to assist with their war efforts. Once he is Consul, it is expected he will continue to work towards the stability of The Republic, and hopefully cement himself as a true leader.
Queen Mother Panora
Born into a family of mages with no magic of her own, Panora's marriage to Eurykles was often said to be one of politics and pity, rumoured to be the result of blackmail or some other control. Despite the rumours the couple seemed steadfast and happy, with Panora often sitting alongside him at council and offering sage advice on how best to rule his city and region. Since his death, however, she has stepped away from power entirely.
She sometimes walks the streets, mingling with her people as an equal, but there is growing discontent amongst those who claim she has abandoned her son to the wolves, and even those who claim she should have taken the throne instead of the boy until he was actually ready for it. When asked about the subject, her mood is quick to turn dark, and she is yet to give her reasons for her sudden turn away from the Arboreal Seat.
Consul Bryzana Marshkeeper
The firbolg of Détras are secretive and isolationist, only ever speaking with the elves whom they gave sanctuary to in centuries past. Bryzana's sudden appearance on the political scene was a surprise to all, though it seems she had been hard at work for a long time keeping the people of Détras safe. She has said that she was inspired to take the step up from druidic guardian to political leader after being saved by a mysterious stranger from the lightning monster that gave her her scars, and has spent the last two years growing in confidence in her position and learning how to be a public figure.
Tree Lord Kerkos Dero
One of the most successful arcane hybrids known in recent memory, Kerkos has been merged with some form of simian and gained incredible agility and dexterity in the process. The transformation is such that were he not his wearing clothes and jewels, it may be possible to actually mistake him for wildlife instead of a skilled mage and "professional burglar."
High Priests Tatiana and Orithia Vréth
Mother and daughter, though thanks to the strange aging of half-elves they appear more like sisters, the Vréth family are the current priests of Eternal Bloom. Tatiana is a foundling, discovered amongst the roots on the outskirts of the city almost 60 years ago, and taken in by the priests of yesterday. Upon giving birth to Orithia 30 years past "graduated" from a priest of Patír to one of Éda, leaving the mantle for her daughter to take up. Now together they are the religious leaders of the city.
Axe
A highly controversial figure in Palnos, Axe is one of the lizardfolk, and a sizeable one at that. Believed to have been enhanced by giant magic and grown to almost 11 feet tall, Axe is famous for felling trees with a single swing and carrying great pallets of lumber to load onto riverboats or into teleportation circles.
The reason for his mixed reputation is surprisingly not due to his species (despite lizardfolk often being blamed for disappearances and raids), but his stance on the nature of decay; he has stated that it is "right" for things and people to one day fall to rot. That tree stumps should not be cleared or replaced since the rotting wood feeds the mushrooms and insects. For these opinions he is often rumoured to be a worshipper of The Breaker, though Axe himself doesn't seem to care about any Gods at all, nor does he care about his reputation, just the food and pay he receives for his work collecting and delivering lumber.
The Wardens
Also known as Keepers of the Forest, The Greenwardens are hunters, guards, lumberjacks, and woodsmen in general who serve the city in many ways. They are largely responsible for the city's meat supply since the rainforest prevents any form of animal farming, and do their best to ensure that the animals in Palnos are both treated fairly and dealt with if they are causing problems. Many of their members are elves or half elves, and their skills with bows are famous in the region.
Places & Landmarks
Arboreal Seat
Amongst the ancient rainforests of Palnos, towering as tall as a Colossus, stands The Tree of Kings. Though legends state it was planted as a sapling made of gemstones and grown by magic in ages past, all that can be seen nowadays is a seemingly stone and concrete structure carved so perfectly and painted to appear as a true tree, complete even with leaves carved of marble so thin that they glide like the feathers of a bird.
Within this tower are many floors and rooms, it is where the government of the region as a whole convenes, and the seat from which the King rules the city and admits visitors.
The Captain
Known officially as "Captain of The Canopy", there is an old warship of some size and uncommon design wedged into one of the larger trees in the area. How it got there is subject to many myths; some claim that it is the result of raiders from the north sailing upriver and being caught by the powers of natural magic. Some say it was thrown up there by a God after its original captain said something hubristic. Some even say that it was once The Republic's first attempt at building an airship many years ago, having crashed into the forest and being lost to outsiders forevermore.
Despite its age, the ship has been treated with magic and oils to prevent decay, and now serves as a gathering spot for many of the young people in the city thanks to the ladder leading up to it and general seclusion from the general business below. It also doubles as a first point of learning to climb, with some generous mages offering to supervise attempts twice a week and catch any who fall.
Sanctuary of the Eternal Bloom
The largest temple in the city, dedicated to both
Éda and
Patír as the mother and daughter Goddesses of life and nature. In a city already at one with the plants around them, the sanctuary takes a step further by having no floor and having those who enter do so without footwear of any kind to connect with the grass below. Flowers adorn every surface, vines are worn by every statue, and beds made of tree branches and leaves allow any who wish to escape the stresses of daily life to rest amongst the divine for a time.
River Nefros
Nefros second largest river in The Republic, and third in The Varolian as a whole, granting freshwater and fish to all near its path towards the ocean. Some claim it is the source of the Rain King's magic, granting whoever rules Palnos authority over rain and storms, ensuring the river always flows and the forest always grows.
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