Mydia City
The Golden City of the Highlands, the City of Wonder
Mydia often is referred to as the Golden City of the Highlands, and the City of Wonder. It was founded as a Karmithian resort town and religious center in -539, and was awarded its charter in 950. Mydia’s crest is an escallop, or, on a field of vert with argent suns. This settlement is a navigable river port found in the Barony of Mydia, the Duchy of Maedwin, the Kingdom of Noelred, in the High Kingdom of Arlium. It was built at the confluence of the Groan River tributary where those waters empty into the Lenns River. This city was never a Karmithian fort, and instead they purpose built it in a round configuration that radiates from a central hub which houses Mydia’s famed mineral baths. These old Karmithian hot springs are still functional and well-maintained and they are reputed to have healthy effects for bathers, so Mydia has been popular ever since for its restorative mineral water baths. The old Karmithian architecture is still in remarkable condition, and the city is full of ancient, monumental statuary. While the Karmithians chose not to build Mydia in their famous grid pattern, they didn’t neglect its defenses. The city boasts concentric walls, and the builders have diverted the Groan River around its landward side to make a formidable moat.
The city’s streets are all cobbled, and the Church of Mydia’s patron saint, Gordius the Farsighted, is located near the hub. Besides Gordius, citizens also honor the non-canonical local saint Jokke the Vigilant, a dog beautified for protecting an unguarded infant from a pack of vicious weasels. Mydia is connected to Orlium to the east by Osling Street, to Valags to the east-by-northeast by Osling and Old Street or the Lenns River, to Verdton to the southwest by Osling Street or the Groan River, and to Imraldun to the northwest by a secondary road or the Lenns River. Civilians here take great pride in service well-rendered and hospitality. Communal bathing is the hallmark of their culture, resulting in many bathing clubs. At festivals, these folks enjoy decking out their classical statuary in flowered wreaths. City industry includes a variety of lavender and rose-based products, and these materials are employed in the local baths and exported too. Local crafts also cover collecting and processing specialist mineral pigments for painting (ochre, etc). The city and its surrounding area are famed for breeding and training Noelredi Collosi destriers. Mydia is revered for the Miracle of the Boisterous Beasts in 1,000 when the local livestock and wildlife began speaking Aenglik and quoting the Book. It was here were local inventer Ballard Cooper first popularized putting hops in beer in 951.
Comments