Fylath Shaeras
Overview
No place has stirred the imaginations and passion of the world like the fabled Fylath Shaeras. Its many honorifics show that so many people hold it in high regard as a place of honor, beauty, and magic: The Towers of Beauty, the City of Bards, the City of Brotherhood, the City of Craft, the City of Love; or, as elves call it, the City of Song. Fylath Shaeras is old beyond all reckoning for humans, and even the dwarves of the world have a hard time remembering a time when the city didn't grace the forests. The overall feeling and emotion, indeed the overwhelming attitude and mood of its natives, is one of peace and solidarity. While there are always isolated folk or places that believe this, the Coronal's dream of all the good races living and prospering alongside each other has come true. The gloom and dread of some visiting elves is erased when they see that the overpopulous humans can learn to live among them and not eradicate them; the larger surprise is in their alliance with the dwarves and halflings, but subsequent breakthroughs in weapon- and armorcraft prove to even the most stubborn that there are many accomplishments that the races can all gain by alliance.Appearance and Dress of the City
The style of clothing and dress in Fylath Shaeras strictly depends on the weather and season. Most elves (and quite a few humans) wear loose, flowing garments of silks, linens, and cloth of greater finery than lands outside. Gnomes, dwarves, and halflings tend toward leathers and heavier cloth shirts and tunics. In winter, furs are the norm for all, and the style of cut and the rarity of the fur worn depend only on social and monetary status, not race. In general, only soldiers and guards tend to wear armor in the city; for any others to do so is to suggest either paranoia or a lack of trust in the security of the realm. While elven chain mail is always work of such finery that it can be worn as clothing or beneath other clothes, it is rude to do so. In keeping with this fostering of trust and the tradition of faith in ones hosts, fashion among the elves of the City of Song has the heart exposed as often as possible, whether wearing a gown or armor. In fact, bared flesh, especially vulnerable vital areas, is among the criteria for determining fashion, with more bared flesh suggesting higher degrees of trust and implied safety. Thus, common fashions among elves and others (most often at galas and parties, though prevalent in common garb as well) include open cloaks and robes, wide plunging necklines on garbs for all sexes and races, open sleeves and leggings, and the use of nearly ephemeral cloth in togas, tunics, and other wear. To some visitors to the Towers of Song, the fashions are surprising and all-too-suggestive. To any elf and most natives of the city, their cultivated peace and prosperity should be reflected in their lifestyles and clothing. There is also no nudity taboo in the city, at least among the elves and some humans; the dwarves and gnomes, in particular, adhere to their social teachings and do not conform to these elven affectations.Defense of the City
The first lines of defense for city is, of course, are the protective armies of all the region. They patrol the Chondalwood, and they are welcomed into the City of Love, though most of their number remains in the wilds in postings or in other settlements. Only the officers of these armies regularly visit Fylath Shaeras, to report to the Coronal and command their forces from their respective towers in Castle Shaeras. The primary defenders of the City, or most specifically the defenders of the Coronal who is the Heart of the City, are the armathors. Mages and fighters all, these spellguards have two major ranks: those who protect the city at large, preventing disturbances and the like, and those who exclusively protect the Coronal and Castle Shaeras. In all, there are at least 1000 armathors for the city at large and another Honor Spellguard of 200 armathors for the Coronals Court. After the Opening and as the City grew, other races revealed heroes of rare valor, and thus a few scouts (rogues & thieves) also became part of the armathors honored corps.Guilds in the City
Unlike human societies and cities, the guilds of Fylath Shaeras were not created for the standardization and collaboration of trades. Instead, they were the central organizations built for the sharing of knowledge among the races. After a number of centuries, the guilds took on aspects of human guilds, including regulation of trade and standards of product and service quality. However, they remained the foremost authorities on a specific trade or craft or skill, and their guildhalls were the sites where anyone of any race accepted in Fylath Shaeras could find experts in a particular skill. This includes new fledgling experts and methods that borrow from and combine all the styles of other races into a new form. The most influential guilds of the City of Song are noted among the Tour of the City later on.Holidays in the City
To some outsiders, it seems that every day in the City of Love is a holiday compared to their own cities. However, the near daily parties and revels about the city are simply a reflection of the elves' appreciation for revelry and celebration, not a commemoration of any particular significance. There are holidays oft-celebrated in Fylath Shaeras, though few of them are secular, city-wide festivals; the bulk of the holidays are either religious ones or specific familial gatherings and galas.Magic in the City
While there isnt enough time to describe even a tenth of the magics floating about the City of Song, there are common magics that any traveler to the city (or eavesdropper in one of its taverns) might see. These are spectacles low and high that the Wood Elves have become accustomed to, yet their simplicity or their sheer beauty is breathtaking despite their jaded view of what they wrought.- The treetop villas, the higher skywalks, and the upper stories of buildings are all accessible to all. Throughout the city, there are discs set alongside the streets (or set as part of them these mark off the levitation pillars, columns of magic that allow folks to float upward and downward at will to reach particular locations normally reached by common stairs; most simply move the person up or down, though some provide more stability by allowing the marking disks to rise and fall with the person. While stairs are not uncommon in the City of Love, having pillar-access to your home or shop grants you higher social status among those of the Art. These pillars are usually invisible, but they can be made to glow, their hue and brightness controlled by the owner.
- The entire city is fireproofed by various magics each century. If open flames exceed certain preset limitations (which allow for torches, forges and metal working, etc.), small cloudbursts (or snowstorms, depending on the season) materialize over the flames to douse them within one round. Without exceedingly rare and complex arrangements (such as those made by artisans of firesculptures with the High Mages), no protective magic fields, physical barriers, or other obstacles prevent this fire-suppression magic. The summoned rains/snows are as strong as they need to be to extinguish any fires, magical or otherwise. Bear in mind that these magics cannot override instant and explosive fires, like fireball or burning hands spells, though extensive effects like flaming sphere or walls of fire are extinguished.
- Among humanitys cities, glass windows are considered an extravagance, yet only low, common buildings use glass to cover their windows. Invisible spell fields are set in window wells and they keep out all solid matter but not summer breezes or sunlight. On nobles' villas, these theurglass planes gain extra conveniences, such as the ability to turn opaque with a touch (for privacy), solid to air as well as matter (to prevent cold winds from blowing through one's chambers in winter), or immaterial (to allow quick egress by flight). There are a number of theurglass windows secretly built as lovers' looks, and gentlebeings take care not to tell which. By a whispered word shared between a lover on the street below and one in the chamber above, the theurglass arcs down from the window as an invisible ramp, allowing the pair to unite
Social Norms of the Fylath Elves
Fylath Shaeras has been the city of peace, love, and tolerance for longer than anyone can remember. However, even when the city is at peace with all the races, any human or other non-elf can tell you what to expect in treatment in Fylath Shaeras. The rare high elves speak to only when spoken to, and in sparingly few words. Wood elves are accommodating and are the most open of the elves of Fylath Shaeras, becoming familiar and openly friendly with many non-elf visitors but many conservative elves can stain that friendly attitude. The wild elves, like the high elves, only speak or acknowledge a non-elf when approached or spoken to, but they are even more distant, opening up and allowing contact only with druids and rangers. There are also a number of seemingly random traditions among the natives that constantly trip up visitors until they learn them and their reasons, with some nobles of the Dales even taken and blending some of these traditions into their own.- When walking on the streets of Fylath Shaeras, noble elves and similar high ranking elves are always given right of way. It is also incredibly rude to walk against the flow of traffic, which is usually split into two lanes on the streets.
- Terms of general address soon become common with the Opening. Folk who lived in the city were called Citizen or Neighbor, depending on the level of cordiality one wished to convey, while recent arrivals, guests of citizens, and tourists were generically called Visitors. Many prejudiced elves against the Opening refused for centuries to refer to any nonelves as Citizens, though this eventually faded after two centuries of peace. Still, one can get a sense of how someone feels about you by what they call you, whether they know your name or not.
The Physical City
As its moods and attitudes are multitudinous, so are the buildings and physical aspects of the City of Song. It is unlike any other city of Aralla due not only to its population but also its eclectic mix of architecture and culture. Fylath Shaeras is a marvelous melting pot that has brought together the best of all good races and created something new and unique for all to see.
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