Terren

The City of Sorrows

"If you were ever so unfortunate as to stumble into this hellhole, neither you, your children or your children's children will ever again stumble back out."

— Ralf Mougin, Terren resident

Terren, the place where hopes and dreams come to die. The capital city of Everen stands as a chilling testament to corruption and oppression within the realm, where darkness reigns supreme and its people live in constant terror under the tyrannical rule of Emperor Barontyne, who himself plunged the once good city into darkness. He commands absolute authority within his walls. Disrespecting him means inviting death, as the watchful eyes of his Imperial Guard scour every street in search of traitors. No one is safe from their ever-vigilant gaze, night or day. Its population is predominantly composed of pureblood races. They call themselves the 'Tirion', and a deep-seated belief in their inherent superiority runs through the veins of its inhabitants. Those born with dirtied heritage are viewed as inferior beings, marginalized and subjected to discrimination and prejudice. Some of the more exotic races are turned away from its gates altogether, whilst others are dragged inside to be made an example of.
The whole place is an armed camp, turning out weapons, supplies, and conscripts for the Emperor's formidable army. There's a curfew, and any one who dissents is sent to the labour gangs and subjected to back-breaking toil in the name of the Empire. All except for the popular ones, who are publicly and agonizingly executed, and the good-looking ones, who are crippled or blinded and then used as personal slaves by the leaders. The Emperor's megalomania and obsession with the war forced him to tighten his grip on the city. Now, those who possess the means to provide significant support to the Imperial Army are granted a steady stream of slaves, no questions asked. The city thrives on this macabre transaction, where lives are bought and sold without regard for human dignity; these lives only taming the High Dominion's insatiable hunger for progress.
The city is divided into nine distinct zones, each governed by a regional Lord Mayor who serves the High Dominion. At the heart of the city lies the imposing castle of Barontyne, a constant reminder of the people's subjugation and despair. As one moves further away from the centre, the poverty-stricken residents endure a life of destitution, struggling to survive amidst dirt and squalor. Beggars line the streets, mothers sell their children to feed their hungry, and still no hand of greed is soft enough to pull them back out.
Religion in Terren has been twisted by warfare and the Emperor's desire for unity, as sacrifices, burning pyres, and streaming blood on altars have replaced the once peaceful and sacred temples. Former places of worship now lie in ruins, their clergy long since extinguished. Entire quarters of the city have been transformed into monstrous shrines dedicated to his one malevolent God, Neryn, further amplifying the atmosphere of evil that permeates Terren's streets.
Within its walls, darkness prevails, and the innocent live in constant terror. The city stands as a harrowing testament to the darkest wells of human sin - a reminder of what we are capable of when left with nothing but savage ambition. The very essence of hope is extinguished here, joining the embers.

Bronze Wall, Military Zone

Demographics

According to the census of 520 AXR, around 47,300 (91%) citizens of Terren are Tirion purebloods, being one of either Human, Half-Elf or full Elven descent. The other 4,700 (9%) are made up of the other common races, seen as having 'dirty' heritage - these being Halflings, Dwarves, and Gnomes. The highest class of nobility in the city (including Barontyne and the members of the High Dominion) makes up 0.04% of the population, the upper class makes up 5.9%, the working middle class makes up 16.06% and the lower class makes up a staggering 78%. No members of the High Dominion are non-pureblood, and the non-purebloods only make up 4% of the upper class population.

Government

The Imperial Government of the Everen Empire rule over Terren as a Totalitarian state under the supreme governance of Barontyne as figurehead. They call themselves the High Dominion, an order forged from old fortunes buried long ago inside the walls of the city. Each Lord Mayor of the Dominion oversees one of nine zones in the city and hold administrative responsibility over their district, usually sharing this responsibility with the lesser nobles of the zone. The powers of the city lie entirely in the hands of the order - a system that only works due to the city's citizens living in constant fear of what will happen if they step out of line, thus reinforcing the government's attempts to control and direct all aspects of individual life through coercion and repression.

Defences

It's certainly safe to say that nowhere else even comes close to Terren's defences. Built to be an impenetrable fortress that will stand forever, the city is surrounded by three separate palisade walls stretching 1000 feet high, constructed with stone and cement, strengthened by an inner grid of steel, and covered in defensive and offensive glyphs. Each of these walls have mounted ballistas, cannons and trebuchets placed strategically along the battlements, with an excess of 500 trained archers and mages stood upon the parapet and just beyond narrow slits in the walls. At every gate is a trapped barbican housing a huge set of stone double doors and protected by an equally as large steel spiked portcullis. The main gates on the outer wall have large, empty moats dug out beneath them that stretch at least 200 feet into the ground (oh, and because it's the Empire, these pits also have spikes at the bottom). An extendable drawbridge provides access for citizens and visitors not wanting to spark a revolution in the city.
Moving on from natural defenses, Terren boasts the largest collective army out of any city in Σu'ryxia, with over 8,000 registered soldiers. This number is split between two main categories: ground control and air control. The ground control regiments include the Wardens (City Guard), who deal with day to day unrest in the city and the Intercessors, a more military focused company that deal with foreign threat both inside and outside city walls. Air control instead consists of the Griffon Cavalry, similar to the Wardens though trained to observe much larger areas at one time and be able to traverse zones in a matter of minutes. A step up from them are the Phoenix Riders, the most skilled warriors in Terren's army. They provide air support for the Intercessors and similarly deal with foreign threats inside and outside of city walls, though this time have the potential to be much more destructive before slipping away back into the cradle of the sky. The Phoenix Riders also take responsibility in raising a fleet of Dragons who accompany the Imperial Army on larger operations, an example being the recent invasion of the captured city of Holdenglade.
Finally, skilled captains and seafarers have the opportunity to become Archon Pirates, a legion of mariners who operate Terren's 20 flying warships. All of these groups collectively make up the Imperial Army of Terren, which itself is spread strategically throughout the city in different castles fortresses and hangars in each of the zones as well as just outside city walls in one of many outposts.

Infrastructure

Since the city was built near no natural lakes or oceans and with nothing but the Cobalt River, to keep Terren's people from dehydrating, aqueducts constructed out of stone, bricks and mortar were soon put in place to bring a fresh, constant supply of water to the city. Gravel trails were built from gates all around the city and connected to the nearby villages, towns and mines to establish a busy trade in the city. When it was decided that Terren was to be the new Capital City of Everen in 1219 BXR during the great war of the Humans and Elves, the existing trails were modified with cobblestones and other longer lasting materials that horses could travel upon to increase the speed of trade, as well as new trails being built that connect Terren to just about every existing settlement in the country. When Dark Amethyst was discovered in the Underdark in 151 BXR, a new, ninth district of the city was placed along its eastern frontier - this being an entire airbase consisting of hangars and landing strips for the new flying warships that could be built. These would allow for faster transport throughout the continent and its impressive fleet would end up cementing Terren as the Power Capital of the world.

Emperor Barontyne

Founding Date

12th Sycamís 1334 BXR

Alternative Name(s)

City of Sorrows, City of a Thousand Walls

Type

Capital

Population

52,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Terreners

Owner/Ruler

Emperor Barontyne

Additional Rulers/Owners

• André Calixis

Owning Organization

The Everen Empire

Gate Concord, Cathedral Zone

Ancient Temple of Neryn, Cathedral Zone