Kasltun

The Capital of the Santeem Republic

Kasltun is the capital city of the Santeem Republic, and is the dominant city in the Komi Plains region of Iluvitar.
It is located on a large hill, named Amon Sarn'Nin, located on the southern coast of the continent, near to the Iluvitar Gulf and the Leviathan Sea.
It is a bustling metropolis that houses many facilities not found elsewhere in the country. It is the head of the government, where the Lustrous Assembly and the Gilded Concord meet in Santeem's Castle.

Description

Kasltun is a sprawling city located on the large and tall Amon Sarn'Nin hill. Though it is a human settlement, it was originally constructed by elves, and many elements of elvish design remain. The oldest buildings were constructed from white stone and contain thin spires and towers. Some even retain their blue coloring in their shingles.
The city is built on and around the hill, such that the city is made of several layers. There is a large difference in elevation between the surrounding countryside to the upper levels of the city. This difference is exaggerated by the visual design of the elvish buildings, which are tall and thin. The capital castle and the Rusbloc district cast shadows over the lower sections of the city, depending on the time of day.
Large, white walls surround and separate the city districts. The grandest are the outer walls and the walls surrounding the uppermost Rusbloc District. Smaller segments of walls separate the districts within Kasltun. Within these, the many Santeemite-style constructions fill the remaining space around the hill. The domelike roofs and sharp points create a rounded and pointed skyline.
To travel between the districts, citizens travel upwards towards the Bhelobloc District and higher still to the Rusbloc. Each level has many scattered alleys, narrow passageways, houses, and businesses.
Throughout the districts are many elven fountains, which supply water to the many gardens and waterworks of the city. These are accented with white stone, greenery, and wild growth. It is said that the fountains are all connected by a great underground aqueduct system built by the elves. Though the sewers of the city are functional, none know the full extent of them.

Rusbloc District

The Rusbloc is the highest section of the city. Here, the capital castle stands tall as the highest feature of the skyline. This district houses the estates of many of the Concord and other notables, including houses and holdings of the old nobility. It is the oldest district in the city, with many buildings left over from the elves.

• Santeem's Castle: The center of government for the Santeem Republic. Here, the Assembly and the Concord gather in the halls of the old royal castle. Many of the rooms have been repurposed to suit the needs of the new government.

• White Fountain Gardens: An elaborate series of public parks built by the elves to honor Gaia, The Allmother. The grandest of these is in the Rusbloc, though other fountains can be found throughout the districts.

• Sokolov Estates: The holdings and estates of Adamski Sokolov, a powerful figure among the nobility of the region.

Bhelobloc District

Meaning "white clouds" in old Santeemite, the Bhelobloc is lower on the hill, looking up at the white spires of the castle and Rusbloc. It contains the crossing of the major roadways, which lead up into the Rusbloc and down into the Quoinstones, Military District, and the Dverbloc.
It is a major mercantile region and largest residential region, located on the northern slopes of the hill, forming the central and northern sections of the city. Most of the merchant class lives within this district. Peppered throughout the tightly packed neighborhoods are guildhalls, grassy parks, and many taverns, inns, and restaurants.

• Stephan's Lyceum: An arcane college of study, situated in the capital. Many young wizards are taught the basics of arcane study on this campus originally founded by King Stephan, the Last Monarch of Santeem.

Quoinstones

The Quoinstones is the temple district, which is located on the eastern side of the city. Here there are temples and religious buildings dedicated to the Dragon pantheon.

• Lodestar Basilica: The greatest cathedral in Santeem, dedicated to the God of the Skies, Avianor, The Timefather. This cathedral is often busy with sermons and ceremonies often taking place during the noon sun.

• Prominent church of Zenethia: A prominent church previously dedicated to Zenthai, The Dragon King. Now, it honors Chedae, The Heaven's Light.

• Santeem Morounin Archive: One of the Morounin Athenaea, this Archive is a combination temple and repository. The Chroniclers of the Morounin, The Learned-Lady, maintain the library here.

• Kasltun Cemetery: The city cemeteries are a region of headstones and crypts the honor the city's fallen.

Military District

The western district contains many barracks and training grounds for both the city's guard and the Rusguard military units stationed here. Though knighthood is rare in Santeem, knightly chapter houses are found here as well.

Cliff-fall Ward

The large Amon Sarn'Nin hill peaks at a craggy and stone cliff. To the south is the Cliff-fall Ward, a district defined by the building-sized boulders and stones that fell from the rocky cliff above long ago. The Cliff-fall is the lowest level of the city and is the location of the city's slums.

Dverbloc

Outside the wall of the city is a suburb district along the main roadway northwards. It is a microcosm of a city all its own, where city dwellers, travelers, and the stretches of farmland all meet. The name was originally a derogatory term given to the "doormat" of the city, but was taken as a name of honor by residents of the Dverbloc.

The Pipes

The Pipes are a labyrinthine series of tunnels and chambers beneath the city, which interconnect the various fountains and gardens across all of Kasltun. None know the true extent of the system or how deep into the ground it goes, and very little has been properly mapped. Water flows everywhere here in tunnels, chasms, shafts, and pipes.

Society

Government

The seat of government for the Santeem Republic is in Santeem's Castle. Here, the representatives gather in the Lustrous Assembly and the Gilded Concord.
In addition, there are several members of Santeem high society that have great influence and connections with the members of the Concord, though they themselves are not officially elected members of government.

Demographics

The population is mostly Santeemite human. Kasltun also has a sizeable half-elf and gnomish population. The Brass Highway brings in many people, and a diverse set of people from across Iluvitar can be found in the city.
After the events of the Tarterian War and the displacement of the orcs of Keeleon, orcs can be found here, too. However, native orcs and half-orcs are much rarer in western Santeem compared to eastern Santeem.

History

The Third Age: The Age of Zenethia

In the early Third Age, elven explorers found the large Amon Sarn'Nin hill. Noting the springing water coming from the hill, they took it as a favorable omen and chose to build upon it. An elven colony was constructed, including the castle, high walls, and many elegant white fountains.
After Esturk, The World's End, attacked the World Tree around 3A 1000, elves started abandoning their colonies across Azimuth.
Human expansionists from across the sea would rediscover these elven constructions later in the Third Age and claim them. They named the castle Santeem's Castle after the first Santeemite ruler, and named the town that sprung around it Kasltun.
The Great War was at the end of the Third Age. After the ruling king of the time was killed in battle against a bestial army in the Komi Plains, Kasltun shut its gates to the war.
Kasltun would mostly survive the war, though a massive fire did affect the city at the time which destroyed many of the oldest elven buildings lower on the hill. History is unclear if the fire was caused by Esturk's armies or by civilians discontented by the loss of the other settlements in the Komi Plains.

The Fourth Age: The Age of Shadow

In the early Fourth Age, Kasltun would recover from the damage caused during the Great War and the city fire. Many Santeemite-style buildings would be erected in the districts.
During the Tarterian War at the end of the Fourth Age, the evil influence of Esturk led to the untimely deaths of the Santeem royal family. The nation was weakened and the government collapsed.

The Fifth Age: The Age of Beginnings

In the early Fifth Age, the Zenethian Hero Leo, Captain of the Black Barrow, was instrumental in crafting the fallen kingdom into a representative republic. On 4 Jeran 5A 009, the Santeem Republic was officially formed.
As the city population grew in the Fifth Age, slowly the Dverbloc would be developed into a full district of its own.
On 20 Madaet 5A 352, the White Fountain Gardens in the Rusbloc district hosted an event for the Wild Gathering. Demitri spoke with Asmik Makara where he was given an estate carriage, and Demitri left the city.

Alternative Name(s)

Santeem Castle City, The City of Fountains

Type

Capital

Included Locations

• White Fountain Gardens

Owning Organization

Santeem Republic

Region
Komi Plains
Continent
Iluvitar
Plane
Material Plane