Dragonhearth
Dragonhearth is the capital city of the Kingdom of Aētheli. It is located on the southern shore of the Great Glass Lake, west of the Green River.
Defences
The city of Dragonhearth is protected by a double layered wooden palisade with a catwalk built between the two layers. The palisade is not a complete circle, but rather two separate semicircles that begin at the lakeshore on either side of the Glasswharf and extend south to either side of the palace's walls. There are five entry points to the city: the Glasswharf, the Eastgate, the Westgate, the Sandgate, and the Plainsgate. Each of these gates is heavily guarded, with the majority of the trade traffic directed through the Eastgate and Westgate. The Sandgate is located to the southwest of the palace just outside its walls, and the Plainsgate stands on the opposite side of the palace. These gates are typically only opened to admit important guests, as they are so near to the Royal District.
Infrastructure
Civic planning in Dragonhearth can be observed through the well-paved network of cobblestone and packed dirt roads, the aqueducts carrying drinking water throughout the city from the lake, and the extensive sewer system. Several roads intersecting near the lower districts of the city create a large open lawn that is used as a market by the residents. The wharfs on the lakeshore are comprised of many docks, slipways, piers, and warehouses where goods can be loaded on or off the trading barges.
Districts
Palace and Royal District
On the southern edge of the city on the top of a low rise stands Goldfire Palace, the seat of the Goldfire dynasty. The palace is surrounded by a curtain wall which extends far enough north of the palace to create space for cultivated gardens on the approach to the palace's main doors.
Just outside the palace walls is the Royal District, where several of the support organizations for the crown are housed - serving members of the Advising Council, the headquarters and training yards of the Dragonknights, the Magistrate's Hall, and the headquarters of the Royal Tax Collectors.
Eastgate
The busiest road of the city is the Esterroad, which comes through the Eastgate. The Esterroad begins in the pine barrens of the northeast coast and passes through several territories before terminating at the capital. Since trade up the Green River is halted at the falls, river barges must unload their cargo and send it along the Esterroad if its destination is the capital. The bustling Eastgate is home to a large portion of the city's trade industry as raw materials such as timber, coal, silver, copper, iron and various gemstones arrive along the Esterroad. Most of the city's blacksmiths, jewelers, carpenters, and artisans are located near the Eastgate, and several guild halls have chosen this district for their offices.
Market Square
In the center of Dragonhearth at the nexus of the Esterroad, the Lakeroad, the Stoneroad, the Sandroad and the Plainsroad is a large open lawn. This lawn has been used as a gathering place for the citizens of Dragonhearth since the completion of the roads, and is most often set up as the Market Square. There are no permanent stalls on the lawn, but merchants will stake out a location before daybreak and pitch their tent to claim a prime spot for attracting customers. During festivals, the center of the lawn is cleared for dancing and other entertainment, and the only stalls allowed to set up are food and drink sellers.
Glasswharf
At the north edge of the city where it meets the Great Glass Lake is the Glasswharf, where goods from the northern portions of the kingdom have traveled down the Pinkfish River and across the Great Glass Lake to the capital. The Glasswharf has a reputation as a rough area of town due to the number of taverns on the lakeshore that cater to the sailors who work the barges and the dock workers who unload them. The Lakeroad leads from the docks through the city to the Royal District, where it eventually ends in the palace's main gate.
Temple Quarter
As the Stoneroad comes through the Westgate into the city, it passes through the Temple Quarter. While shrines to lesser spirits may be found scattered throughout the city, the city's main temples are located here: the Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Moon, Temple of the Four Winds, Temple of the Harvest, Temple of the Hunt, Temple of Storms, the three temples to the three main waterways of the kingdom, and the Temple of the Allmother. Citizens of Dragonhearth may come to the district at any time to make offerings or prayers to the gods, but may find themselves restricted from entering momentarily if a member of the Royal Family or a Councilor is currently in attendance.
Flatroads
Flatroads is divided into several smaller residential areas, named for the network of lesser roads that have been created and packed flat by residents. Residences stretch across Dragonhearth in an arc, beginning near the Westgate, then existing between the Glasswharf and Market Square, before continuing across the city to the Eastgate. Wealthier homes maintained by merchant families are built on the ends of the arc, near either Temple Quarter or Eastgate, while the poorest residents range throughout the central portions of the arc and especially in Fishmeal, a derogatory nickname for the group of poorer residents living just south of the docks, where the scent of fish offal from gutted catches is a constant presence.
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