Odija, City of Lights

Odija is the City of Lights, Eastern refuge for all solar-kind.
The road to Odija winds through the massive, ice-covered mountains. Small alcoves and waystations provide some shelter and relief along the cold stone road. Depending on the time of year, many travelers and pilgrims might join you on the road, enjoying the crisp and cool air. In winter, the road is nigh impassible, a wall of snow and ice, with harsh and freezing winds that can launch a wary traveler across the slippery stone and off the road. Given that the road can sometimes cling to mountain-sides with great rocky cliffs to the side, that can be a death sentence.
When you finally reach the city, it can be a blinding sight. The mountains curl around the valley in a great caldera-like bowl, shining snow creating an endless wall of pure white. The gates, which stand with little wall to either side, hum with electricity and shine with electric light. The great stone buildings rise past this gate, their sloping roofs tipped with tall copper spines. Great elevated windmills have even been built on some newer-looking buildings. The heart of the city buzzes with electricity, with mirrors and electric light that pours from the houses. 
Everywhere in the city are solars and prisms, with a few scattered pilgrims of other species. The solars are an extravagant and colorful bunch, and many of them wear clothing in eclectic styles from around the world. The solars flutter through the city, friendly and welcoming and inquisitive. The Prisms seem tired, monotone, and worn down in comparison, and mostly keep to themselves. 
Three massive buildings rise above all the rest. First is the Mayor's mansion, which is built like a mixture between a fortress and a temple and is painted a rainbow of different colors. The stained glass shines with electric light, sending rainbow beams across the surrounding estate. Second is the great Temple of Imatya, Goddess of the Sun, which also doubles as a massive power plant. A huge statue of an eagle rises above it all with mirrored eyes. Third is the Academy, a large domed structure with a huge surrounding wall. This reclusive institution buzzes with life, and smoke often rises from some explosion or experiment gone awry.

Demographics

30,000 humanoids live here. This population is 50% Solar, 30% Prism, 10% Half Prism, 5% Human, 5% Kobold

Government

Odija is ruled by the Empire of Calazen, in the province of Atharat. The Vice-Queen of Atharat manages regional affairs. Most vice-monarchs have been fairly hands-on, but the current one, Tichena Ziraba, is famously kind but deeply incompetent and has left the local government appointments unfilled.
Duties of government are managed by Minister Onen, a local-born Solar who has risen within the Ministry of Revenue. As a government official and former mayor with a lot of support from the local elites, Onen just kind held onto power after their tenure expired without contest. They are old, they wanted to retire to a desk job, and they have lost nearly all patience with the office. But no one knows how to go about replacing them, so Onen stays. Onen is revered by many solars for being a companion of the founder of the city, the Enlightened Master Rama.

Defences

Odija has watchtowers surrounding the valley and a large castle-fortress, but relies on the mountains for most of its defense.

Industry & Trade

Yaks are kept in the nearby forest and some high-elevation rice is grown, but the city's economy runs on mining and power generation more than anything. The old-fashioned prisms mine for stone, copper, and Prism-food; the newcomer Prisms work in the Temple of Lightning, pushing the great wheels to generate electricity for the city. A number of wind-mills have been made in recent years to try and harness wind energy as well. A small copper smelter also operates at the edge of town.
The solars of the town tend to work in specialized fields: education, clerical work, glassblowing, wizardry, bureaucratic work, and mercantile work are all common. Many work at the Academy of Magical and Physical Sciences, for the government, or for the priesthood.
Odija is dependent on trade for the acid required for the light's batteries.

Infrastructure

The roads in and out of the city are very large and well-maintained, and even run through some semi-subterranean tunnels through the mountains. The sewer system is barely in existence at all, though there are aqueducts bringing freshwater into the town. Magic circles allow for transportation in and out of the city by powerful mages.

Guilds and Factions

The Temple of Imatya the Solar Eagle is the number one force in the town, even moreso than the Temple of Tishalla the All-Queen. They report to the local Shofet as well as the Imperial Solars (known as the Kifirem), but tend to manage their own affairs with little interference. The Temple of Imatya organizes the solar population, provides lightning, and trains Life Clerics for the Empire. The current head priest of Imatya is Byalen, the most organized and innovative of Master Rama's students. Byalen is expected to take over the town in a decade, but is still very new by Solar standards (having only been chosen to lead some 20 years ago).
The Academy of Magical and Physical Sciences is another great force in the town. They study magic and technology and have specific interest in the arts of electricity. They tend to be aloof of city politics, but can sometimes conflict with the more conservative elements of the Temple.
The last major force as the Old Families, the Prisms who ruled this valley some 600 years ago. They run the mines and look after the non-Solar population of the town.

History

Rise of Rama the Enlightened

Prior to 1500, Odija was an unimportant Prism-town in the land of Atharat. Prisms had lived in the valley for many centuries, and life had only changed in little ways since the Empire of Calazen took over the region. A small community of Kobolds moved into the area in the 1100s, but they never grew to any significant size. Everything changed in 1428, though, when a local leader of the Prisms had an affair with one of the Kobolds and accidentally produced a child named Rama. Rama was a Solar, and clearly stood out in a small isolated mountain town like Odija. In order to cover up their shame, Rama's parents arranged for them to be given to the Imperial Solars - the Kifirem. Rama, as a Kobold-born Solar from a town with no Solars, had no idea how to eat (they knew it was light, but thought it needed to be eaten during mealtimes rather than passively absorbed), how reproduction worked, or about East Solar cultures. They were mocked for their un-Solar customs, their clothes, and their materialistic outlook. Most other Kobold-born solars were given to the Kifirem early, but Rama had been born to such an isolated town and lived there for so long that they were noticeably different from the others. Rama dealt with this all very poorly, and ran away to try and join the non-Calazan Eastern Solars. This proved to be far worse an environment. Rama was treated with condescension and pity by many, and some approached them with suspicion and even fear. The leaders did teach Rama the basics of Solar history and culture, though. Rama even managed to learn the art of Life Magic, which earned them respect and some amount of acceptance. 
The Eastern Solars saw Rama's isolation, particularly from the other youths, and realized that they would not be truly happy here. These elders encouraged Rama to befriend the other Kobold-born solars they met. After saving an injured and starving solar on the road, Rama began to see helping other lost solars as their life mission. They set out with a few other Kobold-born Solars, and began collecting every lost solar they could. This expedition started as a charity but turned into a cult over time. Rama reveled in the attention and acceptance, and no one involved had the people skills to avoid unhealthy group dynamics. They did pick up some great battle skills in Stildane, though.
Rama's group did not constantly migrate, and so had trouble with winters. To avoid malnutrition, Rama took them to the Adira Mountains near Odija, to better drink in the reflected light off the snow. They had learned that trick in their youth and it worked swimmingly. Odija soon became their annual winter retreat, where they would plan and supply for their summer journeys. News began to spread of Rama's journeys, and the Kifirem were greatly impressed with what Rama was doing. They welcomed Rama back into their ranks if their group swore loyalty to the Empire, though Rama's group still kept mostly to themselves. Kobold-born Solars from Suneka, Stildane, and Inahng began migrating to Odija in search of a home. Rama's companions set up a lodge-temple to welcome these newcomers, and the Solars became a permanent presence in town. 
In 1498, the Prism elites of the town tried to sue the solar temple for being troublemakers and taking land from the local community. The regional government intervene and gifted rule of the town to Rama - organized and loyal solar clerics were just more valuable than isolated Prisms. In 1500, Rama marched in with Imperial troops to formally seize control of the town. 

The City of Lights is Born

From 1500 to their death in 1890, Rama worked tirelessly to make Odija the perfect refuge for wayward solars. First, they focused on old-fashioned snow reflection, making more good spots where Solars could drink in light from every angle. Then, Rama began trying to buy up wizard-made 'Continual Flames', but these were expensive. In dabbling with cheaper methods of producing continual flame, Rama stumbled onto a number of isolated experiments in Calazen and Stildane that had gone unnoticed. These experiments were unimportant shows of magical principle on their own, but held immense potential together: bamboo filaments, when subject to "shocking grasp" spells, could produce continual light, especially when placed in sealed glass; intensive use of mechanical force could produce a lessened form of the same energy produced by a "shocking grasp" spell; and properly aligned metals and acids could store a charge of this force. 
Rama gathered wizards and natural philosophers for a great experiment: the creation of electricity-producing engines, which would channel energy through copper wires into batteries and eventually large lightbulbs. This experiment was costly, but found enough imperial interest to receive a hefty investment. And it was a success! The locals were hired to push the turbines to generate the energy, and it took immense effort on their parts, but it worked. The success and efforts also attracted wizards and natural philosophers across the continent. Pilgrims and tourists brought their coin as well. Odija was made into the City of Lights.
Rama eventually died fighting for the Empire during the grand invasion of Suneka, but they became a cult hero. Many solar residents refer to "Master Rama" as if they were still there, invisibly watching over their town. A massive monument to Rama was built in the city square in 1905.

Tourism

Solars from across the Eastern half of the world who have nowhere else to call home are welcome in Odija, making it a popular site of solar immigration. Many who seek healing from the life mages go on pilgrimages here (often in vain). And many others come here simply to see the spectacle that is the city lights.

Architecture

Odija's buildings are large, stone-walled structures that often have glazed brick or adobe coverings for extra insulation. Individual homes are rare, and typically cluster together when they do occur. The roofs are tall and sloping, and typically rise to a single point. Tall metal rods are mounted at the roof's pinnacles - signs of prestige that also act as lightning rods. Many buildings have large underground complexes, and tend to be rather squat for this reason. The old Prism buildings have very limited surface presence and can be almost entirely subterranean.

Geography

Odija sits on an elevated plateau, surrounded by some truly formidable peaks. There are some local forests, but many of these are quite thin after centuries of foresting.

Natural Resources

Good quality stone and copper can both be found here.

Founding Date

1500

Type

City

Population

30,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Odijan

Location under

Adira Mountains

Owning Organization

Empire of Calazen

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