Clarathos
Clarathos, the City of Light, is a wondrous home to many of the oldest families in all of Adura. Even the old palace - from before the fracturing - was built in this city.
The people of Clarathos, called Lustarans (LOOST-air-ahns), after the Aduran word for "light", are a proud group. Lineage, history, and pride are all very important to them and even the poorest, most desperate families tout their bloodlines' as currency.
The reason that the city is called "the city of light" is due to a group of unique and barely understood priests known as the Luxsani. They provided the city long ago with everbright globes, strung from building to building and illuminating the streets with a soft, warm glow even during the darkest hours of the night.
The Luxsani worship the sun as a twin pair of sisters: one that appears during the day, and one at night. The Luxsani do not speak of their deities - in fact, the names of the sisters are a closely guarded secret in their order. But they are easy to spot because of their white-and-gold robes, and a gold chain belt with a stylized sun cupped in two hands dangling from it. Upon closer inspect the negative space of these items are created with ivory and the sun and hands of gold, which has lead many to believe that the Luxsani is perhaps a cult or funded by some rich patron, but the Luxsani have never been anything but kind and generous to the denizens of the city, so it is hard to find many that can muster suspicion towards its members.
Like most Aduran cities, Clarathos is mainly made of wood, shaved down, polished until it shines, and curved into pleasing, naturalistic shapes and painted white: a shining beacon amongst the colorful trees of the Viridi Mountains. This is where the district of White Wood gets it's name - though it is no more white than any other area of the city. Perhaps, then, the name comes from the scholars and soldiers that make up the denizens of White Wood, but there is no real connection there either. If the Lustarans were honest with themselves, there is no real reason that White Wood is called White Wood. But the Lustarans care too much for appearances to allow such ignorance to flourish, so instead they bluster about the architecture in White Wood being made from trees that furnish naturally white wood instead of being painted; and to be honest, this is true... for some of the newer buildings. But the wood is more expensive and difficult to find, and so most of the district is still "marred" by the painted wood of its name. Red Oak Rock
In the middle of the poorest district in the city lies a large stone of white marble. It was too large to move when the city was first founded with it's lack of man or horse power, and so it was left on the outskirts of town. Over time, a tree began to grow over it, the roots spreading and locking the two-ton stone into the fabric of the city. This red oak is one of the largest trees in the city, and the temple to Rontra is situated as close as possible to the oak as the Rontrans see the marriage of the Earth Mother's two domains - nature and the very stones themselves - as a sign of her blessing upon the town. Because the district was once not even an official district in the city, it attracted those unable to afford residences within the city limits and soon became the middle to lower class district, derided by the many rich families who still call Clarathos their home. Skald's Square
A large bronze statue of a human woman, fair of face and carrying a lute under one arm, stands in the middle of Skald's Square. Her body is mostly green from time, but her left breast and her lute retain their original bronze sheen - this is the statue of Mychelle the Skald, the last of the advisors to the Rexs and Reginas of the old Aduran line, before the collapse of their line and the splintering of the Aduran kingdom. Once there was a statue to the last Regina, Danae Chrysos, in this same spot, but it was torn down by Eirene Regina when she finally conquered this city. Mychelle's statue is only allowed to stand because there is no reference to her ruler - no coat of arms, no pin, only a human woman with a lute. It is said to be good luck to those who wish to become masters of their art to touch her lute, and those who wish to find luck in love to touch her breast, and the more desperate will throw coins into the grating at her feet, cast in (now greened) bronze in the shape of a rose window. The coins are gathered up and donated to the nearby lyceum of Aymara, though it is unknown if Mychelle worshiped the goddess. In fact, all manner of religious worship is congregated in Skald's Square, and quite a few specialty shops as well - perhaps hoping that Mychelle's icon will bless them too.
The Alabaster Bathouse is an establishment that officially only exists for the purposes of cleaning and relaxation. The baths at inns or taverns are enough for the average traveler, but the Alabaster focuses more on the quality of the bath instead of the divided attention to many services inns provide. For a minor 5 silver pieces, the bathmaids who run the establishment will draw you a bath that makes other baths feel like trough water. For an additional 2 silver pieces, the bath will also come with smelling salts that help to relax the body and loosen muscles. For 2 gold pieces, the bathmaids will wash your clothes while you enjoy your bath. For 5 gold pieces, along with all of the previous services, a bathmaid of your choice will help assist you in bathing. For 10 gold pieces, a bathmaid of your choice will help you relax on a deep muscular level (sex) along with all of the previous services.
The Crowned Quarter
The Crowned Quarter is so called because the old castle, once occupied by the Chrysos line, was built here. The palace was mostly destroyed during Eirene Regina's siege, but the Leos family, who supported her conquest and sabotaged the city's defenses to allow her entrance, was gifted the estate as their reward. They were also gifted Clarathos and the nearby villages as their duchy, and the family has long enjoyed the ear of the Galanis line. Of course, they are not the only family of wealth and privilege within the district. The Crowned Quarter is a harbor to all the most fashionable and wealthy families of Clarathos, and parties are almost nightly. There is a standing museum and library within the district, but it is hard to find records of pre-Galanis Adura, since many of those records were seized by the early Galanis kings and queens and destroyed. Still, there is much information about the art and culture of Adura, as well as its many natural wonders available to the public for viewing, and often parties are thrown at the museum and library as well (though most of the wealthier families consider it a "cheap" alternative to using your own home and garden). Agneta's Font
Agneta, druid of Eliwyn, founded Clarathos. Not much is known about her, but the Agnetos family certainly never lets anyone forget that it was their ancestor who was chosen to build the greatest Aduran city - never mind that they were passed over by Naryne for the country's crown. The font is a public park and baths, tended to (mostly) by the convicted denizens of Clarathos, but sometimes by the poorer of Clarathos' citizens. It's a peaceful place, filled with warmth and relaxation, and is considered one of the greatest achievements of the city's engineers - since the waters from one of the many rivers that cascade down the mountains has to be diverted into the city, warmed in the underground basins, and then pumped into the various granite pools in the font before being drained into the river again to be disposed of.
Different Areas of Clarathos
White WoodLike most Aduran cities, Clarathos is mainly made of wood, shaved down, polished until it shines, and curved into pleasing, naturalistic shapes and painted white: a shining beacon amongst the colorful trees of the Viridi Mountains. This is where the district of White Wood gets it's name - though it is no more white than any other area of the city. Perhaps, then, the name comes from the scholars and soldiers that make up the denizens of White Wood, but there is no real connection there either. If the Lustarans were honest with themselves, there is no real reason that White Wood is called White Wood. But the Lustarans care too much for appearances to allow such ignorance to flourish, so instead they bluster about the architecture in White Wood being made from trees that furnish naturally white wood instead of being painted; and to be honest, this is true... for some of the newer buildings. But the wood is more expensive and difficult to find, and so most of the district is still "marred" by the painted wood of its name. Red Oak Rock
In the middle of the poorest district in the city lies a large stone of white marble. It was too large to move when the city was first founded with it's lack of man or horse power, and so it was left on the outskirts of town. Over time, a tree began to grow over it, the roots spreading and locking the two-ton stone into the fabric of the city. This red oak is one of the largest trees in the city, and the temple to Rontra is situated as close as possible to the oak as the Rontrans see the marriage of the Earth Mother's two domains - nature and the very stones themselves - as a sign of her blessing upon the town. Because the district was once not even an official district in the city, it attracted those unable to afford residences within the city limits and soon became the middle to lower class district, derided by the many rich families who still call Clarathos their home. Skald's Square
A large bronze statue of a human woman, fair of face and carrying a lute under one arm, stands in the middle of Skald's Square. Her body is mostly green from time, but her left breast and her lute retain their original bronze sheen - this is the statue of Mychelle the Skald, the last of the advisors to the Rexs and Reginas of the old Aduran line, before the collapse of their line and the splintering of the Aduran kingdom. Once there was a statue to the last Regina, Danae Chrysos, in this same spot, but it was torn down by Eirene Regina when she finally conquered this city. Mychelle's statue is only allowed to stand because there is no reference to her ruler - no coat of arms, no pin, only a human woman with a lute. It is said to be good luck to those who wish to become masters of their art to touch her lute, and those who wish to find luck in love to touch her breast, and the more desperate will throw coins into the grating at her feet, cast in (now greened) bronze in the shape of a rose window. The coins are gathered up and donated to the nearby lyceum of Aymara, though it is unknown if Mychelle worshiped the goddess. In fact, all manner of religious worship is congregated in Skald's Square, and quite a few specialty shops as well - perhaps hoping that Mychelle's icon will bless them too.
The Crowned Quarter
The Crowned Quarter is so called because the old castle, once occupied by the Chrysos line, was built here. The palace was mostly destroyed during Eirene Regina's siege, but the Leos family, who supported her conquest and sabotaged the city's defenses to allow her entrance, was gifted the estate as their reward. They were also gifted Clarathos and the nearby villages as their duchy, and the family has long enjoyed the ear of the Galanis line. Of course, they are not the only family of wealth and privilege within the district. The Crowned Quarter is a harbor to all the most fashionable and wealthy families of Clarathos, and parties are almost nightly. There is a standing museum and library within the district, but it is hard to find records of pre-Galanis Adura, since many of those records were seized by the early Galanis kings and queens and destroyed. Still, there is much information about the art and culture of Adura, as well as its many natural wonders available to the public for viewing, and often parties are thrown at the museum and library as well (though most of the wealthier families consider it a "cheap" alternative to using your own home and garden). Agneta's Font
Agneta, druid of Eliwyn, founded Clarathos. Not much is known about her, but the Agnetos family certainly never lets anyone forget that it was their ancestor who was chosen to build the greatest Aduran city - never mind that they were passed over by Naryne for the country's crown. The font is a public park and baths, tended to (mostly) by the convicted denizens of Clarathos, but sometimes by the poorer of Clarathos' citizens. It's a peaceful place, filled with warmth and relaxation, and is considered one of the greatest achievements of the city's engineers - since the waters from one of the many rivers that cascade down the mountains has to be diverted into the city, warmed in the underground basins, and then pumped into the various granite pools in the font before being drained into the river again to be disposed of.
Industry & Trade
The Black Chariots
These luxurious chariots are rented out almost exclusively by the nobility of Clarathos. Though anyone may rent a Black Chariot for any amount of time to ride around the city in a seat of luxury, it's more of a status symbol to permanently hire a Black Chariot for your personal use daily. While most of the chariots are indeed black, the name is more important than the color and there are a limited number of chariots in other colors, such as white, red, blue, and gold.Guilds and Factions
- Luxsani (unknown alignment, religious sect; all members wear white and gold robes with a gold sun ornament at their waist)
- Leos (dux family, rules the duchy of Clarathos; coat of arms is a yellow lion on a blue field)
- Greyhelm (barony, diplomats; coat of arms is a white arrow head in the center on a grey field)
- Godrun (barony, arcanists; coat of arms is a white hare on a purple field)
- Agnetos (barony, oldest family line in Clarathos; coat of arms is green ivy surrounding a silver pegasus on a red field)
- Chloros (wealthy family, arts and religious patrons; coat of arms is three cinquefoils in a trifecta pattern on a white field)
- Rella (wealthy family, merchants; coat of arms is a brown owl and parchment on a green field)
Geography
Nestled deep into the Viridi Mountains, Clarathos is what most would point to as the epitome of an Aduran city. However, Eirene Regina chose her hometown of Paramenthia to be the capital, which is still a sore spot to this day.
The city overlooks the valley of autumn trees with soaring, breathtaking views - some would say if you could live off beauty, the people of Clarathos would never have to work again.
Places in Clarathos:
White Wood- Temple of the Sisters (Temple for the Three Sisters )
- Deleo’s Woodworks
- Graveyard of Agneta
- The Broken Arrow (tavern)
- Kleitos residence
- Guard Outpost
- The Red Market
- Home of Horus, the Butcher
- Short Tempered (blacksmithing; run by two female dwarfs, a married couple named Gail and Melvora "Mel" Durik. The name is a joke that the two (both redheads) are both the stereotypical short and angry dwarfs with burning red hair, but in reality the two are very kind and patient with all of their customers)
- The Mychellen Amphitheater
- The Alabaster Bathhouse
- House of Choirs (instrument shop)
- Manara’s Mystics (magic shop)
- J&S Woodworking (carpentry; run by a human named James Springfield. It's a family run business and offers fair prices for construction and renovation)
- The Rex's Rest
- The Golden Palace (Leos estate)
- Threads of Fate (clothing shop)
- Dueling Square (site of a duel between Julien Rella and Baroness Ava Greyhelm for the affections of the impoverished Lady Felicity Camilos. Julien won, slaying Ava Baronissa, but was spurned by Lady Camilos for his cruelty. Still he was able to marry her, and after bearing him four children she threw herself from the mountainside. The Rella estate is still said to be cursed by Lady Camilos, though the Dueling Square is simply an open market now)
- Another Page (bookshop; run by a halfling girl named Rose Pickens. Rose used to be a page for a knight but after an especially nasty leg injury, she decided that being a knight wasn't for her)
- The Mystic Pond (a spring blessed by Eliwyn - passage is barred for most but those with permission from the caretakers of the spring, as the pond is said to give those who use it visions)
- The Tree of Wisdom (a place holy to Eliwyn)
- Xythamos, the Wandering Golem
Founding Date
452 BC
Alternative Name(s)
The City of Light
Type
City
Population
405,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Lustarans
Location under
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Luxsani priestess
