Sepentum
Sepentum is the capital and largest city of the province of High Rift in the Aurean Empire. Like most settlements in High Rift, it is surrounded on all sides by large, crack-like ravines that plunge down hundreds of feet, leaving the city effectively on an "island" connected to neighboring islands by bridges. At the bottom of the ravines is a lush, swampy forest known as The Undercanopy. Sepentum's island is particularly large and the city is thinly spread out across it, as the ravines alleviate the need for any walls.
The decentralized city is thickest toward the center of the island, around the citadel and a large temple to Deyallor. The temple, a major holy site that attracts large numbers of pilgrims, is known for the massive steel dragon statue that stands on its domed roof. A few more clusters, mostly of small one or two story buildings, are found around the three main bridges leading off the island, while other buildings are scattered occasionally throughout the island. The spaces in between are used for herding animals, which graze on the islands sparse grasses, or for cisterns, some of which are large enough to resemble small lakes.
Like most of High Rift, Sepentum is dry enough to make most agriculture difficult, though it makes decent grazing land. The city relies on imports for food and most other resources, including wood, clay, and metals. Water is gathered in cisterns during occasional rains and is supplemented by water from the Undercanopy, which is carried up a narrow path along a narrow cliff using buckets. Water is a scarce enough resource that those who cannot prove residence in Sepentum are required to pay a fee to drink from the cisterns.
Demographics
Sepentum is populated primarily by humans, with significant numbers of dwarves, halflings, and like much of the region has an unusually large population of half-orcs.
Defences
As the ravines provide a significant barrier, Sepentum is not encircled by walls. The bridges leading into the city are guarded by large fortifications, and small walls along narrower parts of the ravines protect defenders from projectiles. A large citadel sits in the center of the city. However, as the city is deep within the empire and the ravines make it difficult for large armies to access the defenses have never come into use. The city even remained untouched during the mountain war, though the poorly maintained defenses were repaired and expanded at the time.
History
Sepentum was likely founded as early as the pre-imperial era, though much of it's early history has been lost to time. It grew to prominance once the empire began to build larger, permanent stone bridges throughout the plateau, putting Sepentum on a major trade route. In 848 AY, Deyallor was said to have briefly visited the city, landing on the spot where the great temple of Deyallor now sits, and the city has been regarded as holy ever since.
Type
City
Population
28,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Sepentumite
Location under
Owning Organization
