Santalona
"It smells nice and looks nice. Who in their right mind would raze such a pleasing place to the ground?"Capital of Gracia, considered to be the most aesthetically pleasing of all known cities within the Eastern Realms. Also renowned for its painters who spent most of the year competing for the completing best possible portrayl of the city.
A Demon upon approaching Santalona.
Defences
Not to be underestimated, the fortifications of Santalona are as beautiful as they are efficient. Billiantly fusing with the topography they manage to embelish the city rather than hide key elements to its beauty. About five circles of fortifications spread starting from the highest point of the city.
Industry & Trade
Tourism and pilgrimage are responsible for a huge chunk of Santalona's income. The sells occuring after social events keep the city afloat about as much as the honey and vineyards do. Paintings account for the majority of revenue and are notorious even in distant realms such as Midland. It is unknown if it goes beyond, but it wouldn't be surprising if it did according to the Gracian people's expectations.
However, Santalona still depends a lot on other realms for basic resources. Wood, metals, even the very canvases and papers it uses for the paintings and lectures mostly come from elsewhere. The lack of forests or explotable mining grounds is both a strength and a weakness to the City of Canvases.
Assets
The University of Arts is Santalona's crowning achievement, especially on Situl where wide access to less-survival related infrastructure aren't recommended. There are competitions all year accross allowing artists to learn from their peers and spread their name.
Tourism
People from all around the Eastern Realms. On occasions distinguished guests from the Keratos Empire and the Dwarven realms do visit. The main visitors, that is... the ones most likely to provide impressive income, are nobles from Midland grown fat on their land's sea-faring, ready to pay fortunes to bring pieces of Santalona home.
Architecture
Tall ceilings and wide rooms following an architectural tradition what is rumored to originate from the Old World. Inside buldings, ornemantations are the name of the game with an emphasis on painting atop sculpted stone to artistically adapt to the structures as best as they can. Outside, you can notice floral architecture with multiple arcs growing in size the closer you get to the center of a building. Geometric symettry of a building's overall shape is highly valued, but it may be sacrificed if the view from afar at a certain angle can be improved as a result.
The last two hundred years have seen the expansion of Santalona follow a fresher trend to try and mimic nature. Such as the shape of distant reliefs such as mountains or hills. There's also a few examples of buildings built in hazardous locations such as against steep slopes. Some can form stairs between buildings or spread in a flower formation. The outskirts of Santalona are definitely "wilder" than its center.
Alternative Name(s)
The Canvas City
Type
City
Inhabitant Demonym
Santalonian
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Related Traditions
Characters in Location
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments