Lament
Lament was once named Lady's Mantle though few outside the nobility remember this ancient name. Even by the First Imperial Age, it had already taken on the name Lament for what had been lost. Lament is the second largest city of the Roselands and the sister city to Rose. It was, many centuries ago, during the Long Night, its own kingdom once just as Rose had been. But following the Devastation of Rose and the Night of Lamentations, the Royal Family was united and the title became, in full, the Queen of Rose and Lament. Though it has survived the ages just as Rose has, there is a gloom about Lament that persists to this day, as if even now, it cannot recover the beauty that it had lost.
Demographics
The people of Lament tend to be mostly Roselanders, though there are many who come from the stock of the Iron Spines. Like with Rose, the majority of the people of Lament are peasantry who support the aristocratic houses in exchange for protection from the supernatural threats that make it passed the Rose Wall.
Government
The regent of Lament is usually a sibling or cousin to the Queen of Rose, both as they are expected to be loyal to their house but also to ensure that should a Queen be killed, there is another of the house to assume the throne.
Infrastructure
Lament is built along the river and many of its buildings are constructed on stilts for easy access. The crystals of Lament do not last long at night, for there is almost always a perpetual haze over the city that comes off the Faded river that seems to block the sun above the city. The only times that Lament comes alive with color like Rose does is when the Song is heard and the crystals begin to shine. As such, there are far more lanterns that burn in Lament than in Rose and the city is truly dark at night.
History
Lament was once known as Lady's Mantle, but during the Devastation, the Cultists of the Dreamer completed at least some of their rites. The river, whose original name was something like the Current in the Rosean language, started to carry with it a fog regardless of the season. This fog ensured that there would always be a gloom about Lady's Mantle, even once the Devastation had passed. The river became known as the Fade and the people of Lament rebuilt their city and continued on. They still strive for beautiful stained glass and gardens. There is still beauty and nobility in Lament, but it is always touched with melancholy.
Once Lady's Mantle had been a queendom as noble and respected as Rose. Now it is but a part of the Rosean Queendom. Now it is Lament, for the lamentations of what has been lost.
Geography
Lament is built on a river just as Rose is, called the Faded River, or just the Fade by the people of Lament.
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City
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