Flamekeep
Flamekeep is the burning heart of Thrane, the second-largest city on the continent after Sharn, and a holy site for millions. Nearly half of the nation’s population lives here, both in the city and in the huge spread of outlying farmland and villages.
Flamekeep sits along the western cliffs of Scion's Sound, nestled into a deep, steep-cliffed harbour. The core of the city sits on a huge, rocky island in this harbour, protected from attack. The plinth is densely urban, built around the Grand Cathedral, but the buildings and homes have long spilled out onto the cliffs and shores that surround it. On a clear day, one can stand on the highest parapets of the Cathedral and barely make out the distant island of Thronehold to the north-east.
Government
The Council of Cardinals, which is based in Flamekeep, rules the city. High Cardinal Krozen is the man responsible for maintaining civic order, and he does so with an iron fist.
Districts
The heart of the city is the The Plinth - a large, rocky island that fills out the bay. Most of the city's critical infrastucture and leadership is here, with further districts trending towards lower importance. The Plinth is accessible by three long bridges that span out to the north, south and east, and by boat. The Plinth also refers to the wealthy neighborhoods that sit atop the rock, surrounding the government and religious buildings, and housing the most privileged of the faithful.
These neighborhoods surrounding the Cathedral never experience true darkness. Twenty-four hours a day, 336 days a year, a great fire burns atop the Cathedral. This flame is tended constantly, mystically protected from rain, wind, and other elements, and never allowed to die. It burns directly above the Chamber of the Flame, creating the illusion that the Silver Flame itself rises through the ceiling into the night sky to illuminate the city.
The Cathedral of the Silver Flame is the most holy site for the faith. The Cathedral rests atop the highest tier of the Plinth, an indomitable bastion and source of inspiration for the Silver Flame worshipers who call the city home. The Cathedral has white alabaster walls supported by massive flying buttresses and fitted with dozens of tall, stained glass windows set in ornate, wroughtiron frames.
The interior of the Cathedral, with its silver inlaid black marble floors and pillars, seems majestic and decadent, without being as gaudy as a traditional palace. Deep within the Cathedral, beyond heavy doorways and well-armed warforged guards, sits the Chamber of the Flame. The Flame itself rises from a fiery pool at the center of a brilliant circular mosaic of floor tiles. In addition to housing a veritable swarm of clerics and paladins, the Cathedral is home to the offices of the cardinals and the private chambers of Jaela Daran, Keeper of the Flame.
The Cathedral has grown to the size of a town and is entirely self-sufficient. It is as defensible as any fortress and contains artisans, soldiers, and even a few large gardens, as well as its various sanctuaries, libraries, and of course the Chamber of the Flame. Even if cut off completely from the outside world, its several hundred inhabitants could maintain a reasonable quality of life for many months.
Nearby, Thalingard is connected to the Cathedral by a thin walkway. It is customary for the imperial ruler of Thrane to name the royal palace after himself (or herself). Thalin was the last of Thrane’s true monarchs, and thus the palace retains his name. Thalingard has narrow spires that reach higher than any other structure in the city, including the Cathedral. Although stocked with vigilant warforged guards, it feels strangely empty and neglected. It clings to the west side of the city’s central plinth, its sheer walls and precarious balconies looming high above the rest of the city.
Thalingard serves as the primary residence for Thrane’s royal regent, Diani ir’Wynarn. Every few months, Diani leaves the city and retreats to Silvercliff Castle farther north. The Council of Cardinals pay little heed to her coming and going unless they need her for some diplomatic function. Diani keeps Thalingard clean and ready for visiting dignitaries and important gatherings, but she considers Silvercliff Castle her “nest.”
Brightrock clings to the Plinth's west, and fills out a wide swathe of beach and dockside close to the waterline. Considered to be the nicer docks of the city, its used to transport goods important to civic running and the faith. It also holds middle-class residential neighborhoods and much of the city's finer entertainment.
Further out, Quiet Mill fills the western edge of the cliffs, known for handling the huge quantities of food that are brought to the city from the surrounding farmland. Suther Hill caps the other side of the northern bridge, considered fine housing and residential living, while Spearpoint wraps around the harbour to the east, housing larger noble estates, and much of the city's military forces.
To the south, Ashward holds many of the dragonmarked house's enclaves, including the city's lightning rail station. Beyond its walls, Three Fields district spills out into the hills, and further to Tannerridge, growing less urban and less affluent the farther they are from the city.
In the cliffs themselves, however, the Wyvern's Nests are a series of tunnels, hollowed out by erosion and claw. For millennia, the cliffs have been home to wyverns - both the lesser wyvern - 15 feet long and very intelligent for an animal - and the strain of elder wyverns. These can grown up to twice the size of their cousins, have their own language with many of them have learning common, and following the founding of the city the elder wyverns have also followed the Silver Flame's faith. The wyvern Ashtarax carried Tira Miron in her final confrontation with the forces of Bel Shalor, and wyverns made up the bulk of Thrane's incredibly effective air power during the war.
History
The founding of Flamekeep is one that every faithful of the Silver Flame knows. In 299YK, about 700 years ago, the paladin Tira Miron performed a miracle - after a great battle on a rocky island, she cast down an invincible demon overlord named Bel Shalor, or the Shadow in the Flame. Sacrificing herself to send the fiend back to Khyber forever, she plunged her sword through the demon and her guardian couatl, and all were enveloped in an eternal pyre of silver fire that still burns today.
The site became a holy location immediately, and a cathedral was built around the pyre, followed by a town. As more and more people flocked to the site and the faith of the Silver Flame developed, eventually the capital of the region was moved from Daskara in the west to the new Flamekeep.
When the Last War broke out, Thrane quickly moved to restate their independance by removing their monarchy from political power. Instead, the Diet of Cardinals runs the nation, led by the Keeper of the Silver Flame - a blessed individual chosen by the Flame and by prophecy. Today, the Keeper is the 19 year-old Jaela Daran, who has held the position for 10 years. Flamekeep is still the capital, but it is now a religious government ruling from the Cathedral, rather than a monarchy ruling from the Palace.
Comments