Val Royeaux
"Unlike other cities where the people are the life-blood and the character, Val Royeaux is her own person and her people little more than decorations. There is always music in Val Royeaux, streaming from the many windows—quiet refrains and triumphant choruses. And always, floating above that all, the Chant, coming from the Grand Cathedral. It was magnifcent."Val Royeaux is the capital city of Orlais, and home to Chantry in southern Thedas. It lies on the northern coast of the far inland tip of the Waking Sea. It is one of the largest cities of Thedas.
Demographics
"Any resident, a 'Royan', will say it is the greatest city in the world. Many take such pride for arrogance, but they do so through smiles as they nod in agreement, for such is the cost of doing business in the capital. Val Royeaux is in every way a world leader — in commerce, culture, and its own exaggerated beauty. The capital has endured the ages to become a beacon of civilization, and its citizens the measure of modernity. Just ask them. An element of Val Royeaux is notoriously risqué, and it exists harmoniously beside the aristocracy and the palace bureaucrats. Indeed, the aristocracy tends to indulge in the city's darker side quite frequently (if discreetly), and that only adds to the mystique. Nobility elsewhere tend to be much more conservative and concerned about their reputation, even if a trip into the capital to indulge a few private pleasures is not completely out of the question. In Val Royeaux, transgressions are suffered and forgiven with flamboyant urgency. That is not to say the city is without lasting scandal or hardship; but one must squint past the gilding to be allowed even a glimpse, as Royans are very careful about the face they present. Such it is with the masks of nobility and the underbelly of their streets." — Sister Laudine (formerly), excerpted from Val Royeaux: Excesses Grand and Otherwise
Infrastructure
Val Royeaux holds one of the largest alienages just on the southern outskirts of the city. There, it houses at least ten thousand city elves in an area no bigger than the size of the market in Denerim. The alienage's walls are supposedly so high that daylight doesn't reach the tree they all gather around until midday. Elves are not allowed to own property outside of the alienage in Val Royeaux which is the why so many have to be there. Enforcement officials dread entering, mostly leaving the elves to policing their own business.
Assets
Every district has at least one Lover's Alcove. At least one. And the question must be, "Why is a place meant for dalliance declared in such an obvious way?" And the answer, of course, is that obviousness is the entirety of the point. When manners and station will not allow impassioned words, such corners are places to be seen not being seen. Entering with a paramour is as much a declaration as singing out in joy, which one of good standing must never do. The alcove is thus a dignified means of announcing romantic affiliation, either for genuine partnership, or to appear as such in order to spare a suitor a refusal. Dignity of course requiring that one does not also make use of the darkness for actual physical gratification.
This has, of course, never occurred.
Guilds and Factions
Val Royeaux is not only the secular capital, but also the capital of the Chantry and the seat of Grand Cleric Callista Leroux. There, past the imposing Sun Gates and more modest Night Gate, the Chantry performs a ritual where the entire Chant of Light is sun, a long process indeed. From the White Spire, the Knight-Vigilant of the Templars directs the Order.
Val Royeaux is home to the University of Orlais, a major center of learning that attracts young nobles from all over Thedas with the best education money can buy. It is a relatively modern institution whose liberal-minded professors have already clashed with religious conservatives over the content of their classes.
[To be continued]
Type
Large city
Inhabitant Demonym
Royans
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Comments