Elysium
Elysium, the old Elven capital was built in the side of a cliff over the western sea. White stone spires stretch high in the sky, and lush flower gardens around every corner. The roads are paved in the same white stone that the buildings are built in. Waterfalls spill out from under and around the buildings, casting rainbows out over the city most days. Tunnels have been carved into the cliff, up to the fertile land at the top, and down to the busy harbor below, bridging the gap between land and sea trade.
While it was once filled with mostly elves, Elysium now has a much more diverse population. Most of the inhabitants are still humans and elves, but there are other races as well, including halflings, dwarves and half orcs. A good portion of the city's population is also descended from Marcisian colonists. The original thought was that it would be easier to assimilate Anestor into the empire by filling some of its more major cities with citizens of the empire. Most of those citizens were not Marceaux's elite. They were not nobles, and they did not have substantial power in the empire, so when the revolution happened, many chose to stay in Anestor, the only place they had ever had a chance to own property, the place that offered them substantially more freedom, and they'd lived in Anestor for generations. Anestor was their home. Some of these Marcisian citizens even fought alongside the Anestian military during the revolution. These people were workers, artisans, traders, and keeping them as part of the population would help Anestor. There was a lot of controversy when the decision to keep these people as part of the population was made. Many of the Anestians wanted revenge, and to earn reparations from the former Marcisian, but Eldrin Inariel would not allow it. He claimed that they fought alongside everyone else in the fight for freedom, and they were just as much Anestian as anyone else in the country. It was not a popular decision, but many saw it to be the right one.
History
In the days of old, Anestor was split into three countries. Western Anestor was ruled by the elven kingdom. Eastern Anestor was ruled by humans, and at the center of the large island was Astreia's Forest, home to the Gnomish clans. Elysium was once the capital of the elven kingdom. After the fall of Anestor, though, that all ended. The Marcisians moved in, stealing the city's most beautiful artwork. The crystal cathedrals and religious iconography was destroyed and replaced with buildings and statues honoring the Marcisian gods. The Priests of the old gods were executed. The mages disappeared in the night. The nobles were robbed, and the royals were hunted like dogs. The Marcisians did not want any royals left alive to give the people hope, but they did not find them all. The elves loved their royal family, and they were able to hide a few among the common folk.
Generations later, when Golaran united the dwarves, the Utgardians and the Anestians, he revealed the true prince. A young elven man who carried the holy blood of the royal family by the name of Eldrin Inariel rose up, and the elven people of Anestor, scattered though they were, rose up behind him.
In the years after the war, Elysium began to rebuild. The population demographics had changed greatly. In order to maintain control of Anestor, the Marcisians displaced many families. Some of the elven families who once lived in Elysium returned, but many did not. It was no longer their home. The current generation wasn't born there. They'd never seen the city, and they'd made their homes elsewhere in the country. Those who did live in Elysium were largely of Marcisian descent. Their ancestors had been colonists, and they'd been given properties in the city. After generations of living in Elysium, it was their home, and while some rose up to fight the rebels during the revolution, the majority were just regular people, and they stayed out of the war. They were given a choice by the Anestian rulers. They had the right to either return to Marceaux with their lives, or stay as citizens of Anestor, officially throwing away their Marcisian citizenship. Most chose to stay. It was, after all, their home.
Geography
The city of Elysium was built into a cliff side over the ocean.
Natural Resources
The cliffs are full of strong white stone, and iron. Seated on the sea, Elysium has plenty of fish, and atop the hill are fertile farms enough to feed the city.
Type
Large city
Owner/Ruler
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