Lavaria
A beautifully constructed city, with stone roads, decorative archways, and wonderful buildings lining its streets. Lavaria is the capital of Urthallia and the heart of Fine Arts and Literature in the nation.
Demographics
The precedent of the city’s acceptance of all cultures and religions allowed for many to flock to what was considered the most progressive city in all of Tundrusk. To this day, you’ll manage to find the most obscure cultures and religions in Lavaria when you couldn’t find them anywhere else. Of all cities in the nation of Urthallia, the wealth gap in Lavaria is the smallest, with a somewhat large middle class existing among the city's populace.
Defences
The military presence in Lavaria is limited to primarily the retinues and personal guard of the archduke as well as any military airships docked at the city. Recently, due to the crusade called upon the Tundruskan Empire, the presence of able-bodied warriors has decreased to a small contingent of the archduke's royal guard. Apart from the military, Lavaria is well defended in terms of its walls and geographical location. Lavaria is bordered by a marshy wetland on one side and a difficult to traverse mountain range on the other which makes it difficult for any forces to siege the town comfortably with larger siege weaponry. The city also has two layers of walls, one around the inner citadel and the other acting as the general settlement's wall. This wall does have a weakness, however, due to the openings along the river through which merchant ships need to be able to pass.
Infrastructure
Lavaria itself is beautifully designed, with its expansive harbours, white marble monoliths, and its Royal Cathedral which is said to be double the size of the Tundruskan Royal Palace. 3 bridges cross the Cassian River which passes through the center of the City, each bridge made of polished white marble and covered in decorative engravings made of silver. Magic is common and spread throughout the streets of this city. Everywhere one goes, they’ll find magic being used either in construction or the artisanship of the people. Outside of the city are hundreds of square miles of fields which sustain the city’s extensive need for food and alcohol.
Assets
Being the capital of the most progressive and technologically advanced nation, Lavaria is home to a multitude of shops, inns, places of entertainment, and valuable magical equipment. Many natural magical wells are found in the surrounding wetlands, allowing for the harvesting of pure magical power by the people of Lavaria for the use in forging equipment or enchanting that which already exists. Due to this high amount of natural magic in the surrounding land, technology has progressed in the city of Lavaria much quicker than in other lands as magic is used to enhance technology that exists and invent new technology. One of these inventions was the airship, seen as the magnum opus of the brilliant minds of Urthallia.
History
Established as the capital of Urthallia after the nation’s independence after the Rift War, Lavaria has experienced huge cultural, economic, and religious growth in the past few hundred years. Surprisingly, the origins of Lavaria are far more humble than its current stature. The statue lined streets of the Urthallian Capital were once dirt roads that led to humble fishing huts.
Lavaria was first founded hundreds of years before the Tundruskans had discovered land East of the Red Peaks and is one of the oldest settlements in Urthallia. Legends state that the gods, specifically Karus and Rokan, had led the first hunter-gatherers to the location and had taught them the basics of becoming a stationary people. Rokan ended the teachings by blessing the Fet people with the knowledge of irrigation and agriculture.
Lavaria was spared much of the destruction that other cities and towns faced during the Rift War due to the efforts of the heroic Kalo Yulini. He and his band of mercenaries managed to hold off and kill the demon lord Barnabas before his legions could pass through the Andriscan Mountain Range and enter the lands around Lavaria. Kalo's sacrifice is celebrated yearly in the city of Lavaria as the city most likely wouldn't exist in the modern day if it weren't for him.
Architecture
The buildings in Lavaria are typically made of a white marble-like stone and have roofs made of curved shingles made from a clay with a naturally gray colour. This architectural style is expensive to maintain, but the wealth of Lavaria through its bustling industries have allotted the funds for such construction.
Geography
Lavaria is bordered by both a mountain range and a marshy wetland, which provides a layer of natural defense for the city. The city itself is located on a raised hill in the transition between a flat plain and the Andriscan Mountains. On the east end of the hill, a river runs through a slightly more wooded area, curving around the hill and then back into the wetlands. This river connects the Bay of Mulain, allowing for trade to flow through Lavaria to any coastal settlement.
Founding Date
2007 BR
Type
Capital
Population
36,788
Inhabitant Demonym
Urthallian
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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