Fauregand

The Enduring City; The Sky of a Thousand Spires

Fauregand is the most populous, cosmopolitan city in the The Broken Empire, with a population recently reaching about 280,000 people. It is located in the Corewestern Midlands, at the inland tip of the Shinnoch Fjord which empties into the colossal bay known as the Mouth of Ranarim. It rests on politically neutral ground, at the meeting of the Middish Provinces of Lough Amarant and Bruinkastel, which lie on either side of the fjord.

Though the Midlands are not actually a coherent, politically united entity, Fauregand is sometimes referred to as their "Capital" as it's frequently chosen to host diplomatic conferences of the widest pertinence. It is sometimes called the Enduring City, or the City of a Thousand Spires.

Geography

The Broken Empire

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And its myriad peripheries. Map represents much of Waking Materia's Gamma Quadrant.

Description

See also: Imagery of the Midlands / Fauregand (External)

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Fauregand is a visually spectacular city. It is a combination of many surviving examples of First Age and Third Age architecture, having survived the Deluge mostly intact save for the violence of the Lost Age.

Politics

Fauregand's political neutrality is guaranteed by the ancient Treaty of Margulis Mons, which establishes it as a peaceful trade city where outside enmities and prejudices are "left at the gate". The Treaty is enforced by the also-neutral Peace Guard of Margulis Mons (often called Streetwalkers due to their patrols), however it cannot be denied that their immediate proximity gives Lough Amarant and Bruinkastel undue influence over the Guard's activities. The Middish Province of Gormengast, which comprises a row of islands lining the nearby coasts of the great bay, is also influential here.

The City of a Thousand Spires is not only the unofficial capital of the Midlands, it is also the headquarters of the Heralds of Gondara, a league of nobles who aim to turn the continent into a federation of nations, to present a more united front against their former emperors to the east. The Heralds greatly value Fauregand as a symbol of unity and shared goals.

History

Even after the Great Fractionation, Fauregand appears to have remained under control of the New Rozsan Empire until its destruction by the Deluge. This is despite the fact that their near neighbours Xois, which would later become Gormengast, did secede. Explanations vary: the leadership of First Age Fauregand may simply have stayed loyal to their twin godlords, or perhaps the Empire maintained a tight grip for some unexplained strategic or commercial reason.

Architecture

Fauregand, similar to the nearby island city of Caer Gormengast, is an utter marvel of Meranthic architecture, with some surviving infrastructure dating as far back as Middle First Age Nireau, followed by dozens of generations of sometimes radically different styles thereafter. Its silhouette is a towering cacophony of spires, domes, ziggurats and other shapes, both geometric and natural in style.

The apparent plateau on which the city is built is actually a tell: a layered mound of ruined settlements that came before it. Excavations of some of these ruins have found them to be astoundingly well-preserved: some buried complexes have hundreds, even thousands of metres' distance of uncollapsed rooms and hallways. One famous example is AG-17, a temple complex to God-Emperor Nir herself: it's often nicknamed the Maze of Spells due to the intricate, gold-on-black glyphwork covering the ruin's walls.

At least one upland district on the adjacent Aralt Mountain is of onidoshi make, a people who were not otherwise known to cooperate with the Nireauans. It's possible these onidoshi were Alanthian prisoners of war who were spared the usual treatment of being killed and reanimated as undead chattel, possibly to retain their technical expertise.

Profile: Gideon Prosper, detective of the Trade Guard and arch-nemesis of Hildegard van Elmdor, armed with various alchemical munitions available in such a wealthy city. Detectives clever enough to catch Fauregand's sophisticated criminals are highly sought after and well compensated. Many are themselves former criminals.

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Music insert: A popular Fauregandian tavern song, particularly among traveling tradesmen.

Fauregand

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Type

Geopolitical, Free City

Quadrant
Gamma

Continent
Gondara

Region
The Midlands

Population
280,000

A birdseye view of the city.

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The "street of a thousand scents", where spice and food merchants are common.

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The inner halls of the Artoria Ambassadorial Complex, a popular location for trade discussion among the city's many marketeers.