Kuloran

Kuloran

Kuloran is the capital city of the kingdom of Ryvalen. Built at the center of the island of Golindray, it rests roughly east of Klagrond propper.

Kuloran is a beauty to behold. Built around a small mountain, the great city is built in five tiers, culminating in a spire so high it touches the clouds. Each tier is connected by four staircases, one for each of the cardinal directions, and surrounded by walls, making the city a fortress in itself.

Tier 1

The first, and bottom most, tier of the city is what most people see in their time here. It is, to put it simply, the commoner's tier, though much of the southern and eastern portions of it are taken up by markets. The church holds the eastern side of the tier in it's grip, with a fenced in and quiet marketplace. To the west, the more comfortable residents live in houses of their own creation, and, along the north, the rougher, slummier parts of town. The main guard office is on this tier as well, stationed at the southern end of the city, right near to the gates.

Tier 2

The second tier of Kuloran is dedicated to the guards. Surrounded by battlements, this is where stands would be taken were Kuloran ever to be attacked. Heavy crossbows, catapults, and scorpions bristle from the walls, and four watchtowers, so tall as to meet the base of the spire far above, are almost always fully staffed with soldiers, with the tops of the towers always manned by a griffonrider.

Much of the tier, though, is taken up by training yards, barracks, and the small keeps of high ranking guard officers. While the first tier has it's own medical facility, the guards have their own here, though they will open it to the common folk if the medical facilities below become overrun or lack the necessary treatments, though they then might send the ailed higher into the city to seek healing at the cathedral.

Tier 3

The third tier is the scholarly tier of the city. Merchants make their homes here, usually near to their shops for the affluent. That takes up almost the entirety of the southern part of this tier, all living in the shadow of the Dragonwing Staircase, an immense statue which pays homage to the legend of Kulor and Vrakmorn.

The western side of the tier is dedicated to the academy Kulor, training knights and paladins in the great castle. Some of the greatest warriors Kirandur has ever known, in civilized lands, come from here.

To the north, the Cathedral Of Light And Shadow stands, an immense beacon of hope to the citizens of Kuloran and Kirandur as a whole. Clerics are trained here in the ways of healing and war, and when an ailed patient cannot be helped by typical medicine, the clerics open their doors to them.

The eastern side of the tier is taken up by the mage's academy, Sorahel, a great, glass prism that reflects and refracts light around it in beautiful displays that have been painted and repainted over the years, but none could quite capture the beauty of it.

All three schools offer general education to those who seek it, though many instead go to the far smaller, and, far cheaper, university in Rendgarde, or far away to the Stoneshire Academy.

Buried within the mountain, all around the third tier, is the great, multi-level Library Of Kuloran, which is thought to contain most of, if not all of, the information Kirandur has ever known. High at it's roof, though, and just at the base of the Spire above, is the tomb of Kulor, guarded and protected at all times.

But of course, who could forget? The Kuloran Playhouse, the seat of the greatest bards in the world, is here as well. The Kuloran Players are legend across Kirandur, for their stunning acting, magical displays, and all around good looks, of course. Their home is set at the southeastern corner of the city, and they have been known to use Sorahel's light to enhance their performances.

Tier 4

The fourth tier is simple: It's where the nobles live. With streets literally paved in marble and gold, it's affluent to an egregious level. Tall manses and manorhouses, built upon the sides of the mountain and giving the city a distinctly spikey look, festoon the place, and they all compete to outdo the others in their overblown grandioseness. Some shops are here, though they're small and quiet. But when you can sell one thing that makes you rich, you really don't need to have booming business.

Tier 5

The final tier of the city, this one is unique in that it has only one staircase to access it, a free-floating wooden affair curling up the spire like a great serpent. A castle keep is built here, tall and grand, reaching up to scrape the clouds above. Bridges extend from the spire, leading to the eyries of the griffons, or to the barracks of the monarch's personal guards, training yards, and courtyards, creating a complex of floating spaces hundreds of feet above the ground. Gnomish magic plays a big part in that, and gnomes are accepted widely in the city.

Surroundings

Kuloran is situated on the island Golindray, which is set in the Sea of Shifting. To it's west, Klagrond propper, and it's main trading partner is the city of Rendgarde, which trades with Holdurin's Rest, far to the south, which then, again, trades with Kuloran, which is far to it's northeast, creating a triangle that covers most of Ryvalen itself. To the east of Kuloran, the sea continues, and far, far away to the southeast is Illeskir.