Andul

Introduction:

Andul: The Tower where Andul rests can be seen for miles and miles, marking exactly where to go to find the Capital City. As you come into contact with the Capital's borders, you're met with a covered bridge across a river, guarded by two lead statues. The Cities walls can be seen towering off in the distance, and the Spire that rises up shows detail of many open windows climbing up. Guards can be seen as hazy dots standing atop the castle walls. As you approach the covered bridge, the statue's eyes light up and they draw their weapons, menacingly holding them ready to fight. You easily walk between them, weapons hidden, casually strolling across the bridge large enough to carry a wagon or two. Exiting the bridge, you stand among massive fields of crops that span all directions within the circling rivers. Smaller farm houses line the roads where workers can be seen tying bales of crops, carving wood, and pulling fruit off of trees. The houses are all made of wood, and climb only 2 stories tall at most, with very soft decorations, mostly painted in dim blues and whites.

You come to another circling river, and another covered bridge but this time guarded by a casual suite of townsfolk who don't even seem like they know how to fight. One is holding a clipboard in his hand, and pressing a pencil against his chin...the other is digging through a crate by a window of the bridge. They don't even notice you as you walk by, or if they did, they gave a friendly nod and that was it. As you exit the bridge, you are stopped immediately by the presence of a sickly pink hue standing eerily in front of you. You glance up and all around the City, and it all seems to be radiating out of it's center. Inside, you see the walls ahead, with brilliantly armored angelic guards, holding fabulous tall Lances at their side.

You slowly enter the haze of the city, and immediately your throat clears, and ears pop. The air is noticeably better on this side, with a gentle breeze that causes you pause to glance around, and notice that your clothes have become incredibly richer in quality. Your skin is almost shining in the sunlight, and any previous illnesses you had seem to fade away while here. As you approach the city walls, you see the six guards are all dressed in beautiful gold armor, their wings shimmering in the sunlight as they await your decision. To the side is a civilian tunnel that leads further into the city. Walking into the tunnel, you notice gemstones shining paved into the ground, and into the walls of the tunnel, causing a weird glow to bounce around.

As you exit the city, you decide to first find an Inn, because it becomes apparent it will take more than a day to explore the sprawling cityscape. There are 3 major sections to the City: The Forum, the Promenade, and the Garrison.

The Forum is a series of streets and houses set as one third of the total city. This is where the general populace holds residence, from wealthy to poor. Many streets cut and cross through the blocks of houses, generally two story homes, unpainted wood, with glass windows and cellars. The people are a mix of many different races, and even some beast races can be seen walking around with armored guards, earning mixed reactions from various vendors. The Marketplace is a mess of Kiosks outside various larger shops. Just about everything you can imagine can be bought and sold here, with the most notable of them being a seven story tall Magic Shop, "The Alpathia", with various painted balconies, wind chimes, flowerpots on windowsills,  and the occasional glow from inside one of the windows. Another notable shop here is "The Prism-Anvil" Smithy, which constantly has a steady stream of people lining up to have weapons and armor repaired or created, with an open fire roaring and about 10 blacksmiths hard at work completing orders. Further off and away from the chaos of the busy streets are the gardens, home as well to the Red Ruby Theater, a notable production house run by a group named "Tantalus". The guild buildings are also located in this part of the city. The Champion's Guild is run by Raland Demetry, who handles the civilian campaigns and personal contracts for adventuring parties of up to 100 people at a time. The Builders Union is lead by Ciar deTaff, who manages construction contracts for major projects within the city, employing many constructionists to handle building operations. Also in this city is a group called "Verdancy" which sees to the reconstruction of the world's natural state, run by Miatekori, a Crystal Dragon that openly opposes Andul's views on the world. There does exist an illegal Villains Guild, which it's members plan and calculate theft and murderous plots against established governments, but you're unable to find more than just rumors of it's existence. Words also circulate of a black market that may exist here, with illegal arms trade and drug trafficking. Lastly, when inquiring about a guild specifically dedicated to the art of Magic Crafting, you are told to visit the Promenade.

You enter the Promenade through one of the many arched tunnel walls connecting the two sections, and immediately are hit with the scent of fresh flowers, cooked foods, and incense. You stand at the start of a large line of Kiosks, much like back at the marketplace, but with many clerics and monks sitting behind them. You pass by rows and rows of small shops, young monks kicking a ball through a courtyard, and a few bards playing syncopated drums. Eventually you find your way to the front of the Cathedral, where many clerics are sitting around on the steps. You walk up to the entrance, and routinely, a dark skinned monk stops you at the door. He is shirtless, and has thick black hair braided back; he checks you over for weapons, removes any he finds, and grants you access. The giant doors are pushed aside, revealing a smaller foyer inside, with wood and glass doors. Through the glass, you can see it's quite dark, except for the candlelight on the higher floors, and the weird pale blue orbs floating in the highest part of the vaulted ceiling. To either side are Teachers sitting or standing around students, Monks in circles meditating, or sorcerers engaging in a discussion with their peers. Seating here is uniform but wild, as benches are free to be moved about as the lesson dictates. Up at the front of the podium are a dazzling amount of religious symbols, and several old clerics and paladin sitting around a brilliant iron table. They seem to be casually discussing things, with stacks of papers infront of them, pointing to them and rubbing chins. Behind them, and beyond the religion standards, is a much older looking castle wall that belongs as the base of the spire of the city. There are a few doorways into it, but there are also armored angelic guards standing infront of it, so you decide to go another way around. You step into one of the rooms through an arched doorway into one of the many hallways woven into the Cathedral. the sprawling smooth stone walls and carpeted floors start to all look the same, and you almost feel like you're getting lost. You pass several rooms, some occupied with students digging into books that line shelves, light streaming in from one of the cathedral windows. You finally make it out into a larger room above the sanctuary, dubbed the Sophistorium. Lead by Andul, this guild researches ancient magic, bloodlines, spirits, and the vast occult  discerning the magical nature of the world. Exitting the Cathedral, you face the gardens where previously the scent of fresh flowers arrived from. Tall hedges keep you within, as the path winds around, displaying flowering trees, and fences just barely holding back some of the shrubbery. At the center of the garden is a statue of Alexander Eghrez Milliandros, the former human king, "For all the fire in the realm"; the statue is starting to fall into disrepair. Just beyond the garden is a large gate guarded by two more armored guards, with a vast cemetery hidden by a twisting hedge maze. As you find your way to the Garrison, you come across a large open rotunda where several clerics greet you. There are several floors with many statues of various gods, each with a carved wood message below each. Each statue seems made of sculpted clay, and no one is larger or smaller than another; most if not all the known gods are represented and celebrated openly in this stadium. You spend a good hour walking around observing each, losing count quickly as there must be about 100 or more statues on display here.

When you enter the arched tunnel to the Garrison, you're immediately called over by one of the guards. It seems this area is typically restricted from civilians but they let you pass either way. You stand at the edge of the open court, staring around at the hundreds of buildings all lined up neatly. All of them seem nondescript, some of various heights and shapes, but nonetheless unremarkable. As you walk between them, you start to see soldiers standing around in casual circles all across the yard, some holding weapons, others in casual dress, but there's something incredible about each of them. When you pass through the crowds, you begin to notice that most, if not all of the soldiers have some kind of mechanical enhancement attached or fit onto them. You see one young female holding a spear and outfitted with ankle bracelets take a running leap up onto one of the buildings, reaching 10 yards in the air in superhuman fashion. Another young man has an entire silvergrey machine arm, sitting at a bench and sharpening his axe. All of them have, in some form or another, a red insignia on their body, either in the form of a tattoo, or print on their armor. It's simple 3 Red Clawmarks in a diamond, and denotes the royal army of Ginneraut the Red Dragon. Buildings are plain brick and glass, standing square, or something rectangular, with garage doors open occasionally. You pass by several training halls, as well as an armory, gun range, and courtyard where roughly 50 recruits are being trained. As you leave, you hear the massive gates open up at the north end of the castle courtyard. In comes a daunting train of wagons holding about 30 soldiers in each carraige. Some hop off, others stare around, some are sleeping. A general walks over and barks around orders before dismissing about half of them.

Lastly, on the fourth day, you decide to visit the spire to which Andul rests and watches over the kingdom. You face a terrifying set of stairs that take a long time to climb, and you pass about 30 floors where potential college graduates stay in specialized dorms that hang off the spire like balconies. Finally you reach the base of the tower head, and walk out onto a windy platform that overlooks the entire city in all directions. there are hanging plants here, as well as banners from the various other towns hanging off the tower, with several students standing against the railing and staring off wistfully into the distance. Up just one more set of stairs and you enter a grand foyer, where even more hanging banners can be seen depicting astrological events like a calendar. The man himself, Andul, opens the doors to his guest chambers as you cross the threshold of the staircase. He wears a flowing white robe matching his thick white beard, with many opalescent chains hanging off it. The receptionist and the guards stare at you like they haven't been informed of your arrival, but Andul tells them that he has been expecting you. They nod, and return to their work.

Andul hands you a glass of water, and you remember you're feeling thirsty from climbing those stairs. He apologizes for the trouble the stairs gave you, without you mentioning them. Could it be true that lord Andul is a psychic? The rumors certainly circulate that he is a seer and a skilled magician. You enter a grand towerhead, and are hit by the scent of incense and burning candles. The in-house chef and guards are waved off, and you take a seat at the giant pile of pillows near the center of the circular room. Massive open archways show just bright blue sky, and you notice guards coming and going from the balcony platforms. They spread their wings and step off the edge, only to be replaced by another winged guard landing on the platform seconds later. Andul draws the dark red curtains and sits with you. Though he is a dragon, he has taken a temporary human form, and rests comfortably against the pile of pillows across from you. He begins speaking before you have a chance to ask anything, regarding the nature of the world, and his magical research. He sighs quietly, staring into the firepit at the far end of the room. He remarks existence with a distant fondness, but with a tired reverence to his servants. He asks if you're having fun, probably out of courtesy. The two of you spend the next few hours casually talking about alchemy, philosophy, and the inherent magical nature of the realm. Another hour is spent explaining the vast intricacies of the economy to a frightening degree, but later he remarks that it's more Fislaurel's work. Night comes fast, and your gracious host prepares a vast feast, to which you could not entirely eat due to the abundant nature of how much Dragon's eat. Lastly, before you part ways, he offers you a random trinket of curious magical value, and you and him share a laugh talking about his hobby of magic crafting. As you leave to head down the stairs, you notice your pockets are a bit heavier with gold all of a sudden, and there's a small written note.

"Thanks for dropping by"

History: