Aura

The Ancient city of sanctimonious harmony, the Site of Vivar's Stand, the Seat of the Archonry, and the Cradle of the World Weave. Aura existed long before written records were established and its founding date is hard to place because of how long the area was inhabited. Built as a place of spiritual unity for those to worship the various deities of the Auran pantheon, the site slowly became a permanent settlement overlooking the upper Erdor River Valley. Built into the cradle of three small yet steep mountain peaks, the city of Aura would grow to be a commanding holy metropolis from ancient till contemporary times. The three spires of Aura led to the rise of trinity among the Pantheon with each peak being carved into tower temples to the assigned deity.

Hares, the god of wind and storm was worshiped in Haredon the highest and largest spire. Etra, the goddess of earth and fire in Etradon and Renes, the goddess of the seas and stone in Renedon. The Auran myth was that the two sisters of Etra and Aenes have both vied for an eternity to obtain the affections of the Great Traveler Hares the all seer. They constantly clash where his presence is found and only rest when he is absent. With the arrival of the Prophet Vivar, the religion of the World Weaving All-Father spread and soon overcame the rooted Auran Pantheon for spiritual supremacy. The great statues and altars to the hundred gods of Aura were dismantled and removed as only depictions of the one true god and his first servant replaced them. The spires of Etradon and Renedon gradually fell into ruin, Haredon on the other hand became the first Archonry and became the holy center of the new faith. Etradon and Renedon would be used once more later as the spire of repentance and that of forbidden knowledge, respectively.

The city itself would see many changes through the years, from the ancient rule of the Atriarch or Pantheon worshiping prophet king, the secular noblility based Prevait, to the current Archon system where the Prevait operates under the supervision of the Archonry. The city is generally based on three tiers with the lower being the largest and incorporating most of the population. This section is divided among the Reservoir, Statue, and Plaza districts although the city’s layout generally mixes the different area names are based on the landmarks that stand out at different corners of the city.

At the second Tier the Palace of the Presages (formally the Palace of the Prevait) at the base of Haredon and dominates the valleys skyline. Alongside it stand the Oracles tower and the two smaller districts of Harmony, where Cions are trained for their wandering in a massive garden complex called the Verdentium, and Vivar’s Vigil where the embassies for the various Archonite realms, military orders, and guilds are located as well as the Archonry’s administrative departments.

On the final tier are the terraces for each of the three spires as well as the various Archons and Verdants that line the three spires and are usually beautiful villas that have streams from the three spires springs run through them and fall in elegant water falls down to the reservoir below.

The city hasn’t seen warfare for a millennium and is seen as a sanctuary for refugees and vagrants of the Archonite, this has led to a massive sub city built beyond the walls of the lowest tier and serves as a Archonry maintained refugee camp. These high density wooden lodgings contrast incredibly against the ancient marble and white rock structures built in elegant high Auran architecture. Through out the city this style is seen with its sweeping gardens of hedges cut daily for aesthetics and run along lines of white brick roads. Statues and fountains adorn every plaza celebrating Archons, Verdents, and Cions alike and give the ancient city a vibrant culture based in rich history and faith. As the city idyllically goes through each day it is the once sanctimonious spires that cast shadows upon the city and are only spoken of in hushed tones. It is in these columned colossi that the secrets of the Archonry are kept behind sealed doors and locked in Spire towers far above the cities harmonious façade.