Aelyria Prime
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Beginning with the ascension of
Queen Candace and hastening through the reign of
Empress Michelle, residents of
Aelyria Prime began a westward expansion to establish the great academies of learning and institutions of research. What has now become known as the Scholar Quarter is a vast urban complex of neighborhoods and parishes on the gentle slopes of the western edge of the peninsula, complete with breathtaking views of the
Bay of Lux, marble courtyards, and contemplative fountain plazas. This fascinating mix of education and learning with powerful old blood nobility makes the Scholar Quarter diverse and exciting. The Scholar Quarter is home to some of the most potent institutions and influential people in the city, not to mention some of the most diverse and engaging cuisine and attraction hotspots.
The Scholar Quarter district is organized into the eight wards of
Saint Gabriel's Parish,
Saint Michael's Parish, the
Didisa Commons,
Khriase Byway,
the Artedox,
Zephyr Parish,
Auster Parish, and
Prateia Autonomy.
Saint Gabriel
Known commonly as "St. Gabes", the Parish of Saint Gabriel sits alongside the
Forum and is flanked by the myriad of buildings of the
Collegiones Imperialis. Among these is the recently rebuilt towers of the epic and legendary
Academy of Magic Sciences with its famous
Bibliotheke Arkanos, and across the rolling grassy hills is the campus of the
University of Aelyria. The
Avenue of Knowledge leads one from the University proper to its famous graduate school, the
College of Princely Affairs. Some very well-to-do professors have their homes here as manors and manses on stately streets, as do some wealthy eccentrics with a bent for the academics. Stores are mundane and fusty, centered around books and bookmaking, scribes, sellers of comfortable but unfashionable scholarly garb, and so on. Students scurry along the
Boulevard of Eternity which surrounds the Forum and then disappear into grand buildings. There are a collection of scenic parks complete with ponds, fountains, and gardens within the ward, affording its residents places to study and exercise in a relatively peaceful environment with tranquil and pleasant surroundings. Due to bordering the Forum, the Parish of Saint Gabriel is kept in prisine condition and is considered a true gem among the wards and districts of the city.
Races
Human,
Elf
Social Classes
Scholars, Students, Mages, Scribes, Craftsmen, and the Wealthy.
Common Housing
Coldstone Estate - One of the nicest housing complexes in Aelyria Prime, the residence once belonging to the family of
Duke Roland Cold was renovated and expanded while keeping its classic old ancestrial flavor. Rooms consist of twelve foot by ten foot smallish flats with tiny balconies designed for the needs of students everywhere. While the kitchen is communal, privies are indoors and a cistern generally warms bathwater on the roofs so residents can bathe regularly. With the original stablehouse still entact, Coldstone Estate welcomes pets and familiars, often a requirement for most students of spellcraft, and can house hundreds through its wings and ancillary houses.
Prominent Features
Academy of Magic Sciences 
Avenue of Knowledge
University of Aelyria
College of Princely Affairs
Institute of Higher Learning
The Ioannes Academy of Political Sciences
The Bookseller's Row
Coldstone Estate
Featured Businesses
The Grinning Gryphon Tavern
Bill's Quills and Stationary
Nukali's Student Supplies
Thunderhammer's General Supply Shoppe
The Food for Thought Bistro
Burnout Bar and Grille
Saint Michael
Wealthy students and their families tend to live further away from the central hub of the campuses, and make their residences in the posh neighborhood of the Parish of Saint Michael. In close proximity to Saint Gabriel, with clean and wide streets, the crime here is minimal as the gentry pay much money to keep the outdoor spaces patrolled well. Many of the houses are empty much of the year as rich noble families will own homes and rent them out to students, or lend them to their own progeny. A large underclass of servants keeps this ward operational, and the parish is characterized by a higher number of better quality shops, temples and bath houses. Some of the better finishing schools for young ladies are located here, as are boarding schools for gentlemen and the prestigious societies and fraternal orders.
Races
Human,
Elf
Social Classes
Nobility, Aristocracy, the Gentry, the Wealthy.
Common Housing
The De Masi House - This enormous rambling old manor has been converted into a stylish common house, serving youths, students, and individuals without resources enough to purchase their own property in a very comfortable manner. While the rooms themselves are small at twelve feet by twelve feet, the bathing facilities are located outdoors, and the De Masi House boasts its own private gardens and a very stylish set of pools that residents are required to maintain themselves. Derided by the wealthier inhabitants of the ward as nonsense, the De Masi House attempts to teach children the value of money and the importance of a hard day's work.
Prominent Features
Saint Michael's Carriage Drive
Lady Marcy's Finishing School
Alpha Beta Society House
The Temple of Diana
Poulchidonitus Academy
Featured Businesses
Darcy's Hair Salon
Pleasant Endeavours Bath House
Cothurns Literary Collections
Alabaster Gem and Stone Works
A Stitch in Time Clothiers
Arytmlithia's Fine China
Didisa Commons
At the center of the Scholar Quarter is the religious and artistic agoras and walkways of the Didisa Commons. Its name inherited from the attractive
Didisa Plaza, a popular center for street theater and soap box preaching, Didisa Parish is the place to see and be seen. Typified by its large number of very public places, the students who live here may not be the most cutting edge, but they love the spotlight and adore the arts. Playhouses, coffee houses, the ancient
Amphitheater, the famous
Opera House, debating clubs, and student societies are often seen here. For the those committed to art and music, the Didisa Commons is the perfect place to get one's name out there, and the lodgings are not too bad either. There are private schools in the performing arts, such as the
Musicale for musicians, and the
Bish School of the Fine Arts. Less glamorous academies, such as the
Jester's Guild and schools for circus acrobatics, common acting, and all manner of trickery, oddly coexist side-by-side with the lauded and prestigious. Merchants cater to the eccentric student and flamboyant artisan population, hence what might be popular today, won't be tomorrow. And often, the merchandise is overpriced and of dubious quality. One has just to walk down the
Avenue of the Arts or any of its side streets to find all manner of young artists painting portraits, landscapes and other on-the-spot productions. The Didisa Commons is the place to come for jovial fun and chaotic revelry, as virtually every one of Aelyria's many
Holidays is celebrated here.
Races
Human,
Elf,
Katta,
Dracon, and
Halfling.
Social Classes
Merchants, Students, Artisans.
Common Housing
The Didisa House - Commons living is right off the
Didisa Plaza and features spacious twelve foot by fourteen foot rooms with a communal kitchen and a shared outdoor bank of privies. Guests are always welcome in this sprawling mish-mash of artsy homes and musician dormitories, and as such the noise level is usually elevated at all hours of the day and night in this popular commons housing establishmet.
Prominent Features
Didisa Plaza
The Commons
The Prime Circus
The Thespian Center
The Amphitheater
Queen Anna Opera House
The Musicale
The Guild of Jesters
Avenue of the Arts
Featured Businesses
Sabin's Glass and Wood
Tarbuckle's Art Supplies
Zamphir's Golden Ring Music Supply
Crescent Moon Tea House and Bookstore
Khriase Byway
Named after the famous historian and
Court Chronicler Odin Khrias, Khriase Byway is a popular neighborhood for academics, scholars, pholosophers, writers, and courtiers working in or near the
Forum. Largely a residential area, it is graced with a few parks, such as the renowned
Avenue of Trees, bookshoppes, and saunas. Book Faires are common, as are debates on the streets; shoppes are similar in size and scale to those found in Saint Gabriel Parish. The people of Khriase Byway live life at a slower pace, looking beyond the present and often times dwell in the past or contemplate on the future. Many of the residents are excellent speakers, and live for debates and good conversations in the pubs and coffee houses. In the south is the small domed
Oracle, a controversial group of diviners who claim to be able to foreshadow events to come, and the
Podium. In the north at the other end of the Avenue of Trees are chartered institutions in magnificent mansions, such as the
Royal Historical Society and the
Imperial Cartographic Society, while the great
Royal Museum rests as a crowning palatial monument to knowledge.
Races
Human,
Elf,
Dwarf,
Gnome, and
Halfling
Social Classes
Aristocrats, Merchants, and the Wealthy.
Common Housing
Crescent Castle - The lovely small fortification was converted into common housing and designed in two separate wings to form a crescent alongside the hills near the beaches of Khriase Byway. Males live in one wing, while females live in the other, and the two have interconnected common rooms on each level. Rooms are a generous fifteen feet by twenty feet. The entire basement is a galley kitchen, while the ends of each wing have balconies for members of the floors in which they reside. The Crescent House has an private latrine connected to the sewer systems and a lavish bathhouse behind it. It also boasts stables and a small garden, adding to the belief that at one time, a powerful castellan or contemplative aristocrat commissioned the structure.
Prominent Features
The Oracle
The Podium
Avenue of Trees
Museum Row
The Royal Museum
Imperial Cartographic Society
Royal Historical Society
Soapbox Square
Khriase Commercial Center
Mantique Oldson's School of Massage
Office of the Aedile
Office of the Senior Aedile
Featured Businesses
Laseya's Fine Spirits and Essences
A Cut Above Salon
Happy Memories Toy Store
Squeaks and Sqwacks Pet Emporium
Havela's Home Decor
The Artedox
Known as the Ward of the
Twelve Arts, the Artedox is the ward for people who wish to remain unseen and reclusive. Its narrow and overcast streets are somewhat archaic in design when compared to the wide plazas of Didisa Common. The shops here are small and odd, often just fronts for experimental or fly-by-night studios. Alchemists seem to like this place, and any society with a flare for the secretive will have rooms within the Artedox. Lodgings are in much demand, as there is cachet in living in such a pokey place. It is highly dangerous, however. There are few libraries or research institutions here, but instead a thriving informal market to obtain reagents and uncommon materials. Shoppes have an artistic bent (for example, blacksmiths will create particularly decorative pieces with little quality or practical use). Many students who live here are prone to drama, some of it stemming from their abject poverty, but all of it almost always self-inflicted, and they complain loudly about the lack of space and perks. One remarkable feature is the presence of the
Artes Doces, part-cult and part-society bent upon matering the
Aelyrian artistic practices after which the ward is named.
Races
Human,
Katta,
Ratta
Social Classes
Servants, Commoners, Peasants, Intellectual Destitute, and the Poor.
Common Housing
The Warrens - First and foremost in underground housing, this maze of fair sized rooms are carved out of spaces in the
Catacombs beneath the Artedox. While some boast that the Warrens is the largest and safest residential neighborhood in Aelyria Prime, they do so tongue in cheek. Rooms can be as large as twenty feet squared, and while large by the city's standards, sanitation is poor. Large kitchen areas are carved out of the mess by combining three or more personal rooms. Warren residents are secretive and keep to themselves. It is typically wise not to wander too far through the Warrens, however, as it is believed to have hastily sealed-off tunnels leading to the subterranean ruins of
Hriemalis.
Prominent Features
The Artes Doces
Twelve Fountain Square
The Artedox Cemetary
The Warrens
Featured Businesses
The Sculptuary
Niblium Underground Supply
The Night Lily Palace
Foundry and Quarry Storehouse
Kotra's Forge
Zephyr Parish
One of the oldest neighborhoods of the Scholar Quarter, Zephyr Parish is known coloquially as "Windibreeze" due to its sharp gusts of frigid wind rushing in from the seaside bluffs to the west. Characterized by tall, old buildings that were at one time used by nobles and aristocrats that fancied a view of the sea out to
Portshire, Zephyr Parish sits upon a particularly steep part of town, many of the roads being completely impassible by cart. The sea winds have set the old buildings to decaying and many student squats and old buildings and old buildings filled with student tenants are ill protected against the winter cold. In the heart of the ward rises the tall spires and crystal towers of the
Cathedral of the Faith sitting in the serene
Cathedral Square, flanked by historical monuments to the gods, including the
Pantheon, and numerous clerical and religious orders, such as the
Sisterhood of Ioannes and the
Monastery. Beyond the square can be found great historic centers of public performance, maintained by both the religious orders that venerate them as well as the wealthy aristocrats committed to their endowments, chief of which are the
Royal Theater, the
Conservatory, and
Symphony Hall. In the south of the ward is the fenced in and imposing
Seminary, where young theologians study for the priesthood.
Races
Human,
Elf,
Dwarf,
Halfling,
Fae,
Gnome,
Mousai, and other little people.
Social Classes
Students, Merchants, Peasants, and the Clergy.
Common Housing
The Leeward Hillside Manor - This rambling old house once belonging to a prosperous noble or aristocratic family has been divided into ten foot squared rooms with communal baths at each end of the hallway on each level. The building itself stands four stories tall, with the bottom floor taken up by a kitchen and large communal living and dining rooms. The Leeward Hillside Manor boasts a beautiful deck off of the communal living room overlooking the sea.
Prominent Features
The Cathedral of the Faith
Cathedral Square
The Pantheon
The Sisterhood of Ioannes
The Priory of St. Ophelia
The Monastery
The Seminary
The Royal Theater
The Conservatory
Symphony Hall
Windibreeze Cathedral
Alyssa Chrysinaria Memorial Hospital
The Panacea
Featured Businesses
The Green Witch's Potions and Poisons
Vestment and Frock House
Seagull's Haven Kite Shoppe
Crow's Nest Inn and Tavern
The Wind Dragon Emporium
The Ecclesiastic Library
The Dormant Dojo
Auster Parish
The elegant statehomes and fashionable manors of Saint Gabriel mingle to the south of the Scholar Quarter with the busy book bazaars and antique dealerships of the edge of Khriase Byway blend into the wider streets and broader squares of Auster Parish. One of the two main entrances into the city, the southwestern
King's Gate is a massive greystone gatehouse fortification leading out to the
King's Highway, which in turn connects with the longest public road in the realm, the
Via Ioannes. A great moat is dug from the edge of the
Ioannes River, thus necessitating both a massive and wide drawbridge and ironclad portcullis. Upon entry into the city is an open plaza courtyard of marbled columns and stonework statuary known as
King's Square. Though students and scholars have relatively inexpensive housing in the lofty high tenaments above the square due to the noise of traffic through the gates, Auster Parish is a desirable neighborhood due to its feeling of security and prosperity. In and near the square are numerous restaurants and merchant stands, shoppes and goods stores, even tourism information and some lodging. The
Temple of Aslan to the east is often a beacon for heroes wishing to pay homage to this unofficial patron god of the city, while the City
Bureau of Tourism has its primary offices in a series of low-lying former military towers in the west.
Races
All common races.
Social Classes
Students, Scholars, Merchants, Soldiers, and Artisans.
Common Housing
Hospitas Hostel - To the south of the gates can be found a modest complex of brownstone and redbrick buildings hosting the famous
Hospitas Hostel, an inexpensive inn for travelers usually geared towards first-time visitors to Aelyria Prime. Rooms vary between the communal twenty foot by twenty foot sleeping salon, shared by dozens of inhabitants at a single time, to the more private ten foot squared innrooms featured upstairs. A restaurant serving typical cuisine from the city surrounds an outdoor courtyard where patrons play dice games. A unique of patronage has created situations where politicians and nobles pay for visitors to stay at the Hostel in exchange for their support at rallies or public demonstrations, though some altruistic aristocrats are known to provide free housing on certain days of a given week.
Prominent Features
Temple of Aslan
Bureau of Tourism
King's Gate
King's Square
Featured Businesses
Pawn of Prophecy
En Guarde Weaponsmith
Touche Shieldsmith
Hospitas Hostel
Prateia Autonomy
Though the township of
Prateia is technically separate and distinct from Aelyria Prime, its proximity to the capital city and shared infrastructure have more or less relegated it to the status of a suburb of the great city. Originally founded by a group of
Aelyrian settlers during their first descent to the city, Prateia is a magical shire filled with arcane curiosities and technical wonders. Shoppes within the small village cater to discriminating collectors, as merchants have tried to turn the obscure gadgetry into a cottage industry after the Aelyrians departed. Of particular note is the
Teleporter Orb in the center of the suburb, which was erected but not linked with other devices of its kind. Radiating magic, it creates a feeling of wonder and excitement in the square, as scholars and mages flock to study and understand its energies. Towards the beaches in the north is a verdant field of energy, the
Edge of Prateia, a remenant of original spells and power bestowed upon the city. Black and silver sands smother the eastern beaches, which are patrolled by treasure seekers and spell collectors in search of a new trinket or arcane toy. The competitive atmosphere and also given birth to a highly localized form of thievery and piracy of these sought-after goods.
Races
All common races represented.
Social Classes
Mages, Scholars, Students, Treasure Seekers.
Common Housing
Felrick Residence - When they first established the township of Prateia as a center of their operations, the
Ancient Aelyrians took over a sprawling manor at the southeast edge of town known as the Felrick Residence, and began to rennovate it for research and experimentation. After their departure, the local municipal authorities confiscated most equipment of value, and its previous owners had long since been compensated for the loss of their home. Thus, Felrick Residence became a common housing sector in the ward. Rooms are spacious at twelve feet squared with round balconies connected by terraces between the different quarters. With at least one, sometimes two, latrines on each floor, Felrick has a flavor of the adventuresome, and it is not uncommon to see pirates, brigands, and wizards at the immense dining room on the ground level engaged in banter about what had been discovered that day.
Prominent Features
The Teleporter Orb
The Edge of Prateia
Archstaff Place
Felrick Residence
Featured Businesses
Meander's Wand Shoppe
The Arcane Emporium
The Prateia Magic Bazaar
Scholar Quarter
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