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Otessa
Realm: The Kingdom of Faelbyn
Population: 110,000
Military: Effectively none; the city is not under the political or military control of any one power
Economy: Very unequal. Widespread poverty, but a few extremely rich merchants and nobles
Language: Common
The "Marble Queen", the "Jewel on the Hill," the "Center of Civilization." Many poetic names have been ascribed to Otessa, the capital of Faelbyn and the former capital of the Empire of Otessa. Most of them were made up long ago and are today only used ironically or by those who have never visited this hollow monument to Otessan power.
At its height during the Imperial days, Otessa had close to 350,000 residents. Tribute and tax revenue from the far corners of the empire had been used to build massive palaces for the city's ruling elite, and then stable, fire-proof stone housing for the poorer citizens. It was certainly a perfect place for a city: it was built atop the Mount of Glory (a tall hill overlooking the countryside for miles) next to the river Fael. The Empire hired dwarven stonemasons all the way from the Spinning Winds to construct Otessa's massive walls, and littered the city with fountains and monuments.
Today, that magnificent stone city still exists, but it has less than a third its former population. Most houses sit empty and decaying; in more remote neighborhoods many buildings have collapsed, and no one has bothered to rebuild. Why bother, say the Otessans. There's too much housing any way. Most residents of the city are desperately poor, with little work to go around. The only opportunity that many of the poor have is the Faelbyn underworld.
Of course, the dominant Ahlrighan priesthood wages an unceasing war on crime, vice, and other depravity--often the only things that make life worth living for the city's poor. Additionally, everyone is forced to pay ecclesiastical taxes to support the church. The Ahlrighans are hated here with a furious passion, and are sometimes attacked by angry citizens when their guards arrive to close down a brothel or arrest a shopkeeper. Those families who find an escape for their children by placing them in the Ahlrighan clergy are often despised and ostracized.
Higher up on the Mount of Glory are the domains of the wealthy. Each palace of note is as much fortress as home, for the city's still impressive walls are far too large to be defended, even if one of the country's feuding powers could manage to take over the city. Nobles take refuge behind stout walls from their rivals and from angry mobs alike. Even the Ahlrighan temple is located behind a wall; those coming to pray must pass heavily-armed guards.
On the very peak of the hill is the Imperial Palace, home to King Scioli and an army of servants and courtiers. The Kings of Faelbyn cling desperately to delusions of imperial grandeur, and spend the majority of their tax revenues on luxury rather than attempts to achieve real power over their palace, city, or kingdom. The Ahlrighan church is known to frown on this orgy of excess, but even the current king, a noted Ahlrighan fanatic, has not dared to cut back except in purely symbolic fashion. At the present time, none of Faelbyn's nobles consider the benefits of being the country's monarch worth the troubles of being responsible for this rotting kingdom. They are content to enjoy the royal fêtes and cultivate their own power outside of Otessa. Should the fount of luxury cease, however, the king would have little reason to expect to remain in power. With no external threats at the moment, and the mobs below unable to breach the Palace's thick walls, the status quo continues.
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