Behold, the map of the world, created by the intrepid and faithful scouts and vassals of the most Holy Lion Throne!
And completed by the masterful cartographer, Jan Boruta of Ptia.
On the great isle of Echelon lies Galius, House Seat of the Lion Throne, and Home of his most holy Pope, the Hand and Voice of Filaharn. On that peninsula, more than a million souls from all over the Empire have flocked to the Holy City, where the High Priests, voices of the Pope, speak through the great horn, said to be crafted from the tusks of a thousand Mylesian Elephants, sounding the evening and morning prayers so loudly that it can be heard from miles away. It's magnificence is unmatched, its strength unbeatable, and its people numberless. It is protected by 11 great walls, dividing the city into sectors growing ever smaller and more magnificent until you reach the Palace of Filaharn, were resides the Lion Throne itself, and the Hall of Kings, where all the vassal kings of the Empire reside under the protection and mercy of the Pope. The city itself is a wonder of spiraling minarets and towers, blue roof's, and limestone walls, all washed to a gleaming brightness.
The nine sectors are listed in order, from the largest to the smallest: Convert District, God's Grace District, Filaharn's Mercy District, Diety's Reach District, District of the Radiant Cross, Brigadier District, Temple District, Kingpriest's District, Deva's District, and the Palace of Filaharn. The Convert's District is where all new converts to the Radiant Cross reside, and it is by far the largest, as citizens from all newly conquered countries and states flock to the home of the Lion Throne, eager to prove their faith to the Radiant Cross, in hopes that their children's children may become a full citizen of the Lion Throne, as only citizen's may join the higher ranks of the Lion Throne. Most buildings in the district are in classic Papal style: gleaming, limestone walls, blue, green, or white roof's, a collumn faced front, a small garden in the back, and a round tower on it's left side for their prayer room, for most do not have access to the temples or churches that periodically dot the Convert's District. The Pope does not allow slums or ghetto's in his most Holy City, so all live at least comfortably, though, like any city, it has it's few beggars, who quickly run when they spot any brigadier patrols. More than half of the entire city's population resides, protected by the first line of defence for Galius: the Double Walls of the Radiant Cross. Hundreds of towers crowd the walls, and every single one is manned by the innovative, effective hydraulic catapults, which are powered by two aquaducts that run behind the walls, which allow for firing two times as fast as any cannon, and about as much range. Inside the towers themselves, and on the protruding drum towers are cannons. Thousands of them. So many that is said that any army that even attempts a assault on the walls would be destroyed in the first volley.
The next sector, God's Grace District, is were the merchants, the wealthy, and minor nobility who have recently converted to the Filaharn faith reside. It is more splendid than the Convert's district, with silver gilded capitals on it's collumns, marble steps, and a sumptous entry hall. Temples appear with more frequency than in the Convert's district, so the round towers are used less for prayer as for storage of valuables and residences. The resident's of the district are allowed to live here as, promptly before their conversion, they paid a sizable contribution to the church, allowing for their direct children to become full citizen's of the Lion Throne, instead of the usual convert's two generations. Also, a large amount of travellers come to this district for it's quality of tavern's and inns, and the amount of market squares, formed because of it's large merchant population. Many brigadiers who did not become as rich as many of their comrades in the service of the Pope also live here, making out their trade as mercenaries or other occupations.
The District of the Radiant Cross is were all full citizen's of the Lion Throne reside, and where major newly converted nobles live. Here many state sponsered guilds and Brigadier Orders are placed, and former brigadiers, rich from the spoils of war and the Pope's pay dwell, and their houses reflect it. Many residences are now adorned with gold gilded capitals, and marble collumns, and their halls and rooms are adorned with carpets from the Khergit Khanate and Kara-Khitan, and Incense and Ivory from Mylesia. Temples now seem to be on every street, as the faithful flock to their nearest place of worship. Sedan chairs and rickshaws, carried or propelled by slaves who refused the Filaharn faith, or else were captured in war, now frequent the streets. Beggars are now non existant in this district, and the smallest houses consist of 10 rooms, while the largest have around twenty to even thirty, a near unheard of number in other barbarian countries.
The Brigadier District is where all on duty Brigadiers and their officers reside, prepared at any moment to defend the city and the Pope. Most of the barracks in this district, while made of fine stone, are militaristic in design, desplaying the magnificent, yet practical design of the Brigade: To impress, without sacrificing protection and utility. Though the buidling designs are simple, the residences are still comfortable, and it is designed so that the brigadiers can reach their weapons and armor quickly and efficiently, for they are the world's fiercest fighting force. However, the officer's residences are far more sumptous, with the basic design of the Radiant Cross district, but with more militaristic design, such as crenalated balconies and porches, and ceremonial weapons and armor lining the walls.
The Temple district is where all priests, high priests, and bishops of the city and surrounding countryside reside. It is crammed with massive and impressive temples, with columns reaching near one hundred feet high. It's friezes depict epic battles between brigadiers and barbarians, fables from the holy book of Filaharn, and depictions of the God himself, all in minute and expert detail. Inside each temple is a round alter, with a concave surface in the middle, were they keep a fire fueled with a special oil so it gleams a shining white colour. An entire order of the Temple is dedicated to keeping this fire alive day and night, else, so the story goes, Filaharn would abandon the city and it's empire. Priests patrol the streets, spreading the sweet and powerful smell of incense in swinging thuribles.
The Kingpriest district is where the governors and mayors of all the provinces and cities of the realm have a residence. Their power is reflected in the magnificense of their homes, who's columns are often guilded in gold and swirls of silver, and studded with minor gems. Their entry halls are massive, sometimes the size of an entire house, and is often tiled with glittering mosaics so tightly packed you can't see the creases, and could swear it was made out of a single piece of rock. A crystal chandelier adorns the domed ceiling of every manor of the Kingpriests, illuminating the shining gold mosaics and paintings of Filaharn. Many of these houses rival the size of small castles, and are often manned by dozens of servant's and slaves. Many others have entire wings of their house dedicated as temples to Filaharn, where they pray every morning and evening.
And at last, the Deva district, the Hand's and Workers of Filaharn, is where I, and the few other, most powerful rulers of the Lion Throne live, dine, and work. Directly underneath the Palace of Filaharn, we are some of the few who are allowed to be in the presence of the Pope. Many of our houses are the size of your average Kingdom's Palace, and some are even larger. Our households are run by more than a hundred priests, servants, butlers, slaves, and constables. When we are in residence in the most holy city of Galius, we often bring with us the adminastrative parts of our job, including the running and maitenance of a province, and the recruiting of auxilaries for the new wars in Calradia, though, once we have finished the work of the day, we can sit back and enjoy the luxury of our homes.
And finally, in the Palace of Filaharn, is the Lion Throne. It is from there that the Pope controls, orders, and sends to death the millions of people under his massive empire. Some say it his will alone that has conquered and kept the Lion Throne's massive empire together. Other's say it is his massive military. Others even hint it is his divinity, or near divinity, that has allowed him to conquer one of the largest empires the world has ever seen. But his power is reflected in the sheer size and opulence of the palace. Inside, the Palace contains more than 800 rooms, including the Throne Room, his bedchambers, the chambers of the Hands of the Pope, even his own personal zoo, which contains beasts from every corner of the empire, and to whom he regularly feeds the bodies of dead heretics. But the collumns at the entrance of the Palace are a marvel all in it's own. Two hundred feet high, they encircle the entire inner palace complex, and are gilded in shining platinum and diamonds. The collumns themselves are made of the finest, shining white marble, whoes capitals are plated with three inches of gold. It is said that just one collumn would be able to ransom a entire captured army, and quite a bit more too. Once the giant doors of the inner palace swing open, you then walk into the Hall of Kings, where all the vassal kings under the Lion Throne sit, and control their kingdoms under the watchful eye of the Pope. It is 300 yards long, to the inch, and the ceiling reaches a amazing 200 feet, supported by massive, red marble collumns. Everywhere you look you see gold, silver, platinum, and precious jewels, but subtle inclusions betray the militarism of the Lion Throne. Alcoves hold swords of ancient heroes and demigods, and the Hands of the Pope, his personal bodygaurd, watch your every step behind their hooded masks.
And should you ever be granted access into the Hall of the Lion Throne itself, it is magnificent beyond human imagining. The Lion Throne itself is massive, with it's back soaring a hundred feet. It resides on a many stepped pedestal, and, sitting apon its great opulence, is the Pope himself. A shining white light emites from him, so bright you can barely look at him for a few seconds before you have to avert your eyes. The sheer power of the room and the Pope himself is near bound to bring you to your knees. Every wall, every statue, every painting, freeze depicts Filaharn, and his representative on earth, the Pope. The columns themselves are actually statues of previous Popes, depicted in such detail that you could swear they moved. And directly above you, resides the great Dome of the Radiant Cross, were the instrument, the wonderous diamond, rests. The dome may look of common glass, but in further inspection, it is actually lesser diamonds cut with such precision that it looks like a solid sheet of shining, impervious diamonds, representing the very soul of the Lion Throne. For as long as the Galius lives, so shall the Lion Throne, and so shall Filaharn. It is Written. So shall it Be.
-The Account of the City of Galius, written by Third Deva of Filaharn Celahorn Augusto
P.S. Hoped you liked it! I always thought it was wierd that no one ever talked about the capital city of the Lion Throne, and little discussion on the Lion Throne itself, so, inspired, I decided to write this account on the City of Galius. If you have any questions, comments, or corrections, go ahead! Once again, hope you enjoyed it!
Oh, and Jan Boruta, are you still working on the depiction of the Lion Throne? I'd really like to include that in here, too
And completed by the masterful cartographer, Jan Boruta of Ptia.
On the great isle of Echelon lies Galius, House Seat of the Lion Throne, and Home of his most holy Pope, the Hand and Voice of Filaharn. On that peninsula, more than a million souls from all over the Empire have flocked to the Holy City, where the High Priests, voices of the Pope, speak through the great horn, said to be crafted from the tusks of a thousand Mylesian Elephants, sounding the evening and morning prayers so loudly that it can be heard from miles away. It's magnificence is unmatched, its strength unbeatable, and its people numberless. It is protected by 11 great walls, dividing the city into sectors growing ever smaller and more magnificent until you reach the Palace of Filaharn, were resides the Lion Throne itself, and the Hall of Kings, where all the vassal kings of the Empire reside under the protection and mercy of the Pope. The city itself is a wonder of spiraling minarets and towers, blue roof's, and limestone walls, all washed to a gleaming brightness.
The nine sectors are listed in order, from the largest to the smallest: Convert District, God's Grace District, Filaharn's Mercy District, Diety's Reach District, District of the Radiant Cross, Brigadier District, Temple District, Kingpriest's District, Deva's District, and the Palace of Filaharn. The Convert's District is where all new converts to the Radiant Cross reside, and it is by far the largest, as citizens from all newly conquered countries and states flock to the home of the Lion Throne, eager to prove their faith to the Radiant Cross, in hopes that their children's children may become a full citizen of the Lion Throne, as only citizen's may join the higher ranks of the Lion Throne. Most buildings in the district are in classic Papal style: gleaming, limestone walls, blue, green, or white roof's, a collumn faced front, a small garden in the back, and a round tower on it's left side for their prayer room, for most do not have access to the temples or churches that periodically dot the Convert's District. The Pope does not allow slums or ghetto's in his most Holy City, so all live at least comfortably, though, like any city, it has it's few beggars, who quickly run when they spot any brigadier patrols. More than half of the entire city's population resides, protected by the first line of defence for Galius: the Double Walls of the Radiant Cross. Hundreds of towers crowd the walls, and every single one is manned by the innovative, effective hydraulic catapults, which are powered by two aquaducts that run behind the walls, which allow for firing two times as fast as any cannon, and about as much range. Inside the towers themselves, and on the protruding drum towers are cannons. Thousands of them. So many that is said that any army that even attempts a assault on the walls would be destroyed in the first volley.
The next sector, God's Grace District, is were the merchants, the wealthy, and minor nobility who have recently converted to the Filaharn faith reside. It is more splendid than the Convert's district, with silver gilded capitals on it's collumns, marble steps, and a sumptous entry hall. Temples appear with more frequency than in the Convert's district, so the round towers are used less for prayer as for storage of valuables and residences. The resident's of the district are allowed to live here as, promptly before their conversion, they paid a sizable contribution to the church, allowing for their direct children to become full citizen's of the Lion Throne, instead of the usual convert's two generations. Also, a large amount of travellers come to this district for it's quality of tavern's and inns, and the amount of market squares, formed because of it's large merchant population. Many brigadiers who did not become as rich as many of their comrades in the service of the Pope also live here, making out their trade as mercenaries or other occupations.
The District of the Radiant Cross is were all full citizen's of the Lion Throne reside, and where major newly converted nobles live. Here many state sponsered guilds and Brigadier Orders are placed, and former brigadiers, rich from the spoils of war and the Pope's pay dwell, and their houses reflect it. Many residences are now adorned with gold gilded capitals, and marble collumns, and their halls and rooms are adorned with carpets from the Khergit Khanate and Kara-Khitan, and Incense and Ivory from Mylesia. Temples now seem to be on every street, as the faithful flock to their nearest place of worship. Sedan chairs and rickshaws, carried or propelled by slaves who refused the Filaharn faith, or else were captured in war, now frequent the streets. Beggars are now non existant in this district, and the smallest houses consist of 10 rooms, while the largest have around twenty to even thirty, a near unheard of number in other barbarian countries.
The Brigadier District is where all on duty Brigadiers and their officers reside, prepared at any moment to defend the city and the Pope. Most of the barracks in this district, while made of fine stone, are militaristic in design, desplaying the magnificent, yet practical design of the Brigade: To impress, without sacrificing protection and utility. Though the buidling designs are simple, the residences are still comfortable, and it is designed so that the brigadiers can reach their weapons and armor quickly and efficiently, for they are the world's fiercest fighting force. However, the officer's residences are far more sumptous, with the basic design of the Radiant Cross district, but with more militaristic design, such as crenalated balconies and porches, and ceremonial weapons and armor lining the walls.
The Temple district is where all priests, high priests, and bishops of the city and surrounding countryside reside. It is crammed with massive and impressive temples, with columns reaching near one hundred feet high. It's friezes depict epic battles between brigadiers and barbarians, fables from the holy book of Filaharn, and depictions of the God himself, all in minute and expert detail. Inside each temple is a round alter, with a concave surface in the middle, were they keep a fire fueled with a special oil so it gleams a shining white colour. An entire order of the Temple is dedicated to keeping this fire alive day and night, else, so the story goes, Filaharn would abandon the city and it's empire. Priests patrol the streets, spreading the sweet and powerful smell of incense in swinging thuribles.
The Kingpriest district is where the governors and mayors of all the provinces and cities of the realm have a residence. Their power is reflected in the magnificense of their homes, who's columns are often guilded in gold and swirls of silver, and studded with minor gems. Their entry halls are massive, sometimes the size of an entire house, and is often tiled with glittering mosaics so tightly packed you can't see the creases, and could swear it was made out of a single piece of rock. A crystal chandelier adorns the domed ceiling of every manor of the Kingpriests, illuminating the shining gold mosaics and paintings of Filaharn. Many of these houses rival the size of small castles, and are often manned by dozens of servant's and slaves. Many others have entire wings of their house dedicated as temples to Filaharn, where they pray every morning and evening.
And at last, the Deva district, the Hand's and Workers of Filaharn, is where I, and the few other, most powerful rulers of the Lion Throne live, dine, and work. Directly underneath the Palace of Filaharn, we are some of the few who are allowed to be in the presence of the Pope. Many of our houses are the size of your average Kingdom's Palace, and some are even larger. Our households are run by more than a hundred priests, servants, butlers, slaves, and constables. When we are in residence in the most holy city of Galius, we often bring with us the adminastrative parts of our job, including the running and maitenance of a province, and the recruiting of auxilaries for the new wars in Calradia, though, once we have finished the work of the day, we can sit back and enjoy the luxury of our homes.
And finally, in the Palace of Filaharn, is the Lion Throne. It is from there that the Pope controls, orders, and sends to death the millions of people under his massive empire. Some say it his will alone that has conquered and kept the Lion Throne's massive empire together. Other's say it is his massive military. Others even hint it is his divinity, or near divinity, that has allowed him to conquer one of the largest empires the world has ever seen. But his power is reflected in the sheer size and opulence of the palace. Inside, the Palace contains more than 800 rooms, including the Throne Room, his bedchambers, the chambers of the Hands of the Pope, even his own personal zoo, which contains beasts from every corner of the empire, and to whom he regularly feeds the bodies of dead heretics. But the collumns at the entrance of the Palace are a marvel all in it's own. Two hundred feet high, they encircle the entire inner palace complex, and are gilded in shining platinum and diamonds. The collumns themselves are made of the finest, shining white marble, whoes capitals are plated with three inches of gold. It is said that just one collumn would be able to ransom a entire captured army, and quite a bit more too. Once the giant doors of the inner palace swing open, you then walk into the Hall of Kings, where all the vassal kings under the Lion Throne sit, and control their kingdoms under the watchful eye of the Pope. It is 300 yards long, to the inch, and the ceiling reaches a amazing 200 feet, supported by massive, red marble collumns. Everywhere you look you see gold, silver, platinum, and precious jewels, but subtle inclusions betray the militarism of the Lion Throne. Alcoves hold swords of ancient heroes and demigods, and the Hands of the Pope, his personal bodygaurd, watch your every step behind their hooded masks.
And should you ever be granted access into the Hall of the Lion Throne itself, it is magnificent beyond human imagining. The Lion Throne itself is massive, with it's back soaring a hundred feet. It resides on a many stepped pedestal, and, sitting apon its great opulence, is the Pope himself. A shining white light emites from him, so bright you can barely look at him for a few seconds before you have to avert your eyes. The sheer power of the room and the Pope himself is near bound to bring you to your knees. Every wall, every statue, every painting, freeze depicts Filaharn, and his representative on earth, the Pope. The columns themselves are actually statues of previous Popes, depicted in such detail that you could swear they moved. And directly above you, resides the great Dome of the Radiant Cross, were the instrument, the wonderous diamond, rests. The dome may look of common glass, but in further inspection, it is actually lesser diamonds cut with such precision that it looks like a solid sheet of shining, impervious diamonds, representing the very soul of the Lion Throne. For as long as the Galius lives, so shall the Lion Throne, and so shall Filaharn. It is Written. So shall it Be.
-The Account of the City of Galius, written by Third Deva of Filaharn Celahorn Augusto
P.S. Hoped you liked it! I always thought it was wierd that no one ever talked about the capital city of the Lion Throne, and little discussion on the Lion Throne itself, so, inspired, I decided to write this account on the City of Galius. If you have any questions, comments, or corrections, go ahead! Once again, hope you enjoyed it!
Oh, and Jan Boruta, are you still working on the depiction of the Lion Throne? I'd really like to include that in here, too
