Camus

The oldest and greatest city of Rona, Camus is the Royal Capital. Here the King resides within his castle and the Parliament convenes. It is the epicenter of the Ronan Church and is the greatest port on Vas-Draga. It’s long history, massive size, and active port has made it an amalgam of cultures from all over the world. All races, creeds and peoples can be found in Camus.

Realm: Rona
Ruler: King Julius Medorum
Royal Family: Queen Alora Medorum, Royal Prince Vladamir Medorum, Royal Princess Ariul Medorum.
Population: Approximately 620,000 year round, rising to a high of about 1,220,000 at the height of the Season of Sheliak (early summer).
Crest: A split banner, a red background on the bottom right with the crest of a golden griffon and a black field on the top left with the crest of a silver wolfhound bearing a sword in its mouth. Running down the middle of the two beasts is the Golden Sword of Thamor. The Griffon is a traditional symbol of the Camus flag, as are the colors of gold and red. The silver wolfhound biting a sword is the Medorum family crest. The Sword of Thamor represents the holy right of the King to rule.
Religions: The Ronan Church
Races Tolerated: Bamorians (Damorel, Kalamor), Duneimen (Skarrells, Verosians- All but Parthans), Duervar, Gelvani, Half-Elves, Folkin, The Fey (Gnomes)
Alignments: Primarily Good and Neutral, as most denizens are devoted members of The Ronan Church or at least unwilling to oppose the rule of law. However, there are many parts of the city infamous for crimes, and some of the worst sort, so there is an underbelly of evil within the walls of Camus.
Major Products: Agriculture (Grains, Cattle, Lumber, Produce, Tobacco), Artificers (water clocks, dracons, hydraulic pumps), Arts and Crafts (Jewelry, Architectural Molding, Sculpturer), Coastal (Salt Water: Fish, Crabs, Lobster, Shrimp, Sharks, Whales; Fresh Water: Fish, Clams, Water Fowl, River Otters, Eels)
Foreign trade (Bamorian, Duervan, Glevani, Ganniard, Kamoran), Military (Armor, Weapons, Horses), Urbanization (Textiles, Paper, Candles, Jewelry, Furnishings, Masonry)
Camus is primarily a merchant city, heavy in trade, but the size of the city also allows a large crafts market. The city is well known for its smithies, who craft the finest Plate Armors and for its artificers, who construct many mechanical wonders such as water clocks, dracons, hydraulic pumps, and even steam engines. There is also a large lumber market, due to its proximity to the Lernean Forest. The city is almost completely self-sufficient. Its outlying farmlands can support the masses, as well as the abundance of sea life in the Sea of Dragons. Within the city, large factories and warehouses turn out clothes, lumber, masonry, and all other sorts of things needed and wanted in life, from the most mundane to the most elaborate. If it cannot be found elsewhere, it can probably be found in Camus. However, there is much that the city depends on trade for. Many raw materials needed for these constructions can only be imported, and thus they have always kept a strong trade port.
Armed Forces: The Camus Guard is the policing force of the city, at 2,400 strong. They are a subset of the Ronan Army, but can never be called to leave the city. There are five major barracks throughout the city, one in each of the major Districts (Northhill, Shadewood, Southport, and the Harbor), as well as a fifth within the Third Wall. Members of the Camus Guard are usually armed with Chain Mail, Medium Shields, and Long Swords. Some carry short bows and some carry Halberds. About 600 of them are calvary. The Camus guards wear red tabards with the crest of a Golden Griffon.
The Royal Guard is barracked within the Second Circle, and is assigned the duty of protecting the Monarchy. The greatest skilled and most loyal men and women of both the Army and the Camus Guard are chosen to become members of the Royal Guard. At 600 strong they would prove a stout barrier to any assaulting the castle. All members of the Royal Guard are armed with long swords, medium shields, and light crossbows. They wear Half-Plate and display black tabards with the crest of a silver wolfhound biting a sword.
The Ronan Army is spread throughout the entire Kingdom, but a great portion is barracked at the gates of Camus. A contingent of 4,000 soldiers serve as a secondary policing force for the city, but are primarily responsible for maintaining peace outside the city walls and to move in large numbers when war is upon them. Soldiers of the Ronan Army wear Scale Mail and Medium shields, and bear Long Swords. About 1,000 are mounted calvary, and thus carry lances. Another 1,000 are archers, bearing long bows. Soldiers of the Ronan Army wear the traditional Ronan coat of arms, a Red tabard split by the golden sword of Thamor down the middle, flanked on the left by a golden griffon and on the right by a golden dragon.
Architecture:
Places of Importance:
The Inner Circle: The Inner Circle is the original Royal Castle and Temple of Thamor surrounded by a fifteen-foot stone wall. When the wizards became the King’s advisors they built the Tower of the Magi. In the time of the Triumverate a large building was constructed at the center of these three powers to host the great meetings that took place, the Hall of the Triumverate. All of these structures were left in ruin and abandoned following the Great War. There is only one entrance to the Inner Circle and it has been gated off. The buildings are believed to be haunted by those who died at the battle that occurred here.
The Second Circle: The Second Circle encompasses the ruins of the Wizards Towers, the nine schools of wizardry that once dominated the city, and the temples and churches of the Ronan Gods. Also within the Second Circle has been constructed the new Royal Castle and the Parliament Building, built over the remains of the Pinnacle of Alzoreth, School of the Invokers, and the Tower of Caerowyr, School of the Transmuters. These two wizard factions obliterated one another battling for control of the Ethereal Gate, which allowed the Parthan army to Invade Camus. The other seven schools have been closed, and only a couple still have residents who maintain them in a glimmer of hope that one-day they will return to power. Also built within the second circle is the new Temple of Thamor, the Et Gloria Imperium en Thamora.
Et Gloria Imperium en Thamora: The Glorious Temple of Thamor. The primary religion in all of Rona is the Church of Thamor. The center of the religion is this new and glorious temple of the Holy Crown, built anew within the Second Circle of the city of Camus. This elaborate and highly expensive temple dwarfs anything ever built before it. The self-proclaimed High Lord of the Holy Crown sits upon a throne of gold surrounded by marble statues of previous High Lords and huge tapestries of legendary wars of the past, where the Knights of Thamor led the world to peace. The Temple is massive, with four stories and over two hundred chambers. The central sanctuary has a ceiling over one hundred feet high, with four sets of balconies and enough pews to seat 4,000 people. The floors are slated in black marble with gold inlays, and the entire structure is covered in white marble on the exterior to shine in the light of Sheliak. The Holy Crown itself sits on a pedestal within a locked and heavily guarded chamber at the heart of the Temple. The High Lord claims this is to keep it safe from those who would try to kill him and take it back to the false High Lord of Sora or worse, the Primus of Parthus; but many believe it is because he does not have the will of Thamor behind him and is thus not the rightful High Lord of the Holy Crown.
The Royal Palace: The historical Royal Castle was heavily damaged during the Parthan Invasion, and though it could have been rebuilt it was seen as a cursed place. Too many good men and women had died there for life to return. Thus, it was, that the new King was able to order the construction of a new Royal Palace and no one questioned the need. The place chosen was over the remains of two wizards towers that were destroyed in the Parthan Invasion. Here the Ethereal Gate had stood that was opened by rogue Magi seeking to conquere the crown. The Invokers and Transmuters waged a war of mythical proportions that left both towers obliterated. The rubble was cleared away and the new Palace began construction. It took only five years to complete the Palace. Though much more architecturally pleasing in appearance, it was only half the size of the previous Royal Castle. The Palace houses the King and his family, as well as a full entourage of servants. There are almost always nobles visiting the Palace, many Dukes and religious leaders.
The Parliament Building: This cold white marble building houses the Parliament of Dukes. Within are long dark halls of stained wooden floors, and walls. There are offices and rooms for each of the dukes, large eating halls, a massive kitchen, a central garden, indoor plumbing and even a great library of law and history. The Dukes meet to make decisions that affect the entire Kingdom, but also reside here off and on throughout the year. Most Dukes also own private homes with the Third Wall where their families stay while they are in the city.
The Third Wall: When Camus was first built a small town surrounded the castle, now the Inner Circle. The Second Circle marks the expansion of the Royal Castle to include the temples of the gods and the towers of wizardy. The Third Wall however was constructed to surround the real city. Though many of those ancient homes are long gone, the wall remains. Here many manors and smaller temples boast their own great gardens and short walls. There are also large bathhouses, restaurants and upper class shops and services. Here the wealthiest nobles and merchants live and do business. There are two gates out of the Third Wall, one leading East into the Harbor district, and the other leading out to the West forming the High Road.
The Outer Circle: The Outer Circle is an urban sprawl where the true mass of the populace lives. These areas were once towns that grew together to form the outer city. Their names have remained as the city districts. When a new wall was finally built around Camus, the Triumverate ruled that no new villages could form within one mile of the city. The wall was built to be forty feet high, and fifteen feet wide, with towers set at every 200 feet along its perfect circle. The wall stops at the Sea, marking the end of the Harbor. The Outer Circle is a mosaic of wealthy and poor neighborhoods fit together in an odd sort of jigsaw puzzle. Also within the Outer Circle are the Necropolis, the Camus Market, the High Road, the Port of the Dragon, and the Gardens of Naeja. Three gates were built along this wall, to the North, South and West.
NorthhillDistrict: The district of Northhill was one of the first towns built near Camus. Most of the agricultural land stretches north of the gate leading from this part of the city. The road here leads to Autura. This district of the city is primarily residential though a large farmers market is set near the gate for the serfs bringing their crops into the city. The population in this area is of middle to lower class. Poor neighborhoods provide the work force for low paying jobs, such as the poultry farms and slaughterhouses. The Necropolis begins on the western side of this district, marking the border that begins the district of Shadewood.
The Necropolis: Camus is over 1200 years old, and in that time millions have died. The Necropolis is a massive portion of the city separated by a ten foot stone wall. Here the Priests of Talorn keep the dead, preparing graves for those to come and guarding from unwanted necromancy. Over two thousand crypts form narrow pathways through this city of the dead, and beneath lie miles and miles of tombs for the poor families who cannot afford the luxury of an above ground crypt. There is no doubt that the graveyard is haunted, but the priests do their best to keep those wandering spirits within the walls of the Necropolis.
Shadeborough: Shadeborough is the district surrounding the western gate. Here an old forest once stretched the length of a low valley, but most of that has been built over. Now only a portion of that forest lies to the south, where the Gardens of Morin begin. This district is the heart of the city. The wall is set on the western hills overlooking the valley, which is filled with tightly packed neighborhoods. The Gate here is called the “Royal Gate”, because the Royal Family passes through to avoid the lower castes of citizens. The wealthiest citizens, those living within the Third Wall, also travel by the “High Road” that leads from this gate. The “Lower Gate”, slightly south, passes through the hill enters this district. The road leading in is lined with shops, taverns, and inns, becoming The Camus Market. To its North is a great poverty stricken stretch of slums. Only a small border of middle class homes separates it from the market, and many Kings have wished to do something about the sprawl since they can see it so clearly from the High Road. To the south is a large middle class area. Here most of the merchants live as well as a few wealthy families who could not live within the Third Wall. These neighborhoods circle the Naejan Gardens.
The High Road: The “High Road” is a great bridge stretching from the Royal Gate over the valley of Shadeborough, where the Camus Market thrives, to the western gate of the Third Wall. The road was built as both a defensive measure, and as a way to lift the royalty and nobles of Rona above the lesser people who dwell in the sprawl of the Outer Circle.
The Camus Market: This market is the center of Ronan trade. Here the merchants from the Port of the Dragon bring their wears to trade with the wealthiest of Camus citizens who only venture out of their portion of the city to purchase goods from other lands. Ronans and other visitors by foot or hoof also come to the city through the western gate and find themselves here.
The Naejan Gardens: This is ancient forested park is five miles across, two miles wide and boasts a large lake. The Garden serves as a place of refuge for the residents of the city, but also as a border between Shadeborough and the southern district of Southport. Only shrines are allowed within the park, but myth says an ancient druid grove is hidden somewhere within the forests. It is the druids of Naeja who will not allow the city to grow into this sacred land, and it never has.
Southport: Southport is the southern most district of the city, with a gate set close to the sea’s edge. Here a road leads south to many small coastal villages. The district is bordered to the west by the Naejan Gardens, whose tall fence lines the back yards of many manors and wealthy homes. This district is fairly wealthy but also the least populated. A large inlet forms a river along the northern border of the district, separating it from the harbor. Hence there are two ports, the Port of the Dragon on the northern side of the inlet and Southport on the southern side. Southport isn’t designed for large merchant marine vessels, and is primarily a small fishing port used for coastal travel. Here you can find passage on a boat that will take you down the coast and up the ….river. Stops are made in Seagate, but rarely do any travel to Gand. Due to the proximity to the Lernean Forest there is a large lumber and paper industry here. Those who live in this district live in comfort and wealth. Southport is practically its own city within a city, in many ways separate from the rest of Camus.
The Harbor: The last district is the Harbor. Here the Port of the Dragon runs the length of the Eastern coast, down from the Outer Wall in the north to the Inlet to the south. Great warehouses line much of this area, as well as taverns and inns designed to appeal to the travelers and the regular mariners who come in and out of this part of the city. A great market runs the length of the port, a trade post for the constant influx of merchant vessels. If you have something to sell, the Harbor is the place to do it. This part of the city is mostly poor, though a few merchants have set up homes here. The harbor is alive at all hours of day and night. The old saying is that ‘the beat of the dragon’s heart is the rolling of tide in and out of the port, it won’t stop beating till the tide stops flowing’. There are also a number of poor churches and temples spread over this part of the city. Someone is always trying to convert others to their beliefs, and what better way to do it than when they are just stepping off a boat into the den of destitution itself. If the Camus Market is the heart of the city, then the Port of the Dragon is the stomach, devouring everything that enters it and feeding it to the monster that is Camus.
The Clear Mile: Outside the Outer Circle is a field one mile wide. The Triumverate long ago decreed that no structure could be built that close to the city, else a new set of districts would form and the city guard would be spread to thin. Just beyond that field though are a number of small villages and towns set along the roads leading North, South and West. There are also sparse woods and the widest and most fertile farmlands in all of Verosia.

Organizations of Note:
(thieves guilds, hidden groups, adventuring guilds, religious orders not of the Ronan Church, wizards groups, mercenary groups)

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People of Note:

Local Geography:

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