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With a population of over 20 billion many of the cities on Alcanti are densely populated and located on the two major continents: Miminas to the north and Ossilas to the south.

Architecture on te planet favours tall, brass-edged towers covered with plaster. Many are comfortable building up since it minimises the amount of space used. Were it not for government-controlled land values, many cities would boast prices that only the richest in the galaxy could afford. Homelessness outside of houseless or illegal migrants is almost unheard of.

Cities on Miminas[]

Minos Drakon[]

Minos'Drakon:(Translation City of Drakon) is one of the largest cities on the planet. Depite being 25 degrees short of the planet's north pole. The city is built within the Akhtoba basin - a large lake bed that had dried up 4mya. The original city was built near the foot of the Akhtoba volcano to take advantage of the warm climate within the basin and the volcanic soil. originally the region was a province of the nation-state of Akhtoba but over the years after the unification wars the seven major settlements in the region merged into one metropolitan area. Today the the city takes up virtually the entire basin with urban spires rising far above the basin's rim.

Districts[]

The city itself is divided into five major disticts: Centis, Agrap, Jombarica, Pastaht, Sahlpathi (Central, Foothill, Commerce, High and southgate respectively). Each district has between four and ten precincts, a distinct feel and architectural style. The distict layout is roughly similar for each; a series of equally-spaced rings surrounding a central plaza. The Paragon's walkway acts as the city's central highway and the central plazas of the Centis, Pastaht and Jombarica districts act as junctions (originally the walkway was the city's main street and only went from the palace to the southern end of what is now the Agrap district). Although the walkway passes through each district, Jombarica is the only district to not have the walkway passing through its central plaza.

Centis is the largest district in terms of area, along with being one of the most affluent it acts as the city's CBD. It is the district most often associated with when people speak about the city. The district itself is a haven for big companies, embassies and the generally rich and famous (a product of being so close to the imperial palace), land values are unsurprisingly very high as both wealthy nobles and major corporations vye for the closest view of the palace and this is the district where the most blood dragons per square metre can be found outside of the palace grounds - an area not technically part of any of the city's districts.

Agrap is the smallest district yet is one of the districts undergoing the most radical change. It is also one of the youngest metropolitan areas, originally acting as a farming region for much of the province. Agrap is quiet and like the Sahlpathi district has become synonymous with all manner of enthusiasts of visual and performing arts. unlike the towering Centis or Jombarica districts, Agrap does not boast tall spires with many buildings averaging 50-70 floors (compared to 120-storey tall buildings in Centis) along with boasting several sizeable parks.

Jombarica Is known sectorwide for its myriad shops and bustling markets. "As I took a stroll down 230th avenue I saw four florists', two mechanics', five IT stores and eight cafes, and all on the same section of pavement" was writer Joharn Pasarus' description of a single street. Anything and everything can be found here, gaining such a notoriety that residents jokingly refer it as a candiadate for 'galaxy's largest shopping centre'. It is also the site of the largest of three starports within the city. Sadly this district is not without some crime; A common saying throughut the empire "You haven't been to Jombarica unless you were pickpocketed five times, conned three times and mugged once by shopkeepers in the first twenty minutes" refers to not just the steep prices and cunning sales tactics but the large degree of scams, pickpockets and muggings. A common misconception however is that the local security do nothing, the local security are actually as tough on crime here as they are in Centis.

Pastaht and 'money' tend to go hand-in-hand. Filled with palacial towers this district is widely considered the most affluent. These spires are often trimmed with brass, silver and tined-glass windows, whitewash stone and frequently sport stylized pillars. While residents in Centis buy homes for the view, land values are just as high in Pastaht. This is mainly because many academies are based here, along with several homes owned by some of the richest and most powerful in the empire. Occupying the northern corner of the district is the Kahn'Thar military academy; one of the finest in the empire.

Sahlpathi' can be considered the slums (if you can call it that). Due to the city's affluence even the poor have access to adequate accomodation and is frequently populated by low-income and bohemian families. In contrast to the brass trim and sun-baked plaster, Sahlpathi's building follow a much less stylised design, opting for function rather than form. It is also the second district, alongside Jombarica, that freely allows non-draconis an equal share in buying a home. Despite it's bohemian charm many would avoid it due to alien prejudices, crime and bland architecture.

The most noteable landmark in the entire city is the Imperial Palace. Built into the side of the long-dormant Akhtoba volcano it is heavily fortified and is directly connected to the Centis district along with the city's largest and grandest plaza. Originaly built as the city's primary garrison it has been the paragon's residence since the beginning of the Prime Paragon Era and has been expanded ot keep to the scale of the surrounding city. The palace surface grounds occupy an area comparable to an entire precinct while the underground complex extends throughout the interior of the volcano. Forcefields and magma-proofed walls curently prevent the halls being flooded by a sudden underground fissure.

Dagonris[]

Situated on the southern banks of lake Drak, Dagonris is considered a holy site by the Cult of Drakon. Their influence is clear due to the presence of one of the largest cathedral on the planet (A building that is constantly expanded because Cult members insist it be the largest cathedral to Drakon in the empire). The inquisition also has considerable presence here yet they are tolerated. Far from being a religious dictatorship the city enjoys much prosperity as a pilgrimage site; legend and cult writings states that once Drakon made the world he formed the lake to rest in and still does to this day. The city also enjoys commercial prosperity as creative companies move in. The cathedral has been the location of countless high-profile marriages from royal families to nobles and important priests.

The cathedral itself occupies roughly a quarter of the central distict. in the centre is a dome that acts as the focal point of the congregation and four corridors stick out as spokes from which others may sit. From above the building follows a golden ratio with the dome in the theoretical vanishing point and corridors criss-cross the various inner courtyards. In the centre of the southern courtyard opposite the dome is a spire reaching nearly a mile in height. The dome and the surrounding corridors are decorated with elaborate murals of both mythical, legendary and historical figures and thee walls themselves re designed to echo the congregation. Within the southern and eastern corridors are frescoes of each paragon that has taken the throne. On the underside of the main dome is an elaborately painted golden dragon, its enormous wings take up a large part of the dome as it looks down on the central area.

Cities of Ossilas[]

Orras'Dacon[]

Orras'Dacon (Translation Principality of Dacon) Is one of the most populous cities on the continent of Ossilas and one of the larger cities on the planet. It is famous for not only being the site of the royal academy of sciences but the previous home of the imperial senate - which has since moved to Minos'Drakon to better advise the paragon. The academy itself is the home of thousands of ancient relics unearthed by academic expeditions ('academy' being the draconid term for an institute of higher learning) many of which were discovered hundreds of thousands of years ago and still studied. Orras'Dacon was originally named after the city's rulers, the Orrasi, during the unifiation wars. Originally classed as an oligarchy and referred to as the Orassi Republic the city and the surrounding province are currently governed by the royal academy's council - an ever-present sign of the academy's power and respect within the city.

The city itself is somewhat more spread out than Minos'Drakon. Built along the coast the northern harbour is occupied by Orrasi bay port and an expansive marina. The city's focus on education and quaternery industry attracts many scientific companies and high-profile families from across the sector. A degree from one of the league academies within the city is considered a guarenteed success if one can afford the fees (a problem that is not present in state-funded military academies). Although the central districts are dominated by towering spires, glimpses of the city's original architecture can be found in the more suburban districts - mid-rise rounded buildings with brass trim, artificial hillsides, wide brick-laid boulevards and a lack of private housing. The latter trait is comman in Ossilas cities due to the rugged and remote southern half of the continent.

Monet47's associated fiction
DI Emblam V4d
An ancient empire
Old as seasons beyond count
What secrets lie within its boundries?
Shall we find out?
Other Fictions
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