[The world]

The City of Syrada

The City of Syrada was established nearly a thousand years ago. It started as a fortress on top a large hill but quickly grew due to its easy-to-defend location. It was ruled by a Council that became known as "The Council of Nobles". Its members became the city’s first nobles.

For centuries Syrada prospered as an independent city-state. Then came the Tynian Empire, named after its first self-proclaimed Empress Tynia.

The city’s rulers realized that they could not win against the empire. So the Council sent messengers to the empire and asked to join it. The Empress accepted and Syrada joined the empire willingly. The Council’s members were allowed to keep their titles and the Council continued to rule the city as it had done for centuries. There were only two important changes. First, the city grew due to trade with the rest of the empire, especially after the empire’s forces managed to pass through the Grey Mountains and conquered the port city of Tarib in the south. Second, the Council got a new member: The Observer.

The Observer is a person wearing a white robe, white mask, and white gloves. Literally nothing else is known about them because the robe, mask and gloves hide them completely from view. Everything about them is a mystery: Their race, their gender, their age… some people even think that the Observer might not be a living creature at all, but rather an undead, or an elemental, or something. The Observer rarely appears in public, usually only during special events. His role is to observe the Council, advise them if necessary, and contact the Empress for them (also if necessary).

People that do things the Empress really does not like tend to suffer unfortunate – and often fatal – accidents. Some claim that these "accidents" are the work of the Observer but no evidence has been found to confirm or deny the accusation, and the Observer seems to not care, so the claim remains just a rumor.

Another rumor about the Observer is that they often walk among the townspeople dressed as a regular person (and thus unrecognizable for all) in order to see firsthand if everything in the city is in order, or changes must be made.

A third rumor about the Observer is that they are not a single person but multiple people, and that is the real reason for hiding their identity. That too has been impossible to prove so far.

Notable locations in and around the city of Syrada

In the approximate center of the city is located the fortress – the oldest building in Syrada and the place where the Council gathers. The Observer is believed to live there. Around the fortress are the homes of the city’s nobles, starting with the most powerful and influential families.

Other locations of importance:

• The Temple – a single temple, one of the largest and most imposing buildings in Syrada. It is not dedicated to any one god – instead people can worship any god or goddess they want
• The market – the place where you can find just about anything
• The Academy of Magic - as the name implies it is a place to study magic. Everyone is required to learn the basics, even if they don’t plan to become a wizard or some such
• The Forest of Cheria – most people call it "The Dark Forest" due to how little light manages to get through the tree leaves. A vast ancient forest to the east of the city. It is inhabited by elves that are highly territorial and very hostile towards all outsiders. Even other elves avoid the forest for that reason. It takes half a day of quick walking to reach the outskirts of the forest, but very few people actually go there
• The Village of Deladar and Deladar Lake. A small village to the west of Syrada. It is built on the southern shore of Deladar Lake, hense the name. The people there earn their living by fishing and by trading with travelers that pass through
• The White Mountain – a mountain to the north of Deladar Lake. Its peaks are covered by snow the whole year and that is the reason for the mountain’s name. According to an old legend both Deladar Lake and the White Mountain are not natural. Supposedly they were created via magic. No one knows if there’s any truth in that old myth
• The Phoenix Forest – an ancient forest to the south of the Village of Deladar. According to the legend many centuries ago a fire almost destroyed it. A lone druid prayed to the gods to save his beloved forest but there was no answer. When just a single tree remained from the once-great forest a phoenix passed through the area. The mystical creature absorbed the flames, ending the forest fire and saving both the druid and the last tree. Exhausted and relieved, the man fell down and soon sleep took him just as the sun set and night came. When he woke up the next morning most of the forest had already recovered. By the end of the day there was hardly any sign of the great fire. No one could explain how this was possible, until a few people remembered seeing a phoenix flying high in the sky. Someone suggested that it was the work of the phoenix and before long the forest became known as "The Forest of the Phoenix". Nowadays it’s known as just Phoenix Forest

The Grey Mountains - a large mountain chain to the south of the city. Reaching the northern border takes about a week of fast travel by foot. Passing through the mountains takes another 2 to 3 days at least, sometimes more due to various reasons (most commonly bad weather).

Tarib - a large port city far to the south, beyond the Grey Mountains.

Additional locations will be added when they get mentioned in the story.