The Flowered Fortress
Hiburim, the Flowered Fortress, is the starting 'safe area' in the campaign and a location that many player characters will spend a great deal of time around. What follows is a brief description of the Flowered Fortress and its surrounding environs.
OVERVIEW
Hiburim is the seat of power in all of South Lythiae. Nestled on a steep bluff at the edge of the Great Swamp, its walls are made of reddish sandstone covered in thick vines and all manner of colorful flora (hence its namesake). The buildings within are arranged in a complex, jenga-like latticework of structures dotted with open, rooftop gardens. The inner fortress at the center of the city is topped by a massive crystalline dome composed of multi-hued panes jutting at innumerable angles. On some days, the dome refracts sun (or moon) light, bathing the city streets and surrounding lands in a kaleidoscope of color.
RULES & LAWS
The Flowered Fortress is ruled by the Speakers of Leth, a triumvirate of powerful sorcerers. Their laws are enforced by a fanatical group of Sentinels, noteworthy for their myriad tattoos, muted grey silk robes, and handmade clubs fashioned of mulberry wood.
All entrances to the Flowered Fortress have stone signs etched with the symbol of a 5-winged moth. Written upon each sign is the following:
Recall the Sublime Truth
To Stain Silk is the Greatest Crime
When Blood Must be Shed
The Flesh is to be Uncovered
Thus Spake Leth
Although most Sentinels on the streets of Hiburim are quite courteous to outsiders, the Flowered Fortress's laws are enforced swiftly and harshly. The three most immediate laws that adventurers tend to learn while within the Fortress's walls are as follows:
Open display of any manner of weapon (particularly blades) is strictly forbidden. Sentinels will require that weapons be wrapped in blankets before entering through any gate.
Any manner of religious worship other than those honoring Leth is forbidden. Most often, this will result in exile. Particularly egregious violations of this law may result in a one-way trip to the Fortress's dungeons. Some symbols comprised of specific geometric patterns are considered particularly profane. No one remembers why.
Harming a silkworm or damaging silken fabric is punishable by death.
SURROUNDING AREAS
The silk trade is the backbone of the economy in South Lythiae, as it is the only known region where silk worms and mulberry trees (their food source) can be found. The production process is a closely-guarded secret that is revered as an almost mystical practice, and silk worms themselves are treated as holy creatures.
There are many small silk-farming communities dotting the forest outside of Hiburim, though much of the region seems to be a shadow of its former glory: abandoned ruins and run-down villages significantly outnumber inhabited areas. The areas that are populated are the domains of the silk clans. Each clan is led by a prominent family whose patriarch amounts to little more than a petty warlord. Although the warlords squabble and compete with one another, outright conflict is rare, as they all have sworn fealty to the Speakers of Leth.
The areas outside the various clan holds are plagued by beasts, bandits, and vengeful spirits of the distant past. Few travel without the protection of mercenaries or the retinue of an allied clan.
Despite the region's challenges, the rarity and value of silk has been enough to sustain it. Within the Flowered Fortress itself, all manner of travelers can be found: there is no other trade hub on the southwest side of the Great Swamp that draws anywhere nearly as much commerce. Exotic people and languages are commonplace here: most being brought by the occasional caravan of the Arta-Hali, a foreign mercantile guild who is quite active in the region.