The City of Cordiss

Cordiss is a city within the part of Aclas referred to as 'The Peaceable Lands', the territory within the Icon's Ward, a magical defence, which prevents the terrain-shifting, geography altering curse of the Mercurial Wilds from spreading further. 

Cordiss lies on the warm southern coast of the region known as Arvinia. It's a populous, well known city, although, its geography is odd: to its west, lie the expansive and lightly populated Ukalnos Hills, and to its east, the tiny Kingdom of Dienda and the nigh-wilderness of the Petran Clanlands. 

Sharing a region with the Diendans (Humans, mostly) and the Petran Genasi, both of whom are fairly pastoral, isolationist cultures, might cause an amateur historian to ask:

Just how exactly did Cordiss become such a major port, with so few opportunities nearby? 

The answer lies in the past. Until 8171 of the previous calendar, (1838 years ago) there was a region to the south-west of Arvinia, which was often called The Kingdom of Leaves, the reasons for which are lost to time. The former inhabitants of the Kingdom of Leaves (a culture known as the Xiey) travelled and settled in Arvinia when the Mercurial Curse took their homeland, and Cordiss lost it's purpose as the 'Gateway to The Kingdom of Leaves'.

Still, Cordiss is the most convinient stop on the route to the Xiey's new homeland, the Realms of Xieyac, so it hasn't completely fallen into obscurity. And it's a world-class destination for gambling, drinking and drugs, which counts in its favour. Still, it's glory days are behind it.

The Gateway to Xiey

Sure, Cordiss, formerly the greatest port in the world, has been reduced to a glorified trade stop, but that doesn't stop the Cordisians from reveling in past (and future) greatness. And with the coming of the Vis-Rail, the Cordisians hope that soon, their city will be connected to the world again - as of the current moment, the only ways to access Cordiss are a gruelling overland trek, a massive detour through dangerous waters at Cape Stane, or an expensive aerostat flight from Cilos to the north.

The Cordisians are notorious across Arvinia, for having a near-supernatural ability to deny the state of their city; if you ask, Cordiss is at the peak of it's history, a centre for art and culture (which to be fair, it is) and a major organ for shipbuilding and alchemy (which it isn't).

The Cordisians themselves are mostly Human, with a large minority of Hylen (Elves) and more than a few Earth Genasi. They have a very distinct and flamboyant sense of fashion, featuring a lot of warm colours and probably more than a few feathers.

The city is divided roughly in three: the docks is the oldest and most beautiful part of Cordiss, where the art galleries and theatres reside, alongside the towers of the Great Families, lit brightly in a startling array of reds and pinks, with great silk banners and incense burners on chains hung from their gantries and windows. The docks are also home to the city's large Xiey community.

In the centre, between the other districts, lies the gorge district, named for the deep chasm which cuts through the city, carrying the River Cora on its meandering path down to the Underdark. Some Cordisians say their city has a future as an access point to the Deep Kingdoms, although like everything else in this city, it may simply turn out to be a hazy dream on the horizon. The gorge district is the poorest of Cordiss' districts, and those wishing to bypass it may follow the Grand Bridges, a series of bridges that cross the district without ever forcing wealthy Cordisians to set foot in the mucky streets.

Finally, the Rib District, which contains the eponymous structures. Here, the debauchery and excess Cordiss is otherwise known for occurs in full swing.

The City of Ribs

Cordiss is perhaps best known for the bizarre structures it is built around: nine massive, curving spires, made of some pale, unknown mineral. They stand 30 stores tall, arranged in a rows of five and four, like a massive ribcage that the city sits within. 

This has gained these structures the imaginative name of 'The Ribs.' 

Ever the enterprising types, the Cordisians have integrated the Ribs into their city, building buildings against and up the damn things. The most famous restaurant in Cordiss, the Glass Gate, sits halfway up a Rib, and offers an (almost) unparalled view of the Far Gulf. On a clear night, you can see the lights of the Xieyan ports and the island of Far Dultirr sparkling in the distance.  

More importantly, the Sanctum (high temple) of The Prince, the Aspect of Revelry, is to be found in this part of Cordiss - his Hierophant (highest priest) can often be found in the city's bars and clubs - their identity is a mystery, but their drink preference is common knowledge. Some say that The Prince was a Cordisian in his mortal life, but his apotheosis was so long ago know that few can say for sure. 

The most surprising use of the Ribs, in the eyes of visitors, is as the city's Air Docks: visiting aerostats (airships) are encouraged to tie themselves to the various structures that protrude from the Ribs, clustering around the pillars in high winds or bad weather. This is highly inefficient, but it makes a real impression on rich tourists. 

Of course, it's not just visitors that dock on the Ribs. The Fourth Eastern Rib is off limits as a mooring for Cordiss' pathetic, outdated, military aerostat fleet (they're more useful as mobile billboards than war airships). 


On the other hand, the Fifth Western Rib is the sole mooring point of a single aircraft: the massive, triple-decker aerostat, known as the Pride of Cordiss, which, of course, is a massive aerial casino. Small launches stand ready at all hours to carry would be gamblers up to the dizzying heights of the Pride, where all the biggest deals are made, fortunes are won and lost, and the Heads of the Great Families might be found in their private suites. 

The City of Art

Cordiss has a reputation across Aclas as the 'place to be' when it comes to art. It's isolation only adds to it's mystique.

'You see,' says an underpaid painter in a garret in Iskadar, 'only real artists undertake the commitment to travel there. I went last year. It was amazing. You have visited, haven't you?' 

In the heart of the docks, under the watchful gaze of the tower of the Deglano Family, sits the Grand Museum of Fine Art. This beautiful building, four floors and three wings, is a classical example of Cordisian architecture, and the passion project of the Deglano Family, who paid for it. Thirty galleries, panelled in dark wood and tastefully decorated, with tall windows looking out over the chaotic rooftops of Cordiss.  

The Grand Museum contains the combined artisitic efforts of hundreds of years of Cordisian history, and hundreds upon hundreds of pieces from all across Aclas - which are most definitely not stolen. Especially the culturally significant ones. 

The most famous piece contained in the Grand Museum is not Gerbano's Woman with Sword, nor is it Cubrac's famous depiction of the Battle of Eltur, no, it is an ancient, wall-sized mosaic, displayed proudly in the largest of the galleries. 

This mosiac depicts a moment of massive religious and cultural significance to all of Aclas: the moment that The Maker (considered by some to be the god that created Aclas) struck down the World Serpent, a vast monster that was progenitor to all Draconic creatures. 

(To clarify, this event is not a myth. Ancient Celestials - who never lie - confirmed that it literally happened that way. The only part in question is whether the Maker or the Serpent were gods.)

The mosiac itself is made of thousands of pieces of polished stone, painstakingly arranged to depict the Maker with her golden sunburst head - she is impaling her silver chisel into the Serpent's chest, and she is raising her silver hammer to finish the job. The Serpent's scales - depicted in a dazzling rainbow of colour, to contrast the plain silver and gold of The Maker - are rent asunder, and its bright, carnelian blood falls in dramatic waterfalls to the bottom of the piece, where the first Dragons, Kobolds and Hydras can be seen pulling themselves from the pools of blood.

It has an inscription, although the culture whose language it is written in is long dead, so the meaning remains a mystery.

The City of Smoke

Still, Cordiss isn't entirely a wonderland of high culture. There's definitely a lot of low culture here too. One of the biggest Bardic Colleges in Arvinia exists here, as does most of the drug-trade going in and out of Xieyac.

Xieyan mages are known for a unique school of botanical magic - usually used to grow crops, but occasionally also applied to the creation of potent herbal drugs. Some of these, for example, the highly addicitive Kamor Spores, plague the Cordisian population with addicition. 

Furthermore, other than the drug trade (which isn't necessarily illegal, just immoral) there's a fuck of a lot of organised crime in Cordiss. Most of which is organised by the Great Families. The Deglano, the Sfera, the Decassa and the Do'Cordisi play out a proxy war through gang leaders and catspaws. Many a young Cordisian has bled to death in a gutter as a consequence of an ill placed remark, at a social function that they could have never attended. 

The Guts

Darker things than criminals stalk the streets of Cordiss at night, however. Citizens have reported seeing creatures in darkened alleys, some the same size as the city's omnipresent monkeys, some as big as a horse. No concrete description exists, but they are fleshy, amphibious, and overequipped with teeth. None have killed a Cordisian, yet, but it only seems a matter of time. 

As to these creatures' origins, no-one - not even the Great Families - are in the know, except for the city's clergy. The Church of the Maker built nine temples here in the 1200s, and they stand to this day, one having ascended to the position of Sanctum of The Prince. The secret purpose of these temples is to mask nine golden 'nails' that the Church drove beneath the city, to absorb the magic that exists below the city. (Gold absorbs magic).

As you might have expected, the Ribs aren't just a 'geological formation'. They literally are the ribs of a titanic, dead monster, whose body is mostly petrified, and which Cordiss is built on top of. 

In 1247, clergy exploring the undercity of Cordiss discovered a series of tunnels that seemed like giant, petrified intestines. It was only when they found a stone heart the size of a ship, that they realised what they were standing in. 

In 1288, explorers found a patch of unpetrified wall, dripping black ichor. It pulsated with the force of some hidden organ. 

Land was hastily bought, holes dug, and a financially crippling amount of gold poured into them, to form a circle of 'pins', absorbing the creature's ambient magic. And as far as anyone's aware, it worked. 

But as these dark shapes slither out of the undercity, and more and more cats, dogs and horses disappear, except for a puddle of blood, the city's clergy look to the ground below their feet as a chill passes over them. 

What could they do? If the beast awoke?