Ar Salem Dolem

Ar Salem Dolem is the religious heart of the orthodox Church of the Queen Ascendant. Hidden in a pocket valley at the eastern edge of the Jungle of Fangs, it is surprisingly small for its cultural and political importance. The two biggest buildings are the Great Pyramid itself (see below) and Saama-thi, formerly the home of the High Priestess. A portal node stands behind Saama-thi.

Demographics

Population: about 8,000.

Lineages: almost entirely human and half-elf. A small number of dwarves, mostly attached to the Office of Doctrine.

Historical Notes

During the Red Death of 253 AC, this city was protected by what is believed to be direct intervention of the Queen Ascendant, which isolated the city entirely from the outside world in a misdirecting fog until the plague had subsided.

The current population is significantly down from the peak, leaving the city feeling somewhat empty at times.

ASD is completely dependent on outside food.

All the political factions of the Jungle have agreed that ASD is completely off-limits--in effect, it belongs to none of the nations and pilgrims and priests traveling to and froe have communally-agreed immunity from harassment.

The Great Pyramid (aka Great Temple)

The Great Pyramid is the largest single structure in the Federated Nations, and the oldest as well. It is a pyramid of matte black stone (which is not native to the region) covering an area 1/4 mile on a side and standing 666 feet tall. Other than the entrances there are no visible openings--the whole building seems to drink the light. The inside is filled with twisting passages and rooms, some with ancient pipes and strange machinery visible in the walls. Rooms located at the exterior have one-way windows. At the center of the temple is the Stone Throne itself, a simple throne made of the same stone as the building itself, as if it grew up out of the floor. The Queen's Fang does not occupy this throne, as it is left open for the Queen Ascendant. That audience chamber used to also house a sacrificial altar where thousands of people were sacrificed to feed a demon's hunger. That practice was ended 5 years ago when the Catalysts intervened and enabled the Queen (at that point not ascended yet) to break free of the ancient bonds that held her as a living conduit for those souls.

According to tradition, the Great Pyramid dates back to the ancient aelvar empire of the 2nd age. Some scholars scoff at this, placing the construction much later during the early Fanged Kingdom about 1000 years ago. No one is sure how air and water (and waste) are handled, but they are. There are reports that some corridors reshape themselves over time.

The Great Pyramid is occupied by the senior priests and bureaucrats of the kingdom. Being assigned quarters here is both a mark of favor and a threat--it is rumored that the Salzaron can spy on any room of the temple almost at will. Many ranking priests and nobles also maintain estates in other parts of the city or in Asai'ka in the jungle below.

The temple is surrounded by a paved courtyard, containing residences for servants and low-ranking bureaucrats, stables, and storehouses.

Neighborhoods

Generally, those areas north of the Temple Road (leading from Asai'ka City) are reserved for the priests of the Office of Service and Administration, as well as the priest schools. Those south are occupied by a mix of noble estates (especially in Whitescale) and the more secular sides of Administration and Finance.

Forecourt/Foreign Quarter

The Forecourt is a small region dominated by low-class pilgrim lodgings, taverns, diversions, and other businesses that are frowned upon in the rest of the city. This and the Foreign Quarter are the only places that commoners are encouraged to stay overnight. The Forked Kiss is the premier public house in this quarter, boasting a full quartet of temple-trained dancers as entertainment. The streets are narrow and the buildings made of wood with thatched roofs; they stand two or three stories tall. In about 230 AC, Forecourt absorbed the Foreign Quarter.

The Foreign Quarter is the area of the city set aside for those of the lower classes or those from foreign lands that have secular business in the city. Scholars, foreign petitioners, messengers, merchants--all of these are allowed to purchase land here or establish long-term habitation without express permission from the Office of Administration. The inn Santhakar is the high-class option for visitors, while the inn Chai-ko is a cheaper alternative. The quarter has many closely-spaced buildings with small alleyways between them. These buildings tend to have brick or stone facades and the higher-class buildings have slate roofs.

Rainsong

This is the main residential area for mid and low-ranking priests as well as aspirants. The streets are wider and the lodging houses better built than those of the Forecourt, often half-timber with slate roofs.

Queen's Mercy

This is the school district, housing the priestly schools as well as the local offices of the Office of Doctrine (although their headquarters is at Ar Dolema about 10 miles away). The area is a mix of tightly-packed student accommodations as well as more stately (but still somewhat shabby) estates for the faculty.

Highcourt

Highcourt is the premier residential and administration area for priests who aren't quite high-ranking enough to merit offices in the Great Temple itself. Large, spacious estates, each with walls or at least fences. Outsiders are strongly encouraged not to linger.

Whitescale

This is the place where devout nobles from across the Jungle of Fangs maintain estates for pilgrimages (especially during the summer months, when Ar Salem Dolem is much more temperate than the surrounding jungle).

House of Swords

This is where the secular part of the Office of Administration (especially the Temple Guards) live and train and work. Very much a functional area, it's the least beautiful sector of the city.

Lakeside

Lakeside houses the main offices of the Office of Finance, as well as the residences of the ranking tithe collectors and accountants.

Saama-thi (formerly the Adventurer's Guild Palace)

Since the dissolution of the Adventurer’s Guild, this magnificent palace and grounds has reverted to the High Priestess, although it is held in trust for her (since she has her housing in the Great Temple itself, of course) by the Office of Administration and serves as the residence of the Hierarch of Administration.