Dardura Sheva

Center of the known world, renowned for its openness and the four Gates of Kralis.  The Sapphire of the Southern Realms, the city of Dardura Sheva is a beckon of light in a world filled with darkness and chaos.  It is a massive city, a true Sapphire of the world.  It is approximately 10 miles in diameter and is packed with buildings, alleys, streets, its center is home to buildings that are easily 300' feet in height.

It has ever been my home.  I was born here and have only traveled a tenth of its many streets, avenues, alleys and promenades. It is a bustling city filled with life and danger.  While most of its citizens are hard working and law abiding, there are many that would see its downfall or prey upon its visitors.   It is a city of extremes, from the very wealthy of the Northern District to the very poor of the Shanty.

There are six distinct districts that make up the city proper.  Each is home to tens of thousands of residents and each has a unique flavor unto its own.  The Northern District is known for its finely sculpted homes, the Coliseum of Hadak, the Dragon’s Eye Theater, and the Guiltar Race Fields all of which I have frequented numerous times.   I distinctly remember a fierce battle between myself and several rather nasty minotaurs that had a bit of an issue with my use of “longhorn”…ahh but that is a tale for another time.  This district has wonderful parks and places of beauty that Dardura Sheva is famous for.  Many of the parks themselves are actually home to a number of Sprite-Kin colonies.  It is a very posh, and clean district.  Its streets are made from finely chiseled white stone fitted together with such expertise that you do not feel the bumps should you travel by coach through the area.  There is a constant smell of clean, fresh cut flowers and perfume.  The ladies of the district are well know for their use, or over use, of the various fragrances brought from the around the world to Dardura.

The Western District is perhaps the most self indulgent district of them all.  While the wealth of the city lies in the Northern District, the pretense and the pompousness lies smack in the middle of the Western District.  Most of the newer wealth from well-to-do merchants and upstarts come from the Western District.  The district itself is a magnificent blend of their wealth and their tastes, despite the fact that much of it is overindulgence.  There is always some sort of drama playing out in the streets of the Western District, some one has insulted some one else, or there is a lover’s quarrel that echoes through the streets.  But while the district is known for its opulence it is also known for its consumption of all manner of illegal trade.  Many alley’s and less traveled streets of the district often become the trading spots for those that are looking to purchase the illicit and the illegal.

The heartbeat of the city is within the Southern and Trade Districts.  While the Trade District is always ringing with the sound of metal, it is the Southern District that is always buzzing with the languages of the world.  Amazing items and materials are built in the Trade Districts while the Southern District, chief among shops, is the channel through which the city survives.  You can buy anything for a price within the Southern District, from the right seller.

The Eastern District, the Dock Ward, as many call it is the city’s dock, at least to the great airships that roam the skies beyond Dardura Sheva.  There is constantly, night and day, an airship from somewhere in the world calling Dardura Sheva dock for a time.  Like the Southern District, the Eastern district is a very busy place filled with dockworkers loading and unloading vessels.  The district is filled with all types of ruffians, sailors, and the like and is notorious as a lawless, brawling place, filled with smugglers and dark magic.  The watch is heaviest in this district as it tends to get a bit out of control as the various visitors make their way in and out of the many different taverns.

The whole of the city rests on a close series of hills known as the Hills of Aragyr.  These ancient hills have seen a thousand skirmishes and a hundred different battles both above on their surface and deep within their iron roots.  Long before human settlers established what is today Dardrua Sheva, the area was fought over by chovah, ta'jahu, fyrgins and fir-darrig.  The hills are littered with lost passages, hidden rooms, and ancient ruins.

Built as it is on six hills and fortified by the Crown Wall, it is an island unto itself surrounded by vast lands of agriculture.

There is much to do within the city,both as a visitor and as a resident.  Most residents, unless you are from the Western or Northern Districts, spend a great deal of their time at work or within the guilds perfecting their craft.

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