Fleursowurm

Summary

The grand capital of the Aerthen Imperial Federation, its Imperial State, and the seat of political power within Aerthen at large. In some ways it is seen as the greatest of human settlements in living memory, despite the relatively young age it holds.   Fleursowurm is unusual amongst cities in that it did not arise naturally. Many centuries ago, during the Federation's infancy, a need for centralized administration arose. The then member states were in a tenuous alliance with each other, and favoring any one over the other may have caused irreparable damage. To resolve this, a special agreement was made to pick a relatively geographically central location between all their borders. The area that was chosen, however, was a nightmare to build in with how rugged and undeveloped it was.   To this end, the Imperial State sought out and petitioned for lindwurms, hoping to hire their legendary might. Given the rarity of such beings, they spent many decades searching until not one, but two, answered the call. Simply named Gurn and Fahura, they agreed to do the mass veltron engineering the humans struggled with. In return, two details were agreed upon: a monument to their contribution, and the city must never turn away the lindwurm people.   The deal struck, the two went to work, destroying miles of veltron and paving a level building surface. They then went to building great underground sewers, immense weather-enduring walls, and similar foundational work. They even discovered the area had the good fortune of geological stability, leaving little to fear from earthquakes. Such news spurred all kinds of investments, and the soon-to-be city turned into much, much more. Realizing the prospects, the Imperial Family spared no efforts in committing unfathomable attention to the project. What once was a scope for thousands of bureaucrats turned into a city capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of people.   Fleursowurm took form into four major areas defined by specific purposes.   The Star Court, so named for the eight-pointed star-pattern walls that protect it, is the heart of the Federation. It is here sits the Imperial Throne, the High Justice Courts, the Federation Senate, and the highest offices of their respective administrations. Some of the deepest vaults are built underneath it, housing untold secrets and riches. The grand buildings that stand within the Star Court are each a work of art, exemplifying anything from military victories to human triumph. The center piece of the Star Court, however, is that of the lindwurms Gurn and Fahura, stylized as great veltron moving forces.   Immediately surrounding the Star Court is Adafhen, the massive offices and headquarters of the Federations' many organizations. It is also considered the seat of the most powerful nobles who, themselves, are not members of the Star Court. Adafhen is renowned for its blending of nature and civilization, particularly that of colorful flowers both mundane and mana-rich. Featuring the highest of high end restaurants, entertainment venues, and otherwise, it is a premium tourist attraction for the rich and influential. Powerful storm walls surround the outer edges, opened by complex gates large enough to let small armies through.   Serving the great needs of such a city and its inhabitants, the Medatempa houses the working class of Fleursowurm. From modest street cleaners to servants of the those just beneath the Imperial Family, the vast majority of people live in this section. As such it sees the most dynamic businesses of--quite literally--every kind, at least for those affluent enough to do business there. In a sort of run on effect, Adafhen's great floral work bleeds out into the Medatempa. From the sky, one might think the whole city is covered in plants during the hot summers. Given its immense size, storm walls are used strategically to break wind forces and guide rainfall. Many waterways run throughout the surface level here, providing drinking and sight seeing all together.   Finally, the outer layer of the city is simply called the Military Quarter. Housing the entirety of Fleursowurm's city guard, it also shares space with most of the Imperial State's royal guard. Being far too large for storm walls, the Military Quarter is a series of miniature fortresses, garrisons, warehouses, and logistical backbones. Given that it has never been invaded by a ground army, it is traditionally lacking in an outer layer of static defenses. Rather, it was perceived that if a foreign army could ever reach Fleursowurm, something went seriously wrong somewhere.   It is worth noting that, much like the city, an artificial river runs around Fleursowurm. As part of their needs to have sustainable water, the Imperial State set to task of diverting several smaller rivers into one larger one. This new river, dubbed the Imperial Water Way, runs around Fleursowurm before pivoting back to its original location. Thus, the city siphons the water it needs, and can close the water intakes during flooding to prevent damage.   The root name of Fleursowurm comes about from the lindwurm's own love of flowers. Being a naturally blind species, they 'see' through their tremor sense and smell through their sophisticated scenting. Thus, lindwurms come to love and adore flowers, which are visually complex to them as well as intensely powerful in their scents. During the city's construction, workers would arrange flower gardens for Gurn and Fahura, creating the floral traditions that remain to this day.