A Fantasy Reader

Looks promising!

Darujhistan is located in central Genebackis, on the southern coast of Lake Azur near to where the River Maiten meets the lake. To the east are the Gadrobi Hills and to the south is the Dwelling Plain. It is a city of roughly 300 000 people, mainly of Daru or Gadrobi heritage.

Beneath Darujhistan are caverns containing natural gas. The city is known for using the gas for public lighting, leading to its title as the City of Blue Fire. The gas is also used in industrial applications, such as blacksmithery. The gas is monitored and controlled by a secretive group called the Grayfaces. Publicly, the Grayfaces can be seen wandering the streets to light and douse the street lamps, though they are always covered by grey robes and do not speak.

Darujhistan is relatively remote from most of Genebackis. The closest cities are Saltoan, to the east beyond the Gadrobi Hills, and Pale, north of Lake Azur. Since this remoteness has kept Darujhistan peaceful, the city does not have a standing army and usually expresses neutrality in most international affairs.

Minas Anor - the Tower of the Sun - was established as a stronghold by Anarion, son of Elendil, and over time it became the greatest city in Gondor. As the threat from Mordor increased, the City was renamed Minas Tirith - the Tower of Guard. During the War of the Ring, Sauron's forces besieged Minas Tirith and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields was fought outside its walls. After the downfall of Sauron, Aragorn was crowned before the gates of Minas Tirith and the banner of the Kings of Gondor flew over the City once more.

In the darkness of the Underdark lies Menzoberranzan. A swift and certain death awaits those foolish enough to enter the dreaded city of the drow. Menzoberranzan is chaos, death, torture, vengeance and endless lust for power and illusionary respect based on fear. Menzoberranzan is a drow city in all its might and terror. 

There is only one reason for Menzoberranzan's foul existence: Lolth, a malevolent goddess of chaos. The whole of the chaotic city obeys the will of Lolth, often treacherous, always evil. The drow's hearts are as black as their pitch-black skin. 

There is no place for love, compassion or trust in drow-vocabulary. They are perceived as weaknesses untolerated by their unmerciful goddess. Friendship in drow-society is based on mutual benefits, on common cause. Still, whenever and however a drow is granted with a potential opportunity to murder, a drow rarely lets it pass unused. It is all about the pleasure of Lolth, which grants a status, an illusionary ranking taken away by the power-hungry drow at the first sight of potential weakness. There is no place for the weak in Menzoberranzan. 

Few have entered the mirage of beauty that is Menzoberranzan, and fewer still have ever escaped the horror of it. Still, the illusionary beauty of the city and its wicked citizens is breathtaking, many have been betrayed by the magnificent lights and statues that form Menzoberranzan's facade, and all of them have been slain without mercy and without hope. The cold beauty of Menzoberranzan is far too inadequate to fill the hollow and empty hearts of drow-elves, one of the most feared races in all the world. 

However, there are some sole survivors that have emerged from the dark depths of Menzoberranzan to oppose the cold might of Lolth, and have prevailed. Many of them are trapped in the drow-city, gnawed by their cruel cousins' malevolence, but strong in their hearts, nonetheless. But there are some true victors that have escaped the clutches of Lolth and her minions, have abandoned their crooked ways and run, run from the darkness that is Menzoberranzan, forever.  

One of those brave hearts is Drizzt Do'Urden, son of Zaknafein Do'Urden, who ran away toward the light of the day, toward happiness and love, never looking back. And he found light, happiness and love, something that the drow are too blind to see. They see only wrath, despair and hatred.  

Such is Menzoberranzan, The City of Chaos.

Tar Valon (pronounced: TAHR VAH-lon) is a city located on an island on the River Erinin, within sight of Dragonmount. It is the center of Aes Sedai power and is also the second largest, most populous city in the Westlands. Tar Valon also controls a small amount of territory directly adjacent to it, although it does not have as much land as it did before the War of the Hundred Years. Tar Valon is ruled by the Amyrlin Seat, although the day-to-day bureaucracy is handled by a council of Aes Sedai sisters and civil administrators. The city is notable as the only place where Aes Sedai have wielded officialized administrative power since the War of the Hundred Years. The population of the city in 1000 NE is roughly 500,000. It has remained independent of outside control for its entire existence, although it has suffered several major sieges and even direct assaults.

Some interesting tidbits surfaced this last week or so. Here's a wrap-up :

Republic of Thieves status update

The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door...