The Exorcised Cities of Liurza are a complicated intersection of city, state, territory and gang. They are the last bastions of human civilisation, the final seeds from which humanity may bloom after the Shattering. Each of them represent a mortal tenacity, an ingenuity and innovation built upon a reckless clinging to life. There is tension, a byproduct of decades of isolation and a deep mistrust. Brutal landwars and realpolitik is at play, the Cities famously "unrivalled under the sun, except for one another". Yet, they cling to each other in trade, their impenetrable gates wide open for the rich merchants that travel the White Roads. These immense highways of white salt (and the cartloads of silver that ride on them) are the sole reason Liurza remains a united country. Only the City of Parakris, the Sky-piercing Blade of the Heavens, is truly separated, by mountain first, undead horde second and forest of knives third.
Corphaksa:
The Divine Spider sits upon its crystalline web of ivory roads, its every move sending shockwaves and reverberations. Corphaksa is the First and Greatest amongst the Exorcised Cities, the centre of Liurzan sovereignty and the heartbeat of its trade. From its architects came the salt walls that make up much of Corphaksa proper, as well as the spanning White Roads that bring seafood from the east, iron from the north and trinkets from the south. It sits upon the lip of Lake Yan, deathly to the sip. Corphaksa is said to be the City of many gods, and indeed we see rows and rows of temples lining its curving streets. In this centre of commerce and trade, the guilds battle each other for corporate supremacy. Every piece of silver was traded for with blood and steel. The poor, the ambitious and the bored all flock to this city in the west, quite possibly humanity's largest and most prosperous. The grand architect of the revival of Liurza, the Heavenly Tyrant resides in Corphaksa. From this seat of power, he continues his machinations to revitalise the region, without care for the mortal costs.
Irysl:
Each hour of the day is heralded by the toll of the Divine Bell of Ruin. It rings throughout the city, destroying any monster within earshot. Irysl is divinely protected by a remnant of the past, an ancient relic that repels evil. It has tied its survival to this Bell, which has both allowed it to flourish as the centre for magical research and crippled it, unable to expand beyond the scope of the Bell's rings. It is thus a small city, dwarfed by the other of the Southern Twins in Wealn. Ask the scholarly exorcists that train in the academy and none of them can tell you which came first, Irysl or Wealn. There is a tense rivalry between these two neighbouring cities, as siblings are wont to quarrel. In its pristine shops, artifacts and equipment are abundant, courtesy of the scholars and artisans that flock to its academies and masters. The Master College for warlocks is built here, the final step for the land's most distinguished (or well-connected) students. You will see the effects of this meritocracy in the streets, as peasants memorise books while pulling rickshaws, aiming for a chance at a better life. Some might even succeed.
Parakris:
This City is lost to the rest of us. We will speak no longer of Parakris and the Hundred Year Siege.
Seicho-Ran:
The fragrance is the first thing that hits you as you approach the north-east. The Xiangsui or Fragrant Sleep grows abundant in the hills towards the tip of the continent. It covers the dark clay walls of Seicho-Ran and can only grow in the clay soil of the region. It lures the monsters to a daze, soothing their fires and calming them. The flower fields are littered with sleeping spirits, making careless travels extremely dangerous along the Scented Shores. The Ran of the city are cartographers and botanists, their study of the unique flora and forests have seen tremendous results. The city is tranquil and soothing and one might almost imagine it to have been untouched by the Shattering. Yet, observe carefully and one might notice the narcotised smiles of addicts lying on the streets, the green smiles of peasants as they choke down cheap herbs for nutrition and the disfigured smiles of common folk, after-effects of alchemy. The city is a rose, its thorns many and subtle. One comes for the drink, food and luxury and may never again leave.
Suido-Kath:
The wandering city of Suido-Kath haunts the coasts of Liurza. Built onto the back of a gargantuan monstrosity some worship as a god, it follows the creature's annual migratory cycle. The city is thus a centre for continent-wide commerce, connecting blue-iron blades from Tortoi to the enchanters of Irysl, the paper men of Wealn to the floral farms of Seicho-Ran. Visiting it is challenging and it is wise to have a schedule of the creature's movements. As the most culturally-diverse and rich of the cities, it is a cacophony of spice and slang, of gods and men. The city is frequently on the brink of collapse, with lower floors falling off the creature over time and they can only keep building up. Mariners and pirates take to this city, clinging to the sides of the creature like barnacles and feeder fish. The Central Bank of Souls, Maas, is located here where the sailors may place their soul jar securely for their journeys. The city is safe from the Drowned God due to its constant movement but some of the Drowned do present a danger to its people and infrastructure.
Tortoi:
The old capital to the North sits on Fang Bay, the site of first landing. The Fortress City of Tortoi is built under this ancient architecture, into the mines that have made it the centre of metallurgy and stone-working. A waterfall flows through the centre of this vertical city, the only other source of hydration besides the series of fermented beverages and alcohols created from the stacks of fungi farms. It is a hive of blue iron and stone, its pitch black walls lit only by the flames of the forge and ghostly lamps. As the premier location for industry and manufacturing, it is where one may find well-crafted blades and devices. Tread lower into the floors and one may encounter the horrors of the dark, the spirits that scramble and crawl in the depths of the earth.
Wealn:
Wealn is the other of the Southern Twins, half of the Exorcised Cities renowned for the creation of magical items and equipment. It is a land of the learned, authors and poets flock to its teeming streets and scholars stroll along its papered walls. As you enter, you will first notice these walls, thick stone but entirely caked in paper, with an infinity of strokes and dashes in an infinity of handwriting plastered over all of them. These talismans keep the dead at bay. Others are used for manual labour, tall oxen folded out of paper work dry fields and man-shaped slips of red hurriedly deliver themselves. In Wealn and Wealn alone, a certain type of wizard is tolerated, a practitioner of the arcane talismans and words of power. Rather than physical artifacts and wands of Irysl, Wealn puts its trust in knowledge and memory.
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