Terenata (Aurora)

Terenata
Capital city
Country	Belsegallia
Barony	Capital Barony
County	County of Terenata
Founded	Anno 297
Government
• Body	Council of Terenata
• Baroness	Loria Dorinel
Elevation (above mean edge level)a	27 m (87 ft)
Population  (Anno 1100)
• Total	57,204
• Rank	1st in Belsegallia
Demonym(s)	Terenatan
aAMEL refers to the mean height of the edges surrounding a floating landmass; it is used in Belsegallia as a baseline in place of sea level for the purpose of measuring relative altitudes.

Terenata is the capital and most populous city of the Kingdom of Belsegallia; it is situated near the geographical center of Belsegallia, on the southern root of the Larima Peninsula roughly two toors from the terrain’s edge. Its population as of anno 1100 is approximately 57,000 divided between sixteen city subdivisions.

Terenata was first recorded in Old Belsegallia in anno 297 as a small mining settlement working several deposits of gold found within what was then the Dorikamu Mountains. The location and resources proved conducive for the growth of the settlement over time as new mines were opened, allowing the town’s population to reach approximately 5,000 by circa A.370. By this time it was noted in Old Belsegallia as a local administrative center and a prosperous hub for goldsmithing and jewelry manufacture, eventually branching into the production of faceted crystals for enchanting purposes; this new activity led to the establishment of a university of magic in the city in A.436. Terenata reached a population of roughly 37,400 by A.600, with a combination of the university and the strong local enchanting industry bringing it to status as a core focus of magical arts in Old Belsegallia. It is hypothesized based on surviving records that around this time the university aided in the manufacturing of several Hamara’s Lenses on behalf of the monarchy. As with the rest of Old Belsegallia, Terenata was almost completely destroyed in A.686 by the Larinata Disaster and its aftereffects; the city’s population is estimated to have fallen by over 99% from its 686 high of 65,000 by 687 before recovering slightly to approximately 2,000 in 688 with survivors from surrounding regions. Despite this, the selection of Terenata as the capital of the reestablished Belsegallian state in 691 brought rebuilding efforts and new residents to the city that slowly revitalized the region through the next 50 years. By A.750 most rubble in the still-inhabited parts of the city was cleared and the total population was recorded as 5,000. The university was rebuilt in A.811, while a new castle for the capital was constructed in A.872 to replace the prior, smaller structure.

In the present day, Terenata serves as the primary political, economic, cultural, and religious center for the Kingdom of Belsegallia. It is home to many of the kingdom’s best artisans and facilities for the creation of magical items, as well as key political centers such as Terenata Citadel and the Royal Council. The Cathedral of the Moon, the institutional center for the worship of Asahika in Belsegallia, is also located in the city. The Royal University of Terenata, located at one campus inside the city and another several toors to the northwest, is one of Aurora’s foremost centers for the study of magical arts and a repository of many of the surviving archives from Old Belsegallian sources. The airship docks near the city are one pf the primary entry and exit points for goods traded between Belsegallia and other states.

History

Old Belsegallia

The settlement of Terenata was first established in A.297, when diviners looking for gold in the Dorikamu Mountains found several large workable deposits in vicinity of the Bera River and it as well a numerous other small settlements were built in the region to support the mines. Being located along the river itself as well as adjacent to several of the larger mining sites, Terenata quickly gained population as it grew into a local center for commerce and artisans serving the residents of the nearby mountains. In approximately A.338 a small fortification was built in the town and the settlement placed under the rule of a baronet.

By A.370 the city had reached a permanent population of over 5,000 and attained status as an outlying barony under the Duchy of Larinata. The Barony of Terenata by this point was a significant source of metal jewelry and other apparel for enchanting, having branched out from using the local supplies of gold for goldsmithing to importing and cutting gemstones from both Belsegallia and abroad. Taking advantage of its expertise in precision gemcutting and metalworking, the first accredited enchanting workshop in Terenata was established in circa A.380. This brought an influx of mages (primarily from Dorinata to the west) to Terenata, slowly shifting its economic center of gravity from trade in metals and mundane artisan works towards the production of magical objects until enchanting was the dominant guild activity and source of tax income in the city by A.400.

The growing professional practice of magic in Terenata led the Old Belsegallian state to charter a university to be built there, which reached completion in A.436 and opened its doors as the Royal University of Terenata. The university itself, in addition to educating and licensing practitioners in Terenata, served to draw more mages to the city. Gradual economic and population growth continued such that, by the time of the Old Belsegallian census of A.600, the city had attained a population of 37,426 and produced nearly 70% of the tax revenue of the much more established Larinata to the north. It is believed based on surviving records that the Royal University of Terenata also first began work on the construction of several Hamara’s Lenses around this time, complementing the preexisting efforts proceeding in the main research city of Larinata. Later, in A.647, a new castle now known as Old Terenata Castle was constructed and put into service to act as the seat of power for the new Duchy of Larinata.

As with the rest of Old Belsegallia, Terenata was nearly completely destroyed in late A.686 when the Larinata Disaster unleashed an arcane storm of unprecedented, cataclysmic size upon the island. A combination of high-intensity localized energy releases and anomalies caused by chaotic magic leveled most of the city, while the sundering of Belsegallia also cause multiple nearby satellite settlements to fall into the Obskaric Ocean. Most individuals known to have survived the storm were sheltered in Old Terenata Castle, the heavy magical warding of which allowed the structure to emerge relatively intact and protected its occupants from the worst of the destructive ambient magic consuming the rest of the city.

Geography

Terenata is located in central Belsegallia at southern root of the Larima Peninsula, alongside the Bera and Yuka Rivers. The terrain in and around the city consists of remains of the Dorikamu Mountains, the peaks and fooothills of which comprise the majority of modern-day Belsegallia. The topography is rocky and uneven with many tall hills and creeks.

Demographics

The dominant population of Terenata is Belsedori, which make up 93.1% of the city’s permanent residents as of A.1100. The vast majority of the remainder consist of assorted fairies at 5.6%, while other races make up 1.3% of the population.

Year	Population
297	83
315	~600
338	1,241
370	5,018
380	~6,000
525	30,395
600	37,426
675	63,064
686	~65,000
687	~400
688	~2,000
750	5,167
1100	57,204

Cityscape

Architecture

As a result of the magical destruction of Larinata in A.686 and its subsequent rebuilding under the new Kingdom of Belsegallia, little of the city’s original Old Belsegallian structures and architecture remain; in its place, the new city possesses a highly distinctive layout and cosmetic appearance, known simply as Belsedori Style. Buildings, roads, and other construction in Terenata make heavy use of a hard, pale-gray-to-white stone with faint aventurescence that is now found throughout Belsegallia after the Larinata Disaster. Due to the city’s status as the capital of Belsegallia and a major cultural & religious center, many key architectural features first seen in Terenatan structures have become ubiquitous throughout the rest of the kingdom; these primarily include the frequent use of stained glass windows, steeply pitched roofs made of tile, and a strong preference for building with stone, glass, and crystals. The frequent use of pale white, luminescent crystals in both outdoor settings such as street lamps and within buildings also creates a uniquely white-tinted lighting pattern in the city.

Terenata, as with other Belsedori cities, is known for its frequent use of broad, open avenues and parks which cross between the various wards and are commonly lined with both trees and street lamps. The largest parks, such as the Terenata City Gardens, reside in the northern side of the city and hold several Old Belsegallian monuments salvaged from the rubble of the pre-destruction districts that they are built on.

Monuments and landmarks

As the capital city of Belsegallia, Terenata contains a high amount of notable landmarks including buildings, monuments, and other structures. Many of these are concentrated around Royal Square, a large open plaza in the western side of the city center that contains a majority of the institutions of national governance that are located in the city; this includes Terenata Citadel, the Cathedral of the Moon, the Terenata City Hall, and the Old Terenata Castle.

Terenata Citadel, on the northern side of Royal Square, is a large urban castle of Terenata; it houses the approximately 800 soldiers and 2,000 militia personnel responsible for defending and maintaining order in the city, as well as numerous stocks of their equipment. It consists of three major keeps and several smaller armories surrounded by a short curtain wall approximately 12ft in height. Due to its nature as a fortification for an aerial civilization, the citadel’s construction places relatively limited emphasis on walls as a means of protection; instead, the prevailing orientation of defensive positions is upward. Primary facilities present at Terenata Citadel include board for a garrison of up to 4,000, workshops for the maintenance and repair of magical devices, storage vaults for the keeping of particularly dangerous artifacts, and an airship dock with associated facilities to support Belsegallian military airships stationed in Terenata.
As with the majority of construction in the city, Terenata Citadel is constructed almost entirely out of cut white stone; its architectural style matches that of the Royal Palace and the Cathedral of the Moon in its core choices of materials and architectural features. It deviates strongly from the appearance of terrestrial castles due to its orientation towards defense from aerial attackers, lacking things such as high walls and fortified gatehouses. The durability of the construction against physical and magical attack is, however, significantly enhanced beyond that of normal stone fortifications by the intensive application of warding enchantments and alchemical treatments of the stone.