the City of Aglaia (Patreon)

Here's the latest map for the Atlas Elyden, with some art and lore on the city of Aglaia - capital of Azazem, and centre of the dross production in the Korachani empire.

This one features art that was licensed from Chris Karnezis and I really think its a flavourful fit for the region.

This is the low-res version available to everyone.  Become a Patron at the Acolyte tier for access to my back-catalogue of High-res, PSD and textless maps. That includes the High-res version of this map, as well as the textless version.

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Considered one of the largest cities of the Korachani empire, and certainly the largest urban sprawl in the vassal state of Azazem, Aglaia is neither famed for its beauty nor its culture (though that is not to say it is without either). However, it remains perhaps the most vital city in the empire for one simple reason - food. Without Aglaia the many vassals and countless cities of Korachan would starve.

Origins and History

It emerged, as so many others like it, as a farming community in around -120 RM, taking advantage of the fertile soils and ideal climate of the surrounding region. By the time the Archpotentate Malichar had risen to power in Korachan it had grown into a large agricultural centre under the control of two noble families, which in turn owed fealty to the Basileid Dynasty. Dominating the settlement was a low stone wall outside which were miles of fecund farmlands, replete with grazing and arable lands alike.

It grew rich trading food and gems (spinels) with neighbouring cities in both Azazem and abroad (including the city-states of pre-imperial Korachan, with which it forged close ties), but with its vassalage to the Korachani empire in 11 RM it began to wane somewhat in influence as the capital of Basilea became more important both politically and economically.

The Basileid Dynasty, once sacrosanct rulers of Azazem, remained in Basilea as regents of Korachan for over a century. During this time Agalia continued to grow, slowly regaining some of its clout, with many merchant houses establishing themselves there. It expanded greatly as an agricultural centre, with spinel quarries supplementing its income. In 123 RM the Basileids, led by the newly-crowned Honoria Basileus, revolted against their Korachani overlords, with the city of Basilea becoming a hotbed of close quarter fighting in palaces, temples and granaries. The Basileids were defeated early the next year, with Honoria and her closest cohorts being imprisoned until the decision was made to move the capital to Aglaia later in the year. She was taken to the new capital following its inauguration and executed, with the remnants of the Basileid Dynasty forced to prostrate themselves before the Consulite himself.

Aglaia has been the capital since then. The Basileid Dynasty was ousted in 999 RM, to be replaced by Archpatrician governors of Korachani descent whose ancestors went on to found the major Houses that would later become part of the Atropos cooperative.

Aglaia was once the centre of a prosperous agricultural industry that was fed by the river Ephanosh, whose occasional flooding would fertilise hundreds of square miles of farmland. However, centuries of abuse led to the slow death of its crops and the washing away of its topsoil. This led to the eventual renaming of the once-fertile valley to Atrophy.

Aglaian Patrician Houses suffered greatly between 1100 and 1500 RM, leading to waning influence. This changed in around 1710 RM when the relatively new House Camassia began buying dead fields for cheap, a seemingly innocuous activity that would, centuries later, lead to the birth of dross and a change of fate for the nation.

The City (306)

Aglaia is considered a city of two parts - the south east, which is known as the Old City, and the north, which is known as the New City, though most districts are now centuries, if not millennia old.

The New City is commonly thought to lie north of the Camassian Stronghold, though the demarcation is arbitrary. The New City spread steadily north between around 500 - 1200 RM, at which point it was decided to construct an expansive 16-mile bastion wall around city, though districts were already spilling over into its dry moat and beyond before the bastion was ever completed.

Though old districts are typically built over or modernised, many influential patrician houses have ancestral homes in the Old City and have proven resistant to allowing new manufactories and apartment blocks replace the old townhouses, which remain a visible part of the city’s culture to this day, surrounding the Chapel of the Pact, which is the first holy building dedicated to the Church of the Undying Machine, close to four millennia ago.

Its streets are patrolled by the Iron Guard, preventing helots and slaves from entering it, helping its gentrification. Many businesses in the Old City are dozens of generations old and have a proud heritage, displaying bronze plaques as a sign of prestige and expertise, with many competing against each other on festival days.

The conclusion of the War of the Artifexes, which saw Almagest becoming an independent nation, saw the Korachani empire impose harsher laws upon its vassals. This was met with resistance in Azazem and people in Aglaia used the old Azazemi anthem as a form of resistance. The return of the Archpotentate to the region brought stability to the nation, though the anthem continued to be used as a signature song for the city, continuing to be heard throughout the streets today in various forms often broadcast via loudspeakers as a call to prayer.

Agalia has been home to the Minasteria of Tempestarii (shapers who can manipulate the weather, greatly aiding in agriculture) since 2036 RM and is also renowned for its famous heirlooms and ancient jewellery that still make use of millennia-old spinels from the city’s roots.

the Atropi Houses

Named after the region of Atrophy, the Atropos is made up of seven Patrician Houses, including Herturi, Isaa-nephi, Nothiya, Senet, Stefania, Tinania, with Camassia as their head and controlling power.

House Camassia grew rich following its mass production of the first dross specifically designed for mortal consumption. Rivals were quick to copy its successes, and after attempting to strongarm its competition, Camassia formed a cooperative of like-minded Patrician Houses in around 2610 RM. As the controlling power of the cooperative, Camassia eventually turned to arranged marriages and business acquisitions to gain control of its rivals, and within centuries House Camassia and the Atropi houses were the same thing in all but name.

Based in the Camassian Stronghold, which is thought by many to be the largest building in Aglaia (it is actually a series of distinct yet interconnected bastions, with some acting as homes to members of House Camassia and the other Atropi Houses, and others serving the offices to the cooperative), the Atropos controls the manufacture and dissemination of dross across the Korachani empire. Some of the industries and services that fall under the Atropi Houses include: overseeing the growth of moss and algae cultures, many of which are underground; the acquisition and correct treatment of carcasses from the Mortuary Cults; administering the smooth pumping and shipment of dross across the empire; ensuring that the cocktail of chemicals and ingredients that make up dross is correct; handling the protection of pipelines in the form of building towers and fortresses and manning them with privately-controlled troops; and taking care of the finances and the mundane business of running an empire-spanning business.

Each of the Houses specialises in one of these facets, though has offices that handle all of the different aspects. Camassia is alone in taking a solely administrative role, making sure the other Houses work as intended and concerning itself with internal politicking and suppressing plots, which remain common to this day.