The Annwyn

The City of Highcourt

The largest city and capital of the Kingdom of Arnesse is home to approximately four hundred thousand people. Most visitors approach the city by either the Vermilion Road from the east or the Coast Road to the South, though the capital boasts one of the largest and most thriving deep water harbors on its western coast. The lower city is built on a series of hills with a rise leading towards the sea, where the high city towers above the districts below it. Even at a distance, the city’s skyline is dominated by High Keep, which sits in the middle of the King’s Quarter, a majestic castle of white carven stone surrounded by five mighty towers. High Keep sits atop a sheer cliff face that overlooks King’s Harbour, the largest deep water port in western Arnesse. Rising almost as high as the towers of High Keep is the Apotheon, headquarters of the Apotheca and renowned as one of the finest repositories of lore and knowledge found anywhere. The Apotheon is often called the Candlespire by the locals of Highcourt because of the innumerable candles that burn in its windows day and night.

The city is divided into quarters, the area immediately around High Keep being known as the King’s Quarter. Outside the keep’s walls, the wealthy and privileged make their homes in the High Quarter where manors and fine apartments have a commanding view of the sprawling city below. Descending through a set of high walls and gates, one enters the Artisan’s Quarter, where merchants and guildsmen make their homes. The Apotheon can be found here, as well as the Cirque guildhall known as the Royal Exchange. The Artisan’s Quarter is filled with shops selling wares as well as stalls and hovels wherein craftspeople are hard at work producing items for sale. Passing under another set of wide gates one would enter the bottom tier of Highcourt known as the Low Quarter. Though the least fortunate make their homes here, it is a destination for much of the city, as it hosts several open-air markets, including King’s Market, the largest such exchange in all Arnesse. It also is home to King’s Harbour, often full of merchant ships and fishermen alike. It is said that, for a price, one can find almost anything among the twisted, labyrinthine streets of the Low Quarter. The poorest residents of the city make their homes in an isolated area of the Lower Quarter known as Beggar’s Alley; those who value their lives or coin purses avoid this place, especially after dark. Highcourt is ringed with massive fifty-foot walls and sturdy gates, beyond which lie fields for the cultivation of crops and several smaller villages that have grown up in the shadow of the capital city.

The River Ard passes through the Low Quarter of Highcourt, flowing out into the Bay of Thrantis. The river is crossed by several bridges but easily the most prestigious and well-known is the Rose Bridge. Built by King Edwin Bannon I in 682, the bridge is an architectural and engineering marvel, seemingly suspended in midair. Just beyond the Rose Bridge lies the Vermilion Square, one of the end points of the Vermilion Road – the other being in the Corveaux city of Orgonne over a thousand miles to the east. Near the Vermilion Square is a spot that is well-known for hosting the wealthy and powerful when they throw celebrations – the Ruby Pavilion. The Pavilion is a secluded garden along the edge of the River Ard. It is surrounded by high walls and kept secure by the King’s guardsmen. The gardens themselves are beautiful, with flora and fauna brought in from all over the Kingdom. Archmagister Maynard, one of the Apotheca’s Inner Council, oversees the maintenance of the grounds, but is assisted by a cadre of groundskeepers from both within and without his order. It is to the Ruby Pavilion that King Giles Bannon II has summoned everyone to discuss the matter at hand.

The Grand Court

Within the halls of High Keep lies the seat of power in the Kingdom as well as the Grand Court, where most of the duties of running Arnesse are carried out. Here, the good and the great of the land go about their affairs both secret and not. The Grand Court itself is open to all, but parts of it are restricted to those of status, privilege, or administration. At all times of the day, the halls of the court are a bustle of activity and many of the social elites and nobility of Highcourt spend much of the day there, lounging about in the salons, hoping to hear a bit of gossip or news that falls from careless lips. The atmosphere of the court is one of near absolute politeness and decorum. To show disrespect to someone above one’s station or act carelessly is seen as a great social faux pas and if such actions are repeated, one can find themselves barred or forbidden from the halls of the Grand Court. Here, gossip, rumors, and intrigue are the order of the day and battles are not fought with swords or shields, but with words. Debts are paid as often with favors as they are with gold coin. Some in the Grand Court seek social advancement or power, either for themselves or their families, and are willing to take risks or commit despicable acts to attain their goals. Others possess power and seek to retain it, no matter the cost. Though its denizens may be more risk averse, only a fool underestimates what they can accomplish with a single whisper.

The Grand Court itself is a series of three halls that stretch across the lower levels of High Keep. The first hall is known as the Hall of Serenity and it is here that any lower ranking courtiers spend their time and all guests and visitors are received. The hall itself is decorated in dark stone with pillars and a marble floor with waves of gold interspersed throughout. It is said that to speak above a whisper in the Hall of Serenity is a sign of great disrespect. As one ascends, they would enter the Luminous Terrace, so named because it is an open-air garden of arches and beautiful trees that is built such that it has numerous breathtaking views of the city below. As one passes into the keep once again, they enter the Rose Hall, so named because of its distinctly floral and natural designs. Here, no expense was spared in the import of natural materials and woods from exotic sources to create carven wonders and organic aesthetics. The courtiers recount the tales of how the Bannon Kings of old pressed Innis craftsmen from House Analee into service for over twenty years to create the wooden wonders here. Some Woodfolk refuse to even set foot in this hall as a result, and it is said to be one of the main reasons they avoid the Grand Court. The Rose Hall is the home to those courtiers and favored of the King who have made it to the highest rungs of power. Here, the powerful and great of Arnesse talk about matters great and small, deciding the fate of many.

As one ascends to the final tier of power, they enter the fabled Aureate Court. The entire hall is made of white marble and stone, brought from Tarkath and other places far afield. The walls are held up by massive white pillars, in-between which stand statues of the mighty kings and heroes of old all the way back to the inception of the monarchy. At the far end of the hall, a series of white stone steps are carved into a dais built from a rocky outcropping that emerges from the floor and was never hewn down to something less rough. This is the highest natural point in Highcourt, known as the Pinnacle, and upon this spot sits the Throne of the Three Kings. The seat itself has been shaped to resemble a great keep with several mighty towers. Spreading across the top of the throne’s back is a great bird of prey and upon one arm has been carved into a dragon and upon the other a wolf. While the Aureate Court is opened to more people during audiences with the King, events, or celebrations, it is normally off-limits to everyone but the King’s Council and other high-ranking officials within the Kingdom.

The King’s Laws

By order of His Majesty, Giles Bannon II, King of the Ardan, Lord Sovereign of the Seven Protectorates and Defender of the Vale the following are declared to be punishable crimes.

1. The unlawful and premeditated taking or attempt to take life except in cases of war or duel.
2. The concealment of any unlawful act.
3. The betrayal of an oath, allegiance, or loyalty to one’s liege, peer, or the Kingdom.
4. The unlawful impersonation of any individual, office, or standing within the Kingdom.
5. The unlawful assault upon another except in cases of war or duel.
6. Thievery of property or the transportation of stolen property.
7. The unlawful possession of any good or item that is considered illegal in the Kingdom.
8. The telling of lies, especially if an oath has been made to be truthful.
9. Failure to pay taxes as requested by one’s liege or their duly appointed representative.
10. Refusing to be disarmed when it is requested by the King or his vassals.
11. Refusing to heed the command of the King or any of his vassals.

The Morality Laws of King Giles II

1. The offering of any manner of bribe or other incentive to coerce or motivate someone to an action.
2. The act of betraying an oath of marriage in an act of adultery.
3. To show exceptional cowardice such that others are placed in harm’s way or injured.
4. The demonstration of exceptional greed, especially at the expense or injury of others.
5. Failure to show appropriate modesty and humility.
6. Gross demonstrations of perversion or reckless substance abuse.