Aurelium

Aurelium is a vertical marvel built within a divine scar. The High Precinct sits on the highest eastern rim, shimmering in white marble. Below it, the Guild Ring forms a middle shelf of industry and trade, while the Footstools occupy the muddy, sun-starved crater floor. The architecture is dominated by the Spire of Sanctity, a massive needle of gold and iron that pierces the very center of the crater's basin.

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Religious Metropolis

Aurelium

The holy city where every prayer is measured by the tolling of the bronze.

TypeReligious Metropolis

Population42,000

WealthExtremely high at the top, destitute at the bottom.

GovernmentTheocratic Autocracy

ReadinessHigh within the crater; vulnerable to long-term siege.

“The air is heavy with the scent of frankincense and the metallic tang of old stone. A constant, low-frequency hum vibrates through the soles of your boots, masked by the deafening hourly chimes from a hundred bronze bells. Citizens walk with heads bowed, their movements synchronized to the liturgical rhythms that govern every aspect of life within the crater's steep white walls.”

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Connections

Geography

RegionThe Sun-Kissed Lowlands

ClimateTemperate but humid, as the crater walls trap moisture and heat, creating a localized greenhouse effect.

TerrainA massive, perfectly circular impact crater surrounded by flat grasslands. The city is carved directly into the limestone walls.

Travel Links

The Pilgrim's RoadThe Ascendant LiftThe Dry-Docks of the Footstools

Culture

Labor is prayer and height is holiness. Citizens believe that the closer they live to the crater's rim, the more favor they have found in the eyes of Kirlis.

Races

HumansDwarvesAasimarHalflings

Religions

The Church of Kirlis (State Religion)The Cult of the Falling Star (Hidden)

Arts & Entertainment

Art is strictly liturgical. Choral performances are the primary form of music, though illegal 'under-floor' taverns in the Footstools host gritty, percussion-heavy folk sessions using mining tools.

History

Founded three centuries ago after a celestial object, believed to be the Golden Glove of Kirlis, struck the earth. The church quickly claimed the site, turning a catastrophe into a miracle. Over time, the city grew into a rigid hierarchy where spiritual worth determines one's physical height within the crater walls. While the church claims the impact brought life, old geological records suggest the crater was already ancient.

The FoundingThe Fall of the HandA streak of gold fire leveled the forest. The first Archon claimed he saw Kirlis himself place a glove upon the earth to shield it from a greater doom.

The Middle EraThe Quiet RiotGuild workers in the Footstools attempted to stop the bells for a day of rest. The Inquisition responded by hanging twelve ringers from the Spire's heights.

The Modern EraThe YellowingA strange discoloration began appearing on the white marble of the High Precinct. The priests claim it is a holy patina, but architects are worried about structural decay.

Government

LeaderHigh Archon Valerius

Theocratic Autocracy

Key Laws

Silence is mandated during the Toll of the Hour.The wearing of gold is reserved for the High Precinct.Any questioning of the Relic's origin is classified as First-Degree Heresy.

Problems

The Foundation Rot

The crater floor is softening into a toxic bog, and the Archon refuses to evacuate the Footstools because it would admit the Relic is polluting the ground.

The Bell-Splitters

Saboteurs are damaging the city's bells to let the citizens hear what the bells are hiding. The Archon is responding with increasingly public and brutal executions.

Economy

Industries

PilgrimageReliquary CraftingLimestone Quarrying

Scarcity

Fresh, untainted water and sunlight at the bottom of the crater.

Wealth LevelExtremely high at the top, destitute at the bottom.

Exports

Blessed IncenseGolden ThreadCrater-Water Ales

Imports

FoodstuffsDwarf-Forged BronzeSilks

Defenses

ReadinessHigh within the crater; vulnerable to long-term siege.

Fortifications

The Great Rim WallThe Spire's Ballista BatteryGate of the Just

The Sentinels of the Glove(2,500 Holy Knights)

Paladins and clerics clad in white plate with golden gauntlets. They prioritize defending the High Precinct and managing crowd control during holy days.

Law & Order

crime Level: Low in the High Precinct, rampant but ignored in the Footstools.
enforcement: The Radiant Inquisitors police thought and deed, while the City Watch handles petty theft.
typical Punishment: Flogging for noise violations; exile to the Footstools for debt; death for heresy.

Archon Valerius

NPC

High Archon

Tall and gaunt, Valerius wears robes of heavy white silk that rustle as he moves. He has a habit of rubbing a massive gold signet ring until his finger bleeds.

Thomas Thorne

NPC

Master Mason

A man who looks decades older than he is, Thorne is perpetually covered in fine white limestone dust and smells of damp earth.

Elara Thorne

NPC

Guild Merchant

Dressed in practical leather and wool, Elara wears seven different brass keys on a chain around her neck and has a small, faded tattoo of a bird on her wrist.

Sister Maeva

NPC

Temple Acolyte

Maeva has pale, glowing skin and eyes that seem to lack pupils. She always carries a small wooden bowl and a tuning fork.

Silas Grave

NPC

Captain of the Watch

A man with a thick, salt-and-pepper beard who constantly chews on dry cloves to mask the rot-smell of the lower crater.

Vane's Sundries

Shop

General Goods

A cluttered shop in the Guild Ring, filled from floor to ceiling with crates and hanging tools. The air smells of cedar and grease.

The Hammer and Nail

Tavern

Workers, masons, and off-duty watchmen.

A rowdy, smoky establishment built into a natural limestone cave in the lower Guild Ring. It is a favorite among the stonemasons and laborers.

The Radiant Inquisitors

Faction

Religious Police

Clad in crimson and white, they search for 'disharmony' among the citizens, viewing any deviation from the bell-rhythms as a sign of corruption.

The Silent Masons

Faction

Resistance Movement

An underground network of architects and workers who use secret signs to communicate the structural failures they see every day.

The Bell-Ringer's Walk

Point of Interest

A series of high-altitude catwalks connecting the rim wall to the Spire, offering a terrifying view of the crater's depths.

The Fog-Pits

Point of Interest

A low-lying area in the Footstools where the toxic crater gases gather, used by criminals to hide from the Watch.

Calendar of Events

Mid-Spring

The Festival of the First Toll

A day-long celebration where every bell in the city is rung simultaneously for ten minutes.

The massive sonic vibration always causes a minor landslide in the Footstools that the Church ignores.

Secrets

The Relic is a Void Engine.

Discovering this reveals the Church has been intentionally sacrificing the 'spiritually unfit' in the Footstools to keep the engine running.If the players access the Spire's lowest levels, they find the 'Golden Glove' is actually a series of interlocking, humming metal gears consuming life force.

Rumors

They say the Archon hasn't eaten in months, yet he grows stronger every day.

The bells aren't for Kirlis; they are to keep something deep under the crater from waking up.

A secret tunnel exists behind the Golden Glove tavern that leads to the Spire's vents.

Plot Hooks

The Mason's Plea

Thomas Thorne hires the party to retrieve 'structural records' from a sinking library in the Footstools.

InvestigationThomas Thorne1,500 gold pieces and a set of Mithral tools.

The Silent Note

Sister Maeva begs the party to find out why the Spire's hum has changed frequency, suspecting the Inquisition is preparing a 'purification' ritual.

EspionageSister MaevaAn Amulet of Divine Favor and the Archon's private seal.

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