Illyr

Galatyne Knightwyng

Illyr is a fortified city located at the western end of the mountain range between the Hartwood and the Black Forest in a spur known as the Sentinel Peaks. Rebuilt from the ruins of an ancient culture, Illyr was founded in the second age, year 995, by a group of knights in service to the Goddess Lyfaye who had fled the misguided tyranny of their brethren order across the Westron Sea. The codes and structure of the knightly order have become central to the mission and government of Illyr and its demesnes. Since its founding, Illyr has become the home of a diverse assembly of peoples including humans, elves, dwarves, and a few gnomes and halflings. Originally established as a self-sufficient military stronghold, the knights’ mode of government and unity quickly drew outsiders to their walls. Consequently, Illyr’s population has rapidly expanded to include a host of non-warriors who loyally support the city and her knightly order.

The City

Illyr appears to grow from the rock around and beneath it, melding seamlessly with the surrounding mountains. Grey granite blends upward into the white stone of the city walls and main keep. In bright sunlight, the walls gleam a brilliant white, while at sunset they reflect back a dusky red. At nighttime, the city glows in the moonlight with an almost unearthly light, and, during the twilight and predawn hours, it nearly vanishes into the rock. As a result, Illyr has earned a variety of names among its visitors including ‘City of the Sun’, ‘Fortress of the Light’, and ‘The Vanishing City’.

The city has two main approaches. The Sentinel Highway approaches the city from the west, paralleling the Sentinel Peaks. The River Road approaches Illyr from the south, following the valley and the Ashalann River up from the villages around Maidenstone Lake. An additional approach, the North Track, runs north out of the valley and over the mountains through a series of passes to join up with an old trail that leads through the Hartwood.

The two-tiered city is perched upon a rocky whose summit rises about forty feet above the valley floor. The northeastern edge of the city abuts the sheer cliffs of the Sentinel Peaks while the southwestern walls command a view of the fertile Ashalann Valley. Numerous springs and small streams cascade from the sheer wall of the plateau into a broad ravine at the base of the plateau. Here the streams join together, forming a moat, and flow southwest along the River Road to Maidenstone Lake. Arched bridges span the moat, beyond which the Sentinel and River roads wind up the sheer face of the plateau and over cataracts, entering the walls of the lower city at either the west or the south gates.

The Lower City : The city gates are actually barbicans set slightly below the plateau’s main level so that if they fell to an attack the main walls of the city would still command the inside of the barbicans. Two open backed towers flank the barbicans’ outer gates while massive gatehouses guard the entranceways to the lower city. The city walls themselves rise 20 feet above the edge of the plateau and are 12 feet thick with a shell of rough-cut white granite blocks and a rubble core. Towers, fifty feet tall, break the wall at intervals of approximately a bow shot in length.

Inside the lower city, the streets are paved with grey, white and pink granite. They give the appearance of meandering randomly through the city, but actually follow a strict pattern. The most direct routes are often the narrowest, while the broad avenues wind back and forth throughout the city. The design allows the city guard to move rapidly through the streets while confusing and slowing a hostile invader.

Newcomers to Illyr may it difficult to navigate the lower city, but they will at least be presented with a pleasant view while they find their way. Streets are clean. Gutters and underground sewers are maintained by rotating city personnel, and under Illyrian law every resident is required to maintain the street in front of his or her property. Some neighborhoods and guilds join together to maintain sections of streets. Colorful signs hang from shops and inns. Gardens and fountains are not uncommon sites. Most of the traffic is on foot. Carts and carriages require permits. Horses are permitted, but visitors are encouraged to stable their mounts at their earliest convenience.

Houses and shops are built of the same grey, white and pink stone that paves the roadways. Some remnants of ancient timber structures are being replaced, usually with timber, but occasionally with stone. The buildings are carefully laid out so as to complement each other and make the most of light and shadow. Flying buttresses, colonnades, arches and statuary abound. On closer inspection, rooftops of the taller buildings are flat and surrounded by fluted battlements. These roofs allow city militia to command the high ground with missile weapons. Arched walkways between buildings that at first appear merely aesthetic in nature actually allow for rapid troop movement across the city’s heights.

All of the citisein population of Illyr lives in the lower city, although some businesses run by members of the Order and some serjeants-at-arms barracks are also located there. In many districts, residences are located above shops, but there are a few quarters where businesses or houses stand alone. Warehouses belonging to merchants are also located in the lower city.

The main thoroughfares of the lower city converge on a large central square located in front of the gate to the upper city. The square is frequently home to open air markets and a biannual fair whose purpose is as much that of bringing together different peoples as of making money. Numerous business front the square, which is landscaped with a combination of stonework and greenery. The landscaping, conveniently enough, would seriously hinder moving siege equipment up to the gate to the upper city.

The Upper City : The upper city sits on a low plateau that rises about 15 feet above the lower city. At the base of the plateau is a hand hewn moat in which flows the barest trickle of water. If the lower city falls, floodgates located beneath the city can be closed, allowing the moat to fill with water through numerous cracks and crevices and ultimately overflow into the lower city. Walls and towers of the upper city are identical to those of the lower. A barbican and gatehouse ward the single gateway to the upper city.

The streets of the upper city are arranged in concentric rings with spokes that lead to the Citadel (Cittad de Seine) situated against the cliffs to the northeast. Otherwise the upper city is constructed in much the same manner as the lower city.

Nearly the entire population of the upper city is composed of members of the Illyrian Order, including knights, serjeants-at-arms and artisans. This is primarily for logistical simplicity rather than due to any sense of elitism. The standard of living in the upper city is actually no different, if perhaps more structured, than that found in the lower city. All people - knights, citiseins, and visitors - may move freely between the upper and lower cities, and the gates of the upper city stand open and unguarded at all times during peacetime.

The Cittad de Seine : The Cittad de Seine, or the ‘Citadel of the Sun’, is both Illyr’s fortress and her heart. The Citadel is surrounded by a wall 30 feet tall and 16 feet thick with an interior passage inside it. Powerful towers rise above the wall at regular intervals and an elaborate, tiered gatehouse stands watch over the entrance. The wall encloses a broad ward that is masterfully landscaped to provide for both aesthetics and function. The Citadel itself is built into the rock wall of the cliffs behind it and rises high above the walls of the upper city commanding a view of all Illyr. Spires, towers, and exterior walks protrude from the Citadel as it climbs toward the sky, giving it an organic appearance. Many of the inner chambers are actually housed within the rock behind it. Light is directed into the inner rooms by an ingenious design of shafts and crystals.

The Cittad de Seine is nearly a small city in itself and is the nerve center of the Illyrian Knights. The highest commanders of the Order are housed in the Citadel and all command officers reside here. The paladins also maintain quarters inside the Citadel, although they are rarely used. The Citadel serves as the meeting place for all of the Order Councils and houses the primary chapter house of each of the orders of knights. It serves as a training academy for both warriors and priests and the ward is used as a practice field. A large church is present on the ground floor of the Citadel, and a chapel for each of the recognized religions is maintained within.

The Citadel is also where all the affairs of the city are debated and decided upon. The Marck resides within its walls and the Council of Illyr holds sessions here. Due to the nature of the work conducted at the citadel, access is more restricted than in the rest of the city and the gatehouse is regularly manned. Members of the Order may come and go at will. Citiseins and visitors must obtain passes at either the gatehouse in the upper city or at the Citadel gatehouse in order to gain entrance.

Illyria - Province and Protectorates

In the beginning, the Illyrian Knights were a small group and managed the city much as a monastic community, each individual sharing in the work that needed to be done and returning the proceeds to the group. They occupied only a portion of the upper city and the Citadel. There was no division of property based on class or rank. Everything was held by the order as a whole, with everyone benefiting equally. They soon established a relationship with the nearby towns and villages and became greatly respected for their fair dealings, generosity, courtesy and honor - especially in their encounters with non-human races.

As word of the city’s rebirth and the knights who inhabited it spread, people began appearing at Illyr’s gates. Warriors came seeking entrance into the knightly order, farmers sought to settle on fertile, unoccupied land in the valley below the city, and artisans came looking for a place to set up shop. All had heard rumors of a free city that would welcome anyone regardless of race, gender or class. Most sought a haven. Many came just out of curiosity.

The knights gladly accepted new entrants into the order but quickly saw the potential for Illyr to grow beyond their control. Rather than close their gates, however, they drafted a new form of government. They continued to accept members of all classes into the Order, for as the knighthood grew, so did their need for supplies and equipment. They also allowed the city and the Ashalann Valley to be settled by non-members who were willing to abide by Illyr’s rules and pay an annual tax or rent to the Order in place of service. The warrior knights would remain autonomous, but would share in the control of the city alongside a council whose members would represent the diversity of the city’s inhabitants.

The arrangement proved acceptable to those who wished to settle in and around the city, and Illyr drew its boundaries at the extent of the Ashalann Valley. This included some 80 square leagues of open, arable land and nearly as much forested land. The region below the city soon came to be called Illyria by its inhabitants and neighbors.

Illyr’s new style of government and her apparent prosperity naturally drew the attention of her neighbors. The smaller towns and villages near Illyria petitioned to join what they saw as the new Illyrian city-state. Illyr, however, still shaky on its new political legs and not seeking to add territory to its demesne or hold dominion over others, decided instead to grant the towns the status of protectorates. This status gave the towns military security and limited representation in the Illyrian government while allowing them to maintain their own structure and somewhat separate economy. It also kept Illyr becoming bogged down with the management of a populace that did not necessarily share all of its views.

In exchange for Illyrian support, grants of land were made to Illyr by the protectorates and a tax levied on their commerce. They also agreed to have their militia trained to meet Illyrian standards and function as a unified body under Illyr’s leadership. To this end, Illyr has established granges in the towns for the training of knights and serjeants. Priests also visit the towns on a rotational basis to provide for education and moral guidance. Certain human rights standards are expected to be met by any town petitioning to be a protectorate, among them equal treatment irrespective or race or gender. There are currently five Illyrian protectorates: High Gate, South Gate, Onis, Hamar, and the Maidenstone Villages.

Illyrian Government

Illyr is governed by two chief officers, the Knight-Marshal and the Marck, who share administrative power equally, and a Council. A Klerikos Council also advises the city officials. While many surrounding kingdoms and provinces are run strictly by the wealthy nobility and merchant classes, Illyr maintains equal representation for all within its borders through Council members elected by the people in the region they represent.

The Illyrian People

The founders of Illyr and the majority of her population are the Illyrian Knights. They are an independent order of knights dedicated to the preservation of equality among the races and the establishment of a free city where unity can grow and all people have a voice in government. They are also dedicated to preventing and preparing for a conflict with their Lyfeian forebears. The Illyrian knights are unique in that they run a demesne as opposed to serving its lord.

The Illyrian Knights have held to the basic precepts of skill and conduct on which the Shadow Knights of the Lyfeian Order were founded. Race and gender are not obstacles to becoming an Illyrian Knight. More important are skill at arms or crafts, courage, intelligence, and high moral standards that include loyalty, honesty, courtesy, generosity and mercy. A belief in a higher power is also required to enter the order.

The order is divided into three basic classes: knights, serjeants, and priests. The most elite members of the Illyrian Order are the full knights. Serjeants include those who did not qualify to enter the knighthood, those who wished to serve for only a limited term, and noncombatant contributors to the order. Priests from a variety of religions serve the order. Though most knights and priests follow Lyfaye, members of the order are not required to subscribe to a given religion or publicly profess their religious beliefs.

Illyrian priests come from a variety of religions, races, and genders. The primary purpose of the priest is to minister to the spiritual needs of the Illyrian people and those who come to her seeking aid. The Klerikos Council compises priests from the various religions. There are some outsiders who scorn the emphasis Illyr places on religion, but Illyr has recognized that the spiritual well-being of people is often just as important as their physical health. Beliefs dictate actions and responses to the actions of others. Leadership to guide and shape those beliefs is deemed essential to the unity and peace of Illyr. Religious sects are allowed to conduct their business as they see fit as long as they follow the rules set forth by a council of priests of the various recognized religions.

Some residents of Illyr are not members of either the knightly orders or the serjeant class. These citiseins operate their business or manage their land independent of the Knights of Illyr, but pay taxes or rents in return. These persons may not vote in elections of the Marck, but are represented on the Council of Illyr.

This synopsis of Illyr is but a brief overview of the city and her people. More detailed information can be found in the “Illyrikon.”