Atlas

Imarel Travel Guide - by T.A. Saunders ©2010 v1.2
v1.3 David Schneider

Kingdom of Moonfall
(Formerly the Grand Duchy of Brookshire)

Luisellia

The City of Poets
The Seven-Fold City
The City of Cats

‘Oh sweet Luisellia,
Seven-fold city
With seven-fold names
I am lost in you;
I will not look to leave.’

The city of Luisellia was named after the princess Luisellia Antoinette DeBellicose, twin sister to Ilaria DeBellicose and like her twin city, Luisellia is a place of refinement and culture. It is an ancient city that has been steadily growing for centuries. But even before the modern era, Luisellia has existed in the minds of many Shalzaari citizens as a place of near-legendary culture and intrigue. The city has long devoted itself to the development of most arts, boasting the Kingdom's Royal Coliseum, an expensive foundry, and the Royal School of Poetry to promote such things. Budding musicians and those hoping to become bards or playwrights travel from across Imarel to study at the fine schools in Luisellia. The city of Luisellia also houses the Royal School of High Sorcery, which is not affiliated with the Schools of Magic in Tal`Rah but does offer a similar curriculum to those wishing to become Wizards or Seers. The Shei and Sengaardian methods of casting are taught here and strict royal edict prohibits any sort of necromantic or occult tutoring. Along with this fine school, the Royal Library of the Kingdom of Moonfall is located in Luisellia. The city is also known for the prevalence of stray cats which the residents view as a blessing. As such, Luisellia is a city that is relatively clean, safe, and prosperous.

Luisellia is a dense garden city that proudly displays aspects from each era of development. In ancient days, the site where the city was built was a rocky high-ground surrounded by dense Shalzaari woodlands. The high, rocky terrain meant that the city was built in a defensible position that leant itself to insulated neighborhoods developing independently. As the city grew, these neighborhoods grew together to form the city proper. Because of the way that the districts, streets, sidewalks, and paths will fold in on one another, Luisellia is sometimes known as the ‘Seven-Fold City’. Adjacent streets display entirely different architectural styles, possess different identities, and even treat themselves as different mini-neighborhoods unto themselves. The city is divided into four major wards that are surrounded by a wall, with the Royal City, the administrative and cultural center of the city, placed in the middle and at the highest location. In this way, the city of Luisellia resembles a mountain upon approach, surrounded by 50-foot high walls and the center-point that looms in the sky, crowned with the Palace of the Lord-Governor, the Royal Library of the Kingdom of Moonfall, and the famous Five Chapels of Luisellia.

The following is a short description of each of the major neighborhoods within the Seven-Fold City. These descriptions are not complete, and are meant to serve as a helpful primer for the would-be traveler.