Eternal Father
[Image credit goes to bradlyvancamp @ DeviantArt]
Name: Canthar
Classification: Capital City; large
Location: Panatha; Central continent of Kavkruvk, south of the Highlands and the Iron Mountains.
Affiliation: Empire of Panatha; indirectly aligned with the Fringe Confederacy (The Empire of Panatha is a vassal state of the Fringe Confederacy)
Population: 16 million
Demographics: 97% Epicanthix, 2% Human, 1% other
Points of Interest:
- Great Temple: The Great Temple stands tall directly in the center of the great Epicanthix city, and originally served as a place of worship to revere the divines of the Epicanthix, and the great heroes and legends of the past. Now it serves as the administrative hub of the entire city, but is still honored all the same and retains many of the statues and shrines built to honor the gods.
- Holdfast of the Blackblades: This structure is one of the most recent ones to be constructed in Canthar, and is the secondary headquarters of the Pacanth Emperor's personal guard and army, the Blackblades. This building was made to house a large legion of the black-clad soldiers for easy and quick deployment directly into the streets during a state of crisis or martial law.
- Lesser Temples of the Divines: After the Great Temple was transformed into a administrative center, several smaller temples of worship were constructed all around the city. Each temple houses shrines to all of the divine gods, but some have been known to favor a certain god over others, which has led to subtle animosity between the clergy of each temple.
- Blackblade Harbor: Originally known as the Canthar Harbor, the Blackblade Harbor is the largest naval shipyard dedicated to water-vessels on the planet, and was renamed during the reign of Emperor Zambrano. It shares a name with his infamous private army, and most, if not all, of the ships built there are dedicated to ones that would be controlled by the Blackblades. However; none of these ships have been used as of yet, but are always ready to be launched in the event of an uprising.
Description: The capital city of Canthar is one of the greatest architectural achievements of the Epicanthix people, perfectly blending their preferred style of architecture with the surrounding jungle the city was built in. Built upon a small mountain in the middle of a vast jungle the city features several tiers which efficiently separates the various castes and classes of the Epicanthix people, with the barracks and forgeries and their respective inhabitants residing on the lowest tiers (as to be better protect the city from attack), while the shops, civilian homes, and other establishments that deal with things that don't pertain to the defense of the city being up higher on the middle tiers. Finally, the temples and city administration reside on the highest tiers, with the largest structure being the grand temple in the very center of the city which acts as the administrative center for all of Canthar.
Each tier is separated by thick walls of stone and steel, and while their appearance is deceptive due to the very archaic design, the inner workings of each section of the wall is updated to the current galactic standard, at least for this section of the galaxy. Throughout each section of the city, there is an abundance of floral growth as most, if not all, of the buildings within the city are blended with the jungle. Stone intermingles with wood and vine to create the structures the Epicanthix reside in, or do business out of. The only structures not built in this fashion are the temples, the forgeries, and the barracks, the latter two of which are built out of a harsh, black iron that contrasts harshly against the dull white, browns, and greens of the rest of the city.
It is also to be noted that there are no plants around the forgeries and barracks for quite a distance, as they had been cut down and removed for the further expansion of the city's production of weapons and armor. However; unlike the forges and barracks, the temples dedicated to the worship of the Epicanthix deities are surrounded by the jungle, but are simply not built with it. In recent times the practice of godly worship has diminished, but the temples are still a place of solitude and sanctuary for all Epicanthix, but it is to be understood that non-Epicanthix are not permitted entry into any of the temples. The one exception to this rule is the Great Temple situated in the center of the city, which has long cast off its dedication to worship and religion in favor of administration and governing.
The entire eastern front of the city borders the vast blue Great Ocean, and is mostly made up of large harbors and docks to house all of the vessels that come and go daily, as well as large reserve bays to hold the city's defensive flotilla. Thanks to this large ocean front, Canthar is also the largest trading hub for the entire planet, and it is not uncommon to see a constant stream of ships coming in and out of the various harbors throughout the entire day. The city also features a large starport to move goods to and from the orbital space stations that orbit the planet, which is how the planet gets it's otherworldly goods.
History: Before there was Canthar, the land upon which it was built was the territory of the Canthar Clan, which was led by the Warrior-Poet Canthar. Panatha at this time was divided by various warlords and chieftains who fought regularly against themselves, but it would be Canthar who would set out to conquer all other clans, and unite them under one banner to form the first united kingdom of the Epicanthix on Panatha. He was crowned King of the Epicanthix, and a temple to his honor was quickly constructed atop the mountain from which his clan originated, and over the course of centuries more and more would be added around the temple to form a city. They would name this city after the great Warrior-Poet who united all Epicanthix, and long after his passing he would be remembered and worshiped as a demi-god sent down by the divines to unite the people.
For centuries onward the city would expand and expand, eventually reaching the once distant shorelines as the Epicanthix society continue to evolve and grow. It was during this time that the descendant of Canthar, King Achmedius II, was forced to wage a vicious war against his half-brother Varcus, whom had conspired to usurp the throne of Panatha from his brother. This war would last for many years, and the Kingdom that Canthar had worked so hard to create would be divided by hatred and jealousy. The city of Canthar would take a devastating hit towards the end of the war, with most of the city from the shore to the mountain it had been built upon burning in the wake of a seven month siege by Varcus' war-fleet. The siege would eventually be broken, but at a heavy cost.
King Achmedius would perish in the war and be replaced by his daughter, Queen Alecia, who would devote most of her reign to rebuilding the destroyed sections of Canthar, and mending the land around it. It would be Alecia that would devise the new layout of the city, and would move the shops and homes of the people farther up towards the mountain, and build more defensive fortifications and barracks towards the outer ring of the city. However; the city itself would not be rebuilt until after Queen Alecia had passed away, and her work would be completed by her son, Davus. King Davus would also be the individual to re-purpose the Great Temple into an administrative center, and had actually built onto the temple with his own personal quarters and lodging for his servants rather than use a personal villa.
For centuries more the city would relatively remain unchanged, but it suffered some damage during the Four Hundred Year Darkness as the gulag plague struck Panatha. It would suffer further damage in the age of strife that followed, and would not undergo repair until the Sith Lord, Kaine Zambrano, conquered Panatha and the Pacanth Reach and established himself as the Emperor of the Epicanthix. Most of the repairs and renovations went towards militarization of the lower tiers and harbors, but eventually the entire city would be restored to its former glory, and would once again become the booming economic center of Panatha.
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