Ilrien, the seat of power. Our scene is laid in the Principalities; successor states which threw off the yoke of a decadent, continent-spanning imperial nation known as the Dread Empire. Quarrelsome since their inception over two- hundred years before, the Principalities have fallen into an uneasy ceasefire after decades of war. None have been more prosperous in the years of relative peace than the city-state of Ilrien. Situated on the coast, with natural deep-water harbors and a history of technical, artistic, and magical innovation, Ilrien is positioned as the greatest city of this or any other age. It is the center of learning, spirituality, art, magic, and romance. Ilrien is also a phenomenally political city. The nobles are constantly engaged in an exceedingly polite civil war. While there are always six leading families among the Esultare, each with their own Prince, there can only be one First Prince. Through careful maneuvering, bribery, manipulation, and murder, the Houses of the Esultare advance their agendas while thwarting their rivals. And so, the Great Game is played. Social sabotage and shadow warfare is waged as the Great Houses court the Houses Minor, the Houses Minor seek to improve their lot, and both manipulate the guilds, the church, and the common folk of Ilrien to rise in favor and gain power and prestige. A Court of Blades, p. 3
Areas of Interest
- The White Road
- The Gilt
- The Coronet
- The Lady’s Own
- The Vine
- The Spindle
- The Rose District
- The Trinket
- The Shores
- The Groan
- The Silent
- Ribelle Foothills