| Type | City-state |
|---|---|
| Head | The Principate |
Contents
Location
Paladia is founded on a river delta in the basin of the Novis Mountains. The city-state expands from an original island (later called the East Island) and eventually adds a second, engineered landmass (West Island) to accommodate population growth. Beyond the islands, Paladia’s mainland spans from the river shore to the mountain tree line and is dominated by mines and agriculture, with non-commercial land held by the city’s oldest families.
Description
Paladia is defined by its stratospheric architectural climb. The original island has a high northern plateau that slopes down toward the southern tip; the Alchemy Tower is built at the highest point, and the city grows outward until nearly every inch of land is built over.
The city’s vertical growth is supported by extensive skybridges connecting buildings across multiple levels, some narrow corridors, others large enough to hold plazas and gardens dozens of storeys above the ground. As Paladia expands upward, the lower parts of the city become a dark, damp underbelly, where the sky is partially blotted out and disease spreads more easily.
In contrast to the older East Island, the West Island is described as newer and larger, with vast interconnected buildings that vault toward the sky.
Industrial alchemy shapes the modern city’s infrastructure. Ferron steel becomes foundational to Paladia’s ascent: factories, railway lines, motorcars, and the city’s vertical architecture all reflect the industrial boom.
Relevance
Paladia’s economy and political legitimacy depend on alchemy, supported by centuries of accumulated knowledge and access to vital resources, including the lithium-rich mines that underpin modern alchemical industry. The war severely weakens both population and production, leaving Paladia vulnerable despite retaining the scientific foundations that make it strategically valuable. As a result, neighboring powers begin to take a renewed interest in the city-state’s future.
During the war, Paladia is effectively split: the Resistance establishes its headquarters at the Alchemy Institute on the East Island, while the Undying maintain diluted control over the West Island. Because the East Island contains most of the city’s crucial infrastructure, ports, and institutional centers tied to alchemical production, it bears the brunt of the fighting as the Undying attempt to consolidate control.
After the war, Paladia’s survival is shaped as much by perception as by material recovery. The collapse of the Undying removes a major deterrent, but Paladia’s control over critical alchemical resources and expertise complicates efforts by other nations to impose external governance. Lila Bayard is offered ceremonial roles but refuses them, instead insisting on remembrance of the dead and a direct confrontation with the consequences of the war.
Notable Locations
| Alchemy Institute | The Alchemy Institute is a major complex connected to the Alchemy Tower by skybridges and serves as a central hub of Paladian alchemy. During the war, it functions as the Resistance headquarters, giving them a defensible stronghold on the East Island |
|---|---|
| Alchemy Tower | The Alchemy Tower is built on the highest point of Paladia’s original island and is physically connected to surrounding Institute buildings via elevated skybridges. It acts as a defining landmark in the city’s vertical geography. |
| Factory Outpost | The Factory Outpost is a former industrial satellite structure built in the river below Paladia’s hydroelectric dam. Heavily sabotaged and damaged during the war, it is eventually abandoned as too dangerous and strategically insignificant to contest. Parts of the Outpost remain inhabited and are later used for Helena Marino and Kaine Ferron’s bi-weekly meetings. |
| Spirefell | Spirefell is the renowned Ferron estate, built of iron by Urius Ferron. Designed as a celebration of the family’s exceptional resonance, the house’s unique structure also makes it a secure location for holding dangerous prisoners. |
| Solis Splendour | Solis Splendour is the Bayard family’s residence, located on the upper plateau of Paladia’s East Island, not far from the Alchemy Institute. It is one of the few remaining freestanding houses in the city, preserved from before Paladia’s vertical expansion. During the war, Solis Splendour is used as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers, with its large rooms converted to accommodate the injured so that Headquarters does not overflow. |
