Velaris

Velaris is built across a series of steep, rolling hills bordered by the deep-blue Sidra River, which winds through the city and out to the sea. Ships with fixed sails line the river, keeping it navigable throughout the year. At the northern edge of Velaris stands a wall of flat-topped red mountains, with their central and tallest peak carved into the upper levels of the rock to house the House of Wind. Beyond these rise sharper, jagged mountains that form a natural barrier around the city.

The architecture of Velaris includes white marble, warm sandstone, and the same red stone found in the mountains to the north. Many neighborhoods feature rows of townhouses with green copper roofs and white chimneys. Throughout the city are cafés, restaurants, and nightclubs such as Rita’s, many of them warmed by spells during colder months.

Velaris contains four market squares known as Palaces—two on each side of the Sidra. These include the Palace of Thread and Jewels and the Palace of Bone and Salt on the southern bank, and the Palace of Hoof and Leaf on the northern bank. Each square is paved in white stone and framed by Tehran pillars supporting carved, painted buildings with covered walkways beneath their shopfronts.

The city’s most renowned district is the Rainbow of Velaris, its artists’ quarter, located on a hill that slopes directly to the river. This area is filled with brightly painted buildings, housing galleries, supply shops, potters’ workshops, sculpture gardens, and creative studios. It also contains one of Velaris’s five major theaters, marked by a golden dome, as well as additional small theaters and an amphitheater overlooking the sea.