Arrival at the City of King’s Crest

After a comfortable night spent in the company of Vistani brethren, the party woke to the sad news of Esmeralda’s passing. She had simply drifted off sometime in the night. She had died with a smile on her face. Her old vow had been fulfilled and she had been ready to go. The party left the Vistani to begin their burial rituals for their leader and made their way to the walls of the city. 

There were towering stone walls that stretched in a curve off to the left and right of the group. The little shanty town was miniscule in comparison to just the walls around this city. They approached the gates and were stopped by guards. Kaladrax came forward then and presented his pass into the city. The guards were told the party was with him and they were asked to purchase entrance passes into the city. These were temporary passes while they made their way to the Citizenship Office to make more permanent accommodations. The party walked through the tall iron gates into the outer city.

The entrance led into the merchant quarter of the city. Kaladrax explained the various sections as they walked. To their left was the Lower District, where the poor lived. They were usually indentured servants that were paying off their entrance fee into the city. Many made their way to the safety of King’s Crest by offering their services to a wealthy family willing to pay for their citizenship. The contracts could last anywhere from 5 years to 15. To their right was the Upper District, where the merchants and well to do lived. It was also home to Whistler University, where Kaladrax was a researcher. 

Directly ahead was the Government District, where they were heading to. It housed the Citizenship Office, the courts, and other bureaucratic offices that ran the city. The top most section, the largest, was known as the Royal District. This was where the wealthiest lived. They had sprawling mansions and a giant pond. Kaladrax’s family was in the wine business. Theirs was the number one supplier on the Island. They had a large vineyard and the biggest home.

As they walked on, Kaladrax pointed out a few key landmarks. There was the King’s Crest Grand Theatre with the adjoining Bard School of Lore as well as a few well known taverns. Aleera’s face lit up upon hearing this news. They made their way into the Government District and entered the Citizenship Office. Kaladrax went up to the counter and introduced himself as their sponsor for entrance to the city. With his sponsorship they were able to purchase basic citizenships. This would allow them entrance to this district, the Merchant District of course, and the Lower District. If someone paid more they could gain entry to the upper district and for even more money they could go into the Royal District. 

While everyone else purchased the basic citizenship, Aleera wanted higher access. She was dressed well, in a flowing gown and used her alias to gain citizenship. She was identified as the Countess, Lady Lydi’Aleera Sianodell. She said she was royalty from a far off land on themMainland and had come in search of possible business arrangements with the merchants on the island. She paid for entrance to the Upper District and was able to hold her identity together well enough to fool the clerk. All done, the party headed out into the city again. Kaladrax led the party to the Royal District to meet his family. With his supervision, the rest of the group was allowed into the area. As they cleared the walls they saw the splendor of the Royal District. Large rolling hills stretched off in the distance where they were framed by stone walls. A large body of water glistened in the distance. The homes of the residents stood out in beautiful compliment to the natural surroundings. 

They came upon a large structure of white marble. It had tall pillars holding up terraces and balconies. There were gorgeous, fragrant flowers lining the windows and walkways into the property. People were coming and going everywhere. Some were tending to the grounds while others came to and from the house and fields around the palatial home. Kaladrax was greeted with smiles and waves from the workers. Yells of “Welcome back young master!” rang out every now and then. When the group finally arrived at the entrance, word had already reached of his arrival. Standing there, with arms open and inviting, stood a white dragonborn lady dressed in flowing robes.