[@TheWizardLizard] For immersion purposes and/or World building, I have written up a more in-depth description of I'Zhystana and the surrounding desert. [hider= The Endless Sands of the Forgotten Desert] [img]http://pre12.deviantart.net/cd99/th/pre/i/2015/228/e/e/desert_city_by_jjpeabody-d95wuhl.jpg[/img] The Forgotten Desert was and forever will be a desert. It goes by many names, for it borders many nations like a dried patch of land, in Ancient Elven it is called Qualmanfauglir, in Dwarven Kurz-Gazan, Humans have called it more names throughout the ages than other races, but the common name is the Forgotten Desert. For as long as anyone could remember it was a forsaken place upon the world, a cursed boundary where the kingdoms of old would draw the borders of their nations. There was no value to claim the desert, for it was an inhospitable place, and nothing of value was ever found. Who would send legions to defend a sorry claim? Only a foolish ruler would gaze upon the tides of unforgiving sand and see any potential. Only outcasts live there. Herding and scavenging on the picking the harsh climate offered. Though the sun shone brilliantly upon the sands, and the beautiful sunrises broke through the plateaus of stone, no plants grew and no life survived without water. And as the ancestors knew, the Forgotten Desert had no water to give. Rain never came upon the empty dunes, nor did waters ever rise from the sands, no river it had to claim and locked in by land from all sides. Only by living on the fringe did anyone survive, and yet to push on into the heart of the desert as a journey of discovery. For despite the warm days and cool nights, those who drive on, past the storming sands and chaffing winds, into the heart of this barren place, they may see the splendor that is I'zhystana. Only the well prepared can venture forth in the great city, or anyone who wishes to make the journey by more practical means than traversing a great desert should consider chartering a passage either by magic or caravan into the city. There are even desert-ships which sail through sand like water, catching the winds upon their sails and rolling upon the dunes with their great wheels. But with its crown jewel of I'zhystana, and vessels which travel to and from it like this the Forgotten Desert is no longer quite Forgotten is it? [/hider] [hider= I'Zhystana: The Three Districts] [img]http://pre03.deviantart.net/a1bf/th/pre/i/2015/139/c/4/arrival_by_shenfeic-d8tysrt.jpg[/img] I'Zhystana is built in a labyrinthine arrangement of walls circumscribed into walls with the Palace of the God-King in the middle beside the Oasis of Acrid. The sectors between the three walls serve as districts which tend to offer a particular set of indulgences that dominates the particular area of the metropolis. The Rim, the Rise, and the Royal Districts are named rather aptly for what they offer. [hider= The Rim] The First district, The Rim, welcomes travelers into a taste of carnal delights. Things which can please the senses between brothels and bazaars, if it is to be touched and felt, it can be found in the Rim for the most basic needs of all. The various attractions which are highlights of this district afford the great wealth generated by the city. [hider= I'Zhystana: The Infinite Markets] [img]http://img02.deviantart.net/7cb2/i/2012/272/b/6/visit_to_the_market_by_gillesketting-d5g8j3k.jpg[/img] A series of bazaars which never seems to end, save for when it does at the edge of the second wall. Each tent and stall offers wares ranging from far-flung exotic goods imported from the reaches of the world to local artisanal crafts made by some of the best artificers in the world. And though many hotels and hostels, villas and inns are offered for rent, the marketplace never sleeps in I'Zhystana as coins always trade hands. Common currency is accepted here, however the God-King's benevolence allocates a portion of the city's tax money as a welcome package to new arrivals to encourage economic exchange, along with various other incentives for new merchants to set up shop... [/hider] [hider= I'Zhystana: The Everlasting Spirits] [img]http://orig00.deviantart.net/b6f7/f/2016/054/5/6/majlis_by_anthonyavon-d9sue2i.jpg[/img] Those who which to taste the good life may dine at the various eateries which offer a selection of food and drink as complete as the wares sold in the markets. Exotic delights and compounds strange offered to sample and try, spirits flowing in chalices such that they may never be empty, and plates constantly replaced with more portions of food. It is said that one can tour the entire cuisine of the world in a single plate, or at least by merely walking from one diner into the next in a single city block, and even the dogs may eat as kings here. [/hider] [hider=I'Zhystana: The Eternal Pleasures] [img]http://orig10.deviantart.net/c07c/f/2012/126/a/8/palace_by_cavalieredispade-d4ypd7r.jpg[/img] Ah the fragrant houses for the pleasure of flesh. What lusts can be slaked off here? Man, women, anything really. Whatever the traveler wishes to try and is willing to do. There are even some darker dens which lace their acts with magic to perform unnatural things. But one will find in a place like I'zhystana, there is no such thing as taboo. Such public knowledge of these intimate things are common in city that is said to be everyman's paradise. [/hider] [/hider] [hider= The Rise] The second district, The Rise, caters towards those seeking self-improvement and things which cannot be held by mere arms of flesh. In the second district scholars find libraries to dwell in, warriors find arenas to test themselves, artists find gardens of meditation and inspiration. It serves to channel the productivity of the city, and thus the various attractions of this district afford the great people and status of the city. [hider=I'Zhystana: The Boundless Emporiums] [img]http://img09.deviantart.net/76bc/i/2011/065/a/f/library_by_jungpark-d3b3dng.jpg[/img] Libraries, polytechnics, and institutions of learning dot the sector. Museums and records for those who love the past, books and auditoriums for those who care for the present, and laboratories and guilds for those who look to the future. For those who seek knowledge and wisdom, a day is not enough to take in all the resources available and so many stay to rejoice in the halls as scholars of their own field to ever-increase the reputation of I'zhystana. [/hider] [hider=I'Zhystana: The Forever Gardens] [img]http://pre03.deviantart.net/8a15/th/pre/f/2009/342/6/c/garden_at_blossom_by_deusindaemone.jpg[/img] Where once life did not grow, now it thrives in the city of the desert. Green and lush with beauty in nature, tended carefully by the unnatural hand to appear as natural as can be. It is a tamed beauty to look wild, a source of paradoxes and intrigue for philosophers and artists alike. For it is beauty captured and experienced, but far more beautiful than anything that could be captured. To walk in the growth and stroll lazily through the park, to sleep perchance to dream. The gardens offer tranquility and serenity, a place to lose oneself and to find yourself. [/hider] [hider=I'Zhystana: The Immortal Arenas] [img]http://img08.deviantart.net/f8c4/i/2012/062/0/f/colosseum_by_shin_wolf-d4rmqpv.jpg[/img] And for those who care not for understanding or peace, the arenas shall win their hearts. The blood and battle, the sweat and grime. All of it to entertain the masses of others who wish for sport. Races, fights, and displays of skill, every form of competition to claim victory in exists here. For fame to be renown and sung through the desert winds as the best in I'Zhystana. Who shall claim the title and honor? The Glory is yours to take, to take from the other man unworthy of your mercy. Win and you shall be the subject those painters shall paint and those students shall learn of! [/hider] [/hider] [hider= The Royal] The Third and final district, the Royal district, serves as the residence of the God-King as well as the administrators of the city. It is also within this district that temples are made to the God-king, and of course is home to the sacred Oasis of Acrid and the Palace of the God-King. It is the very heart of the city, from which all forms of regulations and bureaucracy arise. Thus the seat of power of the Forgotten Desert. [hider= The Grand Villas] [img]http://pre06.deviantart.net/51d6/th/pre/f/2010/155/6/d/the_forgotten_sands_concept_3_by_deusindaemone.jpg[/img] The estates of the important citizens of I'Zhystana. Luxury beyond luxury, only those who are chosen by the God-king himself may live in the inner circle. Of course this position is a precarious place to be as others seek to acquire the very same post. Those who live in these villas are often duplicitous sociopaths who are both paranoid to lose their position, and seek to enjoy their elevate status in the public eye. Forming a court of backstabbing bourgeoisie and fiendish friends as part of the elite of I'zhystana. [/hider] [hider= The Grand Temple of the God-King] [img]http://pre09.deviantart.net/2bf9/th/pre/f/2009/342/9/c/sanctuary_by_deusindaemone.jpg[/img] The holy of holies. The God-King's faithful come to worship and praise him throughout the lesser temples built in his glory, but it is the Grand Temple which the God-King himself is said to attend. Inside the sanctum the devout may genuflect and beech the statue of their God-king to fulfill their desires. And if the clergy allow it, hearing the whispers of their Lord, the faithful may ensign themselves and their wish upon a blank scroll that shall serve as a new contract. [/hider] [hider= The Grand Council Chambers] [img]http://img11.deviantart.net/649d/i/2012/137/5/3/throne_room_by_zoriy-d4qp2wi.jpg[/img] The main administrative building for the city of I'Zhystana. New laws are adopted, written, discussed made, regulations, policies, and more. The final process is democratic and each seated member may cast their votes to decide the fate of I'zhystana symbolized by dropping their council rings into the set of scales behind the three seats before them. Though often the Great Seat is empty for the God-King hardly appears to rule on such trivial manners, the Lesser Seats are for the Hands of the God-King who are those who have achieved the highest status of power beneath the God-king. [Hider= The Hands of the God-King] [img]http://orig04.deviantart.net/7320/f/2011/236/6/a/through_a_blood_red_veil_by_davepalumbo-d47quwk.jpg[/img] An interesting pair who keep the city within the God-king's grip. The seated man and the dancing woman depicted are The General and the High-Priestess respectively. Both of the Jaria Clan, the General heads the military enforcement and decrees of the God-King, while the High-Priestess tends to the spiritual adherence and teachings of the God-King. And both are just as twisted as their ruler, for the General seeks to take control of the city from beneath the God-King by careful undermining, and the Priestesss is solely devoted to the worship of the God-King as the greatest fanatic obsession she bears. As such They by in large tend to cancel each other out, with one being rooted in betrayal and the other in devotion. Something which the pleases the God-king as he sits upon his true solitary throne. [/hider] [/hider] [hider= The Throne Room of the God-King] [img]http://img03.deviantart.net/13af/i/2012/068/9/b/throne_room_by_lafemmedart218-d4s9vat.jpg[/img] Here upon the Golden Throne the God-king Sits surrounded by a few guards and consorts as he dines upon his awaiting prey. [/hider] [/hider] [/hider] [@Rune_Alchemist] Well my Desert is central. They are different deserts then. Your desert perhaps a bit more bountiful than mine. Mine is quite literally a wasteland where no life exists as no water existed there before Zhystkrexas made a deal with the Jaria droven inward. Only living on the edge allows a meager form of life, but now in the middle of it all is this bustling city which brings new life to the desert.