Arguna, the silver city. The name was as fitting as it was obvious, as it had been built within the Argu basin and along the Argu river. The city also offered close watch and direct control over the numerous, abundant mines in the area, none more important than the precious silver ore. Though the region had been mined for centuries, the basin showed no signs of exhaustion. That wealth was what had made Arguna the center of Medala's power and House Pluritac the most powerful house of the Twin Isles.
Impatient for his arrival, Corco lifted the curtains of his uncle's palanquin, now painted with the triquetra of his own house. First he saw the handful of warriors he had brought for protection. Back at the traditionalist camp, the prince had left Dedrick behind to look after the rest of his men and to make sure the uncultured mercenary wouldn't create trouble at the court.
For now, Primus would also stay with his father as well. Due to the ban of troops within Arguna, even the Lords' own attendants were limited to two bearers for the palanquin and an additional four for security and advice. In truth, the flimsy safety net made Corco uneasy. Really, he should have been used to it. Since he had spent the last few years on Arcavia with a knife under his pillow, he had plenty of experience with assassinations. However, his knowledge of how dirty people could play to reach their goals only made things worse. It didn't help that at this moment, they were moving into Medala's heart of political intrigue. After they had passed through the enormous inner city walls, they entered the city's inner ring, the spacious noble's quarters.
One step through the enormous stone walls revealed a world far removed from the outside. While the rest of the city with all of it's hustle was a loud, chaotic mess, within the walls one would find an almost eerie calm and cleanliness, as if the apocalypse had happened right after spring cleaning. While the houses outside the walls were built at least partially from stone, many constructions within the city walls were made from wood alone, not only reflecting the influence Chutwa culture had gained among Medala's nobility. Rather, the need to keep the foundries of the city running also meant that any forests within the vicinity had been destroyed long ago. As such, the ability to build a house from wood had bee a sign of wealth.
As if that hadn't been enough for the vain lords, the outer walls of the various mansions were lavishly decorated with carvings, paintings and even silver plating. With how simple and rustic everything away from the main roads looked, one had to look very hard to justify the name 'silver city' outside the walls. In here however, the abundance of decadence on show explained the eagerness of the foreign powers who tried to control his brothers. Many of the estates spent a good portion of their yearly ine only on the literal and figurative facade, of their Arguna mansions, even at the expense of their actual family estate back home, just to show their neighbors that they themselves mattered.
The only indication that this place was, in fact, not some otherworldly realm of purity and splendor was the giant pillar of smoke in the west, where inside the walls, the weapons and armors of the imperial forces would be fashioned. However, the smoke remained the only indication of their existence as the view on the buildings themselves was blocked by the royal plex, an enormous palace with countless structures, towering above the city in all of its opressive might. And the most remarkable ones among its buildings were the two imposing structures which threw long shadows over the entire inner city as they were backed by the evening sun peeking out from beneath the low-hanging clouds.
First was the monumental, rounded ziggurat which was the only pure stone structure of the plex and much older than even the city itself, the Moonlight Ziggurat. Not only was the pyramid ancient, it had been the center of the empire's political and religious power ever since the founding days. It housed the royal temple, royal tomb, the Ancestral Hall and of course, the grand court, where Corco's father had made all important decisions of the empire up until his death.
The party's goal, however wasn't the Moonlight Ziggurat, it was the other massive building. A gigantic fortress built from black stone and bright red wood, positioned next to the Argu River, uninviting and imposing from the outside. Corco however remembered the inside as pleasant and luxurious. No wonder, since the structure was the chosen home of the imperial family, his nominal home.
There, Corco would find his acmodations for the night, but first they would have to make it past the palace gates. Considering their track record so far, he was surprised no underlings had tried to stop them at the inner city wall, so he just hoped their luck would last as his men, taken aback by the marvelous sights on their path, made their way up Yaku Hill, the root of the world.
As they neared the giant double gate, the sound of gongs filled the air. The startled carriers stopped still and almost dropped the palanquin with Corco inside. "It's fine
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