Arayd civilization

Location name: Arayd Citadel

Location: North-East of the Frost Peak, at the small island, positioned south of the small island

Population: Human = 8,000 – Giants = 400 (total population is unknown)

Species inhabiting = Nagas, humans, nekos (giant and human-sized), giants, mermaids, pantaurs, chilotaurs, succubi, angels, etc…

Military power: High

Size (according to size limitations): Maximum limit reached

Economy: Trade, hunting, fishing, crops and livestock

Access: Portals, sea (either ships or carried by friendly giants) air (fliers or harpies)

City bio: Arayd Citadel is, in all senses, a literal fortress. The walls are reinforced with Xythium, but since is the alloy is INCREDIBLY HARD to acquire, it was used mostly on the gates. The walls themselves were created from steel, rock and Tazarin, leading to incredibly resistant walls. Every wall has watch towers and holes on them, which create an intricate system of windows that one can pick to shoot invaders.

Inside the walls, things are surprising: the houses, a complete master piece, built to fit perfectly with one another. Large spaces are used for parks and markets. The residential areas have wide streets where chariots and other vehicles pass through, and the sidewalks are wide enough for two lions, side by side, walk along it. Several fountains and public bathrooms are spread around everywhere for use, and patrols keep everything in check on the streets. Of course, on a densely populated place like Arayd, crime sure is present, with incidents here and there happening. To counter that, the Royal Peace Sentinels were assembled. Highly trained and skilled soldiers who enforce peace around the entire city, using an invention unique to that place: the firelances. Shaped like halberds, these weapons have mana crystals inside them that fire special energy bolts like bullets. The weapon can be loaded with smaller crystals to increase their power. The limit is five crystals, and if fired with this load, the main mana crystal has to cool down before it can fire again. The firelance itself can’t fire very quickly, but compensates with three unique features: the capability to fire a mana bomb similar to a mortar missile; the capacity to compress energy in a single blast, generating a dome-shaped explosion over a small radius, and the most obvious: the infinite ammo they have. Still, wielding one requires coordination to wield the weapon as a gun and as a spear. The soldiers also use small, one-handed blades, shields (which are different from other shields: they are essentially a buckler which the knight puts in his arm, and uses for defense. The shield weights a ton, so training is needed to carry it to battle) and stronger soldiers carry two-handed swords, which are larger and heavier, but compensate for more damage and range. Only the most skilled soldiers can use them.

However, it is not only the RPS that protects the city. They have another type of law enforcement: giants. It took quite some time, but after steady negotiations (which involved tying up the predators so they wouldn’t eat the negotiators), the Araydians (as they are called…yeah, I know, I suck at naming races) became friends with predators around them. This led to an interesting pact: the predators were allowed to come and go from the citadel as they wanted, set down and live there as they wanted, and even help Arayd if they wanted, but with agreements: the Araydians agreed to not interfere with hunts against humans away from the citadel. Simply put: travelers caught from outside the terrain of the city were not under protection from hunts, but Araydian people and people INSIDE the marked terrain of Arayd would not be bothered. Also, they would completely, as the predators mentioned, “Cover their asses, tails, trunks, abdomens, or whatever they had from the waist down” should anything happen involving the giants. A pact they keep until today. One example: when two naga sisters and a neko giantess ate the ambassadors from Negav on their way to Arayd, the Araydians refused to let the Negavians kill the giantesses, so far as shooting down a military boat coming from the city. The tensions rose to such a point that was it not from the intervention the local predators from both sides, war would have broken out. Of course, there are limits to what they protect the predator from. They were never specified, but the Araydians still point: “If someone kills a person and is holding the gun, and actually WANTED to kill that person…may justice be done”

Another agreement was that predators INSIDE the citadel wouldn’t, under ANY condition, eat citizens or innocents. Criminals were out of this agreement, so they were free meals. Considering the amount of people that came to the city and several others passing around their terrain, the giants can’t complain: a comfortable life, free meals when available, and protection. However, they don’t abuse of those advantages. They do that, and they may end up “finding someone bigger in size and hunger”.

The Arayd navy is also something impressive. Their ships are made of Battal Oak and a secret wood which no one knows where it came from. However, they know that the ships can take quite a punishment and punish anyone back with the same force. Stories tell that once, three Araydian ships sailed to the open sea, and returned safely, along with a leviathan as their personal friend. Of course, being a story, not many people believe it. Still, the ships are DEFINETLY real. However, they are only armed when needed. When don’t needed, the ships sail as fast the wind, becoming the fastest trading ships you’ll ever see.

Also, Araydian acomplished one thing other civilizations didn't: fly. Not quite literally, as they didn't got wings at any time. They use machines called planers, a bunch of machines that use adlevite to reduce the gravity around them, combined with boosters to push them and rows that look like wings to stabilize them (something like this http://panthanpress.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/jcm-flier.jpg). The planers are fast and nimble, capable of making several maneuvers, and contain several cannons along their side and front. These batteries can fire at rapid speed, and deal some darn good punishment. They also carry bombs to pelt the ground, but are used more for sea warfare, since the Araydian don't want to damage the sacred ground they consider Felarya. The planers, however, haven't be used to war for generations. They have only been used to transport through dimensions. And to travel that way, four huge magical crystals on top of four towers generate continuous pulses of magic to maintain the portal until the planers go through the portal. These flying ships can survive several enviroments, and also, transverse the dimensional plans with relative ease (WARNING! Flying aboard the planer may generate vomit, nausea, explosive diarrhea, implosive diarrhea... Alright, I'll stop)

Another important fact about Araydians: their magic is quite different from normal magic. Instead of using staffs and wands to cast spells, they use cards. These cards have runes and other marks across them. The cards are infused with elemental powers, so let’s give an example:

When an Araydian warrior pulls a card that looks like a fire card and chants “Element spell! Fire blast!” the card would glow red and will let out several blasts of fire. Using the cards, however, take a great deal of strength. Stronger the card, more strength you need to have. The cards are made on a secret way: no one knows the formula. Every soldier carries a small deck with several cards: offense, defense, healing, ability enhancing… name it.

As many see, Arayd is a great civilization, but still, risks a lot. Being so powerful, they could end up attracting a lot of unwanted attention. Their destiny is blank, so what happens from now on… who knows what fate carries for this militarized civilization?