Vaduran City

## Description:

Vaduran City is a large, gilded metropolis in the heart of the Kingdom of Nolina, situated amongst hilly plains and constructed by Jugurthen the Final Hierophant as the capital of a new holy Kingdom. In the modern era, having been conquered, attacked, destroyed, razed, and sacked dozens of times, Vaduran City remains the capital of Catollianism, one of the world's largest religions. Vaduran City is considered one of the wealthiest, most resplendent cities on the planet.

### Geography and Climate:

Vaduran City is built amongst the rolling hills and plains of central Nolina. Most of the region within the city's bounds have been artificially flattened to allow for easier and taller construction, as the city's leadership has erected many massive monuments, parks, plazas, and buildings to venerate Jehos and God throughout the city. Vaduran City is among one of the denser cities in the world, built with future constructions in mind.

Like most of Nolina, Vaduran City has a climate akin to the rest of the Mittellan, which is to say a very temperate, warm, and steady climate with cool winters and warm summers. The temperature variation is minimal throughout the year, and the weather tends to be stable and mild.

### Organization:

#### Headquarters: The Palace of Stone, Vaduran City

Due to the City's unique political situation, Vaduran City is considered a Duchy-level entity within the Kingdom of Nolina despite its incredibly small size; however, Vaduran City has never paid any taxes to the Kingdom of Nolina. Elements within Catollianism wish to reclaim the Vaduran's rightful lands and either become completely independent from Nolina or ascend to direct rulership of the entire Kingdom.

As there is no separation of Church and State in Vaduran City, the Vaduran's organizational hierarchy is mostly identical to that of Catollianism as a whole. Vaduran City is the seat of much of Catollianism's globe-spanning influence and power; most importantly, it is the home to the Sacred Seats, a committee of powerful Catollian priests led and overseen by the city-state's monarch, the Piedro, who is considered the mouthpiece of Jehos on earth and the sole leader of all Catollians on the planet. Uniquely, the Piedro is also considered to be the Archbishop of Vaduran City and is its direct diocesan head. The Sacred Seat is itself divided into 5 Tribunals, each of which is responsible for overseeing a branch of the Church: Church Economic, Church Militant, Church Diplomatic, Church Subservient, and the Church Interrogative (Nolinian Inquisition). Each Tribunal is comprised of 3 Cardinals, who sit directly under the Piedro in rank and serve as advisors, judges, legislators, and managers on the Piedro's behalf; in interdepartmental matters, each Tribunal Cardinal is considered equal in rank. Each Tribunal member oversees a large portion of their respective branch; major actions which affect an entire branch require a 2/3 majority vote amongst the Tribunal, although minor matters which fall within a single individual's purview require no vote to pass under normal circumstances, although such measures can be called to vote or vetoed by other Tribunal members or the Piedro. Below the Tribunals sit the other Cardinals, each of whom act as middle-managers within their respective branch. Below each Cardinal are the Bishops who lead groups of lower Priests and oversee more local or facility-wide activities. Priests sit at the next level down, conducting a massive majority of the day-to-day operations. Laypeople are next in line and make up a relative minority among the city's permanent population; while millions of pilgrims visit the city every year, most do not stick around, but some are wealthy enough to live in the city indefinitely despite the large dues they are expected to pay. The final tier on the ladder of authority are the Vaduran's slaves under the Church Subservient. Slaves comprise a massive majority of the city's maintenance workers, sanitation workers, chefs, gardeners, and other more menial and skilled positions which are deemed necessary but unworthy of a priest's time. Slaves are kept in line by the Church Subservient, who guarantee that only the finest, most obedient slaves are allowed to live and work within the city's walls.

Each branch recruits in its own way; however, all members of a branch must be ordained priests. Slaves within the Church Subservient are considered "ordained" servants, akin to alter servers, but do not share the same responsibilities as full priests. Vaduran City is home to the largest seminary and the largest number of seminaries and religious schools in the world, all dedicated to producing clergymen fit to serve within the Church in the name of Jehos and God. The loyalty of these priests is often tested by members of the Inquisition or even their fellow priests as a way to ensure continued loyalty and orthodoxy.

Vaduran City, being a monarchy-within-a-monarchy, has a draconian judicial system and policing system. Criminals are brought before a District's Cardinal or, if it is a major case, a Tribunal of Cardinals, and interrogated before the court; there are no juries, and legal representation is not a guaranteed right. Punishments range from significant "donations" to the Church to torture and execution, often via methods which are considered inhuman by modern standards.

Police services in Vaduran City are provided by the Church Militant, who patrol the streets, police roads and parks/plazas, and defend important locations. The Nolinian Inquisition serves as a secret police force, ensuring orthodoxy is maintained and enforced, and weeding out spies or would-be terrorists before they can do any damage.

#### Districts:

##### The Foundation:

The name used to describe the central area of the city, rumored to be its oldest and most stable. Additionally, The Foundation is also the religious center of the city and serves as the home of The Palace of Stone and similar parks, plazas, cathedrals, churches, temples, museums, etc.

##### The Stone Steps:

The name used for Vaduran City's extensive academic District. It is home to over a dozen seminaries and convents, fitted to house and educate thousands of new clergy every year. Grand experiments and debates of theological grandeur occur behind the closed doors of the institutions which call the Stone Steps home. Named for the "steppingstones" of education, this District is also home to many laboratories and libraries, including some of the world's premier stores of ancient scrolls and manuscripts; however, the oldest and most valuable pieces are contained within the Vaduran Archives beneath The Palace of Stone.

##### The Question Court:

A smaller District south of The Foundation, often nicknamed "The Dungeons" behind closed doors and in whispered tones, which belongs solely to the Nolinian Inquisition. Used as the organization's headquarters, The Question Court is a place of mystery and shadows, of walls that hear and doors that snatch unsuspecting passersby from the alleyways. They say the laypeople that step foot inside The Question Court without invitation do not ever leave. Filled with defensive measures, built to be as obtusely and confusingly as possible, and inhabited by some of the most secretive and dangerous people in the continent, The Question Court is often avoided by any sane individual. Accusations and trials of apostasy, heresy, and similar heinous crimes are held by Inquisitorial Cardinals in The Question Court, where it is said that no one can hear the accused's screams for mercy under the unfathomable tortures of the Nolinian Inquisition. Libraries, forbidden stores of knowledge, hidden laboratories, stashes of weapons and artifacts, massive communication centers to surveil every call, message, letter, and footstep in Vaduran City, etc. are all said to sit somewhere within The Question Court; whether any of this is true or, in fact, Inquisitorial misinformation, has yet to be seen.

##### The Brick & Mortar:

A series of apartment buildings, manors, tenements, and other residential buildings mark the start of The Brick & Mortar, the primary residential District within Vaduran City. Inhabited primarily by the permanent residents of the city, The Brick & Mortar serves as a keystone within the city's ecosystem, housing a massive majority of the population and containing the services required to keep the city functioning.

###### Masons' Street:

A large residential neighborhood, attached to The Brick & Mortar, which houses Vaduran City's slave population. Unlike its free equivalent, Masons' Street is walled-off from the adjacent neighborhoods and kept under constant watch by members of the Church Militant. Slaves are housed in massive tenement buildings, and Church Militant members stand watch on street corners and at roadside checkpoints to prevent strikes, protests, uprisings, or other disturbances that may tarnish the city's reputation.

##### Village of Shrines:

Constructed by the Crusaders after retaking the city from Tabsit rule, the Village of Shrines is a District reserved specifically for visitors, pilgrims, and tourists to Vaduran City. Built to be as luxurious and resplendent as possible, the Village of Shrines is constructed as many main avenues lined with churches, cathedrals, museums, hotels and resorts, restaurants, galleries, museums, displays, statues and plazas, etc. as possible. As with the rest of Vaduran City, the buildings of this District are built with Iconic imagery and patterning to induce religious euphoria, pleasure, and harmony in those that remain in the area for long. The Village of Shrines also has individual shrines or parks dedicated to singular priests, historical figures, martyrs, saints, events, and religious holidays, which pilgrims can visit and dedicate their time in a focused and contemplative manner, separated from figures or aspects of Catollianism that do not concern them at that moment. The attractions and churches in the Village of Shrines are often locked behind mandatory "donations," to ensure that the Vaduran can continue to maintain the area and afford the employees and slaves that man the various buildings and services.

##### Vaduran Catacombs:

Beneath Vaduran City exist the Catacombs, labyrinthine tunnels that worm and wind down, deep below the surface; constructed originally by the pagan founders of the city and rebuilt by Catollian settlers afterwards for reasons undocumented, the Catacombs remain a foreboding and uncomfortable aspect of the city and its history. Access to the Catacombs is strictly limited to high-ranking members of the Church and Nolinian government; no one knows what goes on down there, or why people have been so keenly interested in the area beneath the city for thousands of years.

#### Local Organizations:

1. Sacred Seats
	1. Church Economic
	2. Church Diplomatic
	3. Church Militant
	4. Church Subservient
	5. Nolinian Inquisition
2. [SEMINARIES]

#### Transportation & Infrastructure:

Vaduran City is one of the most-visited cities on the planet. To facilitate this scale of tourism, the city's leadership has provided many means of accessing the city, including numerous roads and highways fitted with high-security gates, railroads both above and below ground, and Airship Docks both within and without the city's walls to provide opportunities for people of all classes and regions to visit.

City infrastructure falls under the branch of the Church Economic, which maintains power facilities, plumbing, telephones/radio/telegram services at all times and hours of the day. Water and food services are rumored to be laced with psychoactive agents and, in some cases, sedatives or stimulants to provide euphoria to tourists of all kinds.

#### Education System:

Vaduran City is considered one of the most well-educated cities in the world, thanks primarily to its position as the large center for religious learning in the world. Vaduran City is home to both the largest and the largest concentration of religious schools on the planet and wields these assets well. These institutions produce some of the most intelligent and capable priests, agents, spies, doctors, advisors, diplomats, and leaders in the world, and at rates that far exceed even most countries. However, the Church hoards this supply of capable individuals; those who attend and graduate from a Vaduran school cannot acquire jobs elsewhere or face the wrath of the Church.

## History:

### Founding & Early Monzian Rule (~500-200 A.J.):

Vaduran City was officially founded by the ancestral inhabitants of the Nolinian Peninsula some time prior to the Empire of Monzia's rapid expansion into the region. Sparse historical documents and archeological digs in the region indicate that nomadic tribes used the area for centuries before anyone chose to make it their permanent home. It was populated sparsely until the Empire of Monzia conquered the region in the early 200's A.J. Monzia established colonies and outposts throughout Nolina's peninsula, using it as a major coast for maritime trade and transport. Recent records indicate that Vaduran City was destroyed by Monzian Legions on their campaign to conquer the Nolinian Peninsula, although Monzian records maintain no knowledge of such a battle or siege.

### Under Monzian Rule (~219 A.J. - 20 D.J.):

Under Monzian Rule, the region of Vaduranus was established for the sake of logistics and bureaucracy. The region was noted for the low quality of its wine, the instability of its local politics, the hostility of its local tribes, and the ominous feeling that permeated the area. The Monzians taxed the area only minimally at first, to encourage settlement and expansion; this paid off, as Vaduran City would be (re)settled by Monzian citizens and local tribesmen in the late 100's A.J. Many locals believed that the site of Vaduran City lied atop an entrance to the Underworld. As trade and increasing political importance drove attention toward the Nolinian Peninsula, the Empire of Monzia established Vaduran City as a major city that did not yet hold any religious or cultural significance.

This increase in population and interest drew malcontents, criminals, dissidents, and rebels to the region as well, drawn in by the promise of rural policing and relaxed taxation. Monzian Legions would dedicate large numbers of men and materiel in the effort to quell local uprisings and settle tribal disputes. This would prove vital in Jehos's later efforts to free the region from Monzian control.

### Kingdom of Jaruhadem (22-44 D.J.):

In 22 D.J., Jehos took up arms against the Empire of Monzia and fought his way across Yazaea, starting with the holy city of Jaruhadem and moving outwards, eventually focusing on the Nolinian Peninsula in 33 D.J. when southward expansion stalled in the face of increasing Monzian efforts. Conquering the Peninsula was a simple matter for the likes of Jehos and his 12 Hierophants.

Upon visiting the freed Vaduran City for the first time, Jehos declared it a place of great importance in a victory speech commemorated in the Libr. Jehos declared the city to be the capital of His territory in the Nolinian Peninsula, ignoring the political pressure from the Monzian-established capital of Mondego, which sat along the interior coast.

It is said that, early in Jehos's rule over the land, He visited Vaduran City on a number of occasions, spending time meditating in its gardens and learning more about the region. His motivations are unknown; however, rumors continue to circulate of Jehos's trips into catacombs deep beneath the old city's ruins. Following Jehos's arrival, Vaduran City lost most of its ominous and foreboding reputation and entered a golden age of its own.

### Fall of Jaruhadem (44-66 D.J.):

When Jehos gave His life at the fort at Madasa in 44 A.J. to save his armies from Monzian invaders, the Kingdom of Jaruhadem was immediately crippled. Having lost its most sacred and capable commander and statesman, the 12 Hierophants retreated and continued to hold off the encroaching Monzian Legions. But it was not enough, and Jaruhadem was razed to the ground by the foreign invaders in ~65 D.J. With the loss of their historic capital and spiritual center, Jugurthen the Final Hierophant retreated to the Nolinian Peninsula with what remained of his men and established the new Kingdom of Nolina in its stead, taking the position of the first Piedro and King.

### Kingdom of Vadura (67-300 D.J.):

During the Nolinian Golden Age, Vaduran City served as the religious capital for Catollianism, which rapidly began spreading across the Nolinian Peninsula and across to foreign lands. Over the span of 100 years, Catollianism clawed its way out of despair, led directly by Jugurthen the Final Hierophant. By the time Jugurthen died, the Catollian Church had all but conquered the Nolinian Peninsula and pushed out or assimilated the pagan faiths which had previously controlled the region. Catollians managed to take the thrones of the splintered petty princedoms and united Nolina once again, as a country which called itself the Kingdom of Vadura, led from **Vaduran City** by the Piedro as a theocracy. Under the first non-Hierophant Piedro, [NAME], the Kingdom of Vadura quickly assumed a warlike and expansionist posture which mirrored their God-King's original actions some century-and-a-half ago. Catollians ruled over Nolina with an iron fist during this period, using Icons and Adjacent Sciences to control and manipulate the populace.

The Kingdom of Vadura, considered the precursor to the Kingdom of Nolina, entered what Nolinian scholars deem the "[REDACTED]," a Golden Age of progress, development, philosophy, culture, and art within Nolina. This Golden Age provided the bulk of the impetus for Nolina's cultural development and was also the time when much of modern Nolina's greatest works of architecture were built, including massive expansions on **Vaduran City** and the style of Nolinian fashion.

### Mubasat Invasion & Rule (361-452 D.J.):

The threat of a budding new religion in Tabsit remained looming over the horizon, which drove Catollianism into another violent posture. Wars with Mubasat rulers broke out across the southern end of the Nolinian Peninsula, slowly threatening Vaduran City. Until, in 361 D.J., Mubasat invaders conquered Vaduran City and put it to the torch, destroying all semblance of its previous Catollian influences in an effort to stamp out its rival faith.

Vaduran City was rebuilt in Tabsit fashion, with great domes and paintings, murals and open-air architecture with grand halls and luscious interiors decorated with the finest textiles. Under the rule of infidels and heretics, Vaduran City came to regain its inherent foreboding reputation as a rebellious, destructive, and politically unstable place; the remnants of Catollianism clung to the city's boundaries desperately, waging guerrilla war from the shadows and catacombs for years following the city's initial surrender. While Catollianism took up temporary lodgings in the Truseauch city of [REMOVED], Catollian warriors and monks waged secret wars against their oppressors.

### Reconquista (453 D.J.):

Vaduran City was destroyed once again, this time by the intense efforts of Truseauch Crusaders attempting to recapture Nolina for Catollianism. The Truseauchs laid siege to the city to take it from the Mubasat invaders; by the time the walls were breached, most of the city's population had died from starvation, disease, poison in the water sources, madness, etc. This left many of the buildings standing, although many more were burned in the chaos and looting that ensued.

Once the Nolinian Peninsula was recaptured, the original Monzian capital city of Mondego was made the political capital of the new Kingdom of Nolina. Vaduran City was reestablished as the headquarters of Catollianism, and over half of the Tabsit architecture and infrastructure was torn down and replaced; some parts, including some parts of The Palace of Stone itself, remained in place on orders of the reigning Piedro, [REMOVED]. This attitude towards Mubasat aesthetics allowed Nolina to maintain those Tabsit influences into the modern day.

[REDACTED]