Kanara

Official flag of the city of Kanara

The city of Kanara is one of the three major city-states of the archipelago. It was previously a monarchy, but following the events of the Battle for Kanara, became a republic headed by an elected council. In the 2370s, between seasons 5 and 6, the island began to shift and sink, until the city itself laid a thousand feet below the ocean's surface, protected by an arcane shield known as the Palisade.

Without access to natural sunlight, the Palisade was eventually fitted with a network of arcane lighting which operates in 6-hour cycles, creating 12-hour "days" (two on and two off cycles in each 24-hour period). Much of the city consequently operates on a biphasic sleeping schedule.

## Island Geography

Before the island's descent, the city of Kanara took up only a very small portion of the island's land area and wasn't the only settlement to be found there, but it was the largest by far, and so the name "Kanara" came to mean both the city and the island as a whole. The city was also home to one of the few places amenable to ships of any real size; most of the island's coastline was comprised of rocky cliffs, with the notable exception of the northern bay. The city was nestled by this bay, extending perhaps halfway around it, and was surrounded by a large stretch of farmland.

The island boasted an impressive range of mountains, impressive particularly given the island's size, in its southern half. Dense forest covered the land from the edge of the cultivated fields to well up the mountains' sides. The mountains regularly saw snow in the winter months, and the summits of the three tallest peaks had permanent glaciers.

Following the island's descent, only the peaks of the mountains remain above sea level. While they still reach elevations to see regular snow, the glaciers have been drastically reduced.

## History

### City of Adventurers

Kanara was founded shortly after the Cataclysm. It's historically been a monarchy; its last king was Pelleas Reginald XIV, colloquially known as King Reggie, whose reign ended with his death in early 2320, at the conclusion of season 2. King Reggie was known as a kind and benevolent monarch and was well-loved by the people.

### Battle for Kanara

*Main article: Battle for Kanara*

As tensions continued to rise between Kairos and Freeport, King Reggie extended an invitation in early 2320 to the leaders and major powers of those cities to host peace talks between them. At the talks, however, King Reggie revealed himself to be a rakshasa, a devil of great power, of unclarified but violent intentions. Although there's been some debate around the topic, it's generally believed that the rakshasa replaced the original King Reggie at some point, rather than the two being one and the same.

A portal to the Nine Hells was established beneath Moonblossom Academy in Kanara, and an invading force of devils streamed forth to occupy the city. Those who could, fled before them.

In the face of this threat, the cities of the archipelago set aside their differences and mustered a martial force to beat back the devils, an endeavor that was ultimately successful, but which came at the cost of many lives and widespread destruction, within the city and across the countryside.

### Reconstruction and Kairosian Imperialism

Following the Battle, a council was quickly formed to govern the city. The original council was composed primarily of the surviving members of King Reggie's advising council, with Zendar Goldmane foremost among them. Orin Sunshine Avakalathi, a former adventurer and veteran of the Battle, joined the council as well.

During this time, Kairos offered their assistance with the reconstruction effort, lending builders, soldiers and guards, even architects with blueprints for new structures. It soon became apparent, however, that their primary interest lay in rebuilding the city in their own image, and they had no intention of removing their people from the city—rather, more Kairosians began entering the city, slowly pushing out Kanaran enterprises with their own.

### Revolution

*Main article: Kanaran Independence Movement*

Among those who recognized what Kairos was doing, a rebel movement grew. In 2321, on the anniversary of the Battle, the city put on a great celebration in honor of Kairosian/Kanaran solidarity. In the midst of this, an unorganized group of Kanaran rebels were in the center of what became a violent protest. A core group of rebels escaped and fled to the nearby mountains, eventually making contact with the goliath tribes there, including the Avakalathi, of whom Sunshine was one.

For many years, the situation remained unchanged, except for Kairos' hold slowly growing stronger. In 2323, at the start of season 3, under pressure of Kairosian anti-adventurer sentiments, Zendar left Kanara, captaining the *SS Guildhall* as it headed toward the continent. Beneath the surface, however, the rebel movement was also gaining traction. Sunshine, along with the help of his sister, Aukan Mourner Avakalathi, kept in contact with a network of rebels within the city, using the fact their home was in the mountains as an excuse to send messages back and forth. In 2327, however, Sunshine passed away. Mourner continued his work as she could, but fell under closer scrutiny and was limited in her actions.

By this point, two people had emerged as the main voices of the rebels: Estebborus Rhogan and Iris Ellimara. Both had been somewhat prominent in the movement previously and were among the group that escaped to the mountains; neither would risk returning to the city themselves for fear of arrest by Kairosian forces. They did, however, have differing opinions on how the rebellion should be handled, with Rhogan stressing peace, making it last, and Iris focused on immediacy, getting Kairos out before the damage was irreparable. The rebel movement divided into two factions along these lines, though they maintained a semi-functional working relationship.

By 2344, the start of season 4, the rebels had seen some success in reclaiming parts of the city, but on the whole were still unorganized, due primarily to poor communication, and the movement was stagnating. Kairosian control, though strict at times, had its benefits. Crime rates had decreased and the city was prospering, even if more of that prosperity than might be liked was falling into Kairosian pockets. It was difficult to maintain support for the movement in the face of this, especially given the potential danger of association with rebels and "disturbers of the peace."

It was around this time that Elias Halliday, an inventor and rebel sympathizer, completed his work on his "*Sending* transceiver," a device capable of receiving and routing multiple *Sendings*. While intended for rebel use, complications arose such that it couldn't be delivered, and the rebels contracted a group of adventurers from New Gork to retrieve it. Once in possession of the transceiver, communications among the various rebel groups was vastly improved, allowing for greater mobility—and greater success—breathing new life into the movement.

In 2350, Kairos officially withdrew from Kanara. Unofficially, their forces lingered for some time yet while the Kanaran government began to solidify into something lasting. By 2360, the situation was considered by most to be resolved, and although the government faced some difficulties over the following years, it was stable by 2371, at the start of season 5.

### Descent

In the 2370s, between seasons 5 and 6, the island began to shift and sink. While the mages of Moonblossom Academy and the more recently established Ozymandias Institute worked to halt the process and protect the city, many fled to higher ground in the mountains, or even entirely away from the island, dispersing throughout the archipelago.

Although they were unable to prevent the island from sinking by nearly a thousand feet, the mages did manage to erect the Palisade, a protective sphere around the city and much of the surrounding farmland, and life within the city continued as normally as it could. Not long after the island sank, ports were created and/or adapted as to allow for travel in and out of Kanara.

Approximately a third of the farmland was lost, displacing nearly 15,000 people. With little besides their land to their names and their livelihoods lost, some struck out into the archipelago to seek their fortunes elsewhere, some followed the fishers to higher ground, but many moved into the city's Fishers' District as the fishers themselves moved into the mountains to remain above sea level in order to continue plying their trade.

The farmers whose land was saved faced struggles of their own: so far beneath the sea, there was barely any natural light. Further work on the Palisade eventually integrated a network of arcane lighting which mostly solved this difficulty, but it was far from perfect.

In the wake of all this, a food shortage was imminent. The severity was combated through a variety of means, including increased fishing and the introduction of kelp farms in the former foothills. A small town of fishers was established near the new shoreline, and others dispersed throughout the lower elevations for farming, logging, and mining.

### City of Lights

Before the lighting was incorporated into the Palisade, individual solutions were attempted by the city's inhabitants. Additional streetlamps were added, streets were decorated with hanging lanterns and bioluminescent plants brought in from the continent, and the younger students of the mage academies who didn't have much to contribute to the Palisade research taught as many people as they could the simpler light-related magics. At some point, fireflies and bioluminescent moths were introduced, and flourished, though their precise origin remains unknown.

When the lighting was finally integrated into the Palisade, the city had already transformed. Even when the barrier dimmed for the night, and the city quietened, it was never silent, strains of music drifting from streets and rooftops, conversations and laughter continuing at all hours.

The temperature was an issue, however. At such depths, and without the light of the sun, the land slowly began to freeze. The Palisade's lighting did much to combat this, but temperatures still plummeted at night. A split day/night cycle was adopted to better regulate this, with 6-hour phases of light and dark (as opposed to the original 12-hour phases), and the city's culture gradually shifted in response, as some maintained former patterns and others adopted biphasic sleep schedules.

### Slime Shielding and the Living Current

*Main article: Living Current*

In the late 2370s, between seasons 5 and 6, Kai/Kaya Evers, a researcher at Moonblossom Academy working on a dissertation on metallic slimes, realized their research could have novel application in addressing many of the Palisade's issues, and they began a new research project that would eventually result in additional slime shielding for the Palisade.

During the course of this project, multiple external issues arose, threatening its progress. The first major interrupt came in the form of deep sea sirens who disrupted the environmental tests of the slime shielding. Not fully sentient, these spirits were discovered to be the remnants of those who had died during and following the city's descent, produced from the potent mixture of their love for their city and their rage at its perceived betrayal.

The environmental tests were ultimately a success, and the project was approved for installation.

The second major issue was a threat not just to the project, but to the city as a whole. In early 2381, toward the conclusion of season 6, a new deep sea current was discovered heading from the continent directly towards Kanara. This current was at first a great boon to the shipping industry, but soon grew in power to dangerous levels, all but destroying the last ship to come off it. The wizard of the same ship claimed the current was somehow alive, and had consumed the ship's arcane protections.

While countless crews worked to deploy the slime shielding across the Palisade, a few adventurers answered the city's call for aid as well, determined to do what they could to hold off the threat while the shielding was put in place. The "current"—an elemental of leviathan proportions, doubtlessly brought to life by the continent's wild magic and now drawn to the well of arcane power maintaining the Palisade—arrived long before the installation was completed, but given it was creature enough to live, and travel, and eat, it was creature enough to be fought and killed.

The sirens appeared again in this encounter, called forth by one of the adventurers who'd faced them before. With their rage assuaged, the sirens turned to the new threat against their beloved city and assisted in the defense against the living current. The current's living form was being maintained by its own well of arcane energy, growing with every bit it consumed. When it was killed, disrupted to a point it couldn't maintain its form, that energy would have spilled forth in a destructive wave were it not for the spirits' final contribution: they absorbed the power, weaving it into the Palisade itself as they, too, vanished.

### City of Spirits

While some fled the impending arrival of the living current, the majority of the population remained in the city, a fact perhaps less surprising in light of the city's descent having occurred within the last decade—those likely to flee already had.

An anxious pall lay over the city in the immediate wake of the threat's revelation, but it was a matter of hours before the people took to the streets again, preparing the city for a festival. With the city's fraught history, it seemed its people were done fearing for the future, whether by choice or simply having gone numb to it. "Surviving such a threat," one citizen said to the adventurers aiding in the defense effort, "will certainly be something to celebrate."

## City Layout

### Temple District

Located at the northernmost end of the city, and the western edge of the bay, the temple district is home to a number of temples, large and small, devoted to wide array of gods. Those of the Dawn War pantheon are most prominent, but many others may be found here.

The Light of Pelor lighthouse stands at the northern end of the district. Originally constructed to warn sailing ships away from the cliffs, it was converted to serve as a beacon to mark the edge of the arcane shield as well as provide light to the district.

There are two main streets that run through the temple district: the Dawn Road, leading through the center of the district from the lighthouse to the Dawn Market, an open square that sees bustling trade when the farmers bring their goods, and the Dusk Road, which runs along the cliffs' edge from the lighthouse most of the way to the main docks, where it turns inland before meeting Moonblossom Market Street.

The Temple Gate is one of the city's two main inland gates and is located a few blocks from the Dawn Market.

### Garden District

Just south of the Temple District, the Garden District is where many of the wealthier citizens make their home. The district boasts a number of large parks and green spaces, lending it its name. The Moonblossom Academy and Museum is located in the Garden District.

### Western Quarter

The "Western Quarter" typically refers to an area between the Garden and Royal districts, along the city wall, but can also be used to mean everything from there extending east to the coast and south to Market Square. Either way, the buildings here tend to be smaller and more cramped as they approach the city's center.

### Royal District

The Royal District is nearly indistinguishable from any other part of the city except for the large park at its center, the largest of any in the city. The King Reggie Memorial Park is the former site of the castle, destroyed in the Battle. The ruins of the castle were left standing for many years following the Battle; a harsh reminder of what the city once had been, and what it had become. It was suspected their remaining was a purposeful Kairosian tactic to vilify the old way of things, and Kairos' withdrawal in 2350 was quickly followed by their destruction and removal. In 2356, the land was dedicated as the Memorial Park. A statue at its center commemorates the Battle, depicting a diverse group of people, in various states of injury or health, arrayed protectively around a central flagpole. The inscription at its base reads: *Dedicated this year of 2356 to the Brave, Adventurous Souls who protected this, Our Home, from the Evil of the Hells. Bruised, Battered, but Never Broken.*

Most of the Royal District was reconstructed following the Battle, and the buildings match the Western Quarter for want of space. A good deal of them also show Kairosian influence in their architecture, though many have gone to great lengths to disguise this, if not to completely remodel it.

### Market Square

The city's hub of commerce, Market Square is a vast, open square beside the main docks. There's always a buzz here, but it's busiest on Saturdays, when the square is filled to bursting with carts and salesmen hawking their wares. The buildings just beside the square are some of the oldest in the city and are noticeably larger than the newer buildings in the city's heart, with wider streets between them. Moonblossom Market Street extends from the square up towards Moonblossom Academy, while Market Street runs south to Market Gate, one of the city's two main inland gates.

The Adventurers' Guild Kanaran headquarters can be found on Moonblossom Market Street, side by side with the main wyvern stables. The stables have a fenced-off landing yard which partially borders Market Square. Only a few wyverns remain in the city after its descent, and are employed primarily in moving particularly heavy loads.

### Main Docks

Kanara's main docks are always busy with merchants coming and going, even after the city's descent, though they now see a steady flow of submarine vessels rather than sailing ships. A high stone wall, matching the inland wall, extends around the port, with two well-guarded gates: the Sea Gate, leading directly to Market Square, and the Eastern Sea Gate, leading to the Warehouse District.

### Warehouse District

Tucked beside the main docks, the Warehouse District is where many merchants store their goods while waiting to ship them out or present them at market. The guard barracks and training grounds can be found at the edge of the Warehouse District, along the dock wall.

### Southern Quarter

Much like the Western Quarter, the Southern Quarter is a sprawling district full of tiny shops and homes.

### Fishers' District

The Fishers' District is located on the eastern end of the city, around the secondary docks. While the main docks are used primarily by merchants shipping goods to and from the city, these secondary docks were used mainly by fishers before the city's descent. The buildings here tend to be less cramped than in the city's center, though it was generally considered a less pleasant part of town—the constant smell of fish didn't tend to help. Most of the fishers have moved to the mountains to remain above sea level, so as to better maintain their livelihood, and the district now houses many of those who lost everything in the descent, as the mages could only shield so much of the surrounding land.

### Fisher's Folly

The city's inland wall extends from the cliffs of the northern shore, south and east around the city, nearly to the bay's shore. An unfortunate error was made in its construction, however, when the plans were misinterpreted to be measured by a different system—one commonly used by fishers of yore to measure boat length, though which has fallen out of use in the modern era—which wasn't caught until the wall was supposedly complete several blocks short of its goal. The project had already used up its budget, and so it was left as it was with the intention of completing it as soon as the funds could be found. As time went on and Kanara saw no trouble from inland, money was repeatedly put towards more urgent matters, and Fisher's Folly, as it came to be known, was eventually accepted as a landmark of the city, and a number of buildings now sprawl past where the wall might've been.

### Outside the City

Colloquially referred to as the SUN, the Structure for Underwater Navigational Insurance and Observation of Palisade Exterior (SUnNIOPE) rests on the ridge that used to form the other arm of the northern bay, where the Kraken War Memorial Lighthouse once stood. The SUN contains an arcane beacon for undersea ship navigation and acts as the primary research base for those studying the Palisade's effects on the surrounding environment.

## Culture

### Day of Spirits

A simultaneous celebration of Kanaran strength and tenacity and a memorial for those no longer living, the Day of Spirits is observed in early May, on the anniversary of the defeat of the living current.

The Palisade lights are left on for a full 12 hours while final preparations are made. Shortly before the end of that span, a parade typically begins in Market Square, led by a giant puppet representing the living current, traveling through the streets to arrive at the gates of Moonblossom Academy just as the lights dim and go out.

At the academy's gates, a group of mages puts on a show of raising the defense. The particulars vary from year to year, but it's come to often feature golden wyvern imagery. With the living current rebuffed but not defeated, and ready to redouble its efforts, the call is put out to the citizens to aid in the city's defense, whereupon the crowd releases as much light as they can manage, through sources mundane and magical alike (lanterns, candles, *Dancing Lights,* and even the release of bioluminescent moths kept for the purpose are common). With this, the current is defeated, and the festivities fall into full swing, the streets flooded with music, dancing, outdoor feasting, and myriad lights.

The Palisade lights remain off for the next 12 hours, providing the best chance to see the occasional aurora borealis effect within its arcane portion, an effect commonly rumored to be the remnants of those who died so that Kanara could continue, especially during the descent and its aftermath.

Various memorials about the city, including the statue in Memorial Park, are often decorated with flowers and candles, other offerings left nearby, and the Moonblossom Museum often sees an uptick in guests in the surrounding days.

## Flag

### Monarchy

#### Symbolism

The wyvern is a symbol of valor and courage, while its gold color represents the glory and prosperity of Kanara. The purple background represents royalty, regality, justice, and temperance; the best the monarchy has to offer. The blue cross stands for loyalty—of citizens to country and country to citizens, both. It represents Kanara's strength in protection of its people and defense against any threats.

### Republic

   Following the fall of the monarchy, an altered flag was seen in various places about the city and was eventually adopted as official.

#### Symbolism

The wyvern remains, a symbol of Kanara's continuing strength and courage in the face of struggle, its gold color representing a brighter, more prosperous future. The former royal purple has been replaced by black as a sign of mourning for King Reggie, a pledge to continue what he began, before the rakshasa, and a silent show of resistance against Kairosian occupancy. The blue cross is now maroon, a stronger, more active color to represent their fortitude and ultimate victory over challenges.

### Rebels

    The modified flag originated in the rebel movement that grew steadily within Kanara after the Battle. It was occasionally seen with the phrase "Peidiwch byth â thorri," meaning "Never broken" in Giant, written along one of the diagonals of the cross.