Estra

Estra was a floating island roughly the size of Manhattan.​​ Its fall was the catalyst of the Guardian's journey.

## History

It is said that the Goddess  drew on the power of the Beast gods; the wolf, Fenrir, the deer, Cernunnus  and the crow, Muninn. She lifted Estra into the sky to shield the surviving mortals from the devastating war of the gods which utterly destroyed the world below. Estra floated, isolated for thousands of years, protected by the Goddess and her power as she reincarnated herself into the bodies of her daughters.​​

As the Beast gods died, a single champion from each of their clan's was chosen to protect the Goddess in each reincarnation. Over time, the role of the Guardians became more symbolic than actually necessary.

Due to the Goddess’ protective barrier, nothing could enter the Estra without being summoned, including gods. A perpetual layer of cloud hid the world below from the view of the Estran people.

## Geography

### The City

The Estran city was built around the circumference of the island in order to preserve as much of the Great Forest as possible.

Due to the limited land space on Estra, the city was primarily built upwards rather than in. Although the streets were narrow and small, buildings rose to a soaring height and were built out of white polished stone, with beautiful blue-glass windows. The different levels of the buildings allowed for districts to form at different tiers.

The rooftops served as gardens and parks, the mid-level rooms were residential homes and the lower and ground levels were the places of business. The multi-layered nature of the city was accommodated by the floating carriages and their altering levels of traffic.​​

There is shown to be a great range of professions in Estra; when the Guardians accompany the Goddess to attend the to organisation of the Festival of Lights they visit the Bards College, a textiles shop, a cuisine catering business and The Magician's Workshop which specialised in practical special effects.

### The Great Forest

When Estra was initially raised, the Great Forest covered the island entirely. In modern Estra, much of the forest has been taken over by the growth of the Estran city, with only the Clans of the Beast Gods and the Goddess' Forest Temple residing in it.

## Notable Locations

### The City Temple

The City Temple was built within a complex of buildings, with a central square area connecting them. Of all the buildings of Estra, the Temple was most grand. Gold-leaf domes topped its towers and gilded ivory gates guarded the square it was housed in.​​

The City Temple was built in response to the growth of the Estran city. Situated on a northern outcropping of the island, it was intended to keep the Goddess connected to the majority of her people, and as such the Forest Temple simply fell out of use.​​

The City Temple square was also the location of the ceremony of the Festival of Lights.

### The Library

The temple library was an eleven-story tower built and furnished with the same white stone and blue windows as the rest of the city. On the roof of the tower, there was a courtyard and a rooftop garden, making the roof extend into a ladle shape.

There was a double door entrance at the bottom and a skylight at the very top, with ringed stories of crammed bookshelves leading upwards.The library was meticulously cared for and organised by the Librarians (specifically trained Attendants), with the aid of Wisps.

Every book ever published on Estra was housed here, making it a great wealth of knowledge.

### The Barracks

Located directly opposite of the Temple palace, the Barracks are the place in which the Temple guards sleep, train and work. It is described as looking like the inside of a police precinct. Towards the back of the barracks, there is a training courtyard out fitted with practice dummies and archery butts for the rookie guards. Located beneath the barracks were around 50 holding cells.

### The Undertemple

The Undertemple was originally a natural cave that rose with Estra, but was later discovered and converted into a prison for the Vessel of Vioni in the year 1032. It had been uninhabited for over a thousand years by the time the Guardians explored it.

Built under the City Temple, it was a massive stone cavern with a large hole in the floor leading directly into open air. When the Guardians and Maeri found it, the remains of the chains that held the Vessel were bolted to the ceiling and there was a trail of claw marks gorged into the stone that lead from the mouth of the hole to over the edge onto the top of Estra.

### The Forest Temple

Located at the direct center of the Great Forest, the Forest Temple was the original dwelling of the Goddess, where she held her ceremonies and took her audiences. Through the passage of time it had fallen out of fashion and was a place where the upper clergy sent the attendants they didn’t like.

Although the attendants sent there were tasked with keeping it maintained, the Temple was covered in ivy, and birds could be seen flying in and out of the upper levels. The ancient Temple had a looming tower and many puzzle rooms located beneath it's main levels.

The main purpose of the Forest Temple in modern Estra was to serve as the place that the Guardian trials took place, as was tradition. Hence the very dangerous puzzle rooms. The Temple also demonstrated Estra's architects fondness for spiral staircases, as one emerged from the floor when the Guardians had finished their trial.

## Religion

The people of Estra were wholly devoted to the Goddess. However, people were often divided into one of three clans, each representative of one of the Beast gods. Worship of deities other than the Goddess simply was not done.

Attendants at the Temple would wear veils that represented one of the Beast gods. Although these veils were common, they were less of a religious garment and more of a work uniform.

## Population

Due to the two thousand years of isolation, the distinct features of the different races are less defined on Estra than in Avelis. There are many characters of dual heritage, and there does not appear to be any natural divides as to where different races live or work.

One major difference to the physiology of the races on Estra is that Estran tieflings do not have wings.

Although magic is extremely prevalent on Estra, races such as genasi are still a rarity, which means Fran was an anomaly both on Estra and in Avelis.

The people of Estra spoke Old Common.

## References

1. ↑  03. Festival of Lights (Part 3) at 40:49
2. ↑ 01. Festival of Lights (Part 1) at 5:40
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 03. Festival of Lights (Part 3) at 39:00
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1  03. Festival of Lights (Part 3) at 39:00 41:00
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 03. Festival of Lights (Part 3) at 41:27-42:23