Othery

## Realm of Othery

The flag of Othery. The anchor represents the Navy, the key the city's guilds, and laurel the Imperial throne.

### Adjective

Otherite

Othery is the oldest and largest city in the Accord Lands, and may be the oldest city in the whole of Aeol.

The history of the city is lost in the mists of time, although it is rumoured that people dwelt here even in the First Years. What is known is that Basarab I, the first Kosmokrator, chose Othery as his capital. Basarab's descendants and their successors continued to rule from Othery as their capital, and as the Silent Empire grew, so did the city. By the time of the reign of Basarab XV, Othery was the home to the richest merchants, the wisest scholars, and the most brilliant craftspeople of the whole world.

When the death of the last Emperor threw the Silent Empire into chaos, Othery stood as a key prize for the warring factions seeking to claim the Imperial title, and a tempting target for various bandits, pirates and unmen seeking to take advantage of the chaos. The people of the city petitioned its richest and most influential citizens, who formed a Protectorate Council with the aim of defending the city and the Pale and appointed a Lord Protector. The first Lord Protector not only defended the city, he also took the lead in negotiating the first Treaty of the Accord, ending the Great War. Othery prospered as a small, wealthy and well protected city state. It remains the centre of maritime commerce and is still the cultural and intellectual centre of the Accord Lands. Its navy is second to none and its army is small but well trained and equipped. The collapse of Vortigern lead to Otherite soldiers occupying large parts of the Land of a Thousand Swords and annexing the island of Mordwick, although the Lord Protector declined to formally increase Othery's mainland holdings, instead opting to place Swordlander puppet lords along the borders of the Pale.

Othery became an early centre of the Church of the Inner Sea, and its status as the old Imperial capital meant it was where the second Treaty of the Accord was negotiated, regularising the status of the Church of the Inner Sea. The Church is now the largest religious faith in Othery, with most of the city's richest merchants belonging to it (cynics say this is because the Church does not ask for tithes as zealously as the Archonal Churches, although this is beginning to change). Many people still follow the Archons, particularly Wessling, Archon of Wealth, whose Divine Forge is within Othery's walls.

The explorer Christopher Dove is an Otherite, even though he is formally in the service of the Kingdom of Marlia, and Othery's Imperial Docks are where his grand expeditions have departed from. Many Otherites are anxious to discover what commercial opportunities can be found in the as yet unexploited continent of Tenebrae.

Othery was once home to an infamous dungeon complex known as the Imperial Dungeons, which attracted adventurers from throughout the Accord Lands. The dungeons were eventually cleared out by a famous band of adventurers known as the Guild of Light at the head of a company of warriors calling themselves the Golden Crusade. The dungeons themselves are now of no interest to anybody but academic archaeologists, but even two centuries later, Othery still bears the legacy of this generation of adventurers.

Othery's status at the melting pot of the Silent Empire means that there is no distinctive look to its inhabitants - they can be tall or short, dark or pale, stocky or slim.

The city of Othery is traditionally divided into seven wards, which are listed below.

* The Imperial Docks
* The Grinds
* Elephant and Tower
* Anchor Black
* Badon Hill
* Rotten Row
* Fendahl Town