At the base of Crystal Falls lies the Exotic Splendor of this Age, the Enlightened City of Ethangar “ the Jewel of Kalishi Empire". The grandest palace in all of Arkos and home to the Grand Khagan, to whom most other rulers pay at least token homage. The Most high Kalishi loremaster’s library is located in an oasis at the shores of a sacred freshwater ‘sea’ in the center of the endless waste. It is a place of meditation and reverence, a place to which all enlightened are expected to make a pilgrimage sometime in their life. The city is visited by pilgrims from cities and nomad tribes alike, by traders from near and far, by the powerful and the powerless who wish to see the Grand Khagan, by tourists noble and ignoble, by the greedy and the contented, by those who seek adventure and those who create it, those who are looking for a better way of life or another chance…the list is endless. Ethangari_CitiscapeA.jpg

Ethangar, is therefore, a hub in many ways, and its natives reflect this quality. Like the majority of city dwellers, or Al-Ethin, the citizens of Ethangar are mostly sedentary, artisans, craftsmen, merchants, or common laborers. They respect honor, hospitality, family, purity, piety, and Fate. They usually have easier lives than those who dwell in the desert, with enough water, food, and shelter to survive. Yet there are differences between the dwellers of Ethangar and the natives of other cities. As residents of the center of all that comprises the Land of Fate, they tend to be educated and quite cosmopolitan, even in comparison to other Kalishi. They take some well-deserved pride in their city, and it shows.

Serving  as the great northern hub for trade between the Volovik Horde of the Steppe, the Fyris river traders of Valsgärde, and the Catalonian side-wheel paddle steamers which travel from the southwest bringing trade from the distant and Forbidden Middle Kingdoms. Luxury is common and magic is seen a tool rather than a dangerous weapon. The city is home to the House of the Loregiver, the Palace of the Enlightened Throne, and there are many other rare, beautiful, or important buildings, places and people. The people of Ethangar have every right to proud of their shining jewel of a city. Fortunately, most of the city’s inhabitants do not show their pride by turning braggart. Oh, there are arrogant folk, those overwhelmed by hubris for themselves for living in the grandest city in the world, but such folks are rare. Most realize that hubris and the indulgence in it are often punished by the hand of Fate.