Cydonya

Cydonya, Capital City of the Titan Queen's Empire of the Seven Sands.

Landscape

Located as it is in the Desert of Zjen, Cydonya is victim to the unrelenting sun and heat.

Cydonya is a city of wide open spaces, open air markets and gigantic courtyards. The buildings are all built to accommodate Donya’s immense size, with the added effect of intimidating visiting dignitaries.

To the north of Cydonya lie the Helkeishan Canyons and the Red Crane River. To the east and south lies the city of Zjenahd and the lands of the Zjenithi tribes.

History

As a nation, Cydonya is extremely militaristic. It houses the Knights of Cydonya, an elite fighting force which promotes Donya's interests around the world. The nation shares a long-standing rivalry with Wall to the East and Bosemya to the North.

Cydonya was at one time, several smaller fortified areas housing specific groups constantly at war over territories, landmarks, and philosophy. In the north, closer to Tenebra, several of the groups touted Entropist philosophy, while in the south, the Naturalists held sway. Throughout all regions, slow interest in the Industrialist movement gained momentum until an all out war of belief took hold of the nation. It was during this bout of chaos that the Titaness Queen Donya came to power.

Lady Donya came to the area from the islands far to the west. Settling in the area which is now her namesake, she slowly carved a niche (a rather large one, at that) for herself running a shipping company on the coast and maintaining a spy and informant network within the city and abroad. When the border township of Theos succumbed to the Soapbox Riots and was taken over, Donya herself strode out into the streets to do battle, clad in magnificent armor and wielding spear and shield. After the battle was over, she proclaimed herself Queen of Theos atop the towering mound of corpses she had created. One by one she took advantage of the unrest in the other city-states using her network of spies and loyalists who tired of the constant street violence, and when each nation either launched or received an assault against/from Donya, each fell to her might.

The last great battle of that time that Donya launched was against the city of Wall, armored behind their towering ramparts. Donya believed that even the great wall could not withstand her might, but she was mistaken. The keen tactical minds of the Waller generals out-manuevered her, pinning her and her armies against the ramparts. When the Titan Queen would not surrender, she was hit with repeated barrages of catapults and ballistas until she collapsed atop her own troops, breaking their ranks and morale. Her remaining generals surrendered and the price of their peace was a limitation on military strength and that a large portion of the Cydonyan fighting force be traded to Wall, including Donya's own son, the half-titan Drek. He serves as Ward of the Wall and proof against Donya's attempts at conquest.

Now, the region swears fealty (pretended or earnest) to the Queen Donya, who rules the land from her home city of Cydonya (named after herself). After her coronation as Queen, Donya set down the Queen's Edicts. Firstly, no citizen living in a city under the protection of her grace, Queen Donya, may have hair of any color but black, white, or grey. Citizens may neither have hair longer than that of the Queen. Citizens may feel free to shave their heads. Secondly, Cydonyans may not be clad in any garment or ornament of any color but black, grey, silver, white, or ivory. Lastly, failing to comply with the Queen's Edicts will result in heavy fines, incarceration, disfigurement or death.

Since the Queen's Edicts, the land of Cydonya has conformed to the Titaness' wishes, though they exploit the loopholes of the law to their advantage. Art is held in high regard, and the more colorful the piece, the better. Home decoration is also respected and used as a means of impressing others. One of the most accepted ways of making ones self more attractive is to pay for artfully done tattoos.

The luxury of showing the beauty of color is reserved only for Donya, though she bestows the privilege on some of her most high-ranking officials. As such there is great demand for colorless jewels in Cydonya, as well as black dyes.

Landmarks

• Theos, a border fort

Notable Persons

• Donya
• Iden Blott
• Knights of Cydonya
• Morficio Thanortall, the Minotaur of Cydonya
• Dray-Kar