Ilyrion
Ilyrion (often referred to as the Jewel of the South) is the sprawling, highly advanced capital city located on the southern coast of the continent of Esara on the planet Valaralda. Serving as the political, educational, and cultural heart of elven civilization, it is renowned for its breathtaking integration of nature and high technology.
Geography and Environment
Bounded by the glittering blue waters of the Airon Sea to the east and the harsh, expansive Thesserin Desert to the west, Ilyrion is described as a city of unparalleled beauty. Its architecture is a seamless blend of natural and artificial elements: graceful curves and sharp angles meet sweeping minarets and spindly towers, while sheer glass and slick metal collide with warm wood and rough stone.
The city is built around several massive Prime Trees, with buildings organically wrapping and swooping around the wood. Advanced technology, such as gravitonic engines, allows structures to angle and curve outward in gravity-defying feats of engineering, forming beautiful bridges, parapets, and glass roads that orbit the trees. Elegant aircars and flying leafboats navigate the skies above.
Key districts and landmarks include:
- The Ecological District: The wealthiest area of the city, built around the largest Prime Oak. It houses Turuvoite, an upscale restaurant and underground bar favored by Orym, which features a public telescope on its roof.
- Ilyrion University: The largest educational institution on the planet, featuring advanced research facilities. It is home to the Department of Magical Research (DMR), the Anthropological Society, the Corps of Astronomers, and the Ilyrion Space Agency (ISA) control center for the Ieahanea Telescope.
- Center of Law: The political hub of the city and continent, housing the High Senate.
- Old Town: A seedier, run-down district with broken pavement, graffiti, and a more dangerous atmosphere. It is home to the Atsamirian bar.
Key Events
The Great Awakening
One hundred thousand years ago, during the Year of Awakening, the celestial object Guruthos (Xyclami) arrived in the solar system. In Ilyrion, this triggered the sudden, miraculous growth of the very first Prime Trees, which sprouted hundreds of feet into the air. A junior professor named Aten (later known as Orym) discovered the power of mistweaving by carving a piece of prime maple, becoming the first mage and subsequently founding the Department of Magical Research at Ilyrion University.
The War of Secession
Around 20,016 A.A. (After Awakening), the northern city of Thylmanas attempted to secede from Ilyrion's rule over the continent of Esara. Ilyrion refused to grant them independence, seeking to maintain control over the region's valuable mining resources. Furthermore, a hidden faction within the Ilyrion government secretly pushed for the war, as the resulting casualties would provide a "legal" means to create a massive number of darkprime Trees from the dead. The ensuing ten-year conflict devastated Thylmanas, leading to its ultimate ruin.
The Sending Act
Twenty thousand years prior to the main events of the series, the Ilyrion-based archaeologist Tarathiel presented his research on the impending apocalyptic threat known as the Fall. He successfully convinced the Senate to pass the Sending Act, a desperate plan that utilized gatesending magic to send seven teams of elves to the other Prime Planets to activate an ancient Defense Mechanism. Tarathiel, his wife Alleria, and dozens of other volunteers departed from a Sending platform in the hills north of Ilyrion, sacrificing themselves to create new Prime Trees on other worlds.
The Destruction of Ilyrion
In the modern era, the freed Twins (Velion and Nelenor) arrived in Ilyrion seeking the "Imprisoner" (Orym) who had trapped them in Ambarhal millennia ago. Rampaging through the Ecological District, the god-like beings systematically destroyed the city's Prime Trees and shattered its buildings. Despite the efforts of the returning Prime Mages and the Department of Magical Research, the conflict blasted the center of Ilyrion down to its bedrock, completely annihilating the ancient city.
A New Beginning
Following the deactivation of magic at the end of The Splinter Soul, the surviving elves, led by figures such as the former pirate radio operator Lightning, vowed to rebuild Ilyrion. Though the new city would rely entirely on technology rather than magic, the elves promised that the rebuilt Jewel of the South would be no less beautiful than the city that was lost.