Irenpolis

A port city of on the eastern coast of Dythos. Founded in 4E 682 it is also one of the oldest Agothonian colonies on Centras.

Irenpolis is built on the ruins of a once-great fortress from a past civilization. The previous city is believed to have been one in a line of forts that lined the Skiros Cliffs from invasion. Set on on a high coastal hill that could overlook the coastline, old Irenpolis had a great lighthouse built from angel-craft that can be seen for a hundred miles.

After the city was abandoned for reasons unknown, time and erosion began their work. By the time colonists discovered the site sheer cliffs were set up against the city, some of its wall collapsed to form deadly shoals below. Since Irenpolis was built on top of this old city it contends with the same precarious location. Most of the old city remains as tunnels and sewers of Irenpolis, and since these canals run to the very edge of the cliffside they provide Irenpolis with relatively clean and plague-free streets.

By all accounts modern Irenpolis should not exist. The 5 ships that discovered the ruins of the old city in AV 682 knew the sheer cliffs would make an unsolid foundation for a major town, but other concerns outweighed the engineering problems. Upon landing Cerin Lothas, a sickly member of the crew of one of the ships, received a vision while walking the ruins. In it Adel slayed the arch-demon Mithradeth in the Great War. Clues in the vision told that the battle occurred in the old city before the previous owners faded. Priests in Agothos knew of Mithradeth's defeat from angelic proclamation, so the newly re-discovered holy site would not be abandoned. The new settlement was name “Irenpolis”, or “City of Irenia” (an old pronunciation of Iremia).

Though dangerous, the site of Irenpolis offers many advantages. Protected on most sides by a cliff face 600 feet tall and a hillside on the rest, Irenpolis is an unbreakable citadel. No enemy has ever attacked the city, as even the most moronic commander would know attacking the city directly would be futile.

Originally the harbor for the city lay many miles away in Adepolis, but in AV 765 construction on a massive crane system was completed allowing ships to harbor in a network of docks and coves at the cliff base and have their goods and people carried up and down with massive elevator platforms. In AV 833 the first Sovereign of the newly united Dythos recognized Irenpolis's importance by establishing a magi school in the city, and charged the school with re-igniting the crystal lighthouse that towers at the apex of the city. Their efforts succeeded and the Trifegkaris (3rd Moon) Beacon, as it came to be known, completed all the necessary components for Irenpolis to become a large and prosperous trade hub to rival Meryth in the middle colonies. The lighthouse shines brilliant white light and is run by a monastic order known as Anatheto (The light bringers). The monks of this order take shifts causing the crystal to illuminate, and the brightness and direction of the light can be changed at will. During festivals the tower is lit so bright that the festivities can continue as if it were still daylight.

As the city grew, however, the cliffs became more problematic. As the centuries have gone on the cliff side has continued to erode, and several projects to reinforce them have been completed. For this reason much of the cliff face is now artificial with iron supports with carved and painted exteriors. On the inland side the city has grown so that by AV 1200's it boasted 3 layers of walls and over 150,000 residents, becoming the 4th largest city in Dythos (and probably the 2nd most powerful politically). The sight or Irenpolis has become a popular pilgrim and tourist attraction, and the city prides itself as symbolizing the determination and ingenuity of the Dythonian people.

Built on the assumed sight of Adel's triumph over Mithradeth during the Great War the Grand Cathedral was once the largest building in Irenpolis. Now surpassed by the Trifegkaris and the inner citadel, it is still the central building for most civic and religious activities in Irenpolis. It has been rebuilt and renovated many times, the grandest being finished in AV 1182. Being of traditional Eleytherian design, it also includes a large white marble dome and many stained glass murals. The “head” wall faces east and has a large stained glass window that will catch the sunrise, and color the main mural of Adel in a different light pattern depending on the season. The Grand Cathedral also houses the main entrance to the catacombs of the city.