Onstead

Capital of Ilyde, Onstead is the central hub of both Ilyde and the New-Koevania Collective. The city is large and bustling, with skyscrapers nearly 20 stories high near the center of the city.

Description
At the very center of the city is a well-kept and large circular park surrounding the Hall of the Collective. The rest of the city expands from the center, pouring slowly over the rolling plains until the outer farms are few and far between. Directly around the center park are skyscrapers, towering over the Hall of the Collective and the plaza below. The streets are wide so as to not feel claustrophobic, but during the day they are bustling and crowded. Large carts and crowds move through the stone brick streets, while some carts and merchants set up shop on the sides of the road, selling anything you could imagine. You can feel the magical energy in the air like gusts of wind as you walk through the streets. The smell of food is enchanting in the air of this hectic metropolis. At night, the magic is visible to the naked eye. The towering buildings are lit with magic lights in all sorts of colors. Signs for the buildings glow in the night, making the entire city radiate vibrant colors. The towers themselves are mostly housing and offices. Since the city is so densely packed, many people open up their shops within large towers, as buying plots of land is so expensive. At the base of the towers are mostly popular restaurants or large general stores that can generate enough revenue to afford the floor level space, while smaller and more niche shops can be found higher up in the towers and up the flights of stairs. At five points, equidistant from each-other and forming a perfect circle, are five massive religious temples/churches/buildings that break up the architecture of the tall buildings, one for each of the major religions within the countries of the New-Koevania Collective. As you begin to leave the center of the city, the buildings get shorter and the streets get smaller. Closest to the inner ring is the middle ring. While not separated by walls, the drastic change in building height makes them feel distinct. The roads shrink to an average size and the buildings are anywhere from one to four stories. This is mostly a residential district, with lots of normal sized houses. In the northern part of the city, just between the inner ring and the middle ring, is the Arcane Research Lab. Finally, the outer ring is comprised of mostly farms and ranches. Besides the main roads, the paths between homes here are mostly just dirt. Many of the farmers and ranchers here own shops in the center of town, where they can sell their goods.

Geography
Onstead is built primarily in the flat plains, making the outskirts of town ideal for farming. Rolling hills to the South break up the flat horizon of farmland and plains, though the rest is relatively plain. Large, busy roads connect Onstead to it's neighboring cities.

Government
Ilyde is one of the five central pillars of the New-Koevania Collective. Therefore, the country and all of it's city are governed by laws established by the New-Koevania Collective. It is also home to the Hall of the Collective, a central point of the city where ambassadors of each allied country can meet to discuss various policies.

Law & Order
The city guard has a solid foundation here in the capital. There are plenty of guard patrolling the streets on foot or by wagon, keeping an eye on any trouble and commotion that seems to stir. While you're in the city, the guards can be very helpful. Most haven't seen serious combat nor been to war, though perhaps they have had to deal with the occasional criminal. Ilyde has been in a period of peace for a while, and so most of the city guard operate more as a show of order to dissuade criminals from committing crime. The laws established by the New-Koevania Collective are nothing crazy. There is nothing too strict or unusual from what you would expect, and their role is mainly to maintain civility.

Crime
With so many citizens, you would think it would be hard to keep everything under control, but Onstead has a very low crime rate as many criminals find it too much work or not worth the effort to establish organized crime. The risk is too high due to the vast amount of guards within the city. Of course, crime still happens and some criminals organizations have connections here in Onstead, but as far as having an established base, there are none that the guards are aware of. Due to the high cost of living here, there isn't really a poorer area of town which is where criminal activity usually cultivates. Word of mouth says that if you have any business with The Den, you just have to ask around in an inn.

Trade
While Onstead has a large amount of farms around the outskirts of the city, it's main export is actually research. The Arcane Research Lab is a place for magic users, wizards and inventors to experiment and create new advancements in the worlds of both magic and technology, sometimes both. While the Arcane Research Lab is located in Ilyde, anything they discover must be shared with the other nations of the New-Koevania Collective as per the terms of the alliance. In return, the other countries trade their most valuable goods with the people of Ilyde. This creates a mutually beneficial environment that keeps everyone happy and increases the quality of life for every country within the New-Koevania Collective.

Culture
Onstead has a very unique culture compared to the rest of Ilyde. The best way to describe the culture of Onstead is to call it modern. Everything in the city feels new and fresh. The tall buildings and crowded streets create an atmosphere that could even be overwhelming for people who aren't used to such a thing. The food is new and interesting, experimenting with different cuisines to create unique combinations. The building designs are modern: very sleek and clean, even the smaller homes and buildings. On the ground level, magic is used constantly to grab the attention of citizens walking past. Merchants sell small magical knick-knacks, trying to start the newest trend and simplify common life. Even the farms here are magically enhanced, shying away from hard manual labor into a more streamlined process. One thing is clear in Onstead: they are at the forefront of change.

Fashion
Like the culture, fashion is Onstead is very modern, yet simplistic. Clothing favors a sleeker and slimmer look, without too much going on while still looking clean and sophisticated. With such large crowds, it's easy for it all to blend into a blur. And while there are plenty of different races throughout the city, it's hard not to see people as a crowd rather than an individual when they're all dressed similarly. The current trend is wearing primarily dark colors (black, brown, navy, dark gray) on both the torso and legs, then accenting the darkness with a single bright color, complimenting both you and your darker clothes. The color may vary and may be used in multiple parts of the clothing, but it must be the same color and used sparingly to be regarded as fashionable.

Religion
Being a very modern city, many people of Onstead have moved past religion and choose to instead believe in the advancements in technology and magic instead. While the existence of gods is undeniable in both their champions and their religious artifacts, there are some who believe the era of the gods has ended. They instead believe in the era of mankind, and with such rapid developments in technology and magic through research, they believe that mankind will eventually be powerful enough to be seen as the new gods of this world. That being said, Onstead is still home to the 5 major religions of Ilyde, for those who still believe in the ways of old.

Faith of the Five Divines
The most common religion in Ilyde, the Five Divines encompass the more traditional values of the people of Ilyde. Farmers who pray for good harvests, Sailors who pray for good winds, and the like, would all be followers of the Five. The church in Onstead is both massive and always crowded. Devout followers will come in at the dawn of every new day to pray and present offerings, while a majority of people will come in at the dawn of the first day of the new week. The building itself resembles a large church or temple, standing out from the otherwise very modern buildings surrounding it. There are five pillars situated on the outside of the front of the temple, representing each of the five gods in which the religion was founded. Inside the stone temple are 5 huge statues, 2 on each side and one in the back center. There are usually crowds of people on their knees encircling the statues, with a bowl of offerings at the statue's feet. There is a hushed muttering throughout the temple as people pray to their gods, speaking quietly.

Sect of Alesletism
Being the most traditional in values and the old ways, the Sect of Alesletism is a new branch of Alesletism that