Aquos

Aquos is the capital of the Laverathian Empire. It is the hometown of Reides.

Description
Aquos is the capital of the Laverathian Empire. It is located in the central area of the Laverathian Basin and is the largest settlement of the empire itself. An active, bustling city, Aquos is very self-sufficient. It is surrounded by a plethora of natural resources which give its residents a high quality of life. For example, due to its relatively close proximity to the Laverathian Hydrothermal Vents, many tradesmen have businesses set up in Aquos, and the vast seaweed fields surrounding the city are very well taken care of. Aquosian scavengers, scouts and hunters are very well-trained, too. Many different Aquosian goods are exported to other Laverathian territories; it is considered the main hub of resources for the rest of the empire.

All Laverathian settlements are assigned a shell in order to bolster a sense of community within that settlement. Aquos’ shell is the conch. This was selected for the capital due to its link to Persana, as the triton creator-god's symbol is also the conch. Buildings around Aquos are decorated with conch insignias, and the shell itself is also used for décor in many Aquosian establishments.

Most of Aquos' population comprises of tritons, but some sea elves and other undersea races have been granted residency as well. It is very rare for a non-triton to settle within Aquos, but those who attained permission to do so are treated without scorn, as they are considered part of the Aquosian people. These are typically people who have shown a great deal of loyalty to the empire, usually in the form of ambassador work or upholding trading treaties with other undersea kingdoms.

Though Aquosians are very loyal to each other, the city itself has a rigid social hierarchy. There is a vast social divide between its nobility and its commoners. The current leadership has made some progress with lessening this divide, but traditional-minded tritons find issue with this. Refined pelagic ore is associated with the upper class. High-ranking members of Aquosian society use the silver-blue metal as décor and as armor.

Members of the Laverathian City Guard are colloquially referred to as Steelfins. The Laverathian Kingsguard are high-ranking guards assigned to protecting the Laverath family. Commoners occasionally refer to the Kingsguard as Silverfins due to their pelagic armor, but it is highly inappropriate to do this to their faces and can result in imprisonment.

Aquos’ pride and joy is the Coralpeak Citadel, which has housed the Laverath family since the empire’s inception.

Coralpeak Citadel
The Coralpeak Citadel houses the royal family of Laverathia. It is a massive, sprawling structure, magnificently decorated and fortified to withstand the harshest of undersea elements.

Known Rooms and Structures of the Citadel


 * The Grand Entrance Hall: A huge open room that one enters upon swimming inside of the Citadel. It is extravagently designed; its sturdy pillars are decorated with tons of shells and mosaics crafted out of colourful glass adorn its walls. The hall leads almost directly to the garden at its far end, which in turn leads towards the throne room. The entrance hall also has spiraling stairwells which lead to various wings of the Citadel, such as one dedicated to its library and another dedicated to its bedrooms.
 * Throne room: The throne room is also a coral reef; as a result, the room is very colourful. It has very high ceiling, held up by several massive, coral-covered pillars. A bridge fashioned out of a shimmering opal-like material connects the room’s entranceway to a series of platforms carved from white stone. Each of these platforms is decorated with gold and pelagic metal, though many of them have melded together with the sea life around the room. The visible patterns upon them give homage to Persana, depicting his symbols in abstract mosaics. The throne is located on the highest of these platforms, which is in the center of the throne room. The midpoint of the throne room's bridge is decorated with a huge emblem of Laverathia - a detailed, swirling conch shell. Beneath the bridge and surrounding the throne itself, one can see an extremely deep chasm which many peaceful sea creatures reside in as well as the coral reef itself. The room is illuminated with bioluminescent lamps. The throne of Aquos grows out from the reef itself. This is symbolic of the harmony between the tritons of Laverathia and the creatures of the sea. A hidden tunnel is located towards the back of the throne room. This tunnel leads out of the Citadel and towards a large ridge to the southwest of Aquos, past the seaweed fields. It is used in emergencies, but members of the royal family (such as Reides and Lotlyn) occasionally use it as a means of sneaking out of the Citadel.
 * Ballrooms: The Citadel has two huge ballrooms which are reserved for formal functions.
 * Bedrooms: Each member of the immediate royal family has a personal bedroom. In regards to the current generation of Laveraths, Khavas and Arlyn share a bedroom, and Reides, Dhudus, Viglis and Lotlyn each have a personal bedroom. During their stay in Aquos, the Pog Champions visited a few of these rooms. Notably, they visited Reides' room, which was very large, with a messy, unmade bed and tons of bookshelves crammed full of tomes as well as scavenged items from shipwrecks. They also visited Dhudus' room, which was significantly more messy, but in a way that implies that its owner has a personal organization system. Well-maintained weapons were hung up on the walls of Dhudus' room. Reides visited Viglis' room, which was very neatly organized with a portion of it dedicated to serving as a study of sorts. There are also a number of bedrooms that are vacant, currently serving as guest rooms.
 * Library: The royal library has the most impressive collection of tomes in Laverathia. Its floors and walls are constructed out of a variety of gray, blue and green stones.
 * Garden: Located in the central area of the Citadel, the royal garden is renown throughout Laverathia. Many rare seaplants and types of coral flourish here. It is open to visitors; many people pass by as they go about their day-to-day business.
 * The Tower: The most isolated tower on the outskirts of the Coral Citadel. A small bridge leads out of the main palace towards this tower. It has one huge door which locks from the outside. Inside, it has chains on its walls. Reides was imprisoned in this tower in 597 for a number of weeks due to his request to go to the surface world. He was freed by Lotlyn and Viglis. In 598, Lotlyn was imprisoned here by Kal’dazzum and Ryl'dhagt of the Abyss. The Pog Champions broke the door down, freeing her. Reides later told Arlyn that they should just level the tower. However, he soon learnt that the tower had more functionality than a simple prison cell. A secret lower level of this tower served as a very important safehouse for a variety of Khavas' treasures, accessible only by pressing a specific flagstone at the tower's base. These treasures included the Wreath of Persana and Aquos' teleportation circle. After learning of this, Reides admitted that they couldn't tear down the tower, but suggested that they turn the prison cell into something nicer.

Map
(We can delete this section if there's no map to post- I am simply basing this on the CritRole wiki's layout lol)

History
Aquos has been the capital of Laverathia since the empire formed.

Siege of Coralpeak Citadel
Winter's Dawn 9 598.

Known Residents

 * Arlyn Laverath
 * Dharsus
 * Dhudus Laverath
 * Kannen
 * Kanom
 * Khavas Laverath
 * Lotlyn Laverath
 * Reides (currently elsewhere)
 * Viglis Laverath