Mil Pont is the capital of the Valdarian Empire and was founded c. 10 DCplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigDC

An abbreviation of Diminished Callisae. One of the two time periods tracked by the common Aedelorian calendar. This is a dating method which counts the number of years after the Withering.. It has grown to a present-day population of 150,000 making it one of the largest cities in the world. Denizens of the city are known as pontans and the primary population is humans, elfkin, and elves.

The city is also known as Gydheila's Rest in relation to its deep history with the The Bronze Blood faith, the Valian Bridge concerning its strategic position, and the Bronze Butte for its position on a hill.

People may travel to Mil Pont to see Chateau du Pont, the Temple of the Bronze Blood, the Academy of Magical Arts, or to shop in the largest collection of magical items in the world.

Mil Pont is one of Aedelor's largest cities and the capital of the Valdarian Empire. It sits upon the top of the saddled isthmus that lies between the Valdarian Empire and the untamed Wilds, stretching from its west coast to its east coast. Its position has always allowed it to be an economic powerhouse, controlling much of the trade traffic trying to traverse Valdar west-east.

Mil Pont is centered prominently upon a large hill on the isthmus that links The Wilds with the southern Valian continent. The isthmus is largely saddle-shaped. It meets the Dragonsea in the west and the Storvik Sea in the east, with its highest peak being 850 feet above sea level while being roughly centered between the two coasts. The city enjoys a mostly subtropical climate year-round, with winter becoming slightly more temperate, due in part to its proximity to the lush and humid Wilds to the north, and warm sea breezes from both coasts. Before being settled, the region was lightly forested, with portions of the Wilds extending far enough south onto the isthmus that it would cover modern-day Mil Pont, especially along the coasts.

Mil Pont's city began upon the slopes of the isthmus, with many people settling around the temple built to honour Gydheila's sacrifice. As such, much of the layout and construction of buildings revolved around carving out sections of the slopes to allow for relatively flat buildings. As the city grew this led to a tiered design to the city blocks. Because buildable space was limited, a whole city block could be a single building structure. Demand for living space became high as population booms continued and building complexes were expanded upwards, with some particularly large buildings in the inner city reaching five stories. It is not uncommon for city blocks in the city to be three stories tall.

Along the city's east and west banks and in the city's poorer districts, the buildings are normally no taller than two stories. Mil Pont is one of the best examples of Aurilemian architecture. Their buildings are of sturdy brick construction and are lined with uniform windows. Bronze motifs are frequent, such as window trim, flagpoles, curtains, or other exterior decorations. Blue, green, and muted reds are all common colours to see within an interior in Mil Pont. Homes are often slim but tall, occupying a slice of larger building complexes.

Mil Pont boasts a robust civil infrastructure owing in part to its position as both the provincial and imperial capitals. The city receives funding from not only local taxes but also those of the entire empire. Because of this, Mil Pont can afford to light a significant portion of the city with magical everbright lanterns, which shed a consistent light along all major streets and even most intersections of smaller streets. Everbright lanterns are common in all of the empire's largest cities but appear in Mil Pont in far larger numbers than any other city. All the streets in the city, and most in the suburbs, are stone-paved to aid in the mass transport of goods from coast to coast. Winding paved roads connect West Pont, through the city proper, to East Pont. The city also has man-made canal systems that run from the edges of the city proper down to each coast and empty into the seas. These serve the dual purpose of moving excess waters from rain as well as providing irrigation for the terraced farms between the city proper and each of its port districts. They are fed water not only from the regular rainfall that Mil Pont receives but also via magical means. Water is magically produced in a facility under Chateau du Pont which is then transported around the city via various aqueducts.

Mil Pont has three primary defensive walls. The first wall was built around the temple and its surrounding community, which would go on to become the modern-day Bronze Bailey. When Chateau du Pont was built in 206 DC, an additional wall was constructed around it. A third and final wall was built around much of the upper city as it stood in 390 DC, nine years after the sacking of Mil Pont. The city has grown even more since then and no additional wall has been built around the burgeoning suburbs, or either of the dock districts.

West Pont is the largest port in all of Valdar and among the largest in all of Aedelor, being able to handle a constant influx of trade from many other countries across the seas. The city is also situated in a unique position to facilitate the transport of goods flowing in through the Dragonsea and reshipping it out through the Storvik Sea, or vice versa. This allows for the nations in Ealia or Kamazar to trade with places in southeast or northeast Valdar without lengthy trips around the whole continent. It is also a major hub of immigration within the empire, with most people seeking a new life in Valdar arriving first in Mil Pont. Though East Pont is only a quarter the overall size of its western counterpart, its role is just as vital in the dispersal of goods to northeast and southeast Valia. It also serves as the primary seaport for water travel within the empire and has a larger military presence for the same reason.

As the capital of both the imperial province of Aurileme, as well as the entire Valdarian Empire, the politics of Mil Pont can be convoluted. Though many of the major powers in the empire call Mil Pont their home, the actual task of governing the city falls to the mayor of the city, currently Hannah Hoste. The mayor of Mil Pont is appointed by the magistrate of Aurileme and serves until dismissed, though they may be removed by the Aurilemian magi council. The mayor of Mil Pont has a difficult task. Though their official duties call for them to place the interests of pontans first and foremost, one might find it very difficult to say no to an official request from the emperor. Or the magistrate of Aurileme, or the high magi council, or any other number of powers that might seek to influence Mil Pont. It may be said of the mayor that their true job is a delicate balancing act

As with all of the empire, Mil Pont's law is enforced and carried out by several justicars who call the city home. Auvray Manor, the seat of power for the justicars in the empire, is also located within the city. However, due to Mil Pont's size, justicars alone would never be able to keep the peace. Many justicars in Mil Pont employ additional help, such as investigators and general purpose guardsmen. Further still, the city of Mil Pont itself employs many guardsmen to help with routine peacekeeping.

Mil Pont's economy owes much of its economic success to its position upon the isthmus connecting northern and southern Valdar. Many of the wealthiest people in Mil Pont own companies that facilitate the trade of goods between the west and east coast, or elsewhere in the empire. This requires many labourers to accomplish and accounts for a large portion of the jobs in Mil Pont for the average citizen. Mil Pont imports from and exports to many of the major nations in Aedelor, such as Gilramshyre, Coriani, and the city-states of Kamazar. Most goods ultimately destined for south-eastern Valdar still travel through Mil Pont first. Mil Pont also produces a great deal of glass. Sand is harvested from both the east and west coasts and pot ash is produced nearby, most notably by burning trees from the Wilds to the north. Large, clear glass is a popular piece of Aurilemian architecture, a process taught to them by dragons. Mil Pont produces glass for its own use as well as exporting much of it elsewhere in the empire, and even the world. As the home of a large academy of magical arts, Mil Pont is also the center of many magical innovations. Many magi work in Mil Pont as spellsmiths, though this may range from creating grand and original magical items or simply producing common items over and over again, such as healing potions. Due to this, many imports through Mil Pont are valuable alchemical or magical ingredients which are more abundantly or only available elsewhere in the world. In return, Mil Pont exports magical goods to many other nations that can afford it.

Mil Pont is home to an estimated 150,000 people, making it one of Aedelor's largest cities. Of that population, roughly 140,000 of them live in the city proper upon the hill. The remaining 10,000 are split between the city's east and west dock districts which are within two miles and considered part of the city. West Pont is nearly four times larger than East Pont in this regard. Like most places in the empire, Mil Pont is home to primarily humans. However, as a nexus point for most travel in southeast Valdar, it also acts as an immigration hub and has a diverse population not only in ancestry but also in ethnicity. People from all over the empire move to Mil Pont seeking opportunity and wealth, making it a home of a diverse range of all the ethnicities in the empire. In particular, many Yarans and Duntrians call Mil Pont their home. As well as immigration from within the empire, Mil Pont attracts travellers from all over the greater continent of Valia as well as Ealia. Though they remain a distinct minority, non-Valdarians make up a noteworthy portion of the population. Every ancestry in Aedelor can be found living in Mil Pont.

As the centre of the Bronze Blood faith, the vast majority of pontans are practicing gydhoisplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigGydhois

gɪd.wɑː - Someone who participates in the faith of the Bronze Blood, which is particularly popular in the Valdarian Empire.. Because the Bronze Blood does not prohibit the worship of other deities, there are various temples in the city built by adherents to other faiths. The second largest practicing faith in Mil Pont is The Duality, with all other faiths making up only a small percentage of worship in Mil Pont. It's possible to find at least an altar or statue dedicated to almost every deity in Mil Pont, but none are given quite as much weight or significance as the Temple of the Bronze Blood.

hateau du Pont sits upon the highest point in Mil Pont, atop the tallest hill on the isthmus. It's very near to the center of the city in the Bronze Bailey, with much of the city's development spiraling out around it. The chateau is home to the Emperor, the Archmage, and the Supreme Justicar. Additionally, it is where both the Grand Order of Justicars and the High Magi Council meet for official business. The chateau stands taller than any other building in Mil Pont, watching over all of the city, and can be seen from miles away by approaching ships.

The Mil Pont Academy of Magical Arts is considered to be one of the most prestigious places in all of Aedelor to learn the ways of arcane magic. Colloquially called MAMA, it boasts the largest student body in all of the empire and bright minds from across Aedelor seek acceptance into the academy. Many graduates of MAMA have gone on to become powerful and admired magi in the empire, and even famous adventurers worldwide. It is located in the Upper Ardent ward, just down the road from the western entrance to the Bronze Bailey.

Auvray Manor is located in the Lower Iron Ward. When originally built in 202 DC, the manor was on the outskirts of the city at the time with a large swath of land. Over the centuries, that land was given over to the city by the imperial order. The manor is named after one of the original justicars, Marcel Auvray, who had it built to act as the headquarters for all justicar business. Although the Grand Order of Justicars was moved to the chateau in 325 DC, Aurileme's provincial order continued to operate out of the manor and do so to the present day. Many consider the manor to be home to the justicars.

The Temple of the Bronze Blood is one of the oldest standing buildings in Mil Pont, and even in much of the world. Completed in just 5 DC, it was built upon the very ground where Gydhiela's blood was spilled while fighting green dragons, eventually dying. The temple is the most holy site in the faith of the Bronze Blood and a destination of many pilgrims, both of religious and academic nature. Located in the Bronze Bailey, the temple is built on a prominent outcropping that looks over the Upper Tempered ward, much of the eastern side of the city, and even the Storvik Sea.

Mil Pont has nine wards, though many of these are broken down into even smaller subdistricts. Seven of the nine primary wards make up the city proper upon the hill of the isthmus, and each port on the east and west coasts is a ward as well. The entirety of Mil Pont is considered to be the whole width of the isthmus at its narrowest point, from east to west coast. It is not all urbanized, with some of the land between urban centers being used for terraced farmland. The elevation between coasts is made easily traversable by a well-maintained network of winding roads. The inner city buildings are of primarily stone construction; a light-coloured and hardy stone that is mined from the plateau in the north-east of Aurileme. Most buildings are multiple stories, with apartments arranged in blocks up to five stories tall in the most developed parts of the city. The homes outside the walls are a variety of brick and wood construction, with various levels of quality and repair. The castle is a central figure in the city and can be seen from nearly any vantage point even to the coasts on either side, taller than all else and on higher elevation.

The Bronze Bailey is a walled, innermost ward of the city situated atop some of the highest elevations. It is shadowed only by the Chateau du Pont, which resides within the Bronze Bailey surrounded by its own defensive wall. The Temple of the Bronze Blood, the place which most believe to be the final resting place of Gydhiela, is within this ward and is a large source of tourism. This ward is home to some of the most wealthy and notable people in the city, and even much of the Valdarian Empire. Diplomats, high-ranking magi and justicars, relatives of the imperial family, and some clergy of the Bronze Blood are all likely to be found here.

The ward also contains some of the highest-class shopping available in all of the city. All roads in Mil Pont will eventually lead to the Bronze Bailey and its large plaza outside the chateau's gates. The plaza serves as a staging area for high-class events, a place of gathering for imperial speeches, and even overflow for the temple during busy religious holidays or events.

The area within the city's walls, not including the Bronze Bailey, is divided into three wards: the Ardent, Iron, and Tempered Wards. They are named after the motto of the Valdarian Empire. Each of these wards is also commonly prefixed by either “upper” or “lower” depending on how high on the central hill the district is built. Generally speaking, the upper districts are filled with upper-class residents and homes with more land allotted to them. The lower districts tend to be more middle class where the city's block apartment structure begins to become regular.

• The Ardent Ward is on the west side of the inner city. The Mil Pont Academy of Magical Arts can be found in the Upper Ardent not far from the gates to the Bronze Bailey and built tall among the western slopes of the city. The ward is home to the academy's staff and many other magical services. The Lower Ardent has a large Tarshan community and a large street market inspired by their culture.

• The Iron Ward is on the southeast side of the inner city. The Upper Iron is the largest of the three upper wards with the most flattened land suitable for construction. The Upper Iron has some of the most sought homes with a view of both coasts that is considered one of the best in all the city. The ward is home to many justicars and military families. Auvray Manor, an important landmark for the justicars, is located in the Lower Iron.

• The Tempered Ward is on the northeast side of the inner city. It is the least affluent of all the inner city wards with its populations largely being middle class. The Upper Tempered is considered a blessed place to live by some due to its proximity to the final resting place of Gydhiela. The Lower Tempered is full of a diverse selection of middle-class immigrants and has a wide array of shopping opportunities because of it.

Mil Pont has three wards outside of its outermost wall: the Tail, Wing, and Horn. Generally, they are some of the newest parts of the city although some buildings along the main roads are just as old as those in the inner city. Some of these areas were once smaller communities separate from the city proper, and over time the city's growth has enveloped these communities and incorporated them into its outer wards.

• The Tail is Mil Pont's largest outer ward and is situated along the main road exiting south of the city towards the rest of the Valdarian Empire. Its roads in and out of the city are some of the busiest in the city and the ward is a popular spot for travellers to stay if they cannot afford to do so within the city's inner wards. Many general labourers, craftsmen, and farmers live in the Tail and it has a thriving lower middle class. Several services you would be able to find in the city are also available in the Tail for a lesser cost and quality.

• The Wing is positioned northwest of the city's walls along the road that winds down to the western shore and the West Pont ward. Much of the Wing's real estate along the road downhill is dominated by storage warehouses and industrial buildings. While primarily lower class, it does have a small lower middle-class presence as well. The citizenry in the Wing is mostly farmers, general labourers, and some dock workers.

• The Horn is the slummiest area of the capital city and is in the northeast of the city, outside of the outermost walls. It has seen many economic upticks and downturns in a short period and its development has been unreliable and spotty. It is similar to the Wing in nearly every way, except its disrepair leads to it housing most of the city's poorest citizens. Petty crimes are common here and most would only travel through the Horn to reach East Pont.

Downhill both east and west of the city upon the hill, Mil Pont has two developed port districts hugging the Storvik Sea and Dragonsea respectively. Each of them could rightly be a small town in their own right, both in population size and atmosphere. They both have a much more rural feel than the inner city, even its outer wards. However, the city and the chateau upon the hill which can be seen looming large over each port ward act as a constant reminder that their existence is to serve the capital.

The wards house roughly ten thousand thousand people together, though West Pont is nearly quadruple the size of East Pont. They both house seafarers, fishermen, and dock workers. Both wards are littered with large warehouses and store buildings to accommodate the vast quantities of trade the city oversees. West Pont is significantly more active, accommodating up to 250 ships at a time that may have come from as far away as Gilramshyre. East Pont almost exclusively sees commercial traffic which is bound for up and down the east coast of Valia, and is much less busy because of it.

Mil Pont's origins have deeply religious and magical roots, being the place of Gydhiela's sacrifice and the first temple built for The Bronze Blood. The temple was built in 5 DC as a way to honour The Brightscale by the people of Aurileme who still held her in very high regard and worshipped her blood. The temple became a destination of many pilgrimages of both regular Aurilemians and powerful magi so that they could pay thanks to the dragon who taught them how to use magic.

The traffic to the temple continued to increase year after year, and many people even began settling in the area around the temple. Its position between the Dragonsea and the Storvik Sea made it a lucrative place for traders to facilitate the transport of goods between the two coasts, and its access to the Binding Sea in particular gave Aurilemians easier access to the peoples of Ealia than others in southern and eastern Valia. The city was properly named in 10 DC when the magi council of Aurileme recognized its growth, position, and religious importance as “an invaluable asset to the people of Aurileme.” Growth of the city was initially slow due to concerns that the dragons or the Accursed of the Wilds would return. As this concern faded over the decades, more and more people would settle in the region around the temple, and the traffic through its east and west ports would continue to increase.

After many decades of continued growth, Mil Pont first became more populous than Orroux in 77 DC. For nearly a decade leading up to this, there had been great support for Mil Pont to become the home of the magi council that ruled Aurileme. Popular support wanted their magi leaders to be nearer to Gydheila's resting place and the people were growing increasingly religious. The magi council appeased the growing religious majority by naming Mil Pont the new capital of Aurileme and approving the construction of another academy of magical arts in Mil Pont, which would be mostly completed two years later in 79 DC when it would be officially opened to the public. Work on the academy would continue for many years. Later, when the Valdarian Empire was officially founded in 197 DC, Mil Pont became the capital of the new empire. Construction began on Chateau du Pont, the vast fortress that sits atop the highest hills on the isthmus, and would be completed in 206 DC.

As the empire became engaged in more wars with their neighbours to the south, Mil Pont would play a vital role in helping to pay for those wars and maintain supplies. Situated far from any of the front lines of fighting, Mil Pont was nearly never in danger from the empire's enemies. Through Mil Pont, the empire could continue trading with countries across the sea and even effectively cut off its enemies from that same trade. As a religious, cultural, and financial powerhouse, Mil Pont consistently kept morale high even through the darkest periods of the empire's war-laden history.

For most of its history, Mil Pont has faced very little danger from outside forces. For more than 300 years, it primarily knew peace. When the accursed suddenly began harassing the empire in 325 DC, Mil Pont was on the front lines and presented a real danger to the city for the first time in its existence. The city was the target of raids by the Accursed for years and people began to live in fear of them attacking on a nightly basis. This continued for decades and caused the empire to turn its attention to the Wilds, which it had not done in centuries. The attacks against the city prompted the empire to construct two chateaus north of Mil Pont to act as a buffer between the city and the Wilds. For a while, this was enough to stave off the Accursed and even led to a tentative peace in 355 DC.

In 381 DC, the empire was at war in the south once again and had its attention drawn away from its northern aggressors. Unprompted, an army of accursed moved south towards Mil Pont. They numbered more than ever before and quickly overwhelmed both chateaus north of Mil Pont. On the 36th of Morcyd, the Accursed overran Mil Pont's defences and sacked the city. Tens of thousands of people died in the attack and the city was nearly razed to the ground. The Accursed did not take prisoners, and their primary goal seemed to be to ransack the city's armouries and supplies. The sacking continued for months, during which the Temple of the Bronze Blood and Chateau du Pont were both severely damaged, though not completely destroyed.

Armies and magi returned to the city from the south and drove the accursed back north into the Wilds. The event is credited as a primary factor in causing the empire to withdraw from their ongoing wars in the south at the time, even though they would not officially end their ongoing war for another three years. It would take over a decade for the city to fully recover from the destruction. A new outer wall was built around the city as it stood in 390 DC, and is still the outermost wall in the city today. The event shifted people's opinion of offensive wars at the time. The empire would remain peaceful with its neighbours for many decades afterwards.

The city has continued to grow at a fairly steady pace for the past hundred years and in 525 DC it is one of the largest cities in all of Aedelor. Communities continue to grow outside of the city's walls, as well as along the eastern and western shores of the isthmus. The events of the sacking are mostly faded from people's memories, though the city retains the largest standing army in all of the empire. Today, the city is an economic powerhouse on a world scale and a destination for many wide-eyed adventurers and travellers. It is known wide and far for its size, culture, architecture, and magical inventions.