Wyranth Capital
The Wyranth Capital is the capital city of the Wyranth Empire, serving as the political and military center of Ivan, the Iron Emperor's imperial rule. The city is embedded at the foot of a large mountain, with a desert lying at its edge, a position that rendered it highly defensible by virtue of both its terrain and its distance from the coast.
Description
The Wyranth Capital was characterized by its stone construction: walls and streets alike were laid in stone, and the city's buildings rose to tall, pointed spires. Automatons stood guard at every intersection throughout the city, providing a constant mechanical presence in its streets.
A large mountain loomed directly behind the capital, and the city sat near the edge of a desert. This geography made the city difficult to approach and easy to defend. The capital lacked a dedicated airship landing strip; as a result, airships were required to set down several miles outside the city limits.
The city also contained a prison with a dungeon, used to hold captives of the Wyranth Empire.
The Palace
At the heart of the Wyranth Capital stood the Wyranth Palace, the official residence of Ivan, the Iron Emperor. The palace's entrance was marked by a red carpet and flanked by human soldiers serving as an honor guard. Inside, the palace contained a main reception room featuring a large bookshelf stocked with Ivan's favored historians and philosophers. The palace also housed Ivan's library, a briefing room, and a courtyard. Zaira von Monocle had a familiar room within the palace where she had slept on prior occasions.
Spoiler: The Crystal Conspiracy
This section reveals events from “The Crystal Conspiracy”.
Role in The Steam Knight
In The Steam Knight, the Wyranth Capital's prison became a significant location. Baron Theodore von Monocle was held captive in the city's dungeon, from which he was rescued by James Gentry and Cid. Breaking into the Wyranth Capital and freeing prisoners from its dungeon was subsequently cited among James Gentry's notable accomplishments.
In A History of Rislandia
According to A History of Rislandia, the city known in the novels simply as the Wyranth Capital bears the formal alternate name The Iron Heart, reflecting its status as the empire's spiritual as well as political center.
Name and Character
The sourcebook notes that the city is known officially as "Capital City," a deliberately utilitarian designation that the text characterizes as reflecting the Wyranth Empire's pragmatic nature. The name "The Iron Heart" appears to function as a popular or poetic title rather than an official one.
Location and Geography
According to A History of Rislandia, the city is situated at the base of Devil's Mountain in central Wyranth. This is consistent with the novel-based account on this page's description of a large mountain behind the city, but the sourcebook supplies the mountain's name, which the novels do not.
Founding and History
According to A History of Rislandia, Capital City was founded in Year 73 by southern Atreblan refugees who had rejected Rislandian rule. The city later became the site of the Wyranth Unification in Year 267, when Emperor Tyran the Unifier united the southern city-states. The sourcebook also records that an evolved giant was discovered beneath Devil's Mountain at this location, and that the city subsequently served as the center of the giant's blood serum program. Following the giant's destruction, the city underwent a cultural renaissance.
Population and Districts
According to A History of Rislandia, Capital City has a population of approximately 100,000, making it the largest city in the empire. The sourcebook describes the city as divided into an Imperial District, an Industrial Quarter, a Merchant Quarter, and Residential Districts. Buildings rise to tall, pointed spires, with walls and streets made of stone.
Notable Structures
The sourcebook lists several structures within the city. In addition to the palace (referred to in A History of Rislandia as the Iron Palace rather than the Wyranth Palace), the city contains a Grand Opera House, an Imperial Museum, and a Great Library. The Industrial Quarter houses foundries, forges, factories, and weapons production facilities. The city also contains communal baths fed by geothermal hot springs originating from Devil's Mountain.
Current Conditions
According to A History of Rislandia, at the time of the sourcebook's composition the city is recovering from the war with Rislandia. The giant's blood addiction crisis has been resolved through distribution of anti-serum. The Wyranth Underground Resistance remains active within the city, though weakened, with some cells operating there and Rislandian spies also present. The alliance with Rislandia is described as controversial but accepted as necessary. Industrial production is reported to be at full capacity in response to the Nightmen threat, and the city has been fortified against potential Nightmen invasion. Military parades are held in the city on Emperor's Day, at which Ivan, the Iron Emperor appears before the people.