Inner Kingdoms

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Caledor the Conqueror leads the relief of Griffon Gate.

Eataine As the realm from which the current Phoenix King comes Eataine (pronounced Ay-a-tain) is considered first among the Kingdoms.  However Eataine is simply the hinterland of the vast city-state of Lothern.  Its lands are dotted with vineyards, villas and summer estates to which the noble families of the city retire.  The city is the real centre of power and source of Eataine's prosperity.  It is one of the wonders of the known world and no-one who has ever visited it can forget it. Approaching Lothern the first thing a mariner sees is the Glittering Tower, a great lighthouse filled with thousands of lamps, situated on a rocky isle in the mouth of techerous waters of the Straits of Lothern.  This titanic fortress guards the approach to the Emerald Gate, the first sea-gate of Lothern.  Any attackers approaching the Emerad Gate can easily be caught in a crossfire between the great war engines in the Glittering Tower and those on the gate.  The sight of these great bastions gives any would-be attacker just pause for thought. Guided by an Ulthuan pilot the ship then passes through the Emerald Gate, a great fortifies arch filled with war machines and the cloaked spearment and archers of the Lothern Sea Guard.  Two gigantic valves of carved bronze set with monstrous emeralds bar the way but as the ship approaches they smoothly swing back through the churning waters to reveal the straits of Lothern.  The craft passes down a wide channel between sheer cliffs lined wit castles, ramparts and defences, before passing trough the second portal, a gate of shining silver set with sapphires the size of a man's head.  Beyond the Sapphire Gate lies a huge lagoon ringed around with shining towers of Lothern.  The city fans upwards from the coast, its white towers climbing gracefully into the foothills of the distant mountains.  bobbing at anchor are thousands of vessels ranging from the trading ships of merchant princes to the fanciful pleasure barges of the people of Lothern and the sleek, deadly warships of Ulthuan's fleet.  The city of Lothern is not simply build around the lagoon; at some points artificial islands have been built within its waters.  On these rest great palaces, temples and storehouses forming an intricate network of canals.  Tower two hundred foot-high statues of the PHoenix King and the Everqueen face each other across the mouth of the bay and around the harbout are other great statues of their gods:  Asuryan, Lileath, Kurnous, Isha and many others.