Solaris

The beating heart of the kingdom, Solaris is a city of sunlit grandeur built along the golden coast where the Azure River meets the sea. Its marble walls and sweeping avenues radiate outward from the Sunspire Palace, a towering citadel crowned with a spire of crystal that catches the dawn and scatters it in a thousand dazzling rays. Where Seawatch is known for beauty and indulgence, Solaris is a city of power and permanence—the capital where crown, council, and temple unite.

The streets of Solaris bustle with life at all hours. Broad boulevards shaded by citrus trees and lined with statues of kings past lead to great plazas where heralds proclaim decrees and bards sing the kingdom’s triumphs. Temples to the gods rise in harmonious rows along the Dawnward Quarter, their bells pealing across the rooftops. At its heart, Solaris is both fortress and beacon: a city that embodies the weight of Solara’s legacy and the brightness of its ambitions.

The Undercroft

Beneath the marble façades and sunlit plazas lies Solaris’s thriving underground scene—a network of shadowed alleys, basement taverns, and forgotten tunnels known collectively as the Undercroft. Here, the city’s outcasts, artists, criminals, and rebels mingle in a world the nobility pretends doesn’t exist. The relationship between the Undercroft and the powers above is complex: the government tolerates it as long as it stays hidden, the nobility secretly patronizes it for forbidden pleasures, and the Church of Elandria walks a careful line—offering aid to the poor and lost while condemning the crime that festers in the darkness.

Most who dwell in the Undercroft still worship Elandria, attending services in crumbling chapels lit by stolen candles. But other faiths have taken root here too—small shrines to Nytheris in gambling dens, whispered prayers to forgotten gods in hidden corners. It’s a place of contradictions: danger and community, vice and survival, shadows and a strange kind of freedom.

The Shopping District

Owner Image	Shop
	Kael & Sons Fine Steel (Weapons & Armor) One of the most prestigious smithies in the capital, its forges produce blades fit for knights and nobles alike. The polished steel gleams like silver in the sun, and every sword bears the Kael mark. Owner: Darius Kael, a stout, no-nonsense man with a scar across his jawline and a reputation for both honesty and temper.
	Sunveil’s Wonders (Magic & Arcane Goods) A tall glass-domed emporium filled with glowing crystals, enchanted instruments, and scrolls that unfurl on their own. Known for its wide selection of protective charms favored by adventurers and politicians alike. Owner: Meliora Sunveil, a high elf diviner with radiant golden eyes and a soft, knowing smile that often seems two steps ahead of her customers.
	The Gilded Dragon (Tavern & Alehouse) A raucous tavern in the trade quarter, famous for its dark ales and the nightly competitions of drinking, dice, and storytelling. A favorite haunt of merchants and off-duty guards. Owner: Jorin Blackbarrel, a broad-shouldered human with a booming laugh and a thick black beard. His ales are legendary—and his temper equally so when mugs are left unfinished.
	Treelace Textiles _(Clothing & Finery)_A sprawling atelier draped with silks and velvets imported from across the seas. Tailors here weave enchantments into their garments, making cloaks that shimmer in the sun or gowns that never stain. Owner: Selvanna Treelace, a sharp-eyed half-elf who speaks with a merchant’s precision and dresses in her own glittering creations.
	Glasswright’s Vault (Alchemy & Exotic Goods) A narrow shop filled floor-to-ceiling with glass jars, each containing tinctures, powders, or stranger curiosities—like bottled lightning and smoke that never dissipates. Owner: Corvinus Glasswright, a gaunt, pale human alchemist with ink-stained hands and a reputation for selling both miracles and disasters, depending on the buyer’s coin.
	The Golden Grain (Bakery & Confectionary) A cheerful bakery that perfumes the entire street with honey, butter, and warm bread. The specialty is sun-shaped sweetbreads glazed with saffron, sold by the dozens to locals and visiting dignitaries alike. Owner: Taniel Merris, a plump and ever-smiling baker who insists that every loaf tastes better when shared and never lets a child go hungry.
	Velthorn’s Curios (Antiques & Oddities) A dimly lit shop filled with relics, maps, and strange items collected from the far reaches of Solara and beyond. Perfect for adventurers seeking something “unique.” Owner: Cassira Velthorn, an older woman with a single sapphire eye and a reputation for knowing far more than she lets on.
	Rooke’s Parlor (Magical Tattoos - Undercroft) A candlelit parlor tucked deep in the Undercroft, where the air smells of incense and ink. The walls are covered in designs—some beautiful, some terrifying—and soft music drifts from unseen corners. Known for creating magical tattoos that bind enchantments into living flesh. Owner: Brynn Rooke, a gaunt but handsome human covered head to toe in shifting magical tattoos. Always shirtless, soft-spoken, and intensely focused on his craft.