Velaris

Location from acotar-thorns-and-roses by

The hidden City of Starlight, a sanctuary of art, learning, and peace kept secret from all of Prythian by the High Lord of Night.

Velaris is the Night Court's true heart, a thriving city of culture, learning, and family that has never once been breached by an enemy. For five centuries, its existence has been a closely guarded secret, known only to its inhabitants and the High Lord who will burn the world before he lets anyone harm it. Here, the High Fae live not as warriors or schemers but as artists, scholars, merchants, and parents — a life that the rest of Prythian believes the Night Court incapable of.

Appearance

A crescent of glowing, pale stone buildings climbs the hills above a wide, tranquil river that meets the sea; every surface seems to catch and hold light, from the stained-glass windows of the Rainbow of artists to the star-flecked domes of the Palace of Thread and Jewels. At night, the city glimmers with faelight and the sky above it is always thick with stars, as though the Cauldron itself blessed this one place with an extra handful of them.

Also known as: City of Starlight, the Jewel of the Night Court, the Hidden City, Velaris

What They Know

• No outsider has ever found Velaris; it is protected by illusion, by the loyalty of its people, and by the High Lord's absolute refusal to let its existence be known.
• The city is built around the Sidra, a wide, clean river that flows into the sea and is lined with restaurants, piers, and public gardens.
• Velaris is home to the Rainbow — a district of artists whose painted buildings and open studios are the soul of the city's cultural life.
• The Palace of Thread and Jewels is the city's great market, a dome of glass and gold where merchants sell silks, gems, and goods from every court.
• The House of Wind, a mountain palace that serves as the High Lord's residence and training ground, towers over the city from its highest peak.
• The city has never known war; its walls have never been breached, and its children have never fled an invasion.

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