Lux

Geography
Lux is colated in Caliwind, a partially submerged range of ravine-scarred mountains west of the Harrowoods. The city is based on the edges of the cliffs, with parts of it being built on the surface, while other parts consists of caverns in the steep cliffsides. Not being kown to be great builders, the Birds of Prey make good use of natural cave formations in the rocky terrain. The city layout does not follow any particular logic, and the settlement seems to have expanded in random directions over the years.

Lux is divided into Colonies - multiple communities spaced out along the mountains in order to minimise competition for food. Each Colony has a carefully marked territory where its members are allowed to fish and forage.

Climate
Caliwind is overgrown with temperate forest on the eastern side, where Lux is situated. The eastern side consists of bare rocks and is not very hospitable. Lux has warm and sunny summers, but the autumns and winters tend to be rainy and stormy. Snow is rare, and the rare occasion where the temperature dropping below zero is considered a crisis, because the surrounding waters become covered in ice, which makes fishing difficult. There is a strong ocean wind coming in from the east, but given its position, the city is well protected from it, and flying around is rather safe.

Transport
Many houses in Lux are niches in the canyons, and the so it is very easy and comfortable to get around by flying. There are stone stairs and tunnels that allow one to get around on foot, but they are not present everywhere, and the airways are generally too narrow for an aircaft to get through. This makes it difficult members of a non-airborne race to move around the city. There are, however, transportation services available for hire, where a particularly strong Bird will carry a passenger. There are no standardised mechanical modes of transportation in the city.

Lux could formerly be reached by ship, using a small dock inside a cavern underneath a cliff, but the tunnel that connected the harbor with the rest of the city has caved in under unclear circumstances, so the harbor had to be abandoned. The settlement can now only be reached by air, or by climbing the steep cliffs if one is able.

Education
The primary method of education is personal apprenticeship. Children born or, as is common, adopted into a family will learn their parents' craft. While not home to any outstanding academical seats, Lux has a number of schools and libraries that convey imported knowledge from all kinds of societies, even from beyond Ariaheim. Because education is not institutionalised, the level of all-around education varies wildly between people, largely depending on individual curiosity.

Demography
Lux is almost totally populated by the Wings of Day, subspecie group of the Birds of Prey efferii. A rare Wing of Night may choose to settle here, but immigration from outside of Caliwind is largely nonexistent, because the city's geography, as well as other factors pertaining living conditions, are poorly suited for races other than the native. Outsiders who do choose to make a home in Lux are met with curiosity and sometimes with light suspicion, but seldom with outright hostility. There are few to no undead Birds of Prey in Lux, because they create unease, and everyone agrees it is more appropriate for them to move to the Ecclesiarchy instead.

Government
Lux is an elective monarchy. The Sun King or Queen is elected after a set of competitions for the title, where the prospective monarchs publicly display their abilities. Rulers are expected to be all-sided and versatile; capable of many things, rather than being an expert at something special. Rulers reign until death or until deposed, whereupon a new election takes place. They assemble their own political cabinet, which is dissolved when the monarch is no more.

There is a loose and unwritten constitution in Lux, but it does not limit the monarch's executive power. Rather, it dictates that with new rulers should come new politics. When a new monarch assumes the throne, the entire ruling elite of the old one is replaced, and the new monarch is expected to reform the city's politics. These periods of transition bring about instability and tension within the kingdom, but also new winds and changes for the better, usually.

The royal palace is called the High Perch. It is the most architecturally advanced building in the city, made out of stone and wood, and generously decorated. Although it is not as spectacular as palaces that some other races build, it is the topmost point of the city, located on the tallest cliff along the entire coast. The sharp eyes of the Birds who live there allow them to view all of Caliwind from the windows of its towers.

Law & Crime
How law is enforced has varied somewhat over history, as it is the responsiblity of the crown, and different monarchs have different ideas about how things should be done. Currently, the law is enforced by a police-like entity, the Wardens, that patrols the city and can be summoned by people using bells that are strategically placed throughout the city.

Economical wrongings such as swindery are not considered criminal in Lux. Only when physical harm comes to person or propety can one count on the Wardens' help. Civilian disputes are also left to the people to solve on their own. Magic is not generally banned, but not extensively practised. Conducting a magic-related business requires a licence from the crown, however.

Foreign Relations
Lux has a sister city, Nox, also located in Caliwind. The two kingdoms conduct their foreign politics as a union, and are viewed as a single state by outside powers. Although they are being pressed by various nations to join the several ongoing wars in Ariaheim, they have yet remained neutral. The current monarch is seemingly indifferent to the conflicts that currently plague the continent, and is being cautious about accepting deals with either Caelin, the Ecclesiarchy, or any of the lesser powers that may be pulled into the chaos in the long run.

Military
Lux has a volunteer army, funded by the crown. Most troops are equipped traditionally, with a bow and a lance. Combat tactics revolve around firing a barrage of arrows from the sky, and then dive onto the enemy with lance in hand. Birds of Prey have no armormaking tradition, and fight unarmored. Many of the military leaders are vocal about introducing firearms into the army, but this has not yet happened, as the crown is yet unsure where to import the guns from. After all, buying from one power will offend the other, and that is a risk the crown is not yet willing to take.

Economy
Lux is a pre-industrial society, and the economy is based largely on self-subsistence. Foragers and fishermen procure food, craftsmen make tools and clothes. Construction in Caliwind is too expensive to be done privately due to the difficult terrain, so it is usually upon the crown to expand the city. An aerodrome is currently being constructed to improve the infrastructure between Lux and the great powers of Ariaheim, which may bring about trade relations and economical reforms in the near future.