Kanara

The city of Kanara is situated on one of the three largest islands of the archipelago. It was previously a monarchy, but following the events of the Battle for Kanara, has become a republic headed by an elected council.

Island Geography
The city of Kanara takes up only a very small portion of the island's land area and isn't the only settlement to be found there, but it is the largest by far, and so the name "Kanara" has come to mean both the city and the island as a whole. The city is also home to one of the few places amenable to ships of any real size; most of the island's coastline is comprised of rocky cliffs, with the notable exception of the northern bay. The city is nestled by this bay, extending perhaps halfway around it, and is surrounded by a large stretch of farmland.

The island boasts an impressive range of mountains, impressive particularly given the island's size, in its southern half. Dense forest covers the land from the edge of the cultivated fields to well up the mountains' sides. The mountains regularly see snow in the winter months, and the summits of the three tallest peaks have permanent glaciers.

Temple District
Located at the northernmost end of the city, and the western edge of the bay, the temple district is home to a number of temples, large and small, devoted to wide array of gods. Those of the Dawn War pantheon are most prominent, but many others may be found here. The coast here is made of cliffs, and the Light of Pelor Lighthouse warns ships away.

There are two main streets that run through the temple district: the Dawn Road, leading through the center of the district from the lighthouse to the Dawn Market, an open square that sees bustling trade when the farmers bring their goods, and the Dusk Road, which runs along the cliffs' edge from the lighthouse most of the way to the main docks, where it turns inland before meeting Moonblossom Market Street.

The Temple Gate is one of the city's two main inland gates and is located a few blocks from the Dawn Market.

Garden District
Just south of the Temple District, the Garden District is where many of the wealthier citizens make their home. The district boasts a number of large parks and green spaces, lending it its name. The Moonblossom Academy and Museum is located in the Garden District.

Western Quarter
The "Western Quarter" typically refers to an area between the Garden and Royal districts, along the city wall, but can also be used to mean everything from there extending east to the coast and south to Market Square. Either way, the buildings here tend to be smaller and more cramped as they approach the city's center.

Royal District
The Royal District is nearly indistinguishable from any other part of the city except for the large park at its center, the largest of any in the city. The King Reggie Memorial Park is the former site of the castle, destroyed in the Battle. The ruins of the castle were left standing for many years following the Battle; a harsh reminder of what the city once had been, and what it had become. It was suspected their remaining was a purposeful Kairosian tactic to vilify the old way of things, and Kairos' withdrawal in 2350 was quickly followed by their destruction and removal. In 2356, the land was dedicated as the Memorial Park. A statue at its center commemorates the Battle, depicting a diverse group of people, in various states of injury or health, arrayed protectively around a central flagpole. The inscription at its base reads: ''Dedicated this year of 2356 to the Brave, Adventurous Souls who protected this, Our Home, from the Evil of the Hells. Bruised, Battered, but Never Broken.''

Most of the Royal District was reconstructed following the Battle, and the buildings match the Western Quarter for want of space. A good deal of them also show Kairosian influence in their architecture, though many have gone to great lengths to disguise this, if not to completely remodel it.

Market Square
The city's hub of commerce, Market Square is a vast, open square beside the main docks. There's always a buzz here, but it's busiest on Saturdays, when the square is filled to bursting with carts and salesmen hawking their wares. The buildings just beside the square are some of the oldest in the city and are noticeably larger than the newer buildings in the city's heart, with wider streets between them. Moonblossom Market Street extends from the square up towards Moonblossom Academy, while Market Street runs south to Market Gate, one of the city's two main inland gates.

The Adventurers' Guild Kanaran headquarters can be found on Moonblossom Market Street, side by side with the main wyvern stables. The stables have a fenced-off landing yard which partially borders Market Square.

Main Docks
Kanara's main docks are always busy with merchants coming and going. A high stone wall, matching the inland wall, extends around the port, with two well-guarded gates: the Sea Gate, leading directly to Market Square, and the Eastern Sea Gate, leading to the Warehouse District.

Warehouse District
Tucked beside the main docks, the Warehouse District is where many merchants store their goods while waiting to ship them out or present them at market. The guard barracks and training grounds can be found at the edge of the Warehouse District, along the dock wall.

Southern Quarter
Much like the Western Quarter, the Southern Quarter is a sprawling district full of tiny shops and homes.

Fishers' District
The Fishers' District is located on the eastern end of the city, around the secondary docks. While the main docks are used primarily by merchants shipping goods to and from the city, these secondary docks are used mainly by fishers. The buildings here tend to be less cramped than in the city's center, though it's generally considered a less pleasant part of town—the constant smell of fish doesn't tend to help.

Fisher's Folly
The city's inland wall extends from the cliffs of the northern shore, south and east around the city, nearly to the bay's shore. An unfortunate error was made in its construction, however, when the plans were misinterpreted to be measured by a different system—one commonly used by fishers of yore to measure boat length, though which has fallen out of use in the modern era—which wasn't caught until the wall was supposedly complete several blocks short of its goal. The project had already used up its budget, and so it was left as it was with the intention of completing it as soon as the funds could be found. As time went on and Kanara saw no trouble from inland, money was repeatedly put towards more urgent matters, and Fisher's Folly, as it came to be known, was eventually accepted as a landmark of the city, and a number of buildings now sprawl past where the wall might've been.

The City of Adventurers
Kanara was founded shortly after the Cataclysm. It's historically been a monarchy; its last king was Pelleas Reginald XIV, colloquially known as King Reggie, whose reign ended with his death in early 2320, at the conclusion of season 2. King Reggie was known as a kind and benevolent monarch and was well-loved by the people.

The Battle for Kanara
Main article: Battle for Kanara

As tensions continued to rise between Kairos and Freeport, King Reggie extended an invitation in early 2320 to the leaders and major powers of those cities to host peace talks between them. At the talks, however, King Reggie revealed himself to be a rakshasa, a devil of great power, of unclarified but violent intentions. Although there's been some debate around the topic, it's generally believed that the rakshasa replaced the original King Reggie at some point, rather than the two being one and the same.

A portal to the Nine Hells was established beneath Moonblossom Academy in Kanara, and an invading force of devils streamed forth to occupy the city. Those who could, fled before them.

In the face of this threat, the cities of the archipelago set aside their differences and mustered a martial force to beat back the devils, an endeavor that was ultimately successful, but which came at the cost of many lives and widespread destruction, within the city and across the countryside.

Reconstruction and Kairosian Imperialism
Following the Battle, a council was quickly formed to govern the city. The original council was composed primarily of the surviving members of King Reggie's advising council, with Zendar Goldmane foremost among them. Orin Sunshine Avakalathi, a former adventurer and veteran of the Battle, joined the council as well.

During this time, Kairos offered their assistance with the reconstruction effort, lending builders, soldiers and guards, even architects with blueprints for new structures. It soon became apparent, however, that their primary interest lay in rebuilding the city in their own image, and they had no intention of removing their people from the city—rather, more Kairosians began entering the city, slowly pushing out Kanaran enterprises with their own.

Revolution
Main article: Kanaran Independence Movement

Among those who recognized what Kairos was doing, a rebel movement grew. In 2321, on the anniversary of the Battle, the city put on a great celebration in honor of Kairosian/Kanaran solidarity. In the midst of this, an unorganized group of Kanaran rebels were in the center of what became a violent protest. A core group of rebels escaped and fled to the nearby mountains, eventually making contact with the goliath tribes there, including the Avakalathi, of whom Sunshine was one.

For many years, the situation remained unchanged, except for Kairos' hold slowly growing stronger. In 2323, at the start of season 3, under pressure of Kairosian anti-adventurer sentiments, Zendar left Kanara, captaining the SS Guildhall as it headed toward the continent. Beneath the surface, however, the rebel movement was also gaining traction. Sunshine, along with the help of his sister, Aukan Mourner Avakalathi, kept in contact with a network of rebels within the city, using the fact their home was in the mountains as an excuse to send messages back and forth. In 2327, however, Sunshine passed away. Mourner continued his work as she could, but fell under closer scrutiny and was limited in her actions.

By this point, two people had emerged as the main voices of the rebels: Estebborus Rhogan and Iris Ellimara. Both had been somewhat prominent in the movement previously and were among the group that escaped to the mountains; neither would risk returning to the city themselves for fear of arrest by Kairosian forces. They did, however, have differing opinions on how the rebellion should be handled, with Rhogan stressing peace, making it last, and Iris focused on immediacy, getting Kairos out before the damage was irreparable. The rebel movement divided into two factions along these lines, though they maintained a semi-functional working relationship.

By 2344, the start of season 4, the rebels had seen some success in reclaiming parts of the city, but on the whole were still unorganized, due primarily to poor communication, and the movement was stagnating. Kairosian control, though strict at times, had its benefits. Crime rates had decreased and the city was prospering, even if more of that prosperity than might be liked was falling into Kairosian pockets. It was difficult to maintain support for the movement in the face of this, especially given the potential danger of association with rebels and "disturbers of the peace."

It was around this time that Elias Halliday, an inventor and rebel sympathizer, completed his work on his "Sending transceiver," a device capable of receiving and routing multiple Sendings. While intended for rebel use, complications arose such that it couldn't be delivered, and the rebels contracted a group of adventurers from New Gork to retrieve it. Once in possession of the transceiver, communications among the various rebel groups was vastly improved, allowing for greater mobility—and greater success—breathing new life into the movement.

In 2350, Kairos officially withdrew from Kanara. Unofficially, their forces lingered for some time yet while the Kanaran government began to solidify into something lasting. By 2360, the situation was considered by most to be resolved, and although the government faced some difficulties over the following years, it was stable by 2371, at the start of season 5.

Symbolism
The wyvern is a symbol of valor and courage, while its gold color represents the glory and prosperity of Kanara. The purple background represents royalty, regality, justice, and temperance; the best the monarchy has to offer. The blue cross stands for loyalty—of citizens to country and country to citizens, both. It represents Kanara's strength in protection of its people and defense against any threats.

Republic
Following the fall of the monarchy, an altered flag was seen in various places about the city and was eventually adopted as official.

Symbolism
The wyvern remains, a symbol of Kanara's continuing strength and courage in the face of struggle, its gold color representing a brighter, more prosperous future. The former royal purple has been replaced by black as a sign of mourning for King Reggie, a pledge to continue what he began, before the rakshasa, and a silent show of resistance against Kairosian occupancy. The blue cross is now maroon, a stronger, more active color to represent their fortitude and ultimate victory over challenges.

Rebels
The modified flag originated in the rebel movement that grew steadily within Kanara after the Battle. It was occasionally seen with the phrase "Peidiwch byth â thorri," meaning "Never broken" in Giant, written along one of the diagonals of the cross.