Difference between revisions of "Elantris (city)"

|world=Sel

|books=[[Elantris]]

{{quote|Elantris was beautiful, once. It was called the city of the gods: a place of power, radiance, and magic. Visitors say that the very stones glowed with an inner light, and that the city contained wondrous arcane marvels. At night, Elantris shone like a great silvery fire, visible even from a great distance.| [[Elantris/Summary#Prologue|Elantris Prologue]]{{ref|b|e|prologue}}}}

The '''City of Elantris''' is a city in [[Arelon]] on the continent of [[Opelon]] on [[Sel]]. Prior to the [[Reod]] and following the [[Invasion of Arelon]] it served as the Capital of Arelon. It is surrounded by four Gate Cities in each of the cardinal directions, of which [[Kae]] is one. It is accounted as one of the most beautiful cities on Sel, particularly by sculptors, who heaped countless praises on the city's sculptures.{{ref|b|e|c|16}} Its name incorporates [[Aon#Ela|Aon Ela]], which means "center".

The actual origins of the City are unknown. It was constructed "hundreds if not over a thousand years before the [[Reod]]".{{ref|?|590|43| How long ago was Elantris constructed?}} The people who built it possessed a keen understanding of [[AonDor]] as the Elantrian Metropolitan Area, which consists of Elantris and its four Gate Cities, forms a massive [[Aon#Rao|Aon Rao]] acts as a power amplifier for the Elantrians. Its builders were themselves Elantrians, as only they would have been able to make the aons formed by the city work for AonDor.{{ref|annotation|e|chapter=62-2}}

 

It has been theorized that the [[Shard]] [[Devotion]] played a role in Elantris' construction.

 

When the [[Aonic]] peoples migrated to Arelon they found Elantris empty and abandoned. Initially it was viewed with superstition, people believed it was haunted. King Rhashm, who renamed himself [[Raoshem]], strove to overcome the fears of his people and settled Elantris as the center of his kingdom. Several decades later people started being taken by the [[Shaod]], becoming Elantrians.{{ref|?|768|2|Aon Ehe - History and Use}}

It was during the [[Sel#Middle Era| Middle Era]] on Sel that Elantris' sphere of influence greatly expanded, coinciding with the development of Arelon as a nation-state.{{ref|?|768|6|Aon Ene - History and Use}}

{{quote|Every surface--from the walls of the buildings to the numerous cracks in the cobblestones--was coated with a patina of grime. The slick, oily substance had a equalizing effect on Elantris's colors, blending them all into a single, depressing hue--a color that mixed the pessimism of black with polluted greens and browns of sewage.| [[Elantris/Summary#Chapter 1|Elantris Chapter One]]{{ref|b|e|c|1}}}}

 

 

Some Elantrians who had not yet succumbed and become Hoed formed gangs which would steal the funeral offerings of food from new entrants to the city in an effort to satiate their ravenous hunger. At a point ten years following the Reod there were three gangs, led by [[Karata]], [[Aanden]], and [[Shaor]]. Karata's gang resided in the Royal Palace and cared for the children residing in the city.{{ref|b|e|c|13}} Aanden and his followers took residence in the University, using the bindings of its books as a food source. Shaor, who was in reality a petulant and capricious child, was worshiped by her followers, who had degenerated into a sub-human society, as a result of the wig that gave the impression of her retaining her hair when all other Elantrians had lost theirs. Shaor's base of power was the bank.{{ref|b|e|c|4}}{{ref|b|e|c|22}}

Ten years after the Reod, [[Raoden]], the Crown Prince of Arelon, was taken by the Shaod and secretly exiled to Elantris. Under the pseudonym "Spirit" he acquired a number of followers while attempting to improve conditions in the City. He and his followers settled in the area around what had once been a Korathi church, and cleaned every surface, even the streets, of the ever-present slime.{{ref|b|e|c|10}} This resettlement eventually came to be known as "New Elantris". Overtime he was able to gain the support of both Karata and Aanden, who returned to his original name of Taan, and most of their supporters.{{ref|b|e|c|13}} He and his followers also made an effort to collect the Hoed from the streets and alleyways and begin to care for them.

 

 

Around this time Raoden, along with [[Galladon]] and Karata, discovered that at least one of the Hoed was an Elantrians from before the fall. This shocks them, because all original Elantrians were believed to have been killed in the chaos following the Reod. This Hoed leads them to a hidden library containing books on AonDor, among other subjects, as well as a passage to [[the Lake]], where Elantrians went to die. In this library Raoden was able to gain= an understanding of certain aspects of the fall. The slime, for example, was a result of the decomposition of a micro-organism that had thrived on the light given off by the city. When it grew dark the organisms died. He also discovered the tie between AonDor and the geography of Arelon, and was able to "fix" AonDor by the addition of the Chasm line to the Aons.

During the events of the Invasion of Arelon by [[Dakhor]] monks, Raoden was critically injured and becomes one of the Hoed. Galladon and Karata, following a promise they had made to Raoden, brought him to the Lake in order to ease his suffering. On the way Raoden subconsciously noticed that Elantris was itself was a broken Aon. After refusing the peace offered by the Lake, he added the Chasm line to the Elantrian Metropolitan District while avoiding capture by the enemy. Karata died protecting him. Once the Chasm line was added, Elantris, and the Elantrians were restored to their pre-Reod state.

 

Following Raoden's coronation, Elantris was re-instated as the Arelish capital.

Located at the exact center of Elantris, the palace is one of the largest buildings in the city, large enough to retain its magnificence even during the city's time of decay. It has five wings with domes topped with spires. The center spire, the only one to remain standing at the time of Raoden's arrival, has steps winding around it that allowed those who climbed it to have an unparallelled view of the surrounding city.{{ref|b|e|c|4}} It served as the meeting place for the council, elected by the Elantrian elders, that ruled over the city and the lands under its control.{{ref|b|e|c|13}}

 

The palace served as the base of operations for Karata's gang.{{ref|b|e|c|4}}

The university borders on the palace. It consists of five or six long buildings, with open spaces between them.{{ref|b|e|c|4}}

 

The university served as the base of operations for Aanden's gang. He utilized the university's extensive library as a food source for his followers.{{ref|b|e|c|4}}

The hidden library is located below an Elantrian meetinghouse. Its entrance is marked by an [[Aon#Tae| Aon Tae]], which, when pressed, opened the entryway. Although it is marked by an Aon, the door itself works through a system of gears and is devoid of any magical effects. It is considered a holy place by the Elantrians and AonDor was forbidden there. The reasons why are unknown ,as a result, the library was the only part of Elantris not to be covered in the ever-present slime.{{ref|b|e|c|25}}

 

 

The hidden library also held a secret passage to the Lake.{{ref|b|e|c|25}}

Elantris' bank is located in the market district which, before the Reod, was a gathering place for merchants across Opelon.{{ref|b|e|c|4}}

 

The bank served as the base of operations for Shaor's gang.{{ref|b|e|c|22}}

The Elantrians built the Korathi church as a sign of friendship to the people of Teod, the center of Shu-Korath. It is said to be "the most beautiful of its kind." The fact that the Elantrians, themselves viewed as gods before the Reod, allowed another religion to have a place of worship in their city is somewhat surprising to most.{{ref|b|e|c|10}}

 

The Korathi Church served as the center and main meeting place of the New Elantris settlement.

Located in close proximity to the Korathi Church, and so inside the bounds of the New Elantris settlement, the Roost serves as a home for over fifty Elantrian children and their caregiver [[Matisse]]. The proximity to the main meeting place insures that the adults of New Elantris are never too far away from the children. The intricate carvings of birds on the outside are what give the building its name. It is a rather large, open-windowed building.{{ref|b|thoe}}

[[Image:Aon_Rao.svg|thumb|Aon Rao| Aon Rao, the Aon upon which the Elantrian Metropolitan District is based]]

The City of Elantris has a strong link with the practice of AonDor. Not only are its inhabitants, the Elantrians, the only known practitioners of the art, but the city itself is powered by it. In turn, the city acts as a focus, amplifying the strength of AonDor greatly in its vicinity.

{{quote|Yet, as magnificent as Elantris was, its inhabitants were more so. Their hair a brilliant white, their skin an almost metallic silver, the Elantrians seemed to shive like the city itself. Legends claim that they were immortal, or at least nearly so. Their bodies healed quickly, and they were blessed with great strength, insight, and speed. They could perform magics with a bare wave of he hand... They were divinities. <br>And anyone could become one.| [[Elantris/Summary#Prologue|Elantris Prologue]]{{ref|b|e|prologue}}}}

The Elantrians are those who have gone through the Shaod and can afterwards practice AonDor. The Elantrians were the rulers of Elantris and Arelon prior to the Reod. They are marked by their pure white hair and silver skin.

*[[Raoden]]

*[[Galladon]]

{{quote|The Shaod, it was called. The Transformation. It struck randomly--usually at night, during the mysterious hours when life slowed to rest. The Shaod could take beggar, craftsman, nobleman, or warrior. | [[Elantris/Summary#Prologue|Elantris Prologue]]{{ref|b|e|prologue}}}}

The Shaod is the process by which ordinary people become Elantrians. The only restrictions are that the individual must be of Aonic descent and be within area of the Elantris effect. [[Aon#Mea|Aon Mea]] describes the area in which the Shaod can occur.{{ref|?|428|63|What is the X in Aon Mea?}}

In AonDor, Aon Rao acts as a power amplifier, increasing the strength of Aon equations that incorporate it. The Elantrian Metropolitan District is a massive Aon Rao that magnifies the strength of Aons drawn by the Elantrians in close proximity to it.{{ref|annotation|e|chapter=62-2}}

 

Most rooms within Elantris have metal plates inscribed with [[Aon#Ashe|Aon Ashe]] that provide illumination.{{ref|b|e|c|7}} There are also metal plates inscribed with [[Aon#Tia|Aon Tia]] that allow for instantaneous travel from plate to plate within the city.{{ref|b|e|c|19}}

*In the original draft of the novel that eventually became Elantris the city was known as "Adonis." Brandon changed the name of the city after preliminary readers pointed out Adonis was the name of a figure from Greek Mythology.{{ref|annotation|e|title page}}

*Brandon designed the three gangs who hold sway over Elantris at the time of Raoden's arrival to represent the three aspects the Elantrians had to overcome. Karata's gang, with their isolationist policies represents their solitude. Aanden, or rather Taan's, self-imposed madness represents their self-pity. Shaor's gang of "wildmen" represent their pain.{{ref|annotation|e|chapter=16}}

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{{Elantris}}