Difference between revisions of "Stormseat"

|They blame our people<br><!--

'''Stormseat''' was the capital city of the historic [[Silver Kingdoms|Silver Kingdom]] of [[Natanatan]] on [[Roshar]].{{book ref|sa2|60}} During the [[War of Reckoning]], it's called '''Narak''' (<small>Pronunciation:</small> [[Wikipedia:Help:IPA|[naɹˈɑːk]]] [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia: Pronunciation_respelling_key|''nar-''<small>AHK</small>''''']]),{{ref|name=IPA}} or Exile, and serves as the home of the [[listeners]].{{book ref|sa2|i|1}}

Stormseat is located in the southeastern [[Roshar]], in the lands that are mostly unclaimed by anyone in the [[Era of Solitude]]. Ancient maps placed it in the center of the [[Unclaimed Hills]], and modern scholars tend to agree with them, citing the fact that the characteristic domes that can be found on the [[Shattered Plains]] are missing in illustrations of Stormseat.{{book ref|sa2|60}} In reality, it sits in the very center of the Plains.{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} Its location makes it highly exposed to [[highstorm]]s at their near-full power, which may be where the city's original name came from.

| Ruins of ruins, one might call them. The works of men and listeners alike did not last long before the might of the highstorms.

| [[Eshonai]] on Narak {{book ref|sa2|i|1}}

[[File:{{image|Stormseat Mosaic.jpeg|thumb|side=right|width=350px|A mosaic showing a stylized map of Stormseat in its prime.]]}}

Little is known of the appearance of ancient Stormseat. Although the [[Song of Wars]] claims that the city "covered" the [[Shattered Plains]], the surviving images of it paint it as rather small, though it likely had numerous outbuildings and satelite towns.{{epigraph ref|sa2|26}}{{book ref|sa2|60}} Within the city itself, several landmarks could be distinguished, among them a tall tower in the very centre and the diasdais housing the city's [[Oathgate]] to the south-west of it.{{file ref|Stormseat Mosaic.jpeg|Stormseat Mosaic}}{{book ref|sa2|81}} It's known that Stormseat had a temple dedicated to the [[Herald]] [[Chana]], with a large mosaic on its leeward side.{{book ref|sa2|77}} If Stormseat was similar to other major cities of its era, like [[Kholinar]] and [[Thaylen City|Thaylen]], it's possible every Herald had a temple of their own within its walls.{{file ref|Thaylen City.jpg|Map of Thaylen City}}{{file ref|Kholinar.jpg|Map of Kholinar}}

The [[Natanatan]] [[Oathgate]] is located in Stormseat.{{book ref|sa2|60}} The platform survived the shattering of the [[Shattered Plains|Plains]] intact and splintered off completely from the surrounding land in defiance of the pattern that governs the shape of the plateaus, suggesting that it's made of a sturdier material than the rest of the city. Though by now, the dais is buried in [[crem]], it has retained its former shape near-perfectly.{{book ref|sa2|81}} Inside, the control chamber has been preserved exceptionally well, with colourfulcolorful mosaics on the walls and the floor retaining their hue and the lanterns around its circumference still whole.{{book ref|sa2|84}} Despite the added mass on top, the Oathgate remains functional.{{book ref|sa2|86}}

To return the tower to a semblance of its prior functionality, the [[listeners]] carved steps into its outer side and added a railing to prevent people from falling off. The very top of it has been flattened, and became the meeting spot for the [[Council of Five]] that rules the listeners. Despite thethis accomodation, the climb is noted as difficult for listeners with physically-weaker forms.{{book ref|sa2|i|4}}

A long pavilion near the center of Narak serves as the Hall of Art. It has walls covered with crem and numerous small alcoves one can hide in, as well as a small pedestal in the center for models and references. To let in as much sunlight as possible, there is no ceiling. It is there that the [[listeners]] of various forms attempt to create artwork in hopes of attracting [[creationspren]] and unlocking [[artform]].{{book ref|sa2|i|1}}

At some point, Stormseat was destroyed by the same event that transformed the Natan interior into the [[Shattered Plains]]. There is some disagreement as to when this happened. Human sources place the destruction of Stormseat at the [[Aharietiam]], the last of the old [[Desolation]]s.{{book ref|sa2|77}} [[Listeners]], however, put it significantly earlier, as according to their stories, by the time the [[Last Legion]] was sent into the area, the [[Shattered Plains]] already existed. Whichever is the case, humans blamed the destruction on the listener gods (either the [[Fused]] or the [[Unmade]]), though the [[Song of Wars]] is confident that this wasn't their doing.{{epigraph ref|sa2|26}}

[[File:{{image|Battle of Narak.jpeg|thumb|side=right|width=350px|The plateaus near Narak as they looked during the [[War of Reckoning]], with the [[Oathgate]] in the bottom-right. ]]}}

As one of the ten cities on [[Roshar]] to have an [[Oathgate]], Stormseat held a great deal of power during the [[Heraldic Epochs]]. The city was well-known in its time even across the world, as images and mosaics of it can be found as far west as [[Azir]].{{book ref|sa2|60}} During the [[True Desolation]], its importance is even greater, as rather than ten Oathgates, humans opposed to [[Odium]] hold only four.{{ref|text=Stormseat, [[Vedenar]], [[Azimir]] and [[Thaylen City]]}} Narak grants immediate access to the [[Shattered Plains]] and the warcamps that are among the last of the free [[Alethi]] territories, as well as the various cities of eastern [[Frostlands]], among them [[New Natanan]].{{map ref|Roshar}}

During the [[War of Reckoning]], the city is ruled by the [[Council of Five]], a group of [[listener]]s each holding one of the five forms known to their kind.{{book ref|sa2|i|4}} ForThough the firstFive twodid years,exist itprior wasto athe CouncilWar of FourReckoning, this particular set-up is new, as [[nimbleform]] has only been discovered threetwo years prior toafter the [[Battle of Narak]]assassination.{{book ref|sa3|prologue}}{{book ref|sa2|i|1}} After the Battle of Narak, the city comes under control of [[House Kholin]], although eventually, [[Dalinar]] puts other armies on duty there as well to foster unity among the Alethi.{{book ref|sa3|37}}

== Notable citizensCitizens ==

<references />