What I'm Reading

The best place to start your tour of the Koretian palace is in the oldest part: the courtyard of the royal residence.

These days, you will need to receive special permission to visit the courtyard; the days when commoner children played here are no more. But such permission is readily granted to visitors of peaceful intent. You may apply for permission to any guard, whereupon you will be interviewed for your motives in visiting. This is routine; do not take offense. Northern mainlanders should most assuredly not draw their blades.

The courtyard is of a surprisingly plain appearance, except for the pavement that gives the courtyard its name. Visitors to Capital Mountain will recognize that the material for the golden pavement was taken from the sacred cave there. Although the courtyard is not considered to be sacred, it has witnessed centuries of important events. It was here, for example, that the current ruler of Koretia gave his oath to look after the Koretian people.

A well in the courtyard reminds us that Koretia's place of government has long been a location for mundane domestic activities. To the east, shabby slave-quarters once stood, a shameful shadow upon Koretia's past. These quarters have since been torn down, replaced by storage areas, but a small, unmarked door leads to the former royal prison. You may enter this area; it is quite small. At the very back is a room where one of the Jackal's followers died as a result of torture, during the years when the Jackal was considered an outlaw by his own people.

To the west is the face of the royal residence. This building may not be entered by tourers, but standing here you can see the windows of some of the rooms where great events took place. This residence deserves a chapter to itself.

[Translator's note: A closer look at the courtyard and its events can be found in Death Mask.]

Koretia's army headquarters, located near the city marketplace, are off-limits to casual visitors. Northern mainland warriors who wish to learn more about the soldiering of the Three Lands are advised to send letters of enquiry by their chieftains beforehand, in order that a special tour of the army headquarters can be arranged for them.

Squeezed between the marketplace and the army headquarters is Council Hill, the most famous location in Southern Koretia. Koretia's government is housed here, as it has been for as long as Koretia has existed.

The appearance of the hill has changed considerably, just in my own lifetime. During my childhood, the hill was covered with trees, and there were no barriers to prevent casual passersby from entering the seat of power.

Nor are there now, unless you count the Jackal's eyes and claws. Do not treat lightly the rumors you hear of how the Jackal protects himself and his people. Countless men did during his first year of power, which is why the capital of Koretia was forced to create a new cemetery.

The Jackal, however, has upheld the long Koretian tradition of permitting free access to the government buildings by the Koretian people. You will see men, women, and children wandering up and down Council Hall to a degree that shocks Daxions and Emorians. It would shock me as well, if I hadn't raced through the council courtyard so often when I was young.

Most of the trees no longer exist; they were burned down during the Midsummer Battle and never replaced. Instead, a moat encircles Council Hill, which came in handy during a Daxion attack on the city in 991. Your credentials will be checked at the end of the moat's bridge, but only lightly, to ensure that you already passed through the main checkpoints at the gates of the city.

The hill is in the process of being given steps; at the moment, the only way to reach the top is to climb on grass. Wear boots, if you possess them; the grass can be slippery.

So can the city's pickpockets. Be wary.

[Translator's note: Daxis's attack on Koretia's capital appears in Breached Boundaries. The moat plays a starring role.]