Exactly in the center of the Dining Hall stands a majestic Table, surrounded on every side by four, just as majestic Chairs.
During the day, the Table shines with the light from the Great Window reflected by the majestic Crystal Chandelier above in rainbows.
On top of the Table stands the shining Astraviya, the Crystal City that is the capital of the Realm and the beating heart of Fae society.
The capital of the Realm is an extensive city, taking up the entire surface of the Table but also the Chandelier hanging above it, where the Imperial palace is located. This leaves the Crystal City divided into two districts: Lowlight, including everything based on the Table, and Highlight, which includes everything on the Chandelier.
The city is wealthy and clean, and strolling among the tall glass building is a feast for the eyes.
Every street, the broad and the narrow, is peppered with studios and shop windows of all kinds, studded with the golden signs of barbershops, restaurants, and luxury hotels. The crime rate is among the lowest in the Household, mainly thanks to the efforts of the Royal Gendarmerie and the wide use of military-trained hound mice.
At the center of the city stands a beautiful palace of blue crystal, the historical seat of the Royal University of Astraviya, which is a popular destination for tourists and students, especially because of its rich library. To the misfortune of foreign visitors all the books are written in Fae, however, if you’re willing to part with some money, you can easily hire one of the expert translators at the entrance who can make the knowledge accessible to you.
Near the university there’s the headquarters of the Great Imperial Army, hosting a considerable number of Golden Backs. At the headquarters you can also find the Astraviya Military Hospital.
Among the crown jewels of the Capitals, we can’t forget to mention the Zoological Garden.
Here, you may admire animals and insects from the furthest corners of the Household. The gardens are located under a crystal dome divided into protected enclosures known as habitats, and each habitat is built as a reproduction of the natural environment of the creatures it hosts and displays but a few tiny meters beneath the visitors.
The Highlight district is the most important and exclusive part of Astraviya. It is located on the Chandelier, or more properly, it IS the Chandelier. Only on-duty Golden Backs and very few people at court are allowed to fly up to the heart of the Realm, anybody else would be swiftly taken down.
As such, the majority of visitors have to turn to one of the most peculiar and sublime means of transportation in the House: a bubble.
Near the center of Lowlight there’s a special piece of golden machinery consisting of a metal hoop covered in soap. After collecting the fee, attendants will have up to two passengers stand at the center of the structure and close them in a soap bubble that will get “blown” upward by the wings of four white beetles. Thanks to these colored-yet-see-through bubbles people may reach Highlight safely, while also taking in the marvelous vista below them. What matters is that they also mind the gap when their bubble reaches the port and bursts.
After landing on the Chandelier, people are almost blinded by the light bouncing off of every surface, and it might take a while for their eyes to get accustomed to the splendor. I’ve even heard of court members who, after years spent living at the palace can’t stand coming back down, as the world seems too dark to them! But after the initial dazzling, there are even more surprises! Navigating Highlight is almost impossible, as the entire district is built as five concentric rings located at different heights and only connected by crystal bridges leading to crystal streets lined with crystal buildings.
The fact that the locals are always rushing somewhere, and everyone is constantly busy working or handing out work certainly doesn't help. Let’s just say that, while wings are not required to visit Highlight, they do make life easier.
In the smallest and highest of rings of the Chandelier stands the Imperial Palace. It is also the location of the of financial headquarter of the High Council, possibly the least used room in the city.