Forum

The capital of the Sollan Empire. A gas giant with a breathable atmosphere in whose cloud belt are several flying palace cities that serve as the administrative hubs of the Imperium.
- Tor Paulos, Empire of Silence

Primarachate: Spur of Orion

Province: Unknown

Known Prefectures:

Unknown

Locations of Interest:

Arch of Peace: Triumphal arch located at the center of the Campus Raphael district of the Eternal City on Forum.

Arch of Titus: Triumphal arch located at the center of the Royal Forest in the Eternal City on Forum.

Campus Raphael: The principal parade ground of the Eternal City on Forum. Built under Emperor Raphael IV and expanded by his successors, it hosts grand ceremonies such as Imperial triumphs, where millions gather to witness military parades, pageantry, and declarations of victory. Dominated by landmarks like the Arch of Peace, the Last Stair, and the Great Clock Tower, the Campus is often featured in Imperial art and media.

Cloud Gardens: A softly-lit, clouded sanctuary within the Peronine Palace on Forum. Known for their silver fountains, Galath Trees, glowsphere lighting, and verdant hedges beneath towering glass domes. Often described as being lit by moonlight and filled with the backdrop of music from official Imperial events.

The Eternal City: Construction on the Eternal City began early in the sixth millennium under the direction of Emperor Raphael IV while the Empire—and Avalon in particular—was still recovering from the devastation caused by Boniface Grael’s brutal interregnum. The City itself comprises several thousand floating barges, each held up by repulsors and monstrous balloons that float atop the denser air at the bottom of the habitable layer of Forum’s atmosphere. There is no place like it in all the universe. Each successive Emperor has added to its splendor until it sprawls across thousands of miles of open sky, all shielded by a series of cloth sails and Royse shields that protect it from the high-altitude winds. Nearly thirty billion people—nobiles, soldiers, servants, and court functionaries—call the city home, including the bulk of the Imperial family and the Emperor himself (with the rest remaining at the old capital on Avalon or else spread throughout the Imperium).

The Grand Colosseum: The largest arena in the Sollan Empire, the Grand Colosseum seats nearly a million spectators and hosts the popular bloodsport known as Colosso, where genetically modified gladiators reenact ancient and fantastical battles. It also functions as a major political and social venue for the Imperial elite, where spectacle masks the realities of the ongoing war.

The Last Stair: A colossal flight of steps over twenty thousand years old, the Last Stair marks the ceremonial beginning of a new Emperor’s reign, echoing the God Emperor’s first ascent to the Sun King’s Hall. Preserved as a sacred monument, it is a threshold guarded from all save the Emperor.

The Peronine Palace: Palace on the planet Forum where the Royal Family makes its home.

The Royal Forest: A vast, terraced woodland preserve in the Eternal City, reserved for Imperial elites. Divided into climate-controlled zones and hunting grounds. Filled with ancient trees and marble ruins. Site of the Arch of Titus.

Sun King's Hall: The grand throne room of the Radiant Emperor, located atop the white vaults of Forum. A vast, vaulted chamber of gold, ivory, and jet. Access is highly restricted, with few commoners ever permitted to enter. Home to the Solar Throne, flanked by the mirrored Knights Excubitor, and the site of Imperial audiences, coronations, and triumphs. New Emperors conclude their solitary coronation procession here at sunrise, ascending the Last Stair from the Royal Forest.

The planet Forum is an oddity: a gas giant, the presence of enormous, membranous creatures called pseudocnidae in the lower atmosphere has led to an enormous amount of nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere. In time, terraforming efforts have made the planet’s air breathable.