Emerald City
The Emerald City is the capital of The Ninth Empire of Oz. By imperial proclamation, every exterior in the metropolis is either painted green or built of naturally green materials. And yet, it was not always this way.
Originally named for the vast emerald mines which brought prospectors to this place from all across Oz, there have always been some green buildings, but the color was never as omnipresent as it is today. It was only after Oscar Diggs and his Invasion of Oz that the obsession with green truly took hold, culminating in the construction of his Green House.
Even the great lake upon the shores of which the Emerald City was founded—even that great body of water is part of the act now. Though it once had a halfling name, in their traditional language of Lüota, the magically colored lake is now known across Eden as Lake Viridescent.
Emerald City is also notable for being one of the ten Facsimile Cities in Eden, a near-perfect copy of the Earthling settlement of San Francisco.
Demographics
Owing to the fact that it is a seat of government and an active trading hub—and perhaps to the fact that it is located near the geographical center of Oz—the Emerald City is the most cosmopolitan settlement in the Ninth Empire.
Gillikins, Munchkins, Quadlings, and Winkies all call this place home, but there are also far more peoples than just the halflings here. Other species flock to these green streets each time reality outside of Eden ends, stunned to see the land from L. Frank Baum’s Oz books is quite real and not just a fantasy. We have humans, elves, dwarves and so many more.
Government
Given that the city technically resides within Munchkinland, governance officially falls under the purview of The Witch of the East. That said, final lawmaking decisions within the city limits are often left to The Wizard. This is, in part, to keep the fragile peace between the Witches of the East and the long-running Witch of the South, Glinda the Good, who firmly believes the city sits within the traditional borders of Quadling Country.
Geography
The city is located on the banks of Lake Viridescent, near the source of the River Quad. Once a hilly but verdant grassland, much of the green to be found here in the modern day is artificial.
Nice! Amazing what a few writing sprints can help us carve out, and it's been so fun to see where previously prepped images slot into the world's context!
You are doing a great job! Keep creating; I believe in you!
Luridity: Where love is love and life is lived. Contains NSFW content.
Now with serialized fiction on Ream!!
Thank you! I've still got quite a few images from October that I need to write articles for, so fingers crossed that I get to them. I've been so busy trying to do my personal "one of everything" challenge (where I write at least one of each article type) that I've nearly forgotten about some of the art I made specifically for using this month. Anyway, I think the coffee is kicking in because I am typing longer and longer comments as the morning wears on. I hope all's going well with you!