발 르와요

발 르와요. '로얀'이라고 불리는 이곳 발 르와요의 시민들은, 이곳이 세상에서 가장 위대한 도시라고 말할 것이다. 많은 이들이 이 '로얀'이 지닌 자부심을 오만이라고 여기지만, 대부분은 겉으로나마 웃는 얼굴로 그들에게 동의한다. 그것이 이 땅에서 장사하기 위해 살아남는 방법이다. 발 르와요는 어느 면에서 보나 세계의 중심이다. 상업적으로도, 문화적으로도, 그리고 도시의 과장된 미적인 측면에서도.

발 르와요의 토대는 에브리온 대통합 기간에 세워졌다. 대통합 과정 중 여러 세력이 섞이면서 불균형적인 결과가 빚어지기도 했고, 이러한 대통합은 각지에서 혼란을 촉발했지만, 정작 발 르와요는 순조롭게 번영해 나갔다. 이 수도는 오랜 세월을 견디며 문명의 길잡이가 되었고, 그 시민들은 세련의 척도가 되었다. 의심스럽다면 그들에게 직접 물어보자.

발 르와요는 성적으로 음란하기로도 악명이 높다. 그리고 이는 귀족과 궁정 관료들 속에서 조화롭게 녹아들어 있다. 사실, 귀족들은 도시의 어두운 면을 꽤 자주 (조심스럽게) 탐닉하는 경향이 있지만, 그것은 도시의 신비를 더욱 증폭시킬 뿐이다. 반면 다른 지역의 귀족들은 이들보다 훨씬 더 보수적이고, 자신의 평판에 신경 쓰는 경향이 있다. 사적인 쾌락을 위해 수도로 여행하는 것이 문제 되는 일이 아님에도 말이다.

발 르와요에서는 범법행위가 자주 일어나지만, 그만큼 자주 묵인된다. 발 르와요에 추문이나 고충이 없어서가 아니다. 로얀들은 겉모습을 매우 중시하기 때문에, 뭐라도 보려면 도금 장식 너머로 눈을 가늘게 뜨고 아주 슬쩍 쳐다봐야만 하기 때문이다. 그들의 뒷골목과 귀족들이 쓰는 가면 역시 그러한 점을 반영한다.

—(전)수녀 로댕 저, 발 르와요: 화려한 사치와 그 외의 것들에서 발췌

 

Val Royeaux

 

Val Royeaux. Any resident, a "Royan," will say it is the greatest city in the world. Many take such pride for arrogance, but they do so through smiles as they nod in agreement, for such is the cost of doing business in the capital. Val Royeaux is in every way a world leader—in commerce, culture, and its own exaggerated beauty.

 

The site was founded during Evrion's grand unification, the result of a mix of influences not so much balanced as driven together. And while such an amalgamation would be cause for chaos elsewhere, the prosperity of the region has enabled an upward spiral of indulgence. The capital has endured the ages to become a beacon of civilization, and its citizens the measure of modernity. Just ask them.

 

An element of Val Royeaux is notoriously risqué, and it exists harmoniously beside the aristocracy and the palace bureaucrats. Indeed, the aristocracy tends to indulge in the city's darker side quite frequently (if discreetly), and that only adds to the mystique. Nobility elsewhere tend to be much more conservative and concerned about their reputation, even if a trip into the capital to indulge a few private pleasures is not completely out of the question.

 

In Val Royeaux, transgressions are suffered and forgiven with flamboyant urgency. That is not to say the city is without lasting scandal or hardship; but one must squint past the gilding to be allowed even a glimpse, as Royans are very careful about the face they present. Such it is with the masks of nobility and the underbelly of their streets.

 

—Excerpted from Val Royeaux: Excesses Grand and Otherwise by (formerly) Sister Laudine