Valuana

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Valuana (瓦卢瓦纳)
Type	City; royal capital of the Holy Kingdom of Valois
Affiliation	Holy Kingdom of Valois
Status	In turmoil following cult activity, financial collapse, famine, political upheaval, and war 154 266 403
First Appearance	11

Background / History

Valuana originated as the seat of a ducal family that preceded Valois’s royal house. Its fortress clusters and position against the Empire made the royal capital a wartime bridgehead for gathering the God of Order’s strength across the southern continent. Kings who defended the nation without major fault were posthumously honored as saints by the Order Church. 27

Long peace changed the capital’s character: its former military importance gave way to opulence and “drunken revelry,” despite its continuing strategic role as Valois’s “slender neck” and main artery. 27

During the period covered by the story, Valuana becomes a center of magical education, finance, industry, and political conflict. The city hosts the Tower of Stars, the Holy Cathedral of the Order, the Adventurers’ Guild, royal institutions, and the Valuana Higher Normal College. 29 115

Its later crisis escalates from the exposure of the Shaleanna Mining Company’s fraud and the resulting market collapse to cult-related destruction, hunger, noble flight, and wartime instability. 154 227 266 403

Cityscape

Valuana is described as the largest city on the southern continent and the capital of the Holy Kingdom. Its architecture favors religious grandeur and luxury over the Empire’s more practical monumental style. 29 30

• City walls are made from off-white quartzite; at dawn they resemble a sacred curtain around the city, though their defensive strength is questionable. 29
• Residents place faith in the protection of the God of Order as their principal defense. 29
• The Seine River runs through the city and links major northern Valois cities. 38
• Clothing is notably colorful and varied, including fur or wool cloaks, lace collars, loose coats, tight trousers, leggings, and exaggerated collars. 39
• Valuana’s streets contain both high-society venues and visible poverty, including church porridge distributions to poorly clothed residents. 39 41

Districts and Landmarks

Location	Description
Southwest Gate	Goods entrance through which flour, meat, and vegetables enter the city; marked by an imposing stone beast. 29
Grand Market / “Valuana’s Stomach”	The continent’s largest vegetable market, supplying everyone from mages and lawyers to factory workers. Traffic, livestock, produce carts, butcher stalls, and small restaurants crowd the area. 29 44
Holy Cathedral of the Order	Located beside the Adventurers’ Guild in the capital. 29
Tower of Stars	Major magical institution in Valuana; associated with Archmage Kano and astronomical instruction. 29 115
Starlight Torch Tower	A visible city landmark near Pastoral Avenue. 39
Royal Theater	Stands near the bathhouse ruins associated with Hero King Odov. 38
Catacombs	Vast underground network extending to the outskirts; exploited by Mother Earth Cult members to evade Paladin blockades. 149
Dupont Street	Street associated with a casino that preys on vulnerable residents. 43

Institutions

Royal Court

Valuana is the royal capital of Valois. The King’s palace, noble circles, and royal court are central to the city’s political and social life. 27 63

The royal family’s historical role in defending the nation contrasts with the later court’s reputation for indulgence and corruption. 27 115

Order Church

The Order Church is deeply embedded in Valuana’s public life. It operates the Holy Cathedral, distributes food to the poor, influences education, and maintains Paladin authority. 29 39 115

• Church representatives pledged teachers for grammar, history, philosophy, astronomy, and natural sciences at Valuana Higher Normal College. 115
• The Church later publicly exposed the underground cult linked to the city’s crisis. 154
• Large catacombs beneath the city provided routes for Mother Earth Cult operations. 149

Mage Guild and Tower of Stars

The Tower of Stars is a major magical institution in Valuana, represented by Archmage Kano. It provides instruction in arithmetic, geometry, simple alchemy, and astronomy-related fields. 115

The Mage Guild and its infrastructure suffer severe losses during the Angel-related turmoil, including damage to teleportation nodes, city gates, and magical items. 266

Valuana Higher Normal College

The college was established through benefit performances, donations, and patronage organized around the success of Edmund and Catherine. 115

• Initial fundraising reached 572,000 Lang, with further ticket sales and donations designated for education. 115
• A prince sold a city mansion at a low price for the institution’s use. 115
• The Church, Mage Guild, and military each contributed planned courses. 115
• Admission quotas could be allocated according to spending, making access a concern for attending business owners. 115

Economy and Trade

Valuana’s Grand Market functions as a continental-scale food hub. It receives the city’s flour, meat, vegetables, poultry, and other provisions through the southwest goods gate. 29

The city also supports major merchant, banking, and industrial activity, including theaters, beverage promotion, mining finance, alchemical products, and later industrial upgrades. 63 111 636

• Winter grain shortages drove food prices upward. 44
• The Shaleanna Mining Company’s fraudulent gold scheme destabilized the city’s finances and stock market. 154 227 230
• After the scam became public, grain merchants suspended deliveries to Valuana. 230
• Later industrial safety upgrades were successfully completed in Valuana and Bavaria. 636

Culture

Valuana is renowned for its cuisine, though individual visitors do not always share that reputation. 29

Its cultural life includes opera, theater, card games, fashionable dress, tea houses, and high-society banquets. 38 39 41 115

• Tea houses serve foamy herbal tea and desserts and permit political discussion. 38
• Edmund and Catherine became a widely acclaimed, sold-out production, drawing merchants and ordinary citizens while unsettling royalty and church officials. 115 118
• Early camera technology from the Alchemy Department was used to photograph the college’s patrons. 115
• “Valuana” itself carries commercial appeal in Bavaria, particularly for Valois wines and other goods. 171

Major Events

• Arrival of Rorschach’s caravan — A merchant caravan reaches the capital through the southwest gate and completes its escort contract at the Adventurers’ Guild. 29
• Establishment of Valuana Higher Normal College — Benefit performances and donations fund a new educational institution involving the Church, Mage Guild, and military. 115
• Mother Earth Cult crisis — Cult activity uses the catacombs; the city later faces divine destruction, rescue operations, and public exposure of the underground cult. 149 154
• Mining fraud exposed — Valan confesses that Shaleanna’s gold discoveries were planted and that the company manipulated stock prices through loans and repurchases. 227
• Financial collapse — The fraud triggers a stock-market crash and interruption of grain deliveries. 230
• Mass departure — Mages, nobles, and other residents flee Valuana amid post-Angel turmoil; some nobles escape through a teleportation array to the sub-plane. 266
• Famine and political crisis — Citizens face starvation, public anger, and distrust of the King amid the city’s wider upheaval. 403
• Defense of Valois — Valois forces rally with the cry, “Behind us lies Valuana!” during war against the Empire. 415