The capital city of Ostia, Cretaine is an enormous city primarily built of stone structures. The population is almost completely human; outsiders are looked upon as something of an extravagant oddity, despite the fact that Ostia itself contains a waide variety of other races. The seat of the city is divided between the king's castle named Storm's Fist and the Cathedreal of Light.
Storm's Fist
The castle of the king in Cretaine, Ostia. This impressive structure has been built to protect the human king and his family from every disaster imaginable. High walls protect the perimeter and are lined with defensive sieve weapons of all manner, the gates have fearsome portcullis and other defensive tools set to put an end to would-be attackers. The hold of Storm's Fist sits high atop a hill overlooking the Melfanon river that curls around the base of the outer walls like a tendrilous snake, and the only normal means of access to the castle is by crossing the Bridge of Manners over the river.
King Avrendil Coremir
The king of Ostia is a strong man of middle years, tall and sturdy with curly dark hair that has turned iron-grey/silver. The personification of law in the kingdom of Ostia, this might be the one man in all of Ostia who is not playing politics of one form or another. His only real fight is with the Church, or more properly, the High Chaplain of the Church, Oliver Davenire. Both of these men have the power and authority to issues commandments over the city, but only the king may issue kingdom-wide pronouncements unless they are related to the Church - a matter of perception quite often put to the test by the High Chaplain.
The King's Lance
The 'other' knights of Cretaine serve only the king and the king's justice, and they provide the balance between the Crusaders and the King's Law. Known throughout Ostia by the signature shining silver plate armor and their colorfully decorated lances, the King's Lance are fearsome combatants, either on foot or on horseback. There is a fierce rivalry between the Lance and Crusaders which oftentimes has meetings that end in some form of combat, though it is generally frowned upon by King and Chaplain.
Beacon of the Light
The center of faith in Cretaine and indeed in most if not all of Ostia, the Beacon of the Light is based on the values of truth, compassion, and honor, and is the heart of the paladin order that forms the kingdom's preeminent order of knights. The Church (as it is singularly known) is comprised of a High Chaplain and a circle of nine cardinals, with a full congress of bishops beneath them. There is much corruption within the Church, but it is largely assumed that this corruption is limited to only the lower orders - such corruption could surely never rise to the top levels of the holiest servants of God.
High Chaplain Oliver Davenire
The seat of the Beacon of the Light, Oliver is lord of almost everything he sees - unless the king says otherwise. Tall, bald and fat, the Chaplain is known for a voracious appetite, and some say (in whispers) that he has appetites that priests at any level should not. Members of the clergy will quickly dismiss such rumormongering as jealous panderings started by the King's Lance. Oliver and Avrendil grew up as playmates and friends until their paths separated, and they know one another quite well - their flaws and their features alike. Their differences cause a divide in a city and country that should not need to be split so.
Crusaders of the Light
The ancient (by human standards) paladin order that serves the Ostian Church, the Beacon of the Light. These holy-water annointed knights swear vows of fealty to God, Chaplain, and the King - in that order. Commoners in Cretaine know in which order those vows are taken in seriousness, too. The crusaders are known by their bronzed plate armor; the smiths who forge these suits add something to tinge the steel with a tinge of bronze coloring.