The Empire of Peregrinum

...and now before we leave the Capital we must touch upon one final district of the City. Tucked away in Alanic's sprawl is the Lion Ward, a worthy reminder of the Empire's lengthy Syrixian Flirtation. The Ward covers only a few square Kilometers of the City, but the overwhelming sense of "otherness" one feels while walking down the cobbled streets of the Ward is impossible to ignore. The Ward is one of the newer city districts despite existing long the Queen Enora married the Syrixian Prince Babur. It was however during that time that the ward saw its heyday as nobles from Syrixia and Peregrinum flooded in, to either experience a taste of home or a taste of the exotic. Under the reign of the Prince Regent the ward was expanded, and renovated owing to a generous donation from the Regent himself. The expansions were destroyed however following the reunification of Alexander. Despite his destruction of the Prince Regents expansions Alexander was not a fan of iconoclasm, and allowed the original Ward to remain; on two conditions, one normal, the other bizarre. Alexander's first condition was for all the Ward's ethnic Syrixians to come before him and swear fealty. The other was that all statues of Lions in the district were to be killed by Eagles. While that was initially puzzling to the residents, the design of Alexander was clear after a short time. Seemingly overnight Alexander's sculptors had created fantastic scenes of Eagles and the pre-existing lions doing battle. Age old Lions rampant were now locked in combat with the Peregrine Eagles. The most breathtaking of these battles plays out in the Plaza Imperial. Prince Regent Nicholas had constructed four Lions in the cardinal directions to represent the four corners of the Empire. In counter Alexander built an Imperial Two Headed Eagle over them. Standing at nearly 40ft the Eagle is sight to behold as its talons pierce the lions. A fitting edition to the seemingly unbelievable statuary of Alanic.

...to the art tourist Peregrinum offers a unique experience. In nearly each major city is at least one art museum dedicated to the culture of the region, with the grandest of these institutions being the Domus Ars in the capital city of Alanic. The Ars houses 2,000 years of Peregrine history. The primary museum for the viewing of pre-Peregrine art is in Brukren, the capital city of the client Kingdom of Brusk. In addition to its formal istitutions, Peregrinum has a long tradition of public art as well. Nearly every plaza and public park is graced with some form of statuary. Although, this author must warn you that Peregrine statuary is quite like any other in the world. Whereas one might imagine Emperors and Heroes made of stark white marble, the reality is quite different. Peregrine statues tend to be highly realistic to the point of being graphic. In the Plaza de Bellum one can find a nearly complete scene of battle with vibrantly painted ancient Peregrine soldiers hacking and slashing their enemies to pieces. On the "Murus" or the large wall constructed to protect Alanic from the sea, one can find the "Vivian." The statue depicts the tragic death of the Princess Vivian as she falls into the sea. As to why someone felt this statue needed to be built is anyone's guess, but it is a poignant example for the strange statuary found throughout the Empire. Peregrinum is also a joy for the discerning architect, as many of the Empire's grand facades are protected and maintained by senatorial decree. For much of the year the Imperial Palace will open its gate to tourists as well, and of particular not to art tourists is the throne room. The Imperial Family has no fear of color and the Throne Room is awash in red and gold, and clad in marble. The Throne itself is an heirloom of the Empire, and depicts an Eagle in full display.