Khaulcaster is the capital of the Midland Marshes and nests along the claw of the Plume Mountain. To be precise, the crowded city occupies the space underneath an eroded portion of the mountain known as the Flooded Vein. This spacious, cave-like tunnel serves as a connection from the Outreaches to the heart of the marsh. As the name implies, the Flooded Vein is the primary water source to the Outreaches. Without it, the region west of the Plume Mountain range would have been desert instead of tropical forest.
Near the heart of this shaded city is the aptly named Khaulcaster Citadel, the castle housing all of the Midland Marsh royalty. The highest ranking royalty (currently Queen Miamosa and Censfi Erika Suet) are able to watch over the entire kingdom from within the citadel’s walls with an enchanted item known as the Oracle’s Blessing, a crystal ball imbued with centuries worth of wizards’ magic. Although the Oracle’s Blessing has many powers, it is primarily used for scrying, and it does not allow the user to spy past the political borders of the Midland Marshes.
Beyond the Khaulcaster Citadel is an entire village built on stilts and hanging ropes. Aqualoxes inhabiting the region live on the principle of united species, so they have adapted architecture to factor both terrestrial and arboreal neighbors.
Buildings sprouting from the land have an almost pier appearance to them, bridges spanning between each residence into an ant maze of homes. Not all buildings are on the same level, so some are stacked above others like a porch roof, further solidifying the burrow-esque appearance. Although there are a few stairs and ladders, ramps are far more popular, in consideration for the mobility impaired and salesmen’s carts. These ramps double as the roofs to merchant stalls, smattering produce and trinket shops all throughout town.
Hanging from the ceiling above are houses akin to teardrop-shaped bird nests. Due to being made of light-weight material, these buildings take much maintenance. Volunteers gather to repair a neighborhood in one go, before moving onto the next in a never-ending cycle. Very rarely do homeowners perform their own exterior maintenance, as the townsfolk do not want a lack of wealth to impede on people’s safety. Although the same maintenance is applied to the ground-structured houses, the Nests and higher-shelved buildings are prioritized.
All structures (save for the citadel) are made of a blend of driftwood, imported duckdown bamboo, willow bramble, moss, and muckfrog bile. Due to the nature of stilts and swampy terrain, rock and marble are rarely used in construction. This gives Khaulcaster a very forested appearance juxtaposed to the Atlantis-esque architecture of the Central Shores.
In addition, with the city being built inside the Flooded Vein, little sunlight reaches past the outskirts of town. This encouraged the planting of Heaven’s Tears, a highly prolific bioluminescent moss. This had adverse effects, as (against all odds) the imported plant thrived in the marsh’s climate, quickly becoming invasive. Residents let the moss grow freely within the town’s borders, but because of a treaty made with primlins nearly three-centuries ago, a group of gardeners (nicknamed “spiral diggers” after one of their tools) walk around the edges of town once a week and eradicate any moss creeping too far from the city.