Felix Caelus

Felix grins with delight, fingers tightening around Jim's hand. He's watching Jim's reaction as raptly as one could expect - he suspects, on some level, that Jim's seen cities and architecture just as big and splendid before this. Logically, it stands to reason. The Federation is too vast for it to be otherwise.

And nevertheless some deep part of him is jittering with excitement because this is the Imperial City, the city of cities, and while its reputation can be a little overblown (says the good Bruma boy in him), it is the heart of civilization and the foundation stone of everything he's ever known.

So he really, really wants Jim to be impressed. Can't entirely imagine how anyone could fail to be, unless they just didn't understand what they were seeing.

He leads them down to join the traffic on the great ring road, turning left to head south. True to the Roman parallels, it's a good level road with well-maintained paving. Felix is already chatting eagerly. "It's at least a couple of hours' walk, I'm afraid, but at least we'll have no trouble getting a room and a drink when we arrive. I sent word ahead to my cousin Marcella and warned her what sort of food to get. Of course we'll have to go into the city and lay hands on some proper clothes for the celebrations..."

It's a good thing the people of Cyrodiil live up to their orderly reputation: all the pilgrims and carts and animals and motley bands of travelers keep politely out of one another's way. Aided, no doubt, by the supervision of the occasional guard pacing by on horseback. And while the people in Skyrim tend to be mostly Nords with a sprinkling of other humans and a few rare members of other races, this province is a whole other matter. There are plenty of Imperials to be sure, but they're almost outnumbered by Redguards, Wood Elves, Dark Elves, serious High Elves in scholarly robes, reptilian Argonians and feline Khajiit. And unlike Skyrim, they all seem equally likely to be farmers or mages, warriors or merchants.

Well, significantly more merchants and farmers on this road. Above all else, a city's got to eat.

"...I don't know the city as well, of course, but we used to travel down here for visits. When we were much younger, of course. We got some terrible scoldings for trying to catch mudcrabs before we'd been taught the right way."