Looking down into this valley, the travelers could see the Induri River wending its way to the south. The river was broad and deceptively still. On a large island directly in the center sat the ancient city of Khmeria. The travelers, looking at it, had to agree that few cities, even blessed Ravan, were as favored and impressive as the spectacle they now beheld.
The city was built in the shape of an enormous rectangle, several parasangs in length and breadth, with high stone walls defending it from attack. The river acted as a natural moat around the island, breached only on the east and west by bridges spanning the narrow forks and leading into the city’s two large gates. Khmeria was a city of high towers, each topped with the bulbous shape of a lotus blossom; the entire municipal area lo
