Jaliad

"Jaliad does not have many grand buildings, & it may seem smelly, dirty & disorganised to travellers fresh from the elegance of Tora, but it is a city of great life and energy."

- Doran Jaliad is the capital of Diamond territory. The only large city in its territory, Jaliad is the home of the Jalis tribe. The city is ruled by the Chieftain of the Jalis tribe.

Jaliad, unlike Del and Tora, does not have many grand buildings, and to outsiders, it appears to be very disorganised and dirty. It is however, a city of great life and energy and home to many Jalis knights.

Jaliad Road, Knight's Parade, and Greel's Trail are the mains roads that lead in and out of Jaliad.

History
Before the unification of Deltora by Adin, the Jalis kept the Diamond in a golden box on a shelf above the fire in the great feasting hall.

The Time of Adin
Adin's first point of call on his quest to unite the Land of Dragons was Jaliad. He however did not fully reach the city by his own free will. Adin was brought to the city after he had been captured by Greel, the then current leader of the Jalis. Although the Shadow Army had not yet reached Diamond territory, the Jalis were convinced of Adin's intentions due to his story matching that of the Tenna Birdsong tale that all Jalis knew. As a result, Greel presented to Adin his first talisman, the Diamond. Greel also offered to train Adin in swordsmanship. During the Battle of Deltora, Greel and the other Jalis knights left Jaliad in order to fight the Shadow Army outside Hira. This effectively left Jaliad and the rest of Diamond territory unguarded.

Secrets of Deltora
Doran the Dragonlover stayed in Jaliad for a couple of days, documenting observations and listing things to do and see in his travel guide, Secrets of Deltora.

Government
Jaliad was ruled by the Chieftain of the Jalis. How a Jalis chieftain is elected is unknown.

Taverns
During the time of Doran the Dragonlover there were many taverns, with some offering upstairs bedrooms. Doran noted that The Diamond, The Knight's Arm and the Jolly Pig, were among the few taverns that offered sheets and pillows, but were still noisy and dirty.

Central Marketplace
The central marketplace is an ionic place in Jaliad because of how busy and noisy of a place it is. You can purchase food and first aid supplies, as well as gifts. Most of the crafts for sale here are not made by the Jalis as they are not great craftspeople, the majority of strange and beautiful objects you will find here are from the coast, brought by foreign ships. There are also many charms, talismans and herbal brews and lotions for sale due to the Jalis people's heart for superstitions.

Arena
Many knights and knights in training, exercise and stage mock battles. There are bench seats surrounding the arena and spectators are most welcome, however outsiders will need to state their names and be searched. before entering. Visitors can carry as many weapons as they like into the arena, but concealed weapons are forbidden. The arena is located on one side of the marketplace.

Great Feasting Hall
The great feasting hall is located on the other side of the central marketplace, opposite the arena. It is vast and low. This is where Jalis knights and commoners come to eat, sing and hear tales. Visitors may gain entry and a meal through the presentation of a gold coin, and anything less, such as silver, is considered an insult. The coin will be refused but acts as a symbol that shows that one values the honour one is about to receive. The hall often contains a lot of smoke, has many burning torches, heat, noise and the mingled smells of unwashed bodies, fire and cooking meat. At one end of the hall whole beasts turn on spits and on the other end is a huge fireplace on a raised stone platform. It can be quite dim. It has long tables and many large platters of food are positioned on them, including meat, bread and fruit, and vast jugs of frothing ale are placed on them. The most common food, according to Doran the Dragonlover's Secret of Deltora], is fruit, roast pumpkin, hard Jalis bread and meat cut in chunks from the whole beasts turning on the spits. It is advised that outsiders drink with the Jalis, as they do not trust folk that do not do so. The meat on the platters can be quite blood. Often during feasts, the Jalis storyteller will present a tale, often one of the [[Tenna Birdsong Tales. The huge Jalis people sit on benches lining either sides of the tables, roughly dressed, and eats with their hands and knives. The Jalis storyteller sits on a chair on a raised platform beside the fireplace and platform, and at the head of the longest table, with the fireplace in the back, is a great chair that serves as the seat of the Jalis chief. There is a shelf above the fireplace, accesible through the raised stone platform, which holds a golden box that once held the Topaz. Outsiders are expected to eat with a knife and their fingers like the Jalis themselves, and it is tradition to throw bones on the floor when they have been picked clean. It is usual to belch loudly at the end of a meal, to show that one have eaten well.

Trivia

 * Jaliad is the only major city in all territories to not be visited in the books.