Aestrena

Hae'driel is the second-largest city on the Western Continent, and is a bustling metropolis filled with pretty much anything you could want.  Illicit goods are much harder to find here than in most places, however, due to the strong presence of the Emerald Flame in this city.  Highborn elves are concentrated here much more highly than they are elsewhere in the Empire.  The city is built upon a crossroads, and boasts four main gates going in each of the cardinal directions.  Hae'driel is also home to the Temple of Tassada, Goddess of Justice.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:03, Wed 26 Feb 2014.

In reply to DM (msg # 1):

Aestrena

Ikuabai is a curious city, the fourth-largest on the continent.

As a city under the control of the Sultanate but located on Aestrena, Ikuabai is a heady mixture of Western and Eastern cultures and people, a fact which becomes readily apparent almost as soon as you step foot in it.

Nestled just outside the city walls is a massive amphitheater, set partially into the ground — the gladiatorial arena.  A match is not currently taking place, but workers are using rakes and brooms to tamp down the sand in preparation for a bout later that day.  Excited spectators mill around the outside wall of the arena, upon which are plastered notices listing combatants in the upcoming fights.  A fair amount of money looks to be changing hands as people select their favorites for champion.

Situated next to the arena is a massive harbor of deep azure filled with ships of all sizes which bear flags of every city and kingdom imaginable, and more besides. Ships come and go constantly from the docks, unloading goods, passengers, and crew, and taking on new loads of the same.

The press of humanity grows even thicker as you enter the city proper. The first thing you notice is how many people there are.  Chuck's assertion that there would be many traders and travelers in Ikuabai at this time of year was correct -- there is easily a million people here, a sight which absolutely floors some of the more rural P.A.R.T.Y. members.

The second thing you notice is how many different types of people there are.  A flurry of different languages surrounds you as you make your way through the city streets as citizens and visitors of various races chat and haggle amiably with one another.  The majority clearly have some degree of elven and/or human blood, and many of them bear the coppery hair and golden eyes that Maeve does -- it would seem that the trait is fairly common among Gaelians, and there are a fair number of ex-pats from Gaelia itself residing in the city. There are a fair smattering of dwarves, gnomes and -- much to Keef's great surprise and delight -- minotaurs. The shoppers and merchants give these powerful creatures a wide berth as they pass through the narrow streets, conversing alternately in Common and in their own tongue.

Nearly all of the women you see are dressed in a typical fashion, but occasionally you see one completely swathed in a veil of some heavy material.  Maeve explains that they have more than likely taken some sort of religious vow and that many Gaelian priestesses dress in such a manner.  It has the added benefit of protecting the wearer from the intense sun of the Eastern continent, though it really seems out of place here in the chilly northeastern climate of Aestrena.  The minotaur women you see dressed in this fashion are particularly conspicuous -- their horns form two lumps in the fabric.

It becomes readily apparent that most of the crowd is heading in the direction of the Grand Bazaar, and with good reason. The market is a sight to behold: the hum of voices and the smell of all sorts of delicious food and beverages fill the air as hundreds of merchants sell every conceivable good you can imagine.  A handful of business-minded whores are taking advantage of the busy market day on a promising street corner.

At one point you lose sight of Keef in the hubbub, only to find him a few minutes later chatting happily to a scantily-clad, heavily made-up young woman lounging against a doorway.  Maeve drags Keef away from his new friend in spite of the lad’s protestations that the lady “thought Chubbs was neat.” The lady in question looks greatly relieved to have been rescued, though she quickly recovers her businesslike manner and turns bedroom eyes on the men of the P.A.R.T.Y. as you continue on into the Bazaar.

You do indeed see a number of the cat carvings that Maeve had mentioned in passing some time ago.  Zuriel, for whatever reason, finds them to be a source of great amusement.  He constantly grabs Lyriel’s arm to point one out to her, giggling as he does.  When he spots one carved in the ceiling of a rug merchant’s shop, he breaks out in hysterical laughter, alarming passersby.  Nobody else in the P.A.R.T.Y seems nearly as amused.

Lyriel for her part is clearly more interested in the goods for sale.  She eyes bolts of fine silk and exotic spices intended for both cooking and healing, though she is most captivated by the horses.  Maeve has mentioned that Gaelia is known for its fine horses, and the ones for sale in the Bazaar are a testament to that fact.  The paddocks of the horse merchants hold a wide range of beasts, from ponies to sturdy draft horses to spirited destriers stomping and snorting.  All of the animals are sleek and glossy, clearly in the best of health.

All told, Ikuabai is a busy mercantile dreamscape, where business is booming and the population if surging. You get the feeling you're going to like it here.

Disposition of Ikuabai

The city is arranged in a practical grid, for the most part, with a notable exception for the areas surrounding the Grand Bazaar, the Sultan's Arena, Temple Row, and the harbor.

The P.A.R.T.Y. entered at the western gate, one of three main gates that serve the ebb and flow of people in and out of the city.  These are the only legal way out of the city's enormous wall, which surrounds every part of the city not bordered by the ocean.  At the two places where the ocean meets the wall, spiked jetties extend across the beach and far out into the water, dropping off suddenly where the ocean floor plummets to dangerous depths.  Large beckons are set on the edge of each jetty, serving as lighthouses and warning signals to guards and ships alike.

The city is subdivided into the following areas:


This message was last edited by the GM at 15:03, Wed 26 Feb 2014.

In reply to DM (msg # 2):

Aestrena

Medenbury -- population < 100,000.  Notes: Copper is here. Benito was here. Captain Rhys is here. Imperial prison is here. Devils are at large.

Vendrinor -- population < 100 (currently 0).  Notes: Simon was here. Oliver and Rachel were here.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:03, Wed 26 Feb 2014.

In reply to DM (msg # 3):

Drynn

Imbrear: The city of Imbrear is nestled among the jagged cliffs of the Sea of Tears, which surround the peninsula on which Imbraer stands on its northern and western sides.  To the east, the cliffs gradually shrink to a more manageable beachhead. There are no sands for the waves to lap against by the eastern shoreline, but rather an endless smattering of dark pebbles.

It is here, on the eastern edge, that the harbor has been built. Five hundred slips made of blackened wood and stone jut out from the shore, defended by a pair of mighty jetties on either side of the harbor area.  Twin towers stand at the edge of each jetty, lit by a beacon that glows like a second sun.  Warehouses line the harbor, as they did in Ikuabai, but here the similarities end.

The harbor does not adjoin the city of Imbrear directly, but is instead located beyond a tall wall of onyx.  This wall surrounds Ikuabai's eastern and southern approaches, with no wall needed to bolster the natural defenses of the northern and western edges, which abut against the high cliffs. Both walls possess a gate, though the eastern one -- which separates the harbor from the city itself -- appears to be more of an archway, the portcullis raised so high you can't be sure it exists at all.

A keep, tall and proud, rests in the northwestern corner, taking advantage of the cliffs to provide an ideal high ground. It's a standard enough affair, consisting of its own walls, a squat main building, and a taller tower rising above the rest.

The banner flying in the vigorous breeze proudly displays a coiled serpent, the insignia of Kazul. More than half of the ships docked here bear similar colors and devices upon their sails, though there are a fair number of Gaelian ships, as well.  A score of warships fly the iron fist of the Dominion as well, but always below the serpent.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:49, Tue 04 Mar 2014.

In reply to DM (msg # 4):

Ogdoven: Nestled within the swamplands, this city is inhabited largely by giants. It is said to be a good week's journey south from Imbrear, and is ruled by a nominal king who bends knee to the Dominion.

The city of Ogdoven is more like a sprawling collection of villages than anything else, with pockets of self-sufficient areas popping up throughout the rolling swampland that continues even within the palisade's walls. A rough road runs throughout the compound, created by large, rough-hewn stones that fit together so poorly that the carts' wheels creak with protest.

There are giants everywhere, with only a smattering of human-sized men and women milling around -- mostly in subservient roles.

In the center of the city is second wooden palisade, within which is located the king's fortress. By any normal standards, it would barely deserve the title, but in Ogdoven -- with it's masterfully thatched roof free from holes and all four walls completely intact -- it's a little slice of paradise.

There are no guards at the entrance to the king's palisade, for the giants believe that any king who requires a guard is not worthy of the title.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:11, Wed 05 Mar 2014.

In reply to DM (msg # 5):

Umbr'iel

True to its namesake, the city is bathed in ominous shadows, and seems to be equal parts man-made buildings and immaculate wilderness. Strands of silvery-blue light trickle down from far above, bathing everything in a soft glow that gives it an eerie, supernatural character.

In place of lanterns, the streets are lined with slender trees wrapped with incandescent vines. Closer inspection reveals that the plants do not produce their own light, but rather mirror the existing tendrils of moon-like illumination whenever it strikes them, sending silvery ripples along the length of the vine that make it seem to dance and writhe before your eyes.

As testament to Umbr'iel's synthesis of gothic construction and rugged natural beauty, the city's skyline is dotted with flowing shapes and asymmetrical arches that culminate in tall spires that reach upward toward the surface. The spiked gables one might expect from such buildings are nowhere to be seen, replaced by smooth coils carrying a bramble and thorn motif, and everywhere you look, wooden accents of ebony and mahogany are married with onyx stone.

In reply to DM (msg # 6):

Nekria

Ancestral capital of the Dominion and seat of the Onyx Throne, the city of Nekria is a sprawling expanse of stone, timber, and steel. Nestled on the flat, stoney surface of a hill, it is surrounded on all sides by the Skittering Swamp. It is accessible from four mighty gates, from which solitary road extends north toward Imbraer, south toward the Gnarled Peaks (of which Mt. Salt is the largest), west toward Ogdoven (though the road does not yet reach that specific city), and east toward Umbr'iel (though this road meanders quite a ways southward, too).

The city is massive, and it is said that the heavy stone walls were once 20 feet taller, but the sheer weight of them caused them to sink into the soft earth on which they were built.

Within the outer wall is the housing district, which encircles the entire city and fills the expanse between the outer wall and the inner wall almost entirely. A road called the Main Avenue encircles the city, creating a ring exactly in the center of the inner and outer walls. Smaller roads branch off in a neat grid-like pattern, connecting the homes to each other and to the Main Avenue itself.

There are four gates in the inner wall, as well, and their orientation matches the gates along the outer wall precisely.

Within the Inner Wall lie the main square, the barracks, the courthouse, and similar buildings, including the fortified Onyx Tower -- where the Tyrant keeps his court -- and the mighty Draconian Cathedral, where Kazul's heralds reside.

Idea of the housing esthetic: http://www.arteria-gaming.net/unitymedpack/promo2.jpg

Idea of the wall esthetic: http://i191.photobucket.com/al...edievalCity-Day1.jpg

Idea of the city layout (though Nekria's is at a far larger scale): http://www.historiasiglo20.org.../medieval%20city.jpg

In reply to DM (msg # 7):

Teziir

In addition to being an important port city involved in a staggeringly large number of cargo/freight transactions each day, Teziir is also the capital of Gaelia and home to the Sultan's palace.

The P.A.R.T.Y. disembarks, dazzled by the mixture of opulence and poverty around them. Teziir is a city at odds with itself. Like Ikuabai, it appears to be home to all sorts of people -- all races, all nations, all faiths, and all languages seem represented. The coppery hair, darker skin, and golden eyes that Maeve exhibits are common among the humanoids here, and the fashions convey a synthesis of practicality and fashion that even Lyriel can appreciate.

As in Ikuabai, there are several clear areas of activity: the harbor, the bazaar, and the palace's public gardens.


Caelah

The P.A.R.T.Y. arrives at Caelah without incident, and find themselves faced with a city that looks much that same as Teziir and Ikuabai: a harbor from which a sprawling sea of tents and marketplaces has cropped up, and people of every race and creed.

Also in keeping with the theme of the other cities, each of which appear to have been built around a central focal point apart from their harbor (the palace in Teziir, and the arena in Ikuabai), Caelah is home to an enormous military garrison, which dominates the southern side of the city.

The layout is, essentially, this: Harbor to the east, garrison to the south, marketplaces to the north, and residencies/civic services to the west. And it is from the west that you enter the city.