Thran
The capital of the Kingdom of Oukranos, one of the Six Kingdoms. The kingdom extends the length of the river valley up to, but not including, Hlanith on the coast. The king of Thran is an old dreamer who has seen many wonderous things. He became king after he successfully challenged the former ruler to a dream-duel and won. Dream-duels are the accepted form of choosing a new ruler in Thran, and involve a story-telling contest between the two contestants.
The city is surrounded by a lofty wall of alabaster which was carved from one solid piece by a means known to no man. The wall is pierced by 100 gates and surmounted by 200 turrets. The towers of the city are also made of alabaster and shine white beneath the golden spires. The tops of these towers rise so high that sometimes they are obscured by the clouds. At other times they pierce through the clouds to appear as a city in the sky with their spires blazing fire in the heavens. The wall around Thran is so thick that the gates are more like tunnels through a mountain. The tunnels are 100 feet long, and 30 feet wide, and are lit by torches every 10 feet. Each of the gates to the city is guarded by red-robed sentries, and those who wish to enter the city must first prove their worthiness by dazzling the guards with tales of three dreams beyond belief.
In order to pass the city guards an investigator's player must make three consecutive rolls against the average of his Dream Lore and Persuade skills. A critical success negates the need for further rolls for a given investigator. If a group of investigators is trying to enter the city, each member of the group must be rolled for separately. An investigator may try as many times as necessary to enter the city, but each roll requires ten minutes be spend to tell the tale.
Where the gates open onto the river and the city's wharves. These docks are made of solid marble, and anchored there are ornate galleys of fragrant woods such as cedar or calamander. Strange bearded sailors from all over the Dreamlands crowd the docks, and many crates and barrels labeled with mysterious hieroglyphs of far places stand in piles waiting to be loaded aboard ships or taken to market. Thran's harbor is the third mightiest in all the dreamlands, after those of Dylath-Leen and Celephaïs.
The streets of Thran are steep and mysterious and wind between the many towers which stretch heavenward. Smaller shops and homes stand like mice at the feet of these towers. Near the center of the city is the bazaar, a wide plaza where all the goods from the galleys in the harbor are sold, or traded for local goods. By day the streets are crowded with people and animals. By night they are filled with the warm glow of light which escapes through grated and balconied windows and the sounds of music wafted on the air from inner courtyards where cool fountains gently play.
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