Incaras, City of Mercenaries

The city of Mercenaries is atop a plateau in the scrublands north of Kquikzuld and the Sea of Inx, and east of the Downs and plains of Chentor. The city is uniquely diverse and multicultural, accepting as residents even monsters and cannibals that are hated and feared or conquering and preying on the other races elsewhere. A traveler's travelogue is Journey to Incaras .
Below is a rough map:

Incaras by Mutterwolf

Citizenship is open to any free person, residing in the city for 5 years, of at least 18 years of age.
Those wishing citizenship appear before the Tribunes (Deme council ), a hearing is held with witnesses for and against, then there is a Council vote. If passed the citizen is registered.
Levels of Citizenship: Only the top 3 may hold offices, all have votes:

• Lord/ Lady (500 bushels of income annually or equivalent) ( 500 GP) - Platinum ring.
• Master/ Mistress: 300 bushel income (or equivalent per annum) - gold ring
• Squire: 200 Bushel Class: silver pinky ring
• Laborer: anyone not of the higher ranks - brass pinky ring

Most citizens enter 2 years service as constables in Incaras City Watch.  ( Laborer citizen) or special service or officer, if they have the skills (Squire citizenship).
Cadets are given tour of the sectors of the city, instructed on government and trained in weapons.
Slave Classes:
Slaves may appeal to the courts or Constables for protection or relief.

1. Indentured: Voluntary exchange placing oneself under another for a specific period in exchange for payment or favor. Minors maybe sold by parents or other relatives. Basic needs must be provided and the slave shall be safe in their person except justified punishment. This is only binding where a contract exists. The slave is not marked, but wears a collar or marked leather Contracts may be bought out.
2. Bond Slave: Debtors and lesser criminals may be sold to work off debt or repay victims. The duration of slavery is limited to a term of years. The slave is tattooed on the shoulder with a circle and a dot. The dot is ex out when the term of bond is finished. They shall wear a collar of marked leather. The slave must be provided for basic comforts and is safe in their person except justified punishment. The slave must finish their term unless victims agree to allow it to be bought out.
3. Chattel: Slaves by birth or capture. Tattooed or branded with the slave circle on the shoulder. They shall wear a collar or metal or leather. Owners may use them as they please, excepting torture or starvation. Chattel may be punished as owners see fit.

Escaped slaves will be beaten, placed in the stocks and branded as a run away. Assault, murder or damage to slave owner or family results the whole of household slaves being thrown from the cliffsides of the city.

Fauna & Flora

About 40% humans, 25% Fae, Bahku make up about 10% as do Centaurs. Octnon at about 5%. 10% are ghenid, Bugbear, kobolds, skinchangers, Nezumi ratkin and other creatures.
Important Persons:
Dracna 
M'he. Oang of Eǂyelfua Clan of Incaras 
Fayd Pharazod the Ambassador

Natural Resources

What everybody knows:

• You can get anything for the right price
• The city is inhabited by all kinds of peoples and creatures
• There are monsters that lurk in the sewers and at night, sometimes even in daylight: escaped or loosed or accidentally finding their ways out. Ghosts may roam the streets.
• Guilds and the rich hold power, so do some personally powerful influential persons. Always appeal to your guild!
• Street gangs run in most of the city. Cutpurses and petty criminals. Pay protection, keep alert. The gangs fight. Many eyes. They will be loyal to a powerful person or the highest bidder. Gangs themselves may be powerful.
• Thugs and Dandies may duel. Brawling is common. This is a tough town. defend yourself and take precautions.
• If you steal or cheat someone, they might hire someone to retrieve it for bounty or do you harm if you are a citizen.  If you are just a resident, expect worse.

History

In the Inx region Heroic Age about 2000 years ago a Monastery was built around a sealed dimensional gateway.  The monks of the Watcher of the Ways, of the Church of The Powers, or the Hundred Gods.
The monastery drew pilgrims. The sages and scholars of the Temple drew others. It developed support and associated services and industry. It was independent and free from the influence of kings and other rulers.  Mercenaries established their strongholds and off-season bases on the plateau.  The University was established, and it was a mark of distinction for noble sons and daughters or high level merchant families to send children to the university. There are also rumors of a secret order of Guardians of the Sealed Dimensional gateway.
Incara of Wergyld island came to the plateau and started organizing the communities outside the Monastery. Incara became mayor and leader. She helped form the Guild Council with the various trades and Mercenary order leaders. The settlement came to be called Incara's Town.  Frequently shortened to Incara's. Some centuries later that had become Incaras.
Because the city had started as a place of independents and domains ruled by Mercenary or Guild orders a wide tolerance of diversity was recognized.  As the various races came in and added their elements the diversity grew.  Anyone who obeyed the laws was welcome to ply their trade or sell skills or abilities.  The fae races in all their kinds. Barbarian Bahku and Minotaur rubbed shoulders with Centaurs  and humans. Monsterous creatures also came to dwell in the city- adding both their power and influence and new levels of tolerance. The Sidereal Fae Fayd Pharazod the Ambassador , Ghenid Culture , Raksasha, Vampires - like the mercenary Rollad, The Necromancer and even Bugbear  and Kobolds and the Dragon of Jorgeth the Dragon Rider.

Tourism

Incaras has become a travel destination for seekers of novelty.  Nowhere else can one see dangerous barbaric cannibals and powerful monsters actually peacefully roaming the streets. Fae magics are used by street entertainers, as are other magics. The strange, fearful and wonderful are almost normal in Incaras and present an amazing vision for travelers from more traditional and narrowly opinionated places.  Over the centuries great generals and civic leaders have sponsored or donated paved streets, statues, fountains and built the city's aqueducts. The Gryphon Riders fly through the skies delivering messages of kings and monarchs or rich and powerful merchant houses. The Great Dragon of Jorgeth is seen on occasion. The arena up in Monster Town features fights between various creatures and brings in strange and exotic beasts that are part of the entertainments. Races between riders and Centaurs or chariot teams ( linked to political parties of the city) have monthly events on the track outside the city on the peripheral road.
The aqueducts are one of the magical wonders.  Arched structures crossing the city carrying fresh clean water to every district. Few actually wonder where the water comes from or presume it is draw up from deep wells.  The aqueducts are supplied and maintained by priests and shamen who attend to the Water Elementals that inhabit the aqueducts and maintain the flow and purity of the waters.
 At major branches and end point Water towers are the City Watch Stations.  Police and civil fire protection.  Watch stations are equipped with water pump tanks pulled and worked by Centaurs, fire fighting crews with tools and sand and magical recruits that may hurl sand, water or smother a fire by control of air, or command and control the flames to a limited space or size. Or those who control elementals that can do the same.  A few stations have been granted memorial gifts from the rich and powerful that allow the command of elementals.
Another sight are the many public and private bath houses and private clubs.  The citizens of Incaras take advantage of the cool waters on hot days, and heated baths at night or in the cold. Most residents attend the baths daily.  Some serve all. Some are restricted to humans and fae, or furred species - or may have divided baths for the different kinds. Most bath houses have male and female divisions. Some do not.  This can be quite a thrill for visitors from foreign cities.
Below the streets are extensive sewers and passages by which wagons and carts avoid the crowded streets to deliver to warehouses and open to different sections of the city.  The sewers are home to some beings and escaped exotic "pets". Only occasionally do the residents emerge to grab people off the streets.
The city is protected by the sheer number of adventurers, Hunters, Mercenaries and powerful entities that call it home.  The Fae also patrol the near Mists. Shamen and others keep watch over the Umbra. The Shamen say they know there are some race of creatures in the city that patrol the local Umbra. Most don't know that they are Skinchangers .  Magic shops exist in every district and Mages of different styles and types frequently roam the streets.

Basic Law of Incaras:

Every people (populus) that is governed by statutes and customs (leges et mores) observes partly its own peculiar law and partly the common law of all Naming kinds. That law which a people established for itself is peculiar to it and is called ius civile (civil law) as being the special law of that civitas (state), while the law that natural reason establishes among all Naming Kinds is followed by all peoples alike, and is called ius gentium (law of nations, or law of the world) as being the law observed by all Namers. Thus the Incaran people observes partly its own peculiar law and partly the common law of all Namers.

Guilds and Orders:  A guild may pay the Annual Tax or assign members to watch or guard. The Guild or Order becomes the Citizen as represented by it's officers or masters as Citizens and lays claim to members as Paterfamilias, retaining their own customs within the house and noncitizen members. A member in livery or with badge of membership, or upon making claim of Guild protection if under arrest or hold by the guard or watch, it shall be that the guild or Order or Master is notified promptly as situations dictate. The Guild counts as a Noble person and guild members are family and vassals. Guild Crafters and above are free if enrolled as a slave or bond, or freed of Paterfamilias oversight.
Guild Crimes shall be called to Tribunes and Magistrates and Watch shall have authority to take hold of the accused to appear at Court:

• Theft/ robbery:
• False Shingle: Claiming guild when not
• Fraud
• Breach of contract, run away from apprenticeship
• Destruction of property
• accidental -compensation. negligent - lashes and 2x penalty. intentional -x3, lashes
• Injury to guildsmen; 10 gp/ pt
• Debt:

Any free citizen may serve as a Tribune in the deme (district).
As the Tribunes will be most familiar with persons within the deme, Resident or Citizen, they shall judge small matters of citizens and between citizens and noncitizens unless a citizen request hearing by a Court. Any free citizen may be called to serve as jury in a Common Court. Persons of Rank may ask for hearing before the High Court. Disputes between the Guilds or Orders are heard and settled by the High Court.

Citizen rights:

• To own and hold property and make legal contracts.
• Lawful Marriage between citizens, or Citizen and resident (excepting Prostitutes, Unlike kinds, freed slaves, or adulterers), and children recognized as free citizens. Citizens of Rank (lord/ Lady, Master/Mistress) may not marry laborers as the kinds above, nor hired swords, gladiators or dancers, players or actors.  The exception being if the custom of the different kinds demands. The head of House is recognized as Paterfamilias and may keep as many marriages as can maintain houses. Legal children have primary rights of inheritance divided with legal spouses, excepting gifts making up no more than 50% of estates after 5% tax. If there be no lawful children, 50% of the estate shall be surrendered to the city and the remains distributed by the Will to mourners. If there be no Will , first rights being spouses in equal shares. Marriages may be cancelled if the wife separates and remains away for 1 year, or on legal challenge by either party or Paterfamilias.
• Right of Adoption: A citizen may adopt someone not of their flesh as a legal child and / or heir.
• Right to vote in assemblies
• Right to stand for public office.
• The right to sue for redress, and to be sued. Right to Trial by Combat in cases of Honor or duel, typically to first blood or yield of point.
• The right to hearing and trail by courts, and appeal to each stage to a higher court, and right to defending oneself in court. Or to hire a lawyer.
• A citizen of Rank may not be whipped or tortured. Except under jurisdiction of Guild, Order or House. 
• A citizen may request investigation on a death or missing person upon payment of 100GP. Noncitizen residents may request assistance of Tribunes. Foreigners may request embassy assistance.
• Hearings: A complaint shall have at least 2 witnesses.  The Magistrate shall present the evidence of the watch and witnesses. The defendant shall have right to defend themselves, present witnesses and question witnesses.  Evidence is mostly witness testimony.

Magical or divine Inquiries shall require 3 witnesses who have directly seen, heard or been party of any testimony given or evidence obtained in addition to the one performing the Magics.

If Someone kills or wounds a slave or owned beast wrongfully by negelect or malice, they shall be compelled to pay the highest value of a similar kind in the past year to a Citizen owner. A noncitizen is due the cost of similar in the market and must produce payment or oath and agreement to pay wthin the day to a week. The payment shall be made due within 30 days for citizens.
To burn, break or damage a thing owned wrongfully, the damager owes to the owner the things value. If a user has possession, the possessor is not due the payment, only the owner. If the act should be proven not wrongful (self defense or in fighting fire), no payment is due. A noncitizen must pay the full value. Citizens may pay the value or agree to trade in value. If the loss of a rented or loaned item is proven to cause harm to the possessor by it’s loss or damage, a portion of the value is due the renter.
A property in disuse and disarray being taken and maintained with no compensation from the owner shall become property of the occupant after a period of 2 years except, and if a citizen a payment of 1/2 value. Not a citizen : no foreigner shall have right to the property. A resident shall make payments until the value is paid.
Guarantors may demand compensation from other guarantors or the borrower, or creditors if they have overpaid in settlement. Debtors may, if Patorfamilias, offer as bond any under their mantle. If a free citizen takes up Nexum (debt bondage) Their term of labor shall be calculated at 5 sp per day, less 1 for food and clothing of decent sort. Citizen bonds shall be held only to labor and application of skills and talents until debt is paid. The master may punish but not kill or maim, nor cause excessive harm which may prevent the labor to pay the debt. A citizen bond so harmed shall be paid by fine in accord with a court and magistrates. A noncitizen so harmed shall become a ward of the debt owner, or they shall pay a weregyld and free the debt. Slaves paid in bond are reattained by the owner and damage to them is paid to the owner. Bonds may not be taken in marriage until paid and free for 1 season and then only with permission of authority paterfamilias. A debt may also be recovered on filing intent ( 50 GP) and a issued token - goods of equal or value upto twice may be recovered from debtors or slaves, beasts or goods destroyed by the owed or their agents. Excessive damages may be claimed back as may weregyld for harmed citizens or noncitizens under the mantle of the debtor.
The court may issue Revival for claiming something in wrongful possession. One in possession of a writ of Revival may lay hold or claim to the item(s) themselves, or by agents.

Government:
City sectors are divided into Demes. Each Deme elects The Deme Council of 3 (Tribunes). Tribunes carry a rod and amulet of office. They are allowed 1 guard from the City Guard or Retired Mercenary (paid a pension of 500 gold/ yr). The Tribune Job is unpaid. A tribune should be public minded and helpful to the populus but may not buy votes by payment ( outright bribery), keep large retinues of followers, or hold public banquets . Patronage is acceptable. Tribunes may take oaths of minor offenders and their associates/ family that they will appear before the judges for Citizens. Residents, foreigners and others judged a risk shall be jailed. Tribunes may refer deaths to the Inquisitors for investigation, or someone may pay 100 GP and request investigation.

Deme Council Duties:

Report weekly births/ deaths and departures to scribes of the Registrar.

Monthly Hold citizenship hearings:

Supervise local voting

Intercede for citizens in lesser government.

Coordinate Neighborhood repairs, maintenance & construction with Regents

Daily visit the Watch to verify identities of Prisoners and settle minor rulings.

Attend the Sessions of the Thousand, or have appointed representation.

Deme citizens draw lots for :
- Courts & Jury duty monthly. Duty lasts 1 month for the Commons courts.
Council of the Thousand (the senate) : Any one over 40 yrs of age may run. 1 year term. 3 per deme. A citizen may relinquish to another. Fines for missed meetings (100 GP).

• Members of the Thousand (The Senate) are given a multicolor sash and amulet of office. They shall collect 500 GP for their term.
• Citizen takes an oath to draft proposals in the best interest of the city and with a view to it’s safety. Proposes laws, taxes & measures. Anyone may propose to a member of the senate an idea for a law.

House of Lords: 5 year terms elected from the Ranking citizens and Guild officers per Deme. There are 100 Lords. If insufficient numbers run , the place is left empty or filled from another Deme or guild. Fines for missed meetings (100 gp)
Regents: elected from House of Lords to oversee city for 10 year terms serving the Mayors
Polemarch: chief military officer . Protection of the City.

• City Guard : watches the Roads and city fortifications including the Aqueducts, and Gates. Professional fighters under the Polemarch.
•  Special Investigators (Investigators) work under order of Tribunes, Senators or Lords and report to Guard Captains.

Chancellor: office overseeing accounts, records, registries, executive functions and sees to city office supplies.

• Registrar & Recorder, District keepers of Rolls: rolls-Property deeds-titles, (permits, citizenship, births &deaths), Heralds.
• Coroner: Serves under the Chancellor. 1 captain and 12 hands investigate killings and the Undead. They can typically speak with the dead or raise zombies capable of saying what happened to them. Such magics are performed before of a jury of 3 citizens.

Exchequer: Oversees the city coffers and customs & excise.

• Auditors: Records and tax investigators under the Exchecker. Ward Keepers - oversee accounts of each district.
  
• Aediles :verify scales and weights. Witness to business agreements. Monitor tax collections and assist with overseeing public events and festivals, sewers and aqueducts; street cleansing and paving; regulations regarding traffic, dangerous animals anddilapidated buildings; precautions against fire; superintendence of baths and taverns.
  Treasurer, tax collector, Stewards, assessors and accountants.

High Justice: oversees the Inquisitors.  Judges & Courts. Records the laws. 

• High Marshall, city watch and fire prevention/ control.
• Inquisitor or Quaestors (Inquisitors) . They are given a medallion with city mark, is a fae token. This is by recommendation of commanders. These special constables defend the city from Magic and supernatural assault. They are Mages, Fae, Supernaturals and priests or those with special talents or abilities.

Lord Mayor: elected citywide by all, on 3 year terms from candidate must be citizens of Rank.

• Oversees Regents and the City officers
• 2 year posts Commissioner of highways, postmaster, Master of Revels, Warden of Prisons (Runs the lock ups for prisoners sentenced to jail. Bailiffs).

Laws: Created by the Senate or House of Lords and approved by the Regents

Characters in Location

• Chiru
• Dracna
• Javiden of Incaras
• M'he. S'Oang of Eǂyelfua Clan of Incaras

The Districts of Incaras

Necropolis
“the old Fort” Thieves Quarter
Monster town
Arena
Griffin Corner
East side/General’s fountain
East University/ firedrake fountain
Central Ward
Watcher of Ways
Dragon Ward
University
Temple of Light
Riflian/ tree Fountain
Gods Street/ Temple district
Fae District
West University
Octnon
Iron district
Embassy
Southern Ward
3 Virtues Fountain
Guilder’s District
Great Market
Stock yard
Outer ward
Road Ward

The Inx Region.

Inx region by Mutterwolf