The Residential Neighborhoods of Lorisen

The Residential Neighborhoods

Old Athelis

The buildings in this sector of the city are made of the same white basalt as the Spires. Unlike the Spires, these buildings have been left mostly unadorned. Most of the neighborhood is located on a slight hill to the north of the river, just adjacent to the three towers. It is home to the wealthier folks of the city. It is further surrounded by a white basalt wall. There are a few other neighborhoods outside of the walls that are often lumped together with the Old Athelis area of the city. They are all generally characterized by wealthier households.

The Core

At the center of the walled Old Athelis neighborhood is a residential area encircled by another low wall. This was the residence of Loras and his palace that was built still stands there. The family that lives there now are the descendants of Loras' right-hand, his general, and they have lived there since the death of the emporer.

The Gardens

There are a series of large manor estates located to the northeast of the city. Each usually feature large walled tracts of lands with vast gardens, parks, or kempt wilderness that has been carefully stocked with wildlife. The (usually) large manor houses in these areas are accented with vestiges of ancient life. This area used to be home to an ancient civilization and the ruins that dot the landscape are highly valued as antiquities. The wealthy bought the land surrounding these ruins and built their estates around them, often with the ruins as a centerpiece to their collections. The people that inhabit these garden estates usually keep city homes in Old Athelis or Willowvale.

Leonore Woods

An area named after a patch of woodland that once stood there. These buildings are built out of wood in the Gatipidian style with knotwork, horse, and dragon motifs carved into the adornments. This area is one of the valley areas of the city.

Willowvale

This neighborhood is characterized by large manor houses and gated estates. Much of the "high society" lives here. Most of the folks that live here are often fighting to maintain their status and standing within their community.

Kerriq Hills Cemetary

This is the nicer cemetary in this city with many areas specifically designated to certain families. This is also the first and oldest cemetary for the city and as such there are some graves that are potentially a thousand years old, marked only by low stone cairns. Though Loras' body was likely destroyed in the Ilythyrian Tragedy, there is a large shrine-like marker in the center of the cemetary where his memory is entombed.

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The United City

The United City are a group of neighborhoods located north of the river and west of Empire Circle. It did not exist until around 500 years ago as the first conquered nations began to settle in their new capital. There are a quite a few neighborhoods here now that was once wild forest.

Falcon Mount

A neighborhood located on one of the low hills that comprise the city. The roads circle upwards until reaching the top where there is a large chapel at the peak.

Breezy Point

This is the tallest neighborhood in the city with many roads circling upwards. The top of this hill is about half the height of the Sea Spire.

Clover Valley

This is the lowest point in the city. Many of the buildings in the center of this area are built on stilts to prevent flooding during the rainy season.

The Tall Trees

This area is overflowing with large, tall, buildings with much lodging and small businesses that do not fit in the other commercial neighborhoods. It is located east of Portside, south of Old Athelis, and north of the Shopping District. The rates in this area are affordable for most. The basements and lower levels of many of the buildings are home to many restaurants, legal casinos, some specialty shops, and other various businesses.

Little Emaniquora

This began as a neighborhood consisting primarily of Gnomes, whose nation was the first to be conquered by the Lorasian Empire. Over the years, it has become the main neighborhood for small folk such as Goblins, Halflings, Dwarves, and Gnomes alike. The neighborhood is layered much like the shopping district with each layer usually having a unique ancestry associated with it. Each layer is named after the country from which the ancestry initially came. It is the second largest neighborhood in the city. It lies north of the river between The Spires and The Maxilla docks. Because of the many bridges, clotheslines, wooden supports, balconies, and other oddly-shaped structures, there are some streets that are almost tunnel-like in nature where the sun is blotted out. This mish-mash nature of building has led to some confusing alleyways and streets that can cause the unsuspecting visitor to become easily lost.

Rahkshexo

The base layer is home to many Dwarves in the city who prefer to stay closer to the ground than the others. As they prefer stone homes, their buildings provide a stable base for the additional structures that were built atop it.

Osmor

The second layer is where many of the gnomes live. Their homes are primarily made of wood, built on top of stone bases. Their homes are connected across the streets with bridges.

Itumere

The third layer is where many of the Goblins of the town live. They came from the mountains so they prefer to be higher up. Their bridges are even more intricate and intertwined than the layer below.

Nedia

Named after the ancient halfling society, the tops of these buildings are mostly built with canvas and wood. They are often inhabited on a temporary basis as the Halflings are mostly transitory folks. They come and go often here, living for a short period in one location before letting another family take over their residence.

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The Waterside Neighborhoods

Despite Old Athelis being associated with age with its name, the neighborhoods located around the various waterfronts of the city are the oldest in the capital. They were likely once independant hamlets or cities but over time have now been merged together by the sprawling capital.

Cliffside

This neighborhood has been built into the southern cliffs of Lorisen and is the poorest neighborhood in the city. It is often not as guarded as the rest of the city due to the danger posed by the cliffs. It is not unusal for the careless wanderer to slip or fall off of the cliffs into the waters below. This danger is doubled when it rains as there is nearly no protection from the elements here.

Portside

Confusing as the name might be, Portside only refers to the area surrounding the Maxilla Docks to the north. Much of the residents in this area are transitory, meaning that most lodging consists of short term rentals. Some offer longer rental contracts, but those are not often taken. There are a few offices interspersed among the apartments, inns, and bars. These are usually merchants, bookkeepers for the Empire who take stock of imports and exports, and sailing guilds.

Anchor's Edge

This is the neighborhood surrounding the Mandible Docks to the south of the cliffs. It is not as busy as Portside but offers similar amenities. There is much cheaper housing here for sailors. There is also a ship impound here for ships that could not afford to continue further up the river or have fallen ill with the Astral Guard or Empirial Navy.

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The New City

The city's largest residential district is located south of the river. Despite it's name it is not the newest in the city. The buildings are a mishmash of styles from all over the continent. The city began to be built after The Unity Period. It began as a shanty town for refugees and slowly became more and more permanent as the centuries passed. There are several named neighborhoods in the area south of the river: Heather Ridge, Cartarona Heights, Dawnford, Moongrove, and Dragon Tooth.

Aerilon Lake

A small lake located at the far southwestern edge of the city. Much of the area directly around the edge of the lake has been left undeveloped.

The Garrison

This large portion of the city is where the Lorasian Government house and train their armies. The Astral Guard, The Empirial Army, and the Empirial Navy are all centrally housed in this fortified area.

Fairhill Gardens Cemetary

This is a cemetary that is not as well kept as it's northern sibling, Kerriq Hills Cemetary. Most of the New City's residents are buried here.

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Eastward

This neighborhood is the newest in the city and is still being built and expanded upon. It is located along the river on either side and named, sometimes confusingly, North Eastward and South Eastward. As the name implies, it is at the far eastern edges of the city. The demographics are fairly middle class. Most residents are those who are able to afford to move out of the more cramped inner city to the more rural reaches.

Lorisen

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The capital city of the Lorasian Empire and ostensibly Emaniquora