Capital of the
Gu'us Empire, an absolutely massive metropolis. Roughly 120,700 people.
Geography
The 'Nek
The main river flowing from south to North through the center of
Foun, the 'nek originates nearly a dozen miles south of the city in what is now open farmland. While once crystal clear, the erosion from the farms upstream as well as the waste from the city have made the water murky and always carrying a slight scent of sulfur.
The Wall
While the city features no internal divisions or permanent barriers, a great wall surrounds the city on both land and sea. On land towers are connected by nearly 20' thick stone mined and transported from furtherer South within the
Gu'us Empire. On sea, the towers are connected by thick iron bars rumored to have been constructed millennia ago in
Skormp over nearly 100 years.
Wards
The Court
Home to the Nobility, the Palace of the Elder, and the Great Rotunda where
The Court assembles, this is one of the primary seats of power within
Foun and the
Gu'us Empire. An island at the mouth of the the 'nek river, the entire island is nearly 150' in the air up sheer white limestone cliffs. The main access to the island is a harbor on the south of the island leading to tunnels that ascend into the ward.
Greater Foun Harbor
An array of ships and vessels find their scattered and often chaotic berths in this harbor. Amidst a plethora of sand bars and semi-permanent islands, docks seemingly grow and change as a nearly endless sea of ships makes up what is sometimes referred to as "The Floating Sea".
The Warfs
A district of fisherfolk, fishmongers, fish markets, fisheries, and canning operations, this section of the city smells of rot, blood, and scales yet feeds the populace.
Shaded Brazar
A twig forest of wooden tentpoles support heavy tarps of patterns and colors that challenge the imagination. Without much effort, one can travel from one side of the bazar to the other without leaving the shade. Along the way, the treasures and trinkets for sale will amaze while others will simply steal your coin. If all the vendors were reputable, it would be called a bazar and not a brazar.
The Gracehood
With all religions and spiritual paths celebrated, the gracehood offers a judgement free, lazier-faire religious quarter. Monasteries and temples are crowded together as good and evil deities have equal ground within this cultural mashup (though all pay the customary licensing fee of course).
The Everlasting Carnival
A city without entertainment certainly is not a city at all. The everlasting carnival features grand challenges, large puppets, daring shows, public music, food carts, live entertainment, taverns, gambling halls, and much much more.
Training Grounds
The backbone of the
Gu'us Empire military is trained and prepared on this landmass separated by water.
The Bureaucracy
Society does not exist without those who make certain the institutions are maintained. The bureaucracy is a district that features the number crunchers, accountants, tax collectors, licensors, and minor officials. While only middling in real power, their presence within the city is felt acutely by everyone. Within the
Gu'us Empire, the question is never if it is possible, but rather if you have paid for the correct license to do so.
Salve & Incense
A combination of gardens for medicinal herbs, apothecaries, and hospitals with healers, the Salve and Incense is a place for caring for the sick or holding the dying in the houses of last repose.
Merchant Quarter
Commercial activity within Foun is centered within this ward. Banks, merchant guildhalls, trading posts, and established businesses find their grip in this financially dominant ward.
Graytown
Some cities force the criminals and lowlifes to go underground, others simply collect fees and taxes for them while sequestering them to a portion of the city. With brothels, taverns that are more blood than paint, drug dens, and the only public and advertised building
The Copper Claw has in the world, Graytown certainly pushes the boundaries of polite society.
Crafting Enclave
If it is built and it isn't a ship, it is made in the Crafting Enclave. Workshops, factories, forges, and independent crafting halls create many goods. Common exports from this district include processed bamboo, sectioned parts of exotic beasts, and a wide variety of finished stone.
Doras Shipyard
The Doras shipyard is renowned the world over for its ships produced from old growth timber. Able to repel all by the strongest cannon balls and said to be nearly unsinkable, the ships produced here fetch high prices. The majority of its berths feature military ships for the
Gu'us Empire though contracts for the
Argan Kingdom and independent parties also keep the district bustling.
Labela Neighborhood
A well to do neighborhood with homes from modest to mini-estates. Those who own businesses, possess preferred trades, or work in the city's bureaucracy reside here.
Chitin Neighborhood
Yes, the people here joke about the name too. Generally the salty residential quarter, those who work in the shipyards or the harbor tend to rest their head on the nights they're not in a tavern within the Chitin.
Siphor Neighborhood
A rather impoverished neighborhood, huts and shanties are common as the fish mongers, factory workers, and poor of the city live in poverty.
The Garrison
At the Southern Mouth of the 'nek, the garrison is half fortified rock and half prison. Serving as the central prison for the city, the cities prisoners are sent down to mine in the rock beneath while over 1,000 guards man the fixed weaponry and fleet of quick ships stationed here.
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