Etude
City of Days
4th of Zeriel, 4131 NC - The Years of Isolation
This massive walled city is the largest among the Allegran Accords. The city walls are thirty feet high and fifteen feet thick, made of magically treated granite dug from beneath the city and processed by the Dannamore Ivory Tower.
It lies several weeks northwest of the eastern coast and the Minas Faile Plains stretch to east further than the eye can see. Since wild vegetation is scarce the population survives mostly on herd animals and crops. The nearest port access is four weeks southeast of the city - the port belongs to the city but the guard presence is nearly nonexistent. There is a small fishing community that has arisen within the past century around the port and they pay taxes and owe fealty directly to Etude.
Residents of Etude are isolated but welcome travelers with open arms. They love their independence and privacy but take great joy in hearing stories from near or far. Despite visitors being rather rare there are several large inns within the city, and it is considered a great honour to be allowed to own an inn or other gathering place within the city.
The plains around Etude are nearly desert-like but aren't strictly hot, usually fluctuating between -0'C during the cooler seasons and +30'C during the day mid-summer. Several large bands of kakornio roam the plains southwest of the city and have mastered the local predatory fauna; taming the hyenas and wild dogs into semi-autonomous squads that patrol large areas. They do not pose a direct threat to the city or those that live nearby but are a constant nuisance to travelers and prevent farmers from establishing crops too far from the city walls.
There is one central marketplace that is regulated by a division of the city government and monitored by the city guard. Only the wealthiest and most successful merchants can afford actual buildings surrounding the market, and renting a stand or wagon to sell goods requires a permit and usually significant connections. If there is any aspect of Etude that harbours corruption it is the marketplace – guards with access will take bribes to allow merchants to use empty stalls, or even forge documents for longer lasting illegal use of the marketplace. Almost anything can be purchased from the market and no items are considered taboo or illicit – although there are restrictions on selling certain products to children. Drugs, medicine, and weapons are readily available and purchased in the open. There are also dozens of smaller bazaars dotted through the city, however they are all regulated in the same way.
Ruins at the eastern border of the mountain range west of the city are home to a labyrinthine underground tunnel system believed to be home to an unknown evil being such as a hag or lich. Regardless, the kakornio in the area do not venture far into the northern areas of the plains.
Government
As the capital of the Allegran Government, Etude is the seat of power for the Mansa and also includes a permanent council of seven ministers. Day-to-day these are some of the most influential and accessable individuals within the city.
Minister of Agriculture & Transportation: VacantMinister of Allegran Affairs & Diplomacy: Daisy Barclay
Minister of Arcana: Cloris Dupree
Minister of Health & Public Wellness: Jordan Ward
Minister of Justice & Law: Connor Prescott
Minister of Finance: Marvin Shields
Minister of Science & Technology: Susan Bishop
Defences
Armed Forces
The defenses are spearheaded by * - * and a highly trained force of dedicated soldiers. They boast three seperate defense forces;- The Guard is outward facing protection from exterior threats.
- The Watch is focused inwardly like a police force.
- The Third
Fortifications & Defensive Structures
Write something here about the fancy walls, bastions, gates, and lures.Geography
Incomplete
Surrounded by miles of plains, the center of Etude sits on the only significant rise visible in all directions. Originally chosen for its tactical advantage, over the course of centuries the city has expanded, overflowing from within the first city walls and forcing the ruling government to construct defenses further from the city center. There is one major river that passes roughly three miles from the eastern walls of Etude, named Nearbank. It is the secondary source of water, after the massive underground river that flows beneath the city. There are daily water caravans that travel to and from the shores with barrels of water that they sell to the city.Natural Resources
Incomplete
The city center is built on a tall hill, from which the stone used to construct the majority of the older city structures was excavated. Outside the first defensive wall, near the base of the hill, they discovered a very fast moving underground freshwater river that is used as the main watersource for the city. Vast plains surrounding the city are used for farming crops and livestock to feed the large population and although somewhat more dangerous due to living outside the city walls, is also one of the more profitable professions, despite being low on social status.
Founding Date
11th of Deja, 11NC
Type
Metropolis
Population
Approx. 1,100,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Etite
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Comments