Bescara, the Clockwork Mountain

First Impressions

From a great distance, Bescara has the shape of a mountain. A steady incline of buildings which reach towards a castle of copper and bronze, floating steadily above the city. When you travel closer you travel through acres and acres of farmland eventually coming to the outskirts of the city. This is when you will begin to see the poorest of the poor, living in small huts and tents. They raise livestock and beg for money from travelers who come by foot. As you reach deeper into the city, it becomes cleaner and more wealthy. Huts become shacks which become houses, then mansions and finally tall towers. At the very center of the city is a large garden of statues and artwork.
All throughout the city are pipes, wires, lifts, and lines with decorative cloth reaching up into the floating castle. Around this castle is a multitude of airships containing citizens who wish to see the king and other important figures in the castle. About halfway into the city, this creates a dazzling view of color and movement above the city streets. Beneath the city is a complex maze of sewage and work tunnels, which contain the many pumps bringing water to the city from the aquifer below.

The Aerial Acropolis

The floating castle above the city of Bescara is called the Aerial Acropolis. This castle is the size of a small village by itself. Many Nobles and servants live within the castle, but the most prominent member of the courts within is the King Gerard Alden. The castle is supported by dozens of balloons and propellers, each adorned with flags and cloth for decoration. Gardens decorate many tower tops and balconies along with hundreds of statues. From sun up to sun down, the courts are held within the castle. Usually three at a time, these courts are held to solve various problems around the kingdom. King Gerard Alden rarely attends these courts. He only judges issues that interest him, and he generally twists the outcome to solve a problem of his own.

Districts

Bescara's district is determined by their distance from the center of the city. The Aerial Acropolis is considered its own district. It is a place of nobles, even the servants were jewelry. Behind closed doors, acts of shady dealings and depravity occur. This place is guarded by the Pheonix Guard. Extremely loyal knights who are in a constant search for assassins.
Beneath the Aerial Acropolis is the district known as the Shaded Garden. This is a large patch of land which is always in shadow. Statues and other pieces of art are displayed here, lit by lanterns and a colony of fireflies. This gives the garden a particular aesthetic of romance and class. This is a famous place for first dates among young aristocrats. The people who live here are those who work in the artistry business. Live musicians play continuously in the garden and expensive jewelry, food, and art are sold from the surrounding buildings. After 2 in the morning, the lanterns are blown out. Not many people visit the garden after this time, and those who do claim it is haunted. The Umbral Swain comes out at this time to admire the art. A warlock of shadows and shade, he has no form and wistfully lusts after the material part of life. A harmless warlock for the most part, but creates shadowy illusions to torment and tease people who are by themselves in this Garden at night.
Going further from the center is the merchant's district. This is where craftsmen, merchants, and other similar professions live. Entire streets become filled with stalls and wandering merchants. In the allies of this portion of town are the high-class underground merchants. They sell exotic drugs, rare illegal pets, and perform immoral services for those with enough coin.
The ring around the Merchant's district is a place called the peasantry. This is where the majority of the population lives and works. The most notable thing in this district is a small sect of puppeteers which perform beautiful but haunting operas at night. They trade and create puppets from the population. Thus far, they have avoided inquisitors and capture.
The last district is the outskirts. This is the outer portion of the city where the poor live. Technically not part of the city, but the transition is so seamless it is impossible to tell when the peasantry ends and the outskirts begin.

Life

Life in Bescara is determined largely by your social status. Aristocrats, nobles, and rich merchants near the center of the city live in comfort. They spend their days socializing and selling their goods without worry. However, the further you travel away from the city the more difficult it becomes to get by. Near the outskirts, citizens must raise and sell their own food and beg to pay the stiff taxes of the city. There is few real homeless in Bescara, but there are a few inns that only accept the downtrodden for cheap. These homes claim to be inns on paper, but everyone knows they are homeless shelters. Those who sleep on the streets are quickly removed and taken to the outskirts.
The outskirts of Bescara is very different from the main city itself. The individual tents and shacks are viewed as public buildings to those that live on the outskirts. If a tent is empty, someone in need of it will take it. The people of the outskirts work together to survive. They barter and trade among themselves. No guard or law technically reaches the outskirts so they have developed their own system of shunning and shaming those that harm the community.

Dangers

Bescara is a fairly safe city for its size. However, there are a handful of serial killers which supply the Puppeteers of the city their puppets. A few seedy taverns do result in som fights and there are gangs of criminals which will rob anyone they come across.

Demographics

99% Krithian, 1% other.
Most of the people who come to Bescara are wealthy enough to afford the taxes of living under the king. The poor who stay in Bescara stays because they are unable to leave. They cannot afford transportation out of the city.

Government

This city is run primarily by the king and hie Pheonix guard, but there are several nobles he has appointed to oversee portions of the city.

Defences

Bescara has no walls, but the Aerial Acropolis is equipped with cannons and sturdy defensive structures to not only defend from an attack but drive it away.

Industry & Trade

The primary industry of Bescara is its large amount of artistry and luxury crafts. The best fashions, pottery, and jewelry are made in Bescara.

Infrastructure

Beneath the city is a large aquifer which supplies the city with water. The pumps which draw this water are located in the sewer system, which runs off into a small river a half mile from the city. The city is filled with windmills to power their larger clockwork devices as well. In the Aerial Acropolis, is a shipyard for airships which mostly supplies the castle with its nobles. There are also a few platforms for airships around the city.

History

Bescara was created after a King crafted the Aeriel Acropolis. He spent a year sailing the caste around Krithia, looking for the perfect view. Eventually, he found one. From atop the castle, the sunrise is flaned by two small mountains and the sunsets over a plain. The view is indeed spectacular, but not many would call it the best in Krithia. However, the king was adamant and decreed it should not be moved. Thus the city of bescara began to build underneath the castle.

Type

City

Population

50,000