Bet Kalamar
At a Glance
Bet Kalamar is a massive city, by far the largest and most opulent on Tellene. Home to Emperor Kabori and the Kalamaran Royal Court, the magnificent city sprawls for miles in all directions. Every lord and noble of the Vast Empire has an estate in or near the city. Amid all this wealth and plenty, dwell the meek and downtrodden dregs of society. Beggars and cripples are seen everywhere but in the Rich Quarter. Outside the city walls, lay the rundown shanties of the many people who came to seek riches but failed.
The city is a tall, sprawling mess. The victim of several separate eras of growth and different architectural periods, the city has a variety of building types, sizes, and ages. Roads are often constricted and cluttered. Even semiregular repair can do nothing about the haphazard streets. Beggars wander the streets, avoiding the authorities and following the merchants and craftsmen like shadows. Three large bridges cross the Badato River. These bridges are cluttered with shops and inns until they look as if they could collapse at any moment. They are old but sturdy; one of them is barely a generation old, but two arc much older and show remarkable craftsmanship. All manner of goods and races are found within the city. Merchants from all nations flock to Bet Kalamar. They bring exotic and rare goods from all corners of Tellene, knowing full well that the wealthy Kalamaran gentry will pay any price to be the most fashionable at Court.
Visitors are generally welcomed according to the wealth they bring. The people cater to the wealthy and scorn the poor. A favorite joke among the people regardless of the stranger's station is to direct. the visitor to the Sleeping Dragon Inn. The Sleeping Dragon is a joke; it does not exist. The citizens rake a great deal of pleasure in routing foreigners all over the huge city in search of it, however.
Major Temples
Every deity has at least one temple in Bet Kalamar. The most prominent are the Parish of Love, the Fraternal Order of Aptitude, the Parish of the Prolific Coin and the House of Vice. Worshipers and clerics of all Faiths are present, although some of the evil faiths are represented only by a household shrine outside the city walls.
The Parish of Love is led by Jepati Ezamil, a dark-eyed man with a massive gray mane of hair. His presence is shocking only until he begins to speak with his rich, seductive voice and his passionate words shake the listener. The noble women of the country's capital love Jepati, and they donate hundreds of thousands of gold pieces each year to the faith. The Grand Advocate of the Heart does not know that one of his Keepers of Harmony secretly spends some of this wealth at a brothel run by the House of Vice because the Keeper is fond of one of the girls who works there. The young Keeper is trying to persuade the girl to leave, but she enjoys her work and the attentions of the nobles and clerics she serves.
The Grand Professor who leads the Fraternal Order of Aptitude is a venerable Elf who remembers King Ali lnakas and his belligerent sons. Cyrn Whitehelm can hold an intelligent conversation on dozens of topics, including astronomy, astrology, algebra, engineering, alchemy, history, geography, cartography, metallurgy, and anatomy. His subordinate Masters say he is so brilliant that they expect him to "pass beyond" mortality soon, becoming a Master of the Fourth Dimension and departing this world. The building in which Cyrn preaches and studies is the tallest in the city, if not all of Tellene. The thirty-story tower bears a huge clock face, maintained by the clerics of the Order in secret ceremonies witnessed by no outsiders.
The House of Vice openly operates five brothels in the city and secretly operates two more that cater to more bizarre tastes. The local Vicelord (the Cleric, not the god) is reputed to be the most famous of his faith. Feranis is a physically powerful wereboar; this form of lycanthropy is considered to be a blessing of the god. In a recent coup, he captured and defiled three of the priestesses of the Kalamaran Face of the Free, a small but vocal temple led by Liberator Imanuril. He killed one, returned another so she could tell her story, and keeps the last sealed in a stone cell, a fate her faith considers worse than death.
The temple of the Parish of the Prolific Coin gleams in the daylight and fairly glows after dark. Its bronze dome is one of the most visible objects in the city, and the spires of its four smaller domes compete against it with colorful banners, Its altar, holy water fonts, and other accouterments are all pure gold, although the weapons of the guards are pure steel (eight fighters protect the temple and its belongings with their lives). The current Magnus, Guwan Bakar, is not only a second cousin to the Emperor, he is also related by marriage to one of the Enforcers of the Founder's Creation, and related by business (that is, a 50,000 gold piece loan) to Horan Kuwaiti, a guiding member of the Golden Alliance.
Government
Defences
The city houses a full legion, the 1st Legion or "Kaborr Legion. Formally known as the Guardians of the Imperial Throne, this unit represents the Empire's finest military unit. These full plate-armored troops are chosen primarily for their Fighting ability. Most began as veteran soldiers, but some have been noble duelers, some were pious paladins, and a few were wanted bandits! Despite their origin, they are all fiercely loyal and will die to a man to protect the Emperor. Although officially prohibited from it, some secretly duel in the Grand Amphitheater, both to propagate their reputation and to keep in practice.
The Gray Masks mercenary group is also in Bet Kalamar. Rumored to be thugs and assassins, their presence is a mystery. They claim to be under a commission and therefore unavailable, but they will not say to whom they are bound. Popular belief is that they have hired on with the Blue Salamanders.