Kowloon Walled City (cow LOON)
Upon a time, a sailor named al-Adin came upon a cliff, so tall that its top was lost even to al-Adin's eagle eyed view. He sailed with the barrier on his left shoulder for forty days, and forty nights, and still the titanic cliff taunted our heroic voyager, al-Adin. He signaled to his brave crew to slow the ship; and there, in plain sight of all of his men, al-Adin unexpectedly and expertly dove gracefully into the tumultuous sea, and swiftly navigated the deadly eddies and breaking waves to the base of the cliff. He stood there, arms akimbo, serenely contemplating the barrier before him. His wet hair and clothing dried as he thought, so long did he stand there. With his straight, black locks streaming in the wind before him, al-Adin then began to climb. Slowly, did he ascend. Completely unhurriedly, the hero of the realm drew himself up into the clouds with the strength of his own body; physical phenom, as he was. The crew wailed, and gnashed their finely filed teeth as they pulled at their hair; shouting "He has risen and is gone!" in a great cacophony of swelling voices and screams of terror. Abandoning their posts, the crew never even noticed that the ship drifted ever closer to the ravages of the biting rocks below the cliffs. Al-Adin, meanwhile, reached the top of the cliff, higher than even an eagle would fly. And behold! The walls of a great city stood before him, ancient and interminable, much like the sea al-Adin so loved. Yet, nothing stood within. Naught but fallow ground stretched before him, with a simple crossroads in the very center. Lamp posts stood at intervals along the two roadways, lit even as he watched in astoundment. Quickly, he turned and ran back to the edge of the cliff, brandishing an albatross' feather as he leapt out...out...out into the thin air above the cloud line. Waiting, cross-armed and with his feet in a practiced fourth position, until only a tall tree's height from the top of his own ship's mid-mast, he brandished his albatross feather, and smoothly glided into position behind the wheel of his imperiled ship. Laughing at his crew's lack of discipline, al-Adin deftly guided his vessel and men...as well as this humble chronicler himself, to safety. Not only of unrivaled form and physique, was the courageous al-Adin; but also of great wisdom and blazing intellect. The adventurer in his genius, contrived for us, all, to ascend to the top of the dizzying cliff. We have made our homes here, since, within these walls that look as if they were grown from the bones of Tellus herself. Our society is free; praise be to al-Adin! Our laws are basic, and the rule of law is set by the vote of the citizenry; just as aboard a swashbuckling privateering vessel. The money markets are completely free; and free from bullying corporate monopolies, or underground banking consortiums. We are all, with the exception of al-Adin may he live forever, of meagre means, and even sparser regulation. Things have become quite specialized, and our numbers swell as word of our free market, and free society, settlement spreads far and wide. Things already become crowded; like a warren of busy hares, but we will just climb, and climb again. Carpenters, audacious craftspeople used to the exacting tolerances of ship construction and repair, took the ideas of clambering up and down masts, and navigating befuddling labyrinths of stepped-mast rigging, to whole new heights. So to speak. Builders, who were running out of room within the creamy white of the wall, from wall-to-wall, with one building leaning up against another, and the both of them being the foundation for an office building above, simply began to stack themselves upwards like a ship's sails; or a king cobra rising and spitting in. Simple laws have been passed; keeping the roadways clear, for instance. There are no bridges allowed across the Crossing Roads until the fifth level, or above. Murder is frowned upon, a good bounty if you hunt those for a living, and terrible for business, so is nearly unknown within the walls. There are others, but frankly they are quite boring, and have to do with weights and measures, and liquid currency, and politics, for which your humble servant (this chronicler) has very little tolerance. al-Adin may his brows grow ever broader, growing restless quite quickly (again as was his wont), left with a retinue of men just short of a year later, resolving to travel by land upon this incredible, vast plateau that the city has been built upon. Under moons and sun; stars and sky; the courageous al-Adin travels, still, say the legends. And this ridiculous, improbable city flourishes yet! Growing ever upwards, I wonder if it will one day rival the cliffs, upon which this place has grown, in height? Such a fate will, however, be long after the chronicler, your humble servant and guide upon this perspicacious literary thrill ride, has joined his ancestors in the Gods' peaceful embrace. Hopefully, al-Adin will one day return to this marvelous, ridiculous place; until then, we persevere in the shadow of the great man's absence...
Demographics
Every race and ethnicity is represented here in Kowloon.
Government
It is a rare, pure, democracy.
Defences
The street lights are said to have some sort of defensive capacity; other than that, there is the militia, a very proud team of Griffon riders, and the Mage's guild that calls Kowloon home are fiercely protective of their city.
Industry & Trade
Street food, and street-side markets; 'underground' magic items;
Infrastructure
The two roads, that cross in the middle, are interspersed regularly with street lights that shine throughout the night and day; never needing fuel, or even rusting. They are each made out of different materials. The first four levels of the city are prohibited from building bridges across the streets, so tall loads can be brought into the city.
Districts
Each level is considered its own district; That being said, each level can be accessed from so many places, above and below, there are no formal entrances or exits to them. The markets, also, represent a place unto their own.
Assets
Kowloon is known as the best place to get street food in the world.
Guilds and Factions
Points of interest
The street lights are a good start! Each made from a different material, they radiate different colors in harmony with the seasons outside.
Tourism
People come from all over The City of the Lights just to dine here; but twelve of the world's most notorious serial killers are from Kowloon Walled City.
Architecture
Basic post and lintel frameworks are filled in with walls of woven grass and reeds configured however the builder needs them to be, and then covered in a sticky paste made of wet paper, hay, Gong, and sand which hardens into a solid wall.
Geography
The terrain within the walls is completely level, and mostly hard packed hydrophobic dirt.
Natural Resources
- Shadows
- Fertilizer
- Several medicinal types of mold
- Stand up comedy
Founding Date
2217
Alternative Name(s)
The Ruins of Azmyth
Type
Slum
Population
Estimated at 200K for census purposes
Inhabitant Demonym
Wallers; Climbers; Loonies
Location under
Included Locations
Related Tradition (Primary)
Characters in Location
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