Sanlow

Sanlow

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Sanlow is the capital of Sheora, an enormous city surrounding the castle that keeps King Ancel IV and his trusted advisors safe.
City Districts

• Castle Sheora is, of course, the castle that holds the king and the nobles of his court (though family beyond the court's most immediate lives elsewhere). It's well-defended, past a well-guarded wall within the walls of the city. The area immediately surrounding it is prohibited for civilians to occupy and is instead used for military purposes.
• The Warts are the poorest parts of the city. Their names derive from a common corruption of "ward" into a more derogatory word used by those who live in higher class parts of the city.
• The Reach is the area nearest the southern city entrance and is a prominent business district, with a central market hosting both traders and entertainment. Merchant's Rise is a hill and prominent sightseeing/picnic spot that sits at one end of the markets and overlooks them.
• The Gardens are located in the center of the city and are not, in fact, gardens. Its a self-given name by those who live within the Gardens, many of whom are "temporarily embarrassed nobles" with a strongly patriotic outlook and just enough money to have a bit more land than just what their house occupies.
• The Face is the area nearest the western entrance of the city. It commonly hosts inns and taverns, shops that prey on travelers/tourists, and other entertainment in addition to lower-middle class housing.
• Iela's Shield is the area that surrounds the castle, itself behind another wall. Nobility and wealthy merchants call this place home, and being allowed to walk inside is in and of itself a status symbol. Lavish mansions and prominently-displayed wealth taunt the citizens just outside, but few ever step inside the walls without an armed escort.

Notable Shops

• The Mammoth (butcher) is a butcher shop located in the Face of Sanlow, though towards the Lower Wart. It's owned and operated by Raimond Robson (they/them), a well-respected and well-known local who's lived in the area for the past decade or so.
• The Harlequin's Flask (inn/tavern) is an inn in the Face of Sanlow. It's a stone brick building with an overhang outside supported by wooden beams, providing shelter from the weather even before one gets inside. The inn portion is L-shaped (two stories) and wraps around the bar; it's actually physically separate with covered walkways that are outdoors to provide a bit of noise dampening. It's owned by a shorter middle-aged man named Erwin Kelly (he/him) who's got a sort of magic that isn't really magic (good with sleight of hand), learned from time picking pockets in his youth. He's got a challenge fit for the inn's name: anyone who can drink the entirety of his flask without taking a breath wins (it's impossible, of course, due to the way the trick flask works).
• The Cauldron Inn (inn/tavern) is an inn and restaurant in the Face of Sanlow. It keeps things a little bit quieter than a lot of other places in the area. It always has a big cauldron of something boiling outside so that the smells bring people in. The restaurant and bar area is physically separate from the two stories of rooms. The barkeep is a man named Ezra.
• Two Beards Consignment (magic shop) is a shop selling recovered magical goods and artifacts (as well as military surplus) that exclusively serves registered adventurers. It's owned by two best friends: Milo Baker (he/him), a retired human adventurer and local hero, as well as Gedd Khal (he/him), his best friend/adventuring companion (and a dwarf they once slayed a dragon together and have a bit of a Car Talk-like dynamic.
• The Brace (armorer/smithy) is a shop near the entrance to the Shield (though still within the Face) that provides some of the highest quality armor you can get within Sanlow. Erik and Lila Marshall own and run the shop; Lila's the smith while Erik handles tanning and other manufacturing. They're the place to go if you want anything custom or fancy, and it's said they don't shy away from any challenge.
• A Drop of Color (flowers + fabrics) is the local flower shop and dye shop, hosting a greenhouse that's carefully managed to sustain bright and colorful flowers year-round. It's run by a woman named Abby Griffiths (she/her) who employs local young people as much as she can and teaches them the tricks of her trade, from gardening to dye-making to sewing.

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