Zuichen City
Now is not the time or place for such discussions, my friend. Enjoy the baths, and we will talk business when we have returned to Digozh - Zuichen is for pleasure.
Demographics
| Household Wealth by Species | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Population | Pop% | 1st Quartile | 2nd Quartile | 3rd Quartile | 4th Quartile |
| Human | 68,254 | 50.4% | 5.2% | 28.2% | 33.1% | 33.5% |
| Daikini | 23,816 | 17.6% | 9.4% | 30.6% | 48.8% | 11.2% |
| Orcan | 15,557 | 11.5% | 33.7% | 54.6% | 11.4% | 0.3% |
| Tiefling | 10,165 | 7.5% | 44.4% | 38.7% | 16.9% | 0% |
| Goliath | 8,221 | 6.1% | 2.6% | 30.4% | 58.9% | 8.1% |
| Kobold | 3,861 | 2.8% | 64.2% | 32.2% | 1.3% | 2.3% |
| Dragonborn | 1,247 | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 89.4% | 8.3% |
| Other | 4,166 | 3.1% | 30.4% | 35.2% | 25.1% | 9.3% |
| Employment by Species | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Government | Church | Retail Trade | Wholesale Trade | Unskilled labor | Skilled labor | Service |
| Human | 86% | 32% | 12% | 34% | 2% | 29% | 45% |
| Daikini | 13% | 38% | 42% | 23% | 8% | 23% | 22% |
| Orcan | - | 6% | 6% | 4% | 38% | 14% | 1% |
| Tiefling | - | 1% | 18% | 16% | 16% | 13% | 9% |
| Goliath | - | 9% | 3% | 12% | 18% | 9% | 9% |
| Kobold | - | 12% | 5% | 5% | 13% | 2% | 1% |
| Dragonborn | 1% | 1% | 4% | 4% | - | 2% | - |
| Other | - | 1% | 10% | 2% | 5% | 8% | 13% |
Government
Zuichen city government consists of the Mayor and his appointees. The mayor was appointed by the Stormsheart to administer the city and is granted free reign to run it as they choose as long as the taxes are collected in a timely manner. The current mayor has been in place through four different Stormshearts and is known for consistently collecting 8-12% more in taxes than expected at the precise time. New Stormshearts have sent people to investigate, but have ended satisfied in the collection to leave the mayor in place.
The current structure has the mayor appointing representatives as necessary to administer the city. He keeps a large staff on the payroll to be able to quickly respond to needs for government officials, and it is said that being a government employee without a title is the easiest job in the city. The ease while not specifically assigned is made up for when they are required to fulfill a role - they are often put in place to be a scapegoat or to deal with problems the mayor and his inner circle do not wish to address.
The government position of "tax collector" is the most common position in government, and one of the few that has a large number of permanent employees. These employees monitor businesses, visitors, and citizens to determine the flow of gold through the city and ensure that the city gets its percentage. The tax collectors are also the city enforcers, responsible for rounding up criminals (aka tax dodgers) and applying penalties.
Defences
Zuichen City has no walls, moats, or other obvious defenses. As a destination city for people of both Sulae and the Empire of the Storm, strong defenses distract from the illusion of freedom that the city attempts to convey.
The city is far from defenseless, however. Location is its biggest protection. Being well within the boundaries of the Empire with little strategic value makes it an unlikely first target in a war. Sitting at the edge of Vorax's Wall cuts off most approach routes for invaders, and with enough warning the lava can be redirected to resist those approaching from the plains.
Raids and theft are a much larger concern than invading armies, and significant capital has been put into place to stop these. The Magical Solutions organization was founded in Zuichen to create the types of security that the city uses, including magical clairvoyant sensors scattered throughout the city to watch possible troublemakers and methods to disrupt magic travel in and out of vaults and other protected areas.
Industry & Trade
The city relies heavily on imports of almost everything that makes a city run. Food and water are both critical imports, with shipments of both arriving daily. Magical Solutions maintains a reserve for the city and claim that they can provide food and water at normal consumption rates for a minimum of one year if the city is cut off.
The lava fields surrounding the city are significant though unreliable sources of natural resources. Metals and minerals are often pushed out from deep underground by the flowing lava, and some are able to make a living through identifying and mining these deposits. These represent a majority of the city's exports, as there is very little in the way of industry to use the raw materials in town.
Smiths and other skilled labor do exist in the city, although in much smaller numbers than in other cities of similar size. The primary business of most such craftsmen is repair of existing items or creation of goods like horseshoes that can be quickly made and are not worth importing. In addition, there is a thriving business in art works from such craftsmen, and the most talented smiths either make their living through art or leave the city.
Tourism
Zuichen City is a tourist destination at heart, earning almost all of its money from those who visit. There are three major categories of tourism that takes place in Zuichen - gambling, debauchery, and art.
The gambling halls of Zuichen are famed everywhere east of the Plains of Devenir. Games of chance abound, both common like Liar's Dice and unique to the city such as Fire and Gold. These halls almost exclusively cater to the very wealthy, although there are a few near the edges of the city that have low enough limits to draw in locals and less wealthy visitors. Sport betting is also a major passtime in the city, with arenas for different competitions scattered throughout. Locals and visitors compete in both blood sports and friendly competitions, all for the pleasure of the gamblers.
Debauchery tourism covers the baths, houses of repute, drinking establishments, and mind dens. The houses of repute are brothels with wide selections of prostitutes of all genders, species, and orientations. While such houses can be found in many areas, those in Zuichen are known to have more attractive employees that command a greater price. Drinking establishments cover a wide range, from cheap taverns where locals go to luxurious bars where one can drink intoxicating beverages from anywhere in the world. The mind dens are consistently high quality and comfortable, as one of the few things that the government is willing to shut down quickly are mind dens that become a blight on the area. But the baths are the greatest draw for debauchery tourists. Heated by the geothermal energy abundant in the area, the baths range from small pools that hold just a few people to large psuedo lakes that can hold hundreds. Clothing is not allowed within the confines of the baths, and entering the baths is signaling that one is interested in uninhibited relations with others.
The final category is art tourism. The city has spent significant capital on establishing a variety of museums, theaters, symphony halls, and the like to bring in some of the most famous works of art in the world. This has had the effect of bringing artists to live and work in the city, further cementing it as the art capital of the world. Art, in this case, is an expansive term that covers paintings, sculpture, music, theater, dancing, or any other method of artistic expression currently known. The city also has significant private trade in artworks, including a significant black market in stolen works.
Geography
Zuichen sits on a plateau near the base of Mount Woshan in Vorax's Wall. to the north and west are the lava fields, which stretch for dozens of miles and provide inherent protection for the city. The plateau drops off sharply to the south, with a more accesible approach coming from the south east.
Zuichen has a deadly beauty that has brought in visitors since the city was founded. The plateau sits high enough that the lava flows tend to move around it, giving it a degree of safety, but a full eruption from Mount Woshan or some of the other close peaks could easily overwhelm the city. In exchange for the danger, the views from the city at night are beautiful and ever shifting, with the faint light of the molten stone creating writhing patterns in the dark. Some have attempted to direct the flows to acheive certain results with varying degrees of success, but the natural patterns are generally viewed as more beautiful.
Looking to the south over the vast plains allows the viewer to either see a vast emptiness, or at specific times watch the movements of great beasts. In early fall, the Ychen Bannog migrate across the plains, and the giant oxen can be seen clearly from the plateau.
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