Dalilak

And the king looked down upon the City of Darirak, past the splendor of his palace and the opulence of the manors of the nobles, gathered around the palace like vipers calmly waiting for their time to strike. He looked past the finery and past the politics of courtly life, as his eyes fell upon Phin's window, and his heart skipped a beat. There she was, standing at the window, gazing out, as he was.

Phin and the King of Rendraj, Page 91
Erronous Bigsby
  Phin and the King of Rendraj was the most popular work of fiction in Alethkar for nearly 50 years between 1105 and 1155 EOS. Inspired by the immense class difference between High Lady Aladar (1st Dahn) and her husband Telerus (8th Dahn) the book focus' on the King of Rendraj, a light eyes ruler of the highest rank, and Phin, a dark eyes lady of very low rank, and their romance. Nobles and commoners alike went wild over the romance, and Bigsby achieved great wealth multiple reprints and translations into Theylin, Veden, and Herdazian (a rarity even today). However, he received some ire from the High Lady, which ultimately lead to his relocation to Relanus in 1113.

Demographics

The city holds a mixture of various races like the rest of Alethkar, however there is a larger concentration of Aasimar and Tieflings, as both love debates, legal proceedings, and contracts.

Government

The government of Dalilak is headed by High Lady Aladar and City Lord Telerus Aladar (her husband), however there is an efficient bureaucracy below them. Furthermore, the government has a significant number of magistrates, lawyers, and judges that decide on legislation, and more to interpret it.

Industry & Trade

Dalilak thrives on legality and cuisine. There are more courts and open legal proceedings in Dalilak than most of the rest of Alethkar. This is due to the restructuring of the court systems by High Lady Aladar in 1111 EOS, which exponentially expanded the number of magistrates, courts, and legal infrastructure. Dalilak is known by many to be the best and fairest place to hold trial. It is so popular, that many High Lords have allowances for a trial to be held in Dalilak if a party so chooses. Further, the Alethi council (the meeting point for the 10 High Lords) is held in Dalilak.

The second and more well known industry of Dalilak: the culinary arts. Dalilak has a booming industry for food, and is a popular destination for many Alethi to visit to sample food from around the world. The finest restaurants in Alethkar are located in Dalilak, as is some of the most talented chefs. Because of this, Dalilak has become a key resource for Alethkar, providing foodstuffs for almost the entire country. There are numerous guilds in Dalilak focused on food, these guilds are very serious about their craft, so much so that a number of times violent guild wars have broken out.

Due to the fact that House Aladar does not have access to a lot of raw materials or processed goods, often the business received from foodstuffs balances out the House's imports of other materials like certain ores, and other processed goods.

Guilds and Factions

Bakers Guild: The baker's guild is the common guild for all bakers, pastry chefs, and many desert chefs. Their main focus is the provision of flour, sugar, eggs and other common ingredients used in the plying of their craft, as well as provide protection for their members from any threats. Currently the Baker's Guild is in dispute with the Farmer's of Fresh Produce Guild over sunwheat and flour prices.
Fellowship of Innkeeper's: The Fellowship of Innkeepers is quite obviously the common guild for innkeepers, however it is also the guild that also oversee's tavern owner's, chefs, servers, and barmaids. The main focus of this guild is to provide wage protection for restaurant workers, standards for working in the kitchen, "health codes", and setting a standard for prices on food and lodgings. The Fellowship of Innkeeper's is currently on very good terms with the Vinters', Distillers', and Brewers' guild, but has a bad history with the Guild of Butchers (though currently it is neutral terms).
Fellowship of Salters, Packers, and Joiners: The Fellowship of Salters, packers, and Joiners is the common guild for meat processing, as well as general foodstuff production and shipment. The Fellowship (like the Fellowship of Innkeeper's) are mainly focused on the wage and work conditions for meat packing and shipment, however they also handle shipment for fresh produce, production of long shelf life foodstuffs (like hard tack, flatbread, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, and more) and prices of shipment per pound and production. Currently the Fellowship of Salters, Packers, and Joiners is very close to the Guild of Butchers, however they are currently in a feud with the Vinters', Distillers', and Brewers' Guild, who maintain that a new way to cure meats (soaking in alcohol and then drying it) belongs under their jurisdiction.
Guild of Butchers: The Guild of Butchers is the guild that represents Butchers and meat producers, as well as livestock farmers. The main focus of the guild is setting prices for different types and different cuts of meat, and they also set standards for meat handling and health regulations to protect consumers. The Guild of Butcher's is on excellent terms with the Fellowship of Salters', Packers', and Joiners', as their industries are very closely reliant on each other, however they were recently in an almost violent feud with Fellowship of Innkeeper's.
Vinters', Distillers', and Brewer's Guild: The Vinters', Distillers', and Brewer's Guild is the place for everyone who produces alcohol and alcoholic goods. Any grape/wine producers must be a member of this guild in order to sell in Dalilak. While Bartenders can be members of this guild, but they are only partial members, as they are full members of the Fellowship of Innkeeper's. This guild focus' on prices for the various colors of wine, and required levels of alcohol to classify a wine as one color or another. Recently, the guild has produced a way to cure meats with alcohol, however the Fellowship of Salters', Packers', and Joiners' is disputing that it should be regulated by their guild. The Vinters' Disllers', and Brewer's Guild also holds a secret disdain for the Farmer's of Fresh Produce Guild, and the Baker's guild. This is due to the Farmer's holding high grape prices, and the Baker's purchasing more grain to make flour instead of beer.
The Farmer's of Fresh Produce Guild: The Farmer's of Fresh Produce Guild represents the farmers of Alethkar who bring their goods to market in Dalilak. Farmer's bring their produce to the guild, which is then sold by official guild merchants. Their main focus is preventing price gouging in the markets, but they also organize shipping for produce to the other guilds and producers in Dalilak. Because of this, the Farmer's of Fresh Produce were recently insulted by the Baker's Guild, and are now feuding over sunwheat and flour prices. The Farmer's of Fresh Produce also hold disdain for the Guild of Butchers, as the Farmer's believe they should include livestock farmer's as part of their membership.

History

Dalilak was founded just after the Recreance, in 10 EOS. At the time a small farming community, over the nest 1000 years, it would thrive due to it's close proximity to an area known as the Breadbasket of Alethkar, where a majority of Alethkar's farming is done. However, it wouldn't be until the turn of the millennia that Dalilak as it is known today would be formed.

In 1101 EOS, High Lady Siamas Aladar took the throne as the new High Lord of House Aladar, and began a radical change of the city's judicial landscape in 1111 EOS. Replacing old corrupt magistrates with new light eye's looking to prove themselves, the city exploded with legal proceedings. Because of this, many clubs tailored for light and dark eyed lawyers, judges, and their like were built to cater to their needs. By 1113 EOS, there was a shortage of good chef's and cooks in Dalilak, so word was sent throughout Roshar, advertising that those with proficient in the kitchen to come to Dalilak, a "heavenly focal point for cooking innovation". This would spur chefs of light and dark eyes to migrate to Dalilak, and by 1115, Dalilak was thriving as a place where one could find every sort of food, drink, meal, dish, and cocktail imaginable. In 1120, the Dalilak high court (which High Lady Aladar and her Husband both sat on) ruled that price gouging in the city was rampant, and the city must form guilds. The 6 guilds of Dalilak were formed to represent every aspect of food production and restaurant life, and the city exploded with visitors as travelers from across Roshar visited Dalilak.

However, life has not been peaceful since 1120 EOS, the guilds have had a few disputes which spiraled into guild wars that often resulted in the hiring of muscle and mercenaries and fighting in the streets. While some lives were lost, right now the city's guilds are experiencing a fragile, tentative peace.
Alternative Name(s)
Capital of Cuisine
Type
Large city
Population
29,000
Location under
Owning Organization
Characters in Location

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