Axendria
"We sailed through the straits at dawn, and entered the bay with the sun. The light revealed a city of such incredible proportions that I quite lost my breath."Axendria is the capital of the Evonian Republic. It may be the largest city in Adar. It is renowned as a center of trade and magic. It is the only place in the world where one can easily travel between the planes of existence. The inner city is called the "Pomerium". This part of the city corresponds to the city walls of the city as they were built in the 3rd century IC. It is considered the sacred home of the "Res Publica". Within the pomerium weapons cannot be carried, foreigners can only enter by special permission, and foreign rulers are banned from entering it. While Adar is an elven city, it plays host to a diverse population. Nearly every manner of sapient being on Adar can be found here. Human guest workers are especially common, with more than a hundred thousand humans residing within the city, and tens of thousands more in the nearby settlements and farmlands. Thousands of halflings, gnomes and goliaths can also be found within the city.
Demographics
Most of the population is elven. But there is a significant presence of other species. Humans can be found in great numbers. They are primarily merchants or guest workers. Due to the city's planar portals one can also find more unusual inhabitants in the city. Devils and even Demons can be found in the city, along with various Gith, Angels and any manner of other creature.
According to the Census of 1000 AUB (1012 IC) the population of the city was counted as:
322.732 Elven Citizens
42.590 Citizens of other species
175.223 Non-citizen permanent residents of all species
In addition the Censors estimated that more than 30.000 non-citizens were residing illegally within the city.
Government
As the capital of the Republic the city hosts the Republic's senate, its consuls and its tribunes. Along with its highest assemblies. Many magistrates have an active role in the city's government. This leaves the city's governance rather chaotic.
The city's affairs are administered by its aedils and their staffs.
People's Tribunes protect the citizens' rights. Their primary purpose is to protect citizens from abuses of power by other magistrates. They have the power to veto any act by other magistrates, and may even arrest them. In total there are ten tribunes, serving one year terms. Tribunes may also oversee trials, call referenda and assemble the senate.
The Aediles are responsible for the more mundane administrative tasks of the city. They are responsible for the maintainance of the city's sewers, roads, aquaducts and other nessecary facilities. They shedule the various public games which are arranged every year, and organize public festivals and parades. For this last reason they are popular with young politicians wishing to make a name for oneself. By using one's own money to arrange particularly spectacular games or festivals is a surefire way to court votes for more powerful positions.
Neighborhood associations generally keep the peace and take care of their members. The various collegia (worker's associations) also provide support for their members.
The Vigiles is the city's police force. It has limited power to act against citizens, but has near unlimited power when dealing with foreigners. Their numbers are not nearly large enough to maintain order in the entire city. Security in most of the city is provided by a number of self organizing organizations of various kinds; be they unions, gangs, bussinesses, or powerful patron - client networks.
Defences
The city has two layers of walls. These being the Nervian walls and the New Walls. The Nervian walls were built during the 3rd century IC and encircles the Pomerium, the ancient city limits. The city grew beyond this wall only in the 7th century. Around that time technology rendered those fortifications obsolete. The New Walls were constructed during the 9th century and were built to withstand more modern gunpowder weaponry.
The city's defences incorporate anti-magical measures. Active spells are dispelled when crossing the walls for instance. Teleportation within the city is only possible to certain designated spots within the city, and only by those who know the proper sigils.
The city's defences are especially dense surrounding the Planesgates, the gates which allow Axendria to trade with the other planes.
Industry & Trade
Axendria is a major manufacturing and trade hub. Certainly the largest such hub in the Imperial Realms. The produces enchanted items of all sorts, the sale of which is a major source of income for the Republic. Ship, weapons, textiles and luxury goods are some of the other major products produced in the city. The city also has a large service industry.
Infrastructure
The city contains innumerable examples of extraordinary architecture. Magic is part of everyday life in the Republic, and is frequently used in the construction of buildings. Much of Axendria's infrastructure could not have been constructed without magic. The city is supplied with freshwater by aquaducts, which is then cleansed before being delived by a complicated system of pipes to nearly every building in the city. A splendid sewer system carry waste away from the city, and deposit it in the sea.
Districts
The city is divided into a number of different zones, these are then subdivided into districts, which are again divided into neighborhoods.
Some of these are:
Within the Pomerium:
The Forum: The political center of the Republic. Here one can find the Curia of the Senate, the benches of the Tribunes and the Temple of Liberty.
Martyr's Plaza: The district surrounding the plaza of the martyrs. Here one finds the villas of the oldest and most prestigious dynasties in the Republic.
The Circus: The district surrounding the Circus Maximus. Renowned for its stables, theatres and exercise grounds.
Outside the Pomerium:
- The University District: The university district lie at the north-western edge of the city. It corresponds to the grounds of the Axendrian University. These expansive grounds host the university's facilities, libraries, auditoriums, offices, etc. The dormitories of thousands of students are also located here, as well as the living quarters of many of the university's employees and servants. While more sparsely populated than most other districts, the University District is still home to many thousands.
- The Foreign Docks:
The foreign docks are a section of the harbour reserved for ships flying flags other than that of the Republic. It is famed for the diverse goods which can be found in its many small markets. It is also famed for its high rate of petty crime, seedy brothels, cheap inns, and shady bars. The Aster Dockyard is located in this district. It specializes in building affordable cargo ships, and in repairing damaged vessels at a reasonable fee. Work at these dockyards is much sought after among the city's human population, as the pay is relativly high, compared to other positions open to humans.
The Rubrum:
North of the Foreign Docks lie the Rubrum, so named for the red slate roofs which are common in this district, but otherwise unusual in the city. the district is bounded by the Narvian walls to the south, and the New Walls to the south. In the east it is bounded by the Via Porta (the port road), and in the west it is bounded by the Planesgate district's Shield Walls. The population of this district is majority human. Indeed, the residents of the Rubrum claim it is the second largest human city in the world. Exactly how many humans live in the Rumbrum is unknown. But many tens of thousands certainly make their homes here. The district is home to several notable sites. The Grand Temple of Sol is the largest religious temple in the Republic. Its denomination is mostly human, but some elves are counted among its flock. The Circus Minor is the smaller of the two permanent stone arenas in the city, and is frequently used for a variety of competitions and theatre performances. The Via Denaria is home to several of the city's largest brothels, gambling dens and smoke houses.
The Native Docks
The Admirality District: Home to the navy docks and the admirality administration, as well as a garrison of marines.
The Insulae District: This district is home to many of the city's human guest workers. It is characterized by its large appartment buildings, where hundreds of workers live in cramped appartments lacking the amenities enjoyed elsewhere in the city.
Guilds and Factions
As Axendria is a massive metropolis it is difficult to list every organization which wields influence in some part of the city. Generally speaking the following are the groups with great power within the city:
The Nobiles Families: the great and venerable families of the Republic. While not nobility in the same sense as the nobles of human kingdoms, these families still venerate their ancestry. They have famous family names, great wealth and prestiege at their disposal. They tend to (but do not always) support the upkeep of their own power and priviliege, and the preservation of the Republics traditional values and norms.
The Collegia: The associations of workers who band together to aid and defend each other. Normally this means supporting a member when they are too ill to work, or paying for their funeral when they die. But during elections collegia can be powerful forces in mobilizing voters for their prefered candidates. During street brawls the collegia can are often mobilized to organize crowds and or gangs.
The Senate: The Senate is composed of all former higher magistrates. Thus it is composed of many of the most powerful, venerable, influential and wealthy men in the city. It also meets frequently, often several times a week. While it cannot legislate the senate is a source of moral authority, and its advice is rarely openly rejected by those who recieve it.
The Tribunate: The ten tribunes are the official representatives of the citizens against the power of the magistrates and the senate. The ten tribunes are expected to champion the causes of the ordinary masses of the citizenry. While they are often from wealthy families they generally tend to adher to this expectation. The powers of the tribunes are only restrained by their fellow tribunes, who may veto their acts, and by the expectations of the citizens.
Politically the magistrates of the city tend to belong to one of three political factions. The Greens, The Blues, and the Reds. These are not organized political parties; but rather a collection of individual politicians with generally similar interests.
The Greens tend to support the interests of the landowners and the rural citizenry. They tend to be isolationist in their foreign policy and traditionalist in their view of Republic law and norms. They tend to wish to reduce government spending.
The Blues tend to support the interests of the urban merchants and artisans. They tend to support the view that the Republic's norms must change over time to fit the changing times. They tend to support a foreign policy which works to expand the Republic's dominance of the global trade routes, but which otherwise keeps the Republic out of foreign wars.
The Reds tend to support the interests of the urban and rural poor, and is often led by the young and wealthy, especially students of the University of Axendria. They wish to legislate reforms which would redistribute wealth and land from the nobiles families to the ordinary citizens. They also champion the view that the Republic can never truly be safe unless foreign tyrants are removed, and foreign empires are broken.
History
The city was once the only true city of the Orcish people, known as Bulgan. This settlement was besieged and destroyed when elves first invaded the island of Evonia. Little of this original city now remain, having been first burned by the elves; its remains then buried beneath several layers of new constructions. When the elves arrived on the material plane they expelled the Orcs from the island of Evonia. The Orcish city was destroyed, and Axendria built on its ruins. Ever since it has been the center of the Evonian Republic.
The Nervian walls were constructed in the 3rd century, while the New Walls were built in the 9th century.
Points of interest
The Tours Maximus links the island of Evonia to the island of Ryva. This bridge is the largest in the known world, being several dozen kilometers long and tall enough that a ship-of-the-line can pass under it with room to spare.
The University (of Axendria) is the primary institution of higher learning in the Republic. In addition to mundane subjects like History, Natural Philosophy, and Maths (among others) it is the only place outside the Circle of Magi where one might learn High Magic.
The Forum is a large public square around which many important and ancient public buildings are situated. It is the center of the political scene in the Republic.
The Senate, an advisory body meet in the Curia, which lies just off the Forum. While this fairly old building is outshone by the splendor of the neighboring monuments, its age and modesty lends it a certain dignity.
The Planesgate is the arrival and departure point for interplanar travelers of which there are many in Axendria.
Climate
The climate of the city is temperate. The winters are relativly mild, although snowfall is frequent. Summers are warm, but not scorching. The city is shielded from more extreme weather phenomena for the most part.
Founding Date
12 IC (Re-founded as a Republic city)
Alternative Name(s)
Bulgan (old orcish name)
Type
Capital
Population
540 545 +
Inhabitant Demonym
Axendrian
Location under
Owning Organization
Related Traditions
Characters in Location
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