Khuurmag (Cooer-Mawg)
Land of Illusion
"I fought off some bandits and even a few creepy clown creatures in the cave system of mirrors leading up to this city, and it was... not what I expected. I came for exciting monster fights, which were in-fact very prevalent in the tacky Castle Sorcara, but the rest of the city was much too showy for my liking. People rich and poor wasting their money on frivolous illusory magics, fancy tinctures and alcohols, and oddities from other lands. I just, don't understand what the buzz is all about."
Demographics
Khuurmag's population is standard for any region in Ezlekh, that being a giant melting pot of different races. Genasi who are distant indirect relatives of Grand Khan Dai' Ehk are the majority of the population, making up 30% of the population. Half of the population of this territory would be considered long-term tourists, as tourists either get too comfortable in this region and call it a temporary home, or they blow all their money on gambling or expensive shows and cannot leave the region due to the debts they owe.
Government
Khuurmaagan government would be described as a Plutocran Monarchy, where the richest person in the territory's primary currency of VGold is crowned the Khan of the territory. Currently that honor goes to Khan Möngönii, who overtook the previous ruler, Khan Ersdel and has since been ever-widening the divide between the two thanks to their investment in Fantasma Crystal mining paying back in dividends.
Defences
The location of the City of Tsetserleg was specifically chosen due to the very defensive environment surrounding it. Here's the breakdown of defenses in each area:
Totgor Tolgod: These are the foothills that surround Agui Tusgal, which not only act as difficult terrain to slow down opposing armies, but act as optimal terrain to perform reconnaissance work and report via an encoded radio show. Totgor Tolgod's abundance of sharply-crested hills lend itself to a strategy devised by the Promaticans who work in the Khuurmaagan military, which involves the creation of illusory foothills in the territory to cover up military observation outposts seemlessly. This idea is so good, in fact, that local bandits are creating similar illusions in the area to surpise unsuspecting travellers and make away with some sweet moolah.
Agui Tusgal: This cave system also acts as a natural barrier for any army or even tourist who marches their way to the city of Tsetserleg. The winding passageways combined with the mirrored walls confuse and disorient even the most seasoned of travellers, causing frequent turnarounds in the area. This is not to even mention the ferocious circus creatures that lurk within the caves. Around 50 or so years ago, Zhambul's Zany Zoological Denizens, a circus operating out of Tsetserleg went out of business, forcing them to release the animals they could no longer afford to take care of. These creatures were released into Agui Tusgal, and due to the lack of their own reliable food source, the ones who have survived have adapted to eating the Fantasma Crystals located throughout the cave, which not only provide these creatures with energy, but also innate magical abilities that they have used to outhunt other denizens who used to exist in the cave system. These creatures include giant sloths with terrifying clown-like faces, white tigers with teleportation and mirror-image powers, trapezist vampire bats with elemental fangs, and more.
The City of Tsetserleg: Speaking of Fantasma Crystals, they have been mined from the surface portions of the cave system in order to increase the defenses around the city of Tsetserleg. Not only do Fantasma Crystals act to supply ammunition to heavy-duty weapons around the city itself, but they also use a magical alert system at each of the four entrances to the city's cavern entrances to report how many people are entering/exiting the city's limits.
Industry & Trade
The City of Tsetserleg obtains most of its food and basic resources from the other Ezlekhian territories through the Gazar Gate located Northwest of the city through an artificial river. Khuurmag uses these resources and their good relations with other coutries off the mainland to trade for a lot of foreign goods to end up in Tsetserleg's marketplaces, including Zuvaatian inspired fashion items, curios and oddities for their Sakiichiba market, large monster parts for Vinteslæb's shops, and more. Some of the richer people of Tsetserleg also own large farms in the foothills above Agui Tusgal, mostly as a backup food supply in-case another Ezlekhian Civil War were to break out, but they also grow resources such as straw, which make up quite a few of the roofs of structures within Tsetserleg. These hills above the cave system (and city itself) also include a steady supply of lumber for Tsetserleg and its surrounding territories
Infrastructure
The City of Tsetserleg was constructed in a ginormous flat and open area of a cave system underneath and surrounded by an unremarkable range of foothills, though one would not know this upon reaching the city, as the cave's roof is constantly displaying an illusion of a natural sky even with columns of rock extending upwards into it. The Agui Tusgal cave system is a mineshaft for Fantasma Crystals, so plenty of minecart rails twist and turn through the cave system, even reaching near the city's outskirts. It is thanks to these crystals that the people of Tsetserleg experience the conveniences of easy travel through the Gazar Gates as well as the conveniences of modern living such as heated water, air conditioning, and artificial lighting. Most of the city's districts have lodging, eateries, and shops of some sort themed after their country of inspiration. The districts are as follows:
1: Vinteslæb (Siberian Eskimo/Innuit Territory): This sparsely-populated district acts as a giant dance hall/night club for all interested parties, especially during the nighttime. Beneath the spaced-out snow-white igloos in the area lies a loud and bustling nightlife full of lazer lights, loud bassy music, and thick fur-coated tourists partying until they're purple. Some of the igloos in the area act as lodges for tourists, while others exist to sell goods from its region (including raw parts from large creatures, thermal-wear, weapons fashioned with tusks and horns of large creatures, etc.)
2: Dondurulmuş (Frigid Ottomans Territory): This district is structured in a much more traditional fashion to actual cities, as it contains most of the territory's necessities. The district is divided into tiers, with the Territory's Khan's Castle of Silver sitting atop some of the most luxurious housing in all of Ezlekh, which that luxury housing is above middle-class housing and shops (as well as essentials like a jail, fire department, and market shops) on the bottom rung. The Western end of the district also acts as a shipping port for the entire territory, as a manmade river is tangential to the city on its West end which heads up to the the region's Gazar Gate.
3: Waqta Fursatine (Babylonian Territory): This district consists of two structures, those being The Belvedere, which is the country's most high-tech casino (thanks to their virtual experiences), while the other is a slightly-shorter metal brick rampart wall around The Belvedere which acts as a guard outpost to observe and catch possible cheaters.
4: Pradarśan (Buddhist Monk Territory): This barren district only has four structures, as the abundance of negative space is often taken up by the massive illusions which competitors of the "Show of a Lifetime" use as their training grounds. The structures that do take up this space are the three Monastic watchtowers and performance stage, dedicating the entirety of the district's space to the monthly contest.
5: Pokažuvaat (Atlantis on land Territory): This district is quite the fashion hub, as the Zuvaatians (residents of its region of inspiration) hold fashion in high regard. Many of the district's sea creature-inspired structures acts as small cafes, lodges, and fashion/weapon shops that carelessly combine designs from some of the other cultures represented in Khuurmag. The largest structure in the district, The Cerallesseum, was established to draw over 1,000 tourists and residents alike to come together and be entertained under one roof
6: Chertaminè (Medieval Arthurian Territory): This district consists of quite a few smaller resedential-like structures which act as restauraunts, inns/bars, an apothecary, a hospital, and more. There are also two longer houses (one on the Northern end of town, one on its Southern end) which try to recruit new members and help out around town with minor errands/quests. The largest structure in the region is its castle, Castle Sorcara, which is a location to spectate or enter their virtual pets in races and fights.
7: Sakiichiba (Imperial Japan Territory): This district is a general resource marketplace for all things strange and foreign to the main continent our story takes place on. In the houselike marketplace in the Eastern edge of the district, high-quality resources and import goods are sold at moderate-to-very-high prices depending on their sellers. There are, as for most districts, cafes/inns/small shops which are spread throughout the rest of the district in Japanese-style-houses. There are also quite a few fortune-tellers and essential oil salespeople in the area due to the focus on mysticism in the area. Finally, there is a radio tower which is located on the Northern end of town which broadcasts games of Arcane Roulette, P0K3R/21, the Zuvaatian game shows, and Chertaminè's virtual pet events to a large portion of Ezlekh
8: Yìshù-Zhǎnshì (Qin Dynasty China Territory): This district's businesses are focused primarily resting and relaxing, making Tsetserleg quite the eye in the middle of the unforgiving storm of the mirrored caves around it. Plenty of these relaxation-focused businesses (listed in the Districts section) are in Qin-era town houses (wooden exteriors with straw/hay roofs), while the hand-dug hot springs by the Terracotta Constructs are also quite substantial money-makers located on the South side of town.
Districts
Totgor Tolgod (Obstructing Hills): A foothill-filled region existing as an outtermost ring around the Khuurmaagan territory. The foothills here act as perfect cover for bandits and thugs who are either just looking to make a quick buck from possibly-loaded tourists, or are trying to repay debts to Khuurmaagan businesses or casinos. These foothills not only naturally act as hiding places for bandits, but also as perfect cover for traps hidden by the Khuurmaagan military (which in reality are mostly hired guns from Promaticous) for their enemies in war. The over-abundance of sharply-inclined hills and rough terrain lead to the Khuurmaagan military enlisting skilled illusionists to hide traps or even themselves seamlessly into the surrounding greenery for reconnaissance and even ambushing purposes.
Agui Tusgal (Cave of Mirrors): This vast and winding cave system appears to be even larger than it is, as its smooth walls act as mirrors, reflecting and refracting light almost too easily. This makes Agui Tusgal a physical barrier to the City of Tsetserleg, as it extremely easy to get lost in and subsequently picked off by its monsterous inhabitants. This area used to be a bustling mining location for Fantasma Crystals, but the surface level has been picked clean of all visible crystals. The regular crystal-miners have been replaced by Terracotta Constructs (from Tsetserleg's Yìshù-Zhǎnshì district), as the cave has proved too dangerous for man staying for long periods of time with the recent surge of cave denizens who used to feast on the crystal having to find new sources for food. Agui Tusgal acts as a bit of a mini-dungeon to any person wanting to make some big profit in Tsetserleg, with plenty of puzzles using mirrors (and even going through fake mirrors) as well as some using minecarts, loot to encounter in old mining outposts, and hungry violent magical monsters galore. The monsters who feast on these crystals were actually dumped into this cave system by a now out-of-business circus that used to operate in Testerleg around 50 years ago, these monsters have now adapted to feasting on the cave's crystals, gaining wild magic abilities to defend themselves. The creatures include giant sloths with terrifying clown-like faces, white tigers with teleportation and mirror-image powers, trapezist vampire bats with elemental fangs, and more.
The City of Tsetserleg: Tsetserleg is a city divided up into 8 districts, each district acting as a representation of the other major civilizations across the world, while also providing their own functions. Being a tourist trap, each of Tsetserleg's districts try their hardest to earn every penny out of their visitors, whether through expensive drinks, virtual experiences, scams, and most importantly: gambling. The city's districts are as follows:
1: Vinteslæb (Siberian Eskimo/Innuit Territory): This area consists of a ton of completely white igloo-esque structures composed of furs and wood and featuring bold arches on the surface, as faint club music vibrates the ground itself. The area has a widely-casted Hallucinatory Terrain over its expanse, making the area appear as though there are inches of snow covering the ground (though the illusion can be quickly seen through with the snow not moving despite people's presence) and illusory snow constantly falls in this area. The igloos perform many functions for tourists, acting as restaurants, lodges, gift shops, and even museums featuring artifacts supposedly from the territory (such as a Lion Seal lasso and saddle, or even rocket-powered spears). A few of the select igloo huts near the center of the area actually contain just metal ladders leading to a subsurface nightlife where drinks flow and Saturday Night Fever runs amok. Underneath the surface of Vinteslæb exists a dancefloor the size of a city block, filled with pulsating lazer lights, bumping electronic music (made possible due to a 4-armed Warforged DJ and their recorded tapes and records of beats being live-mixed on a stage in the center of the dance floor), and fur-coated tourists sweating pools as they dance their hearts out.
2: Dondurulmuş (Frigid Ottomans Territory): This area of Tsetserleg acts as the sort of capital for the city, containing the essentials for the city's functions, such as its shipping port (which really is just receiving goods from other Ezlekhian territories through the use of the Gazar Gates), its lavish jail (which is honestly more like a luxury hotel than a prison), its fire department (which takes advantage of the district's underground lake), and its residences, including that of Khan Möngönii himself. The district is built in swirling spiral fashion, with the multi-domed and multi-spired Castle of Silver (Khan Möngönii's residence) at its apex, higher-end housing is located one layer beneath the castle which generally looks like long almost apartment-like rows of houses topped with small domes and lined with spires on each side of the row, and then at the bottom (taking up a large majority of the district's space) are the lower-end housing buildings and the district's essential buildings (such as the aforementioned jail and fire department) as well as a few small shops for things like lavish robes, hats, carpets, pottery, and cafe food. The Nortwestern end of the district features a large undergound lake, which is somewhat frozen-over on the district's North side; speaking of which, this district, much like Vinteslæb features illusory snowfall at all hours of the day, and unlike Vinteslæb features an illusory firework show every night right above the Castle of Silver.
3: Waqta Fursatine (Babylonian Territory): This district consists of one large structure which looks akin to the Hanging Gardens of Babylonia, this structure is surrounded by a giant blue-and-gold sheened metal-brick wall in a castle rampart style. The Hanging Gardens building is referred to as The Belvedere, which houses traditional gambling games such as P0K3R, P0K3R F1S4, Standard Roulette, and Slot Machines (for descriptions of each game and how they function, refer to the Gambling page) on its bottom floor, along with tavern bars and restaurants along its bottom floor's walls.
Up the limestone staircase steps, the second floor of The Belvedere features gambling experiences exclusively available to the Khuurmag territory, these include Arcane Roulette and 21 (refer to the Gambling page). There are also monitors around the borders of the room which are displaying games and other activities in other district of Khuurmag for patrons to watch and bet on live, such as the Virtual-Pet Fights and Races in Chertaminè, as well as the Game Shows in Pokažuvaat. These monitors operate off of Fantasma Crystals displaying these games in real time using Silent Image spells, and audio is broadcasted using radio waves. Patrons on the second floor of The Belvedere can make their bets using either VGold (which is done through their Mind Merger implant) or with Gold using Animal Messengers which find their way to a betting station in a tower in Chertaminè.
Up yet another set of limestone steps is the third and final floor of The Belvedere. This final floor is an open rooftop garden which acts as a private club for the more refined tourists and residents of Khuurmag, and offers quite the spectacle of a view for the entirety of the territory. Multiple bouncers guard the stairs and the perimeter of the top floor, as wealthy patrons show off their expensive VGold purchases while chatting over pricey bottles of alcohol and fancy horderves.
4: Pradarśan (Buddhist Monk Territory): This area consists of pathways winding through badlands towards three 75ft-tall pagoda towers surrounding a large stone stage which rises 30ft above ground level. The badlands themselves act as a wide-open area where people are able to practice Illusion magic and other performance aspects for an event held every month at the Pradarśan Sarbini called the "Show of a Lifetime". At the "Show of a Lifetime", performance groups go all out and try to create the most stunning performances for the audience, where, if they end up doing so, will win a decent cash prize of 500G. At the end of every year, all 11 winners of that year's "Show of a Lifetime" performance compete against one another for the "Showstopper" trophy, as well as a much crazier cash prize of 10,000G. The three towers act as a seating area for guests (seating 15 guests on each of the 4 floors, for a total of [15 seats x 4 floors x 4 towers] = 240 seats), and a panel of three judges dressed in Monk robes stand on the edges of the ring to spectate and add commentary before and after each performance.
5: Pokažuvaat (Atlantis-on-land Territory): This region of Khuurmag features buildings in very unique shapes which pay homage to undersea beings. There are plenty of competing fashion shops in this area which feature Zuvaatian fashion mashed together with fashions of other countries represented in Khuurmag, with their buildings being designed after things like upside-down scallops, sea anemone, sideways whelk shells, etc. In the South-central edge of this region stands the brain coral-shaped thunderdome for game shows: The Cerallesseum, where the Warforged host Howard Mandela is constantly starring in his popular programs for local audiences in addition to those tuning in miles and miles away over the radio. Between the colorful pastel buildings in nautical shapes grow large coral-shaped berry trees over colorful kelp grasses on sandy/shale/lime soils.
6: Chertaminè (Medieval Arthurian Territory): The Chertaminè area is very much a hyperbole of the percieved lifestyle of the country it is based on; a land of legendary tales, renaissance fair-like fun, and most-importantly: low technology. This area is set up like your average Dark Age village, with residents in the area speaking very poor "Ye Olde Common", straw-roofed brick buildings a plenty which provide a wide-variety of functions (including an inn/tavern, an apothecary, a doctor's chop-shop, a blacksmith, a farm/petting zoo, and a few houses which can be rented). A few times a day, an extremely over-dramatic, but oddly believable "public execution" will be conducted on an illusory figure at the town gallows for the entertainment of onlookers being served beer and mutton. There are also two different guilds which live in the "village"'s long guild houses (one on its North side and one on its South side) who constantly are bad-mouthing one another. The two guilds; The Consortium (an all-male guild of rowdy veterans) and The Sororcorum (an all-female guild of young warriors and nurses) insult one another and ask for you (depending on your gender) to join their guild and/or help them out by performing ridiculous tasks (such as posting propaganda against the other guild, trying to recruit more members, and doing insulting impersonations of the other guild's members).
The most important area in this district exists at its Northeastern edge, that being a gated area surrounded by castle ramparts topped on the North side by a thick hexagonal castle keep. This gated structure acts as an arena for virtual pets to compete in, along with the keep holding the props, costumes, and a rest area for its "subjects" (actually actors). In this area, Castle Sorcara, virtual pet races and pet fights are shown to a massive audience (supplied once again with large beer tankards and large hunks of mutton), as well as a consortium of actors playing nobles and even a King Sorcara. Players can enter their virtual pets into these competitions by talking to knights around the Castle, and rules regarding these events are located here
7: Sakiichiba (Imperial Japan Territory): This district of Khuurmag mainly acts as a marketplace for all goods foreign in-nature, disparaging of their quality. The Western end of the territory is formatted like a coastal fish market, which has been going strong ever since it was established by Khan Komtyen III back in the 1580s. The market boasts freshly slain creatures and raw materials of all sorts, which are sold at varying prices (players will have to roll a luck check on each shopkeep they talk with to see if they are paying a decent, high, or very high cost for these resources). The Eastern side of the territory butting up against Pradarśan houses a display for one of the first assembly lines (operated using Fantasma Crystals which temporarily power robotic arm-like machines), that being designed to prepare and cook a select few dishes unique to the region this area is inspired by Japan. On the region's Southern side appear to grow select crops (in a ricefield-inspired tiered farming method) which are used in the aforementioned dishes, those crops being rice, beets, cabbage, onion, and sugar. The crop fields in the Southern portion of this region acts as a demonstration for what the future of farming could be, as illusion magic displays modern-looking farming equipment powered by Fantasma Crystals which till the fields, water the plants, and even harvest them as ordered by their operator. The Northern edge of this region sit a few lodges surrounding a towering 100 ft-tall Pagoda tower, which is the region's radio tower, as well as a windmill due to its rotating blades on its Northern side. The tower actually sits below a hole in the cave's ceiling, allowing these broadcasts to reach most of the surrounding Ezlekhian territories.
This region also has a few additional quirks to it, one of those being its salespeople and their insistence on your business. These salespeople will follow you and beg for you to purchase their goods, insisting their quality and authenticity, even if the products are clearly tacky or even not what they are being advertised as. They also frequently will drop the price of their goods, and even throw in other goods for free as a bonus if that's what it takes for you to purchase their goods.
Another quirk of this region is its emphasis on Feng Shui and mysticism. The area's layout and even its lodge layouts are inspired by their own system of Feng Shui with the four families of elementals, with Wind being North, East being Fire, South being Earth, and West being Water. The mystics of the area will never not comment on this fact and the good karma that it brings the residents of Khuurmag, that is when they're not trying to hustle you to buy their apothecarial goods or trying to read your fortune in any way they can.
8: Yìshù-Zhǎnshì (Qin Dynasty China Territory): Khuurmag's most Southwestern district, Yìshù-Zhǎnshì aims itself to be a place for Khuurmaagans and tourists can treat themselves to rest and relaxation. Types of buildings in this district include salons, massage parlors, clinics, bathhouses, tea cafes, and more. In the district's Southwestern edge, there sit quite a few hand-dug hot-springs which are the ultimate relaxation spot for all who visit the area. These hot springs are quite the money-makers, which is why the players will see Terracotta Constructs not only continuing to dig more and more of these by hand, but even some of these Constructs contain a pouch full of whale diesel which they use to breathe fire and warm these hot springs manually. In fact, Terracotta Constructs are the huge gimmick of the entire country; these Constructs are given life with a more complex Animate Objects spell, and come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Some shapes include 4-legged spider carriages (similar to Star Wars spider droids for reference), hose-wielding juggernauts (which are ~10ft tall, have a concrete-dispensing hose for a hand, and are mainly used for construction purposes), and smaller simply-shaped humanoid constructs which do most of the region's labor. These Terracotta Constructs are utilized for many more purposes in their home country, and have even served as the region's entire military force in the past, since they are blindly loyal to the commands of their creators.
Assets
The city of Tsetserleg has goods from near and far in its market district of Sakiichiba. In addition to the market district, expensive lodging and food services exist for nearly every one of the city's districts, costing ~5-10G due to having no real competition. The upper rung of the Dondurulmuş district is home to quite a lot of wealthy figures who pour some of their money into the construction of new features in the city.
Guilds and Factions
The Shoroo: (translates to The Dirt) This is about 30% of Khuurmag's population, which are the residents of the territory who are dirt poor. The nicer Shoroo are known for going around and begging for VGold/Gold donations from tourists and wealthy residents, while the meaner Shoroo have been known to take VGold/Gold in any way they possibly can (hacking, robbing, and even killing). The more crooked Shoroo also live in the rougher areas outside of Tsetserleg such as the Agui Tusgal and Totgor Tolgod, where they aim to steal and rob from wealthy tourists by using the element of surprise and cloaking themselves in elaborate illusions before they spring their traps. Unfortunately, the Shoroo typically spend their earnings taken/earned from the wealthy on what put them in their caste in the first place: Gambling.
The Toirohj: Due to the restructuring of the Khurmaagan government into a Plutocran Republic, the city's most VGold-wealthy are those that are in positions of power. This has led to the coining of the term "The Toirohj" to the top 1% of VGold holders; people who coin this term believe that the current Khan and this 1% are in cahoots to further balloon the Khan's VGold reserves into impossible-to-reach territories. There is no proof that the Toirojh (loosely translated as The Circle) officially exist, however it might as well exist for the horribly-addicted Shoroo at the bottom rung of the monetary ladder in this city, as they are often used as a scapegoat for the Shoroo's problems.
Guilds in Chertaminè: Both of the guilds in this district exist purely just for show, as well as a way for the tourists of Chertaminè to do some free manual labor and clean up after other tourists. They guise as an actual guild who task their "new initiates" with "quests", which involve such fun activities as washing streets and windows, cleaning up garbage, hanging advertisement posters, and leading tourists to their guildhouse.
- The Consortium: This all-male guild on the North side of the district is known for being loud and boisterous, promising its members that they shall appeal to the king to get all men free beer and mutton. They are typically clad in leather armor which feature their crest of two wolves howling at the moon, they typically have large beards, and can often be seen hoisting large weapons in one hand and a tankard of beer in the other. They can often be heard across the town as they bark at the Sororcorum members who come near the North side of town.
- The Sororcorum: This all-female guild on the South side of the district is a bit more reserved than their male counterparts, but that doesn't mean they don't have some fight in them. The Sororcorum consists of apothecarical mages who also act as nurses for those in-need in the city, as well as plenty of muscly woman warriors who can often outyell their male counterparts. They typically wear either long robes (for the nurses and more magically-inclined members), or white linen shirts and long patterned skirts which boast buckeled belts with their insignia of a rose-covered sword being held upwards by three hands coming from the bottom of the crest. Members of the Sororcrum supposedly seek to build a library in the district, as well as schools for their eventual children (though these are easily just fronts to get people talking about this group).
Points of interest
Totgor Tolgod (Obstructing Hills): A set of foothills on the outer border of the territory. The foothills are sometimes illusions used by thieves to ambush travelers and take their money, and the locals are fully aware of this.
Agui Tusgal (Cave of Mirrors): A cave system right outside and surrounding the city of Tsetserleg. The cave's walls and some floors are mirrors; this area will be a mini-dungeon full of mirror puzzles and encounters with carnival-inspired creepy creatures (since they are escaped carnival animals).
The City of Tsetserleg:
1: Vinteslæb (Siberian Eskimo/Innuit Territory): This region consists of a bunch of igloos and tipis which act as lodging, stores (for weapons and monster parts mostly) and more. A few select dwelling interiors just include a ladder going into the ground below, with a rave dance floor about a city block in size being located there.
2: Dondurulmuş (Frigid Ottomans Territory): This region is like a miniature city itself, built in a spiral of shops, cafes, and homes going upwards. The bottommost buildings are essential buildings (fire dept., jail, etc.) and lower-income houses, in the middle are the upper-class houses, and at the top sits the Khan's dwelling: the Castle of Silver.
3: Waqta Fursatine (Babylonian Territory): This district is the main gambling hub. It's only structures consist of a blue and gold metal-brick wall on the outside, and a Hanging Gardens casino on the inside. The bottom floor of the casino is for standard gambling, the middle floor is for specifically Khuurmaagan gambling experiences, and the top floor is a hangout spot for snooty elites
4: Pradarśan (Buddhist Monk Territory): This district is a barren brown wasteland where wizards in monk gi practice their illusion magics. The only structures in this district are a tall stage with a staircase going up to it, and three buddhist monk towers surrounding it. The stage hosts an illusion contest (think like an America's Got Talent situation) for the most show-y of illusionists once every month (AKA, conveniently when the characters get there). The winners of the monthly contests show back up at the end of the year to possibly win a cash prize
5: Pokažuvaat (Atlantis-on-land Territory): This district consists of coral and seashell shaped houses, cafes, and fashion shops. The main structure is the Cerallesseum in the region's South-central portion, and it's a brain coral thunderdome for the game shows
6: Chertaminè (Medieval Arthurian Territory): This district is basically just Whiterun from Skyrim; There are dwellings, an apothecary, a smith, etc. The main structure in this territory is a castle in the Northeast part of the district, called Castle Sorcara. This castle is the hub for the virtual pet races and virtual pet fights.
7: Sakiichiba (Imperial Japan Territory): This district is like a mini town. It's Western edge is a Japanese coastal-style market which was established all the way back in the late 1500s by Khan Komtyen III for odd bits and bobs (unique pieces of Adventuring Gear, unique weapons, and rare materials), there are rice fields in the South, and there is a radio tower in the North sector which broadcasts the virtual pet games and game shows to the whole territory. The region has a fixation on Feng Shui and mysticism.
8: Yìshù-Zhǎnshì (Qin Dynasty China Territory): This district is another small town which focuses on rest and relaxation (ex. spas, massage parlors, etc.). The southwestern edge has hand-dug hot springs made by Terracotta Constructs which work on construction throughout the region.
Architecture
Each district in Tsetserleg has its own architectural palette with its inspirations being tied to the real life societies we are inspired by. The architectural inspirations for each district are as follows:
1: Vinteslæb (Siberian Eskimo/Innuit Territory): This district's buildings are all small igloos or tupiqs (leathery-skinned and furred teepees) which are all one-roomed structures with no windows (therefore lighting is provided by artificial Mystek lights) which serve a variety of functions from cafes, weapon stores, lodges, and even access routes to an underground dance floor. Each of these buildings appears to also have a fresh layer of snow on them due to illusions created by illiusionists in the Dondurulmuş district. The underground dance hall actually exists in an old cave entrance, which is about 20ft below the ground's surface, has a 10ft-high ceiling, and is circular with a diameter equal to a city block's length (about 500ft). There are quite a few cave columns that extend through the dance floor, and even the DJ's station in the middle of the dance hall is carved out in a space within one of the cave's columns.
2: Dondurulmuş (Frigid Ottomans Territory): This district features brick-paved roads and plenty of beautiful architecture to behold. Multi-family town houses, shops, and other city essentials (such as the jail, fire dept., and inns) on the bottom rung of the multi-tiered mini city are long slender stucco buildings (typically roughly 30ft tall, 15ft wide, and 75ft long or longer) which feature slanted tiled roofs, arched doorways, and large windows. The second tier of buildings in this district consist of thicker more luxurious housing units (roughly 30ft tall, 30ft thick, and 100ft long or longer) containing modern amenities possible thanks to Mystek, with these houses alternating with large 75ft tall spires, which act as libraries, museums, and even towers for illusionists to project their craft (such as on the cave's cieling sky, or the weather illusions in the Vinteslæb & Dondurulmuş districts). At the top layer of the district lies the guilded-gated Castle of Silver, residence of the city's Khan Möngönii. The castle sports the appearance of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul (not Constantinople), sporting a concrete brick shell, metal snow-covered dome roofs, and over 4 stories which build towards a giant domed roof in the middle, making the castle the size of a medium-sized stadium.
3: Waqta Fursatine (Babylonian Territory): This district features only two structures, the first being The Belvedere. The Belvedere is designed to appear like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, being comprised of a ton of limestone archways held up by Doric columns on each of the three floors in a stairstep fashion. There is a vertical painted gold line on the structure's East and West sides, and a flowing infinite waterfall on the structure's North and South sides, this waterfall functions by a pressurized column of glass which pumps water through and to the top like a fountain, which naturally cascades down carved indents on the North and South sides. From each floor of The Belvedere on its interior jut large Doric columns which break up the otherwise open marble-tiled floors. Carved into the limestone of the second floor are etchings of some of the Ezlekhian legends, especially focusing on Grand Khan Dai' Ehk and his six children who divided up the kingdom of Ezlekh upon their father stepping down from leadership. The top floor of The Belvedere features a black-and-white marbled floor for most of its area, while other portions are grasses which house plants like elephant ears, boxwood plants, palm trees, and ferns (these all grow due to the intense sunlight produced by the illusion from the Dondurulmuş district)
Outside The Belvedere rises a 30ft-tall, 20ft-thick wall made of giant 5ft metal cubes which are magnitized to one another to create an almost impregnable walls. These cubes have a metallic blue or gold finish to them, and are polarized outwards so that they cannot be magnatized to, as well as so that metal-armored foes would be repelled from the walls themselves. There is a 25ft-long lowered stone gate on the East and West sides of the forretress wall which leads to The Belvedere, and the wall itself acts as a way to observe criminals in The Belvedere from an expert vantage point, and close the gates if that criminal tries to get away
4: Pradarśan (Buddhist Monk Territory): This district consists of very few structures, only including three monk-themed observation towers surrounding a giant stone stage. This stage is a 100ft diameter cylinder made of etched stone which rises 30ft above the ground, with a 30ft tall by 60ft long stone staircase working its way up the South side of the stage. This staircase has quite long and wide steps, making this a location for competitors to wait in-line for their turn in the competition, as well as it could be a location for some of the performance to take place.
5: Pokažuvaat (Atlantis on land Territory): This district is not shy about the displays of their wealth. With buildings expertly crafted using lime and subsurface stones, they shape their buildings to match the traditional architecture for the region, including spiral-esque shapes and rounded coral-shaped buildings. The crown jewel of this district is it's Cerallesseum, the brain coral-shaped stadium in the district's south-central corner. Its short and stout form being able to hold plenty of viewers from near and far while still being extremely sturdy due to its natural style. The rest of the buildings, be they the district's plentiful fashion shops, its cafes, or even its upscale residences/cabins all are shaped after nautical creatures: This includes an apartment complex shaped as a sea anemone, a cafe made out of a fossilized sea cuccumber, and plenty of fashion shops in various shell shapes (be they spiral, whelk, nautiloid, etc.).
6: Chertaminè (Medieval Arthurian Territory): This district features very same-y structure designs, those being primarily round, wide structures made of large stones cemented together to make thick walls. These walls (lined with fur coats on their insides) are all topped with angular square-pyramidal roofs made of tied straw in plenty of layers, some of which have fire places and chimney stacks in them to keep the dwellings warm year round. The two guilds of the town, The Consortium and The Sororcorum have extremely similar architecture to what is explained above, except their designs are a lot more oblong and contain multiple chimney stacks in the center of the structures. The district's "castle" in the Northeast, Castle Sorcara, also features thick rock bricks cemented together, however this time in a castle rampart fashion. This rampart gate is topped on its Northern side with a hexagonal Castle Keep for the "king", his kinghts, and their pletitude of props to reside in.
7: Sakiichiba (Imperial Japan Territory): With the district's focus on Feng Shui (Wind being North, East being Fire, South being Earth, and West being Water), the structures themselves reflect this design philosophy into their architecture. The buildings take on a typical old Japanese style town house look, with titami floors, shoji walls, and ceramic-tiled roofs, but each sector incorporates their element into the design: The North buildings (including the city's windmill-bladed radio tower) feature plenty of wind vanes on their roofs and wind chimes on porches, the Eastern buildings feature warmer colors painted into fire patterns on their shoji walls as well as fireplace smokestacks rising on their eastern sides, the Southern buildings feature not only basements but also stone pagodas and stone walls around their outsides, and the Western side buildings (including those in the district's fish market) have either water streams running along their sides, or wave water-painted onto their cooler-colored shoji walls.
8: Yìshù-Zhǎnshì (Qin Dynasty China Territory): This district has architecture reminiscent of Qin Dynasty China, which may look similar to that of the Sakiichiba district houses described beforehand, but a keen eye can pick out the subtle differences. The walls are built with red woods which go up in strong columns which meet at smooth wooden arches, and strong less-angular stone roofs top these structures. The buildings are typically square and open in shape for the businesses in the area, while the houses and inns in this district use more of a octagonal/circular shape with high ceilings to their design.
Geography
The entire Khuurmaagan territory exists on a field of foothills filled with large rocks, pine trees, berries, and fruit/nut trees present. The verticality of this region lends itself somewhat difficult to travel over, but some trails and even a few roads have been carved out by the Khuurmaagan military which specifically avoid Agui Tusgal's entrances. This allows for these large foothills to cloak the existence of mirrored cave tunnels hiding seemlessly underneath, save for a few pitfalls into the cave system
Agui Tusgal is generally an open cave system, known for its high cielings due to the great verticality of the foothills above it. The cave tunnels themselves appear so much larger than they actually are due to the mirrored walls inside the cave, and though there are sections where the tunnels themselves are tight and winding, the majority of the cave's space is made up of long flat floors of rock.
The City of Tsetserleg, existing inside a large clearing in Agui Tusgal, has a very flat floor with a large cieling. This cieling is high enough to have illusions on the cieling appear as though it is the actual sky, even despite the large stalagtites on this cieling. The rest of the geography in this location is completely man-made, with a construct-dug river and pond in its Western districts, and even a man-made large hlil in the Dondurulmuş region.
Climate
Totgor Tolgod: This hilly area around the outskirts of Khuurmag maintains typical temperatures similar to that of the US Great Plains, with highs reaching the lower 100's degrees Fahrenheit in the Summer, and lows reaching -10's degrees Fahrenheit.
Agui Tusgal & City of Tsetserleg: Due to these areas existing in a somewhat open cave system, the temperatures fluxuate between 40 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Over the city of Tsetserleg, on the cave system's cieling are a network of crystals powered by towers in the Dondurulmuş district. These crystals create an illusion of a realistic cloud-free sky which changes appearance with the time of day, mimicking sunrise to sunset, and even nightime seemlessly, despite the large stoney cave walls blocking the view of the actual sky. In the city of Tsetserleg's Vinteslæb and Dondurulmuş districts, illusory snow does fall and coat/pile the ground, but the rest of the other districts exhibit clear weather and no wind speeds.
Founding Date
705
Alternative Name(s)
The Land of Illusion
Type
National Territory
Population
4.5 million
Inhabitant Demonym
Khuurmaagans
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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