Thraben, the High City
The city of Thraben sits on a massive mesa in the middle of the Lake of Herons, a long body of water that flows around the rock and over an enormous waterfall. The eastern tip of the rock juts out over the waterfall itself, and it is on this dramatic pinnacle that the Cathedral of Avacyn stands.
Thraben is the largest city in the known lands of Innistrad. It's the seat of the Avacynian Church, built as a city of walls and various bulwarks designed to keep supernatural threats at bay. While smaller settlements are constantly under siege by monsters, the inner parts of Thraben and the Cathedral are the safest areas in Innistrad, which sometimes gives the bishops of the church a skewed perspective on how dangerous the world outside really is.
With the church's influence, the city maintains a high standard of cleanliness and order. There is a standing militia and the church pays a host of workers to keep the streets swept, the public gardens and grafs tended, and the riff-raff off the street. Begging is strictly prohibited, and there is a street curfew enforced by the militia. Several alms houses exist just outside the main walls of Thraben, and the church regularly sponsors "caravans" to take the needy to the sea ports, where they will ostensibly be able to find employment or trade work more easily.
The city has entire city blocks devoted to burial sites, called blessed grafs. Mausoleums and tombs stand in ordered grids among well-tended tress and blooming flowers. Cathar soldiers keep constant watch over the tombs to keep grave robbers and necromanacers out - and zombies in. Much like parks, these blessed grafs offer a place for citizens to find some measure of peace and rest among the dead who are enjoying the Blessed Sleep.
Demographics
Thraben's population is mainly clergy, merchants, and artisans.
Defences
The Walls of Thraben are a complex system of bulwarks and defense lines. There are remnants of older walls, which have crumbled and lost their effectiveness. But even the old walls demarcate the city into sections, some which have a penal or ceremonial function.
Outer Wall
The main defense of Thraben. A thick, high wall that rings the perimeter of the city. The church has approved the expansion of the wall several times to keep the city from getting too crowded.Merchant's Wall
A complex of fellowship halls that forms a substantial market square. This is the center of commerce in Thraben.Child's Wall
The inner wall that surrounds the grounds of the Old Cathedral. Nearly as strong and tall as the outer wall, the Child's Wall has not been altered in ages. It is inscribed with the names of every child born in Innistrad. Many parents make a pilgrimage to the wall in the year after their child's birth, believing that having their child's name written on the wall will add protection to its life.Fang Wall
When werewolves are caught, they are executed in front of this wall. Then their fangs are removed and shoved between the crevices of the stones.Bloodless Wall
When vampires are caught, they are chained to this wall and left to starve to death.Geography
Thraben lies in on the northern edge of the province of Gavony. It's the largest walled city in Innistrad, although parts of Nephalia's seaports are more densely populated.
Our world is vast, but Thraben is its heart. The cathedral must stand even if the hinterlands are lost.
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