Vekirai
"The patchwork city of Vekirai is the oldest city in the world. Its age shows through its diverse yet elegant architecture including old Amalorian ruins, traditional Cyirosi stone cutting and fashionable Bi'tsng'ot ornamentation and water features. The wealthy traveller will find many pleasures to be had in the city: why not visit the absolutely divine restaurants along the old King's Road, or examine the riches of the elite Jewellers' District? While you're in Vekirai you'll likely make an offering at the Temple of the Five, who wouldn't? Make sure to bring something expensive! There's nothing more embarrassing than being caught by member of the Vekirati elite skimping on your offerings: the wise amongst our readership will be savvy enough to buy a gold-plated bowl or vase to save money without losing face. While we're sure you'll want to explore the docks, we recommend keeping close to the Royal Shipyard where the city's aristocrats keep their gleaming galleons. Respectable gentlemen and ladies avoid the areas of the dock furthest from the King's Road which are quite frankly beneath them and not especially safe without decent bodyguards."- 'Pocket Guide to Vekirai', Imaran Von Solastan & Valerin Sin Sosteron
Demographics
The vast majority of Vekirati are Espirion by race. The city's population is made up mostly of free citizens, there is little slavery in Vekirai. Vekirati society is rigidly hierarchical with free citizens considered the default or middle class. Above the free citizen class are the priesthood, the aristocracy and the sages, in that order from lowest to highest socially. Below the free citizen class are the skilled workers, unskilled workers and slaves.
A person's class is a semi-official legal status in Vekirai and there is little mixing between classes except for the sages who are drawn from all of the others by examination. The cost of education, however, limits the ability of poorer citizens of Vekirai to pass the examinations to become a sage so it is essentially determined that new sages are drawn only from the free citizen classes and above.
Living in Vekirai is very fashionable and prestigious within the Empire of Nangkap. As merchants of the free citizen class acquire enough wealth to pass as aristocrats, it is expected for them to move to Vekirai and falsify some noble heritage or bribe and aristocratic family to declare them long-forgotten distant cousins. For this reason, property in Vekirai is extraordinarily expensive. Only the very richest own property, even free citizens mostly have to rent and workers and slaves generally rely on their employers or owners to provide accommodation.
There are fewer slaves, in fact, in Vekirai than in neighbouring capital, Bairek. The ruins of ancient Amalor, which was once the centre of the Great Amalorian Empire are not far east of Vekirai. Amalor fell to a legendary slave rebellion supposedly led by the theologically significant Saint Daralena, to story of which remains prevalent in the Vekirati collective conscience. As a result, slavery is something of a taboo subject, considered a practice of only unscrupulous merchants. Many of Vekirai's aristocrats take great pride showboating about the freeman status of their servants.
Government
Governance of the city of Vekirai is delegated by the Great Sages of Vekirai to the Council of Masters. Each councillor, selected from the aristocrats of the city, has a specific remit and clearly limited powers which are described in a published constitution of the city.
The most important masters of the city are the Master of Coin who manages the cities taxes, finances public works and regulates trade; the Master of Arms who captains the city militia and is tasked with maintaining order in the city; the Master of Oars who commands the large and powerful Vekirati Navy; and the Master of Letters who represents the city on diplomatic missions and manages official communications.
The masters of the city are appointed in secret by the sages. The sages produce legislation and host regular courts of justice from their headquarters in the Great Library of Vekirai.
The aristocrats of Vekirai invariably hold titles associated with the parliament of Vekirai. Most commonly they are titled Lord/Lady X, Peer of the Parliament of Vekirai. These titles are a holdover from the days of the Irao Kings of Vekirai who founded the Parliament as an advisory and legislative body for the city. The modern parliament is purely ceremonial and functions mostly as a social club for the Vekirati elite. It is based in Parliament Hall, an early Irao Dynasty mansion on the King's Road in the city centre.
Although the parliament has no real power anymore, it still makes so called declarations from time to time. These declarations hold no weight in law. They often endorse merchants, bestow titles upon new aristocrats or their children or reaffirm their support for the sages.
Defences
The city is defended by a large a disciplined militia and has a regionally famous and well-equipped navy. The city walls, although incomplete, create tower-lined choke points throughout the city make it somewhat more defensible. The city is deep within the Nangkap Empire so a large-scale attack on the city would be anticipated in advance and would likely be prevented before the invaders even reached the city.
The city's greatest defence is the sages themselves whose black magic is said to allow them to control the minds of their enemies.
Industry & Trade
The aristocrats of the city employ large swathes of the population in their households. There are also many skilled workers in the city who produce luxury goods mostly to be traded with the rest of the empire as prestige items. The city's ports are the centre of sea trade and also of trade with southern cities along the river. Vekirai is also at the centre of a large network of paved roads which host overland trade throughout the empire.
The city's main imports are:
- food from the rest of the empire
- tools and weapons from the rest of the empire and Cyiros
- armour from Cyiros
- medicine from the rest of the empire and Banyek
- hides from A'ot, Banyek and the rest of the empire
- jewels from Cyiros and Tosek
- jewellery from Bi'tsng'ot Delta
- metal from Cyiros
- fine fabrics to the rest of the empire and many other major cities
- fine pottery to Cyiros, Bi'tsng'ot Delta and the rest of the empire
- jewellery to other major cities
Infrastructure
The city of Vekirai is around 800 years old, built in and around the ruins of Old Amalor. Its wealth and long history have left it one of the most developed cities in all Alter almost to rival Old Amalor or even the Opal City during their respective golden ages.
The cities roads are wide and paved to make way for carts. The Master of Passages is the member of the Council of Masters who is tasked with maintaining the transport infrastructure of the city including running the city's fleet of boats and carts. The Master of Passages also manages the river docks from which merchant ships travel up the wide river to the south toward Vaitaret or down river to the north and the sea.
Much of the city has a rudimentary sewage system made up in part by what's left of the Amalorian sewers with the addition of some newer tunnels which lead out into the bay. The city's water is supplied by abundant wells; a portion of the city's poor are employed in fetching water for more wealthy citizens.
Most of the industry which feeds Vekirai is upstream with products shipped into the city. There is some limited industry in Vekirai especially production of luxury items like fine embroidered or brocade fabrics and delicate, decorative jewellery and pottery.
Vekirai is fairly sprawling and its defensive walls form three concentric but incomplete rings. Each time the city grew, a new wall was constructed but the city continues to grow and thrice the building of walls has been abandoned before they were completed. The city's militia is based in small fortified towers built at points around the walls.
Assets
The city of Vekirai is extraordinarily rich. Over its 800 year history, through taxation but also through conquest of neighbouring kingdoms, the city has become host to vast riches from across the world. Most renowned amongst the treasures are the 11 tomes of black magic which the sages have retained in their possession.
Guilds and Factions
The Great Sages of Vekirai
The Great Sages rule Vekirai and the whole of Nangkap secretively and with the aid of black magic.The Pentarchist Communion of Vekirai
The Communion is an order of Pentarchist priests who lead Vekirai's majority pentarchist faithful and run the Temple of the Five as well as numerous smaller temples in the city of Vekirai. The Communion is the only organisation in Vekirai with power to stand up to the sages although religiosity in the city has declined since the king from overthrown and the sages rose to power. The Communion has never outwardly defied the sages but the sages have never indicated any kind of reverence for the Temple
Type
Capital
Population
210,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Vekirati
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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