The City of Jakta

Location
The city of Jakta is the capital of the The Kingdom of Jakta . It is located on the southern seaboard of the Jaktan Peninsula, at the head of Sengill Bay. It has a large well equipped harbour and naval arsenal, and is the main base of the Royal Jaktan Navy. The city is surrounded by strong double walls with many powerful towers and bastions. The city’s defences are reputed to be among the strongest in the Northern part of Argull.

Who Rules
The city is under the direct rule of King Gortig von Telram. Until recently he was Count von Telram but was crowned king in the absence of any survivors from the great fire which swept the Great Tower of the Royal Citadel and tragically killed everyone in the previous royal family.
King Gortig has appointed his trusted seneschal Sir Harald Nichzinger as governor of the city. Below him is a three-tier Advisory Council. The lowest tier is the Chamber of Citizens, made up of merchants, guild leaders and prominent citizens. The middle tier is the Chamber of Nobles, composed of both urban and rural nobles from across the Kingdom. At the top is the Inner Council, made up of selected experts in a wide variety of fields. King Gortig has acted speedily to remove members of all three Chambers whose loyalty he doubts and replace them with people beholden to him in one way or another whose loyalty and obedience he can rely on.

Economy
Jakta is a bustling city of craftsmen and administrators. There are a number of powerful guilds who ensure that the majority of craftsmen are members. The best craftsmen have their own businesses, but the majority of apprentices and lower-grade guild members work in factory-like communal workshops mass producing many of the goods Jakta trades with the rest of the northern world.
Primary exports are manufactured goods of all types, especially high quality arms and armour, glassware, pottery and china, as well as technical and navigational instruments. Also exported are books, Jakta having most of the Northern world’s few printing presses and making strenuous efforts to keep the techniques of their construction secret. Jakta manufactures a considerable quantity of ink, but much of it is used by the printing presses and the numerous scribes, bankers and merchants present in the city. Good quality fortified wines and spirits are produced, generally based on imported wine from Enrieme and grain from the Western Wilderland, with several distilleries exporting to nearby countries. Shipbuilding and boatbuilding are important to the economy of the dockside areas, although the major investment in the navy initiated by King Keshroy has diminished somewhat under King Gortig.
Jakta has long been a major centre of finance and banking. It’s relative historical stability have created the confidence allowing many merchants from Kamara and the Archipelago to bank their profits with the city’s institutions, and the funds have been wisely invested in other ventures to increase the banks’ own profits.

Religion
As capital of the Kingdom of Jakta, the city is at the heart of the worship of the Northern Gods. Although it has no real claim to being a place of religious significance, Jakta boasts the largest and most opulent temples to Odin, Tyr and Thor in the whole of Argull. Citizens of The Grand Duchy of Enrieme claim with some justification however that their Temple of Tyr may not be quite as large as the Jaktan one, but exceeds it in beauty with it’s pure lapis lazuli dome.
The priesthood leads the populace in a very urbanised, ritualised form of worship of these gods. Although most of the populace follow the Northern Gods, the majority are not enormously devout, being content to attend the temples for festivals and holy days and spend the rest of their time worrying about more mundane things. There is however, a strong vein of intolerance towards the southern gods, especially among the mercantile classes, who often encounter Tash-worshipping Sarassids as their trading rivals.

Armed Forces
The armed forces of Jakta are those of the Kingdom. Units primarily based in Jakta include;
The Vorlings; 2450 elite troops in a flexible, multi-armed force, with half normally based in Jakta and the rest detached to other parts of the Kingdom in small groups.
Jakta City Guard; some 7500 troops of various types, mostly well drilled, well equipped and of high quality.
The Royal Guard; recently purged, with many of the men removed and replaced by King Gortig’s own men from Fort Telram. At least 500 at any one time provide a close personal guard to the King.
Feudal Troops; while all nobles are expected to have a personal retinue, only small bodyguards normally accompany them when they come to Jakta. King Gortig recently ruled that no noble can bring more than 100 men into the city.
Guild Police; the various guilds keep paramilitary forces to police their members and resolve inter-guild disputes. The total uniformed or badged contingent totals around 2000 men across all the guilds.
Jakta City Constabulary; around 3000 medium infantry, usually acting as police but perfectly capable of manning the walls in the event of an attack. Their detective work doesn’t have the highest of reputations, but they are more than adequate to keep order in the city and ensure barroom brawls don’t get out of hand.
Naval Marines; there are usually several ships of the Royal Jaktan Navy in port at any one time. Between them, they can usually contribute from 1000 to 3000 men to the defence of the city. They also act as an auxiliary police force around the Royal Arsenal and naval dockyard.
Militia; many citizens are members of the city’s part-time volunteer militia, which notionally numbers some 20,000. In reality, it is doubtful if anything like that many men would report for duty if there were to be a serious threat.

Important Buildings
Administrative / Civic
A1 The Royal Citadel
A2 The Royal Courts of Justice
A3 The Civic Courts of Justice
A4 The Great Central Bank of Jakta
A5 The Chambers of the Triple Council
A6 The Central Public Bathing House of Jakta
A7 Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Enrieme
A8 Embassy of the Kingdom of Varenia
A9 Embassy of the Kingdom of Narheim
A10 Embassy of the Dwarves of Mount Stonedelving
A11 Embassy of the Dwarves of the Niandi Mountains
A12 Embassy of the Elves of Twizrel Forest
A13 Embassy of the Free City of Quivia
A14 Embassy of the Dwarves of the Kamaran Mountains
A15 Milmarian Embassy
A16 Wilderland Consulate
A17 Embassy of the City of Magoran
A18 Filrathi Embassy
A19 Tarak Embassy
A20 Freiland Embassy
A21 Danislavan Embassy

Religious Sites
R1 Temple of Odin
R2 Temple of Tyr
R3 Temple of Thor
R4 Shrine of Baldur
R5 Sanctuary of Daghda
R6 Shrine to the Nameless Gods of Chance

Military
M1 The Headquarters of the Vorlings
M2 Jakta City Guard Main Barracks
M3 Jakta City Constabulary Headquarters
M4 Royal Arsenal
M5 Royal Naval Dockyard
M6 The Central Parade Plaza
M7 The Great Commandery of the Knights of Odin
M8 The Central Commandery of the Knights of Tyr

Business and Banking
B1 The Bank of Quivia
B2 The Hofrath, Skiorlo, Balvabacz and Cal-Teln Bank
B3 Bugley’s Dwarven Bank
B4 The Jaktan Savings Bank
B5 The Commercial Docks
B6 Fisherman’s Wharf
B7 Clothmarket
B8 Slaughterhouse (meat market)
B9 The Pottery and China Bay (dockside ceramics market)
B10 The Wineyard (wine and spirits market)

Guild
G1 Grand Lodge of the Guild of Ship and Boat Builders
G2 Great Hall of the Guild of Armourers and Smiths
G3 The Great Lodge of the Guild of Potters and Porcelain Makers
G4 The Hall of Words and Numbers of the Guild of Printers and Scribes
G5 The Hall of the Guild of Glassblowers
G6 The Bottling Chambers of the Guild of Vintners

Taverns and Inns
T1 The Green Griffin
T2 Darbon’s Tavern
T3 The Black Bar
T4 The Blue Dragon
T5 The Sword and Battleaxe
T6 The Orc’s Head (usually, if they can get one, the tavern sign really is….)
T7 Mordan’s House of Hospitality
T8

Trades and Shops
S1 Jewellers: Pelstein’s Jaktan Emporium – a division of Johann Pelstein’s of Magoran
S2 Barbers: “Freddie Fingers Fast Freshen-up”
S3 Weaponsmiths: Friederich Wappenhammer’s Smithy
S4 Weaponsmiths: Regni the Niandi Smith
S5 Armourer: Eduvard Stalmann’s
S6 Armourer: The Shining Breastplate
S7 Hardware Store: Robard El Diaz of Ciudad Cassaro
S8 Haberdashery: Achmed Hassin’s Fine Sarassid Silks
S9 Jewellers: Johann Schmeide – buys and sells; Silversmith’s Lane

Entertainment
E1 Brothel: Madame De Pompeo’s – Upper end of the market, expensive, snobbish, but discreet
E2 Brothel: The Red Flag – mid-market. Clean, but a bit faded
E3 Brothel: Friendly Johan’s – cheap and nasty, with a reputation for over-enthusiastic bouncers
E4 Brothel: Short and Sweet. Claims to offer “the best dwarven whores in all of Jakta”, but most of them are actually short human women with false beards. And “Alice”, who is 5’11” and still wears a false beard.
E5 Cock Fighting Pit: Honest Harald’s
E6 The Straight Dice Casino – very upmarket and flashy (NB most taverns have some kind of gambling going on)
E7 The Royal Jakta Open Air Theatre
E8 Count Orvitz’s Ballroom
E9 The Theatre of Humours (public vivisectionist / dissection)
E10 The Clownyard (comedy theatre)

Important People
King Gortig von Telram – King of Jakta
Countess Yulia von Telram – wife of Count Gortig, died 1008AF; suspected poisoned by Wilderland agents
Crown Prince Konrad von Telram – oldest son of King Gortig
Prince Sartig von Telram – second son of King Gortig
Prince Kardas von Telram – third son of King Gortig
Sir Harald Nichzinger - Governor of Jakta

Other Key Jaktans
Lady Darana Dy’Varqa – position unclear. Appears to be about 13-14 years old, frequently seen in company of King Gortig, but it is clearly not any kind of romantic relationship.
Lord Adhemar Falschirrer - Lord High Chancellor – recently appointed
Lord Gerbert von Telram - Lord High Treasurer – cousin to King Gortig, recently appointed
Sir Bardin Ispar - Speaker of the Chamber of Nobles
Sir Henri de Chastel Moré - Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Enrieme
Prince Vladislav of Trans-Driva - Ambassador of the Kingdom of Varenia
Sir Sigismund Jarlson - Ambassador of the Kingdom of Narheim
Captain Jamstey Cherk - Milmarian Ambassador (reporting directly to Dos Varden)
Sir Ferdinand von Alren - Wilderland Consul

Founding Date

0AFJ

Type

Capital

Inhabitant Demonym

Jaktan

Owner/Ruler

Gortig von Telram