Artor
History
Artor, the trade hub of the East, is an entirely independent city-state on the coast of Confracta. The magically warm waters of the Shattered Isles meet the cursed chill of the Umber Plains here, leading to strong currents up and down the coast, conducive to trade. Artor splintered from Feducia after war with the southern robber barons cut the city off from the then Empire of Feducia, early in the Common Era. The city has a rocky past, changing hands from the elected forum that ran the city, to an oligarchy of high ranking nobles that led a coup against the government. Finally, after a workers revolution, the current system of a merchant run republic took over, running the city through a slightly messy, bureaucratic, but fair democracy. Speakers on street corners and politically motivated city criers are common, as are tense political struggles between the most powerful guilds.Structure
Artor is structured around the circular city center and the grand, enclosed bay that hosts the majority of trade into and out of the city. Rising high through the center of the western side of the city are the sky-docks, where airship travel enters and leaves the city behind the safety of the outer walls. Different guilds control different areas of the city's commerce, with high-density residential areas being constructed by guilds for blue-collar workers. Higher end residential areas ring the city center for guild artisans and wealthier members of the city. The districts are as follows, from the coast inwards:- Hafen: The enclosed harbor and docks, with the Fischergilde (fishermen's guild) in the north, the Arbeitergilde (common laborers) in the south, and the Händlergilde/Matresengilde (merchants'/sailors' guilds) in between.
- Kreismarkt: A great ring shopping and market district, split between two main factions: the Landwirtegilde/Bäckergilde (farmers'/bakers' guilds) and the Jägergilde/Metzgergilde (hunters'/butchers' guilds). The Handwerkergilde (craftsmen, smiths, tailors) can be found here as well, impartial to the other factions' political squabbling.
- Oberhäuser: A residential strip running perpendicular to the coast from the Kreismarkt to the Zentrum for the wealthy or well-connected.
- Kniepen: The entertainment districts, split into four quadrants to the NE, SE, SW, and NW, housing taverns, brothels, and theaters. Open parks and fairgrounds run in the centers of each quadrant.
- Vergoldete Hallen: The banks, money lenders, and tax collectors from the Bankengilde (bankers' guild) reside here, north and south of the Oberhäuser.
- Zentrum: The city center, holding the meeting halls, offices, and government buildings that fuel the bureaucracy of Artor, as well as foreign embassies.
- Himmelsdocks: A strip mirroring the Oberhäuser, the raised sky-docks of Artor.
- Die Zahnräder: The southern counterpart to the Vergoldete Hallen, home to the Gilde der Ingeniure (artificers' guild) who maintain and construct the airships.
- Donnerkuppeln: The home of the Wandlergilde, the transmuters (and other magic users) who manage the tides, weather, and firefighting in Artor. The buildings differ from the rest of the city, with domes made of brass and steel ornamented with gilding dotting the district.
- Feldhäuser: The homes of the farmers and hunters that work west of the city, located on the outer edge of the Kreismarkt.
- Lagerhallen: Storehouses on the western edge of the city for long term supply storage in case of blockades. Though rarely needed, the independent nature of the city requires total self-reliance.
Notable Locations
- Zaun: The outer wall of Artor, enclosing the city proper and the harbor, able to be fully sealed against the outside world.
- Küstenbatterie: The coastal defenses of Artor, mounted both on the Zaun and within the Hafen. The battery is composed of both ballistae and Wandler-operated Catapult (the spell) cannons.
- Äußere Felder: The farms and hunting grounds radiating away from the city to the west.
- Rathaus: City hall, a huge, circular building where representatives from each guild according to their size deliberate over matters of running the city.
- Tore: The gates to each of the primary cardinal directions. The eastern gate is the massive harbor gate, while the other gates connect with the ancient roads.
- Zunfthäuser: The large guild halls in each district where guild heads lead, meetings are held, and lower education is provided. Higher education comes in the form of apprenticeship through mastery in one's field.
- Taverns/Pubs: Unlike other notable cities, taverns and pubs are countless here, scattered primarily throughout the Kniepen, but also in the other districts.
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