Arnwald

Settlement Level 12 Equity Level 2 Magic/Tech Level 8
Arnwald, located on the central-western coast, is the old capitol of Omgaland (and third in its history). It was founded in 902VE during the reign of Ravean Nordariae du Galland I after the fall of [fnord] during the Barrier Wall Wars. It was originally erected as a sea defense port of a different name (that name is now lost, as are the original plans for the city, in a fire that destroyed the hall of records in 1085). The original port has succumbed to the sea as the Thaw continued to raise sea levels until about 1100VE, and brave divers, aided by various magics, still occasionally recover artifacts of those earliest days of the city. Today, the city is upgraded with a series of canals that move goods throughout the city, and to waiting caravans to carry the exotics from Amaten to the rest of the Western world. There is a "new" curtain wall that surrounds the city on the eastern and northern sides, the sea to the south, and a lowland river on the east, the opposite side of which has become marshy, and unfit for construction. With these protections, it would be a very difficult siege to successfully execute without a blockading navy, the likes of which does not exist on the continent, given Omgaland's unequalled sea power.
The inhabitants are unparalleled in their unity among the Peoples, but that doesn't mean that there aren't social issues, mostly based in the distribution of wealth. Though the nobles wield notable political power in the city, the real wealth is in the hands of shipping interests, especially among those who hold Tokens to hire Navigators to travel to Amaten. Even with the wealth flowing into the city, however, the disparity of wealth is pronounced. As is true of every major economic hub, prices for everything from food, to tools, to services, to clothing are higher than anyplace else in Omgaland. The poor are therefore, consequently, among the most destitute. The Night Guild is extraordinarily powerful in Arnwald, as the underclass is generally desperate enough to turn to theft and graft to part the well-off of some of their excessive wealth. The poorest live mostly in the southwest portion of the city, including in the brine marsh outside the southern wall, where some of the oldest stone buildings still stand, providing at least some protection against the elements, and whole tent cities cover the same area inside the walls, alongside crumbling tenements.
Among the more comfortably accoutered, the high ground has become the traditional places of residence, especially along the Seuden Canal and on the slopes surrounding the Old Keep. In order to keep up a swift trade in hireboat service, no bridges span the canals at all. If you want to cross a canal, you will have to pay a passage fee. This keeps the more prosperous neighborhoods safer from the riffraff than they might otherwise be (or, at least, keep them less visible to the well-off residents). The only exception to all of this is that, on Games Days, all hireboat travel servicing the Coliseum is decreed free of charge, so that all an sundry, citizen, visitor, or foreigner my enjoy the Games without undue burden. Of course, there is no such dictate regarding food and drink vendors at the Coliseum itself, only a license Token requirement to sell within the Coliseum itself.

Basic Statistics and Information

Population: 32,000 persons (census 2118)
Governor: Amavin, Lord Marque d'Arnwald
Base Tax Rate: 39% with ledger, 50% without ledger
Major Industry: Exotic Imports from Amaten, Household Magic Conveniences
Leading Merchant Houses: Kurrinda, Farthin, Aerynnia, Sudal, Flanders
Nobility in Residence: a number of Titled Families possess residential properties in Arnwald, third in Omgaland, after Uma-Vila and Sigant
Token Registration Capacity: "Wynfallen" class Conduit, first generation, used primarily for Eastern Writs and Administrative Nobility

Points of Interest

The Coliseum is a massive structure built during the previous reign specifically to pacify both the nobility and the citizenry. The architecture is all arcs and curves on the outside, and continuous seating in the stands, with flat spaces for vendor tents large enough to grill on site, and private boxes for the elite or those who otherwise can pay the fee to rent one for a day. The event floor is 200 yards in length, 110 yards wide, and features such entertainments as gladiatorial (in these days, non-lethal) combat, horse and foot races, acrobatic and martial displays, major cultural events, military parades, historical re-enactments, and large-scale performance arts of all types. In the days before the capitol was moved to Uma-Vila, it was also where Heralds announced new laws and the King presented a sort of State of the Kingdom address each year.
The Old Keep is situated on a hill - the highest point within the city walls - due south of the Northern Gate (called the New Gate locally, although it was replaced nearly two centuries ago) along the main thoroughfare. It is surrounded by a moat that has recently been connected to the canal system, with the urgent dissent of City Guard commanders since it was dug. It remains the residence of the City's Civil Governor and the functionaries that keep the city running, but the former Hall of the Crown and the Royal Residences are now maintained primarily for tourists, and are not used for any official functions of the city's rulers or bureaucrats. The Temple of Ren is also within this massive compound and remains the Prime Temple of the Faith, though much of its administrative staff operate out of Uma-Vila since the capitol moved there. It remains the Prime Temple primarily symbolically, although the High Priest(ess) of the Temple of Ren resides here, trusting to civilization to bring information to, and dispense decrees from, this relatively remote location. The old bailey is used for training of the Governor's Guard and for public executions, on those relatively rare occasions that such are called for. For these gruesome events, wizards are employed to transmit what they witness to illusionists throughout the city who project those images over all major thoroughfares, and above the tenements and tent cities in Brackentown and Marshtown (presumably as object lessons to the poor to not get too "uppity").
Marshtown is an exceedingly dangerous place to visit, especially after dark. The people who live just outside the eastern wall are among the most desperate and destitute of any People in the world. Although none are outright starving, that is largely due to their willingness to take whatever comes their way, offered or not. Nevertheless, these people aren't unmotivated loafs. They are known for decorating their domiciles with bright cloth (of questionable provenance), festooned from the ancient walls of their half-sunk buildings. On certain nights - the pattern to when these occur is a mystery that few consider solving - the Peoples' voices raise in joyous song that can be heard through Brackentown and Fox Island.
Strawberry Hill is a small island on the river, capped by the ruins of an old manorhouse, that's said to be haunted. Like the Frozen Keep in the Sea of the Felhold, it has a foreboding aura about it that keeps people away (although not nearly as ferocious or widespread as the Frozen Keep). Strangely, there are no records in the hall of records about this manorhouse, though some tales say that it didn't used to be surrounded by the river, which isn't unusual as so much of the original city construction has been swallowed up since its founding. Still, nobody really openly talks about it, and seldom even when plied with gold, and most of those willing to speak under such conditions will just make something up for the money.

Local Laws

The majority of the local laws govern trade, and specifically goods from Amaten. It is a much stiffer sentence to steal these goods, and it is a dire punishment for even a single Amaten object absconded with, often including the loss of limbs. This draconian treatment is a direct result of the sheer power these goods wield over the continent-wide market, which profoundly effects the power of the kingdom as a whole. This does not, however, keep the Night Guild from sponsoring the occasional - but not too frequent - theft of some of these goods. The Night Guild, though an international organization, represented throughout the Western world, is nevertheless dedicated to the stability of Omgaland and it's cities. At least, at its highest levels of leadership. It is likely that the guildmasters are better aware of the fragility of the continent-wide peace, and the effects Omgalandi instability would have on it, than even the Crown, itself. Afterall, aside from the (maybe) merchant class, they have the best network of information in the world.
All goods traveling through Arnwald are taxed, including all personal possessions above a certain value brought into or out of the city. While it is termed a "tax", the reality is that it's a check against smugglers, thieves, and fences. If you want to enter the city, and you're claiming those thirty Batbayar pelts as person property, you're still going to have to pay to bring them in with you - either by the tax, or by the Possessions Storehouse just outside the two gates. The incentive of taxes only ensures that the guardsmen and assessors posted at the gates are diligent in their tally of goods as possible. There is still the swamped wall in the southeast through which the poorest denizens of the city regularly traverse, and the patrols are necessarily light in those areas, and non-existent at night, but the dangers to outsiders in that region are far greater than anything the city guard can inflict.
Some neighborhoods of the city have a curfew in place for all non-residents, an attempt to reduce crime among the homes of the influential. This curfew takes place at dusk and ends at dawn, universally. The punishment for getting caught is short-term incarceration and a stiff fee. If the fee can't be paid, a period of Service is enforced to pay in labor what could not be paid in coin.
Martial Contractors - basically, adventurers and soldiers who accept contracts with mercantile concerns - are required to be registered with the Governor's Office of Protection Services. Unregistered persons are prohibited from taking such contracts that depart from Arnwald, and are required to register with incoming caravans within 12 hours of entering the city. This must be done in person, and all awarded tokens for outgoing caravans are collected at the gate when exiting, while incoming contractors are required to carry the token until they either exit the city, or a period of four days have passed, at which time they must return the token to either of the main gates. The cost of these tokens isn't prohibitive, but it's not a pittance either, making it very difficult for street rats to acquire one.
All property crimes require a tribunal of judges (minimum of three) to decide their case, and furthermore require that the accused have recognized legal representation. This is part of an old agreement with the Night Guild to prevent non-Guild sanctioned property crimes, and is void if the accused does not carry a Night Guild Token. Crimes whose primary effect is bodily harm that exceeds a few weeks of rest and medical ministration, or that requires magical healing to avoid permanent harm, are carried out summarily by members of the city guard of a rank of at least Lieutenant.
Metal blades of a length greater than 12" are forbidden to all but the nobility and their households, with the exception that certain other persons may be granted a Blades Token which permits open carry within the city, but also requires that the weapon be securely tied within its scabbard within the city walls.
Graft is technically illegal, but can be redressed with a well-placed bribe.

City Districts

Nob Hill is exactly what it sounds like - an elevated bit of land, just to the west of the Old Keep, covered in the mansions of the wealthiest lords and ladies residing in the city. A few hold high titles in the city itself, but for most, this is simply their Town Home, for when they visit the old capitol. This is one of the districts with a strict curfew, and in fact, any persons who debark on this land are liable to be questioned about their business there. The land is specifically reserved for nobility, which precludes merchant lords from owning any bit of this small stretch of land. This dictate is a throwback to pre-Armitune rulership of the Kingdom.
Steadlands, to the east of the Old Keep, and tucked between the East Wall and a line of concealing trees, is a moderate stretch of tilled land used to produce grain for the siege stores. The people who work this land are all resident farmers on a 5 year contract. The fifth year they spend training the next family to efficiently farm the same land. The families are chosen by opt-in lottery, and represents a tiny chance of the truly destitute getting to live a better life for a few years. At the end of the 5 years, the family in question is offered a plot to farm for one of the lords of Omgaland, away from the city, sometimes quite far away. It's possible the program started out as some sort of test program, and neither ever grew beyond it's current scale, nor was ever terminated. It's become a local tradition, and a weak symbol that the nobility "really cares about the people".
The West End is more than anything a bit of parkland and small game hunting preserve. It's seldom used for it's public purpose, however, but you can nevertheless see wealthy families enjoying the park's natural grove of trees and wildflower-strewn grasses. The reality is this is a place where very private political conversations and backroom mercantile deals take place. Many families visit the park on a regular basis to continue giving it that look of regular use, so that when they do need it for something less above-board, it remains available to them with little to no suspicion.

Mudfall is (for the most part) uninhabited. It's succumbed to the wet of rising tides and an overflowing river valley that floods near every rain. The mud has been known to swallow the unwary whole, and the rubble of ruined buildings make even what little dry ground there is treacherous. That does not keep some of the more desperate or illicit from making their homes there. Many such denizens are insane, some quite dangerously so. There are maybe two dozen individual dwellings in use during the dry months, and only a handful when it gets properly wet.
Cobbler's Point is inappropriately named, except from an historical perspective. This was once the sector of the city that housed some quite famous cobblers, before the waters rose and changed the overall layout of the city. Now, harkening at least a bit back to those forgotten days, it houses some of the more odiferous industries that the city nevertheless requires to survive. Glue makers. Tanners. Fat renderers for lamps. Spar tarring. And a handful of blacksmiths and carpenters who directly service those industries.
Textalia is the district dedicated exclusively to the textiles industry. Dye makers and dyers, weavers, spinners, rug makers, clothiers and tailors. From here are exported vast bolts of cloth, overland and by sea, to both the West and to Amaten, whose cloth is said to be rather course compared to the skillfully rendered fabric produced in the West.
Godsrowe, also called the more generic Temple District, is home to the twenty-six temples to the gods of Chaos and Order, including some of the Prime Temples - the authoritative heads of each of the gods' faiths. The temples were all built long ago, and each is architecturally designed to personify the deity it represents, so the temples, perforce, are a wild conflagration of differing designs. The priests that minister to them (uncommon in the world) actually live in the temples themselves, and venture out only to pursue the duties of their faith. All supplies are delivered to them, so aside from their duty, there is little to coax them from their vaulted cathedrals. Of course, many of these temples are the subjects of pilgrimages, and many leave their main entrances standing open year round to invite parishioners to partake of the faith.
Craftsreach is basically a commercial center, with both locally sourced or crafted wares, and certain other foreign items for sale in shops lining somewhat curving streets. This is a bustling area where one might find nearly every sort of crafted item they might desire, from a set of hinges at the blacksmith, to a particularly fine brush from a brush crafter, to a set of wooden bowls turned on a hand lathe, to pottery glazed in finely artistic patterns. Food stalls are set up every morning and packed up every evening, wine shops and breweries sell their products by the cup for consumption right on the street. There are also a very few, higher than moderately priced inns here, mostly for the tourists.
Fox Island is the residential district for laborers, dockworkers, apprentice and assistant craftspersons, and all of the less-skilled trades found in any city, in any time. By the standards of greater cities like Uma-Vill, Aesur, or the High King's capitol in Besketheim, these demesnes might as well be a slum. Few of the homes are owned outright by their residents, and they tend to be in varying degrees of lesser disrepair. But they are sturdy, sufficiently sized, and even decorated in pleasing and fashionable ways. These examples of the People's are not well-off, but they have almost complete leisure when not actually working, and taverns can be found here in abundance. And generally crowded.
Mantasurge is a notable step up form Fox Island. For one thing, the homes are all owned by their occupants, even if the land they sit on is usually not. These are lesser merchant houses, and exceptionally renowned craftspersons who can afford a home away from the workshop. This is also where most of the ship owners maintain residence, and it's one of the districts that enforce dusk-to-dawn non-resident curfews. The houses are moderately sized and are well-maintained, often by employees of the households. There are exactly two drinking establishments here: the Wayward Wind and the Iron Spoke, neither of which are especially welcoming to outsiders.
The Colusium District is home to the guildhalls of the various professions (excepting the Night Guild, who's location is supposed to be a secret, known only to it's membership, although it's one of the worst-kept secrets in the world). This includes the Tower of the Concordat Arcanum, which is situated dead center in the district, and towers imposingly above all other structures in the city, impossibly tall, as it was raised in the 25th century VE, a gleaming tower of black basalt with white marble apparently inlayed to the shape of various arcane symbols, which historians claim changes every now and then. This district is also home the the Colusium itself, which when there are late-day or night events is the only time when the district curfew is suspended.
Galland Grove houses some of the lesser nobility and the great mercantile houses local leadership. The homes here are proper mansions, rivaling or even exceeding the lavishness to be found on Nob Hill. Enforcement of the curfew in this area is aggressive and unrelenting, and the Guard posts every patrol with at least one caster to be extra certain of the security of these dangerously important people and their belongings. Let's just say that they have a shoot first attitude toward execution of their rounds.
Ferrustead is the district dedicated to city works. The blacksmiths, stone masons, carpenters, sculptors, arcanists, leather workers and whatnot who live and work here are those who maintain contracts with the city and certain of the noble and merchant houses to exclusively maintain the buildings and monuments on their properties, when a simple on-call handyman is not sufficient to the task. The workshops here are busy and top of the grade craft shops, with the best tools, the best associate craftspersons, and utilizing the newest production technologies known among the People's. All of these people inherit their place in the Stead, and their associates are selected from among the best in the city.
Shatterton gets its name from its recent origin. Some fifty years ago, while digging the canal on it's eastern side, the diggers undermined some structure underground, and (as the story is told) all of the land west of the new canal route just cracked apart, causing the land itself to sink, and sea water to rush in to fill the cracks. What buildings existed on the wrecked side of the canal were destroyed, or flooded, or both. The ruins are an ugly scar viewable from Mallon Way and Sailor's Rest. Unlike Mudfall, this region is completely uninhabited, due to its proximity to the martial trainging grounds. Squatting, afterall, is technically illegal, but the real reason is that the conditions in Shatterton are so inhospitable, nobody wants to even try to live there.
Mallon Way and Sailors Rest are part of the same segment of land enclosed by canals. Sailors Rest is mostly bunk style lodgings for sailors on shore leave, for both commercial mariners and naval personnel. This lodging is provided free of charge, so long as you're signed onto a ships crew (and you guessed it, there's an issued token for this, too, as proof of your contract). While there are a handful of taverns in the Rest, the vast majority of entertainments, mostly consisting of taverns, beer gardens, and wine shops are situated in the Mallon Way. The reason for the distinction is the age-old practice of the rich and bored "slumming it" by visiting such establishments. By keeping the bunk houses separate, the wealthy need never see the sardine-packed living spaces of professional sailors ashore. Regulars to the port of Arnwald, however, do their drinking in the few taverns within the Rest, eschewing the more touristy Mallon drinking establishments. In fact, The Saltin Pub is the exclusive establishment of some of the saltiest, most experienced mates and bo'suns on the Shattered Ocean, and few others are ever made to feel welcome there.
Arnwald Market and Fairgrounds. The Market is a daily point of trade of any and all conceivable goods coming from all over the West, and the only place in the city where sale of Amaten goods is permitted, and then only in "personal quantities". The Market is heavily patrolled by the city guard, and those guardsmen assigned to it receive special training for their duties, which include enforcing anti-theft laws, monitoring sales and checking sellers' sales records, assessing taxes at the end of each day, and enforcing anti-contraband laws. Their officers are also empowered to summarily exact justice on lawbreakers who cannot show membership in the Night Guild. The area is used as a Fairgrounds during cultural holidays, celebrating religious, kingdom-wide, city, and the cultural events of the various Peoples. On these days, the vendors are limited to food and drink, and any paraphernalia specific to the event only. Note that these special events are the largest, most grand events the city has to offer, whereas lesser celebrations are held in the temples, the neighborhood streets, and other event-appropriate locations. All such events require certification by the Governor's Office of Pageantry.
The Warehouse District is exactly what it sounds like - rows of blocky, wood frame construction buildings housing goods bound either for sea or overland distribution. Each warehouse is owned (by merchant lords) or co-owned (by independent captains and lesser merchant houses), and each maintains its own security forces. Additionally, there are two warehouses exclusive to the Navy, where supplies, parts, and naval warfare paraphernalia are stored for ready use. The Night Guild has never authorized a job involving the Naval warehouses, and the penalty for being caught is hanging at the docks, and it is a summary punishment, carried out immediately.
Along the northern shore of the sheltered cove of Arnwald is the Ports District. Aside from the docks, it is also home to the Port Authority, who ensures all tariffs and taxes are paid upon unloading of ship's cargo, that sailors are paid at least the port authorized minimum wages and receive whatever shares (if any) their contracts call for, enforce contraband laws, coordinate slip assignments, handle tokening for all sailors in port, record cargo contents in the records, and note any non-sailor passengers that come ashore. The Ports District is a busy, bustling place, even in the dead of night, and longshoremen are always in evidence, as are city guard patrols (whose duty is mostly to break up fights that occur between rival ships' crews, which is notably common). The ports are always moderately well-lit with witchlight, an agreed upon contribution of the Concordat Arcanum to the city.
The Martial Grounds is the training area for city guardsmen who train specifically in sally assaults during defense of the city. All guards are required to participate at least annually, and officers semi-annually, to practice coordination of sallies, confronting trained enemies, and orderly withdrawal back through the magically hidden sally ports. This is a military outpost, and as such, no civilians are permitted access to this land.
One of the major industries of Arnwald is the construction of ocean-faring merchant and warships. As such, Shipwrights' Crescent takes up a relatively large amount of shoreline within the cove. Aside from ship construction, dry docks for ship hull repairs and maintenance see a hefty amount of use by both naval and merchant vessels visiting the port. Here you will find carpenters, shipwrights, ship designers, blacksmiths, sail makers, coopers, salters, hull painters, and all manner of crafts dedicated to serving the ships that come into port. Most of these craftsmen live on the peninsula itself, although the most prestigious and successful among them have homes in other parts of the city.
Brackentown is the lowest income "official" district of the city, housing in tenements and scratch-built homes the city's poor, lower working class, and criminal elements. Somewhere within this maze of questionably stable housing is hidden the central hub of the Night Guild. And when we say "hidden" we mean that the Governor and most of the Guard know exactly where it is, but dare not impinge on its sanctity, as the Guild is capable of bringing down absolute chaos and ruin upon the city, or any particular part of the city, by means of sheer numbers and the skills to make it happen. It is the long-established policy of the Governor's office that they are to remain unmolested, and granted certain protections under the law that unaffiliated criminals do not receive. Brackentown is said to be littered with taverns and pubs, serving the lowest grade drinks and food, ill-tuned musicians, unattractive prostitutes, and clumsy dancers. While this is somewhat true, there are gradations of skill and quality to be found here, and generally speaking the prices are commensurate with those degrees.