Taramont

"The City of Coin"

Taramont is known as "The City of Coin". In fact its name literally means mountain of wealth, "Tara" being a local word for wealth. It was originally founded by traders hundreds of years ago whose regular meetings let to the establishments of stalls which grew in time and eventually became permanent buildings. Over time the city attracted more and more residents and it grew in wealth and prosperity.
A large river runs though the city and provides a link with the capital Yita via boat which has been utilised for communication, travel and trade.
Taramont is unique in the Xandrian Alliance being the only city not ruled by a single ruler or leader. It is instead ruled by a series of merchant guild leaders all who have a say in the cities affairs. These guilds are known as the Merchant Guilds Of Taramont. The city decided to accommodate the Circle Of Mages as a supportive ruling faction after the mage wars so that magic use could be resticted within the city, thus ruling out foul play and other magical crimes which could affect the bottom line such as illusion spells, charm spells and spells that conceal one's self such as invisibility spells.
One of the main features of the city is two large river gates. Portcullises can be raised and lowered to allow ships to enter or to prevent attacks from outside.

The People

The population of Taramont can be broken into a few main categories:

The Merchant Guilds Of Taramont and their staff.

The Circle Of Mages.

Wealthy traders and crafters.

Working-class citizens who work for merchants and craftspeople in the city.

A growing number of theatre performers.

Outsiders visiting Taramont to trade.

Refugees from the oppression of the Dolmech Empire to the north.

The Leadership

Merchant Guilds Of Taramont - A ruling body of merchants descendants of the founders of the city. They are so wealthy that they could easily solve all of the cities poverty but choose not to out of greed or for political reasons. Almost all operations in the city serve to line these ruling merchants pockets. A new comer Mateki Taikan hopes to reform the imbalance of wealth in the city based on the ideals hailing from the realm of Azad far to the north.
The Circle Of Mages - A circle of powerful wizards who enforce a restriction on magic in Taramont as well as across the Xandrian Alliance. Their order is shrouded in secret and those who break the rules often vanish taken off to Spellhold.

Law and Defence

The local guard are known as the Tou-Faon (pronounced Too-Fon). While the merchants' guilds are greedy they believe in a well ordered legal system so the Tou-faon are given a lot of free reign over law enforcement. This leads to the rising of both extremes: those members who take their role as a guard to help the people of the city and those who revel in the power and use it to better themselves after serving their wealthy investors aims. So long as the peace is kept and trade operations are not interrupted the guild leaders don't seem to care about some of the reports of debauchery at the hands of certain Tou-faon.

Criminals

The Shadow Thieves are a common blight on the world of Katya. They have tenaciously held onto their empire despite the rise and fall of those empires they attach themselves to. In a city such as Taramont where so many fiscal opportunities arise the thieves have a permanent base here. Their operations in Taramont are extensive and they use some of the sprawling slums of the city to serve as a cover for their operations.

Areas In The City

Taramont has several distinct areas within it. Over time these areas have evolved and changed but some themes, such as the disparity between the poor and wealthy, remain constant.

The Promenade

The promenade of Taramont is a large open pathway that passes through a large amphitheatre in which is situated the famous bazaar of Taramont. It is tradition in Taramont to keep these portable stalls from which the city originally grew. It is also used as a space to host events including tournaments, theatrical performances, holiday festivities and the circus when it comes to the city.
There are a few notable locations here:

• The Grand Bazaar
• The Den Of The Seven Vales
• Theatre under construction
• A Temple to Helm

It is often here that tourists from other cities travel first as the Bazaar is famed throughout the whole of the Xandrian Alliance. The rich congrgate here where they are tended to by slaves as they are entertained by theatrical performances and other activities.

Trade District

Bridge District

Government District

Temple District

Slums

Graveyard

Related Articles

Taramont
Geography
Aliases "City of Coin" "Mountain of Wealtharchaic"
Society
Races Mostly Human Religions Varied
Commerce
Import Lumber, Stone Exports Spice, Jewelry, Silk, Trade Goods
Politics
Gov't Type Plutocracy Ruler The Mearchant Guilds Legislative Bureaucratic Affairs Department
Stats
Population 125,000 in the present