Avencourt - the City of Banners
Capital city of the Kingdom of Carador and the major trading hub of the entire northern continent, Avencourt is the largest city in the Lands of Legend.
Demographics
As the largest city in the Lands of Legend, Avencourt is a melting pot of every different Heritage known. However, Humans are the largest slice of the population.
Government
Avencourt is a crown territory, and therefore not part of any barony of Carador. Its denizens pay their taxes directly to the king. Avencourt is officially ruled by the king, but in reality is run by the Lord Constable of Avencourt, who is in command of the City Guard. The Lord Constable is assisted by a member of the Treasury (usually the Chief Tax Collector) and a representative from the city's various guilds.
Defences
The city of Avencourt proper is protected by a high stone curtain wall that is punctuated by solid towers. Its gates are thick and strong, and are closed after the sunset bells have rung. In recent years, the city has expanded beyond the city walls, although there is a royal edict that no building may by raised within ten yards of the curtain wall.
Geography
Avencourt is divided by the Aven River, the longest river in the Lands of Legend. The eastern side of the river has been dubbed "High Court" by Avencourt's citizens, owing to the fact that the king's palace, nicer homes and mansions, and more expensive shops can be found there. The western half of the city is known as "Lower Court", and is home to the more humble homes as well as slaughterhouses, warehouses, and tanneries as well as the meaner markets and shops. This divide is clear not only in the value of the property, but also in the amount of protection from the law - the City Guard patrol often and openly in High Court, much less frequently in Lower Court.
Aside from the river's divide of the city, Avencourt has developed several neighborhoods and districts that have earned names and identities recognized by its denizens. While this is not a complete list, some of these districts include:
- The Lawn, one of the largest public parks in the city. It lies next to the river and is a popular spot for picnics and families during the day, and clandestine romantic rendezvous at night.
- Ratyard, a Lower Court cluster of poor shops, rundown taverns and hovels. It is reportedly a hotbed of criminal activity.
- The Fighting Pits, a holdover from a bygone era, this High Court neighborhood houses the last remaining fighting arena in the city, as well as several guild houses, especially those that relate to martial skills. The Guild of Valor has its headquarters in this district.
- Chalk Gate, in the northern part of High Court, refers to the principal building material in the houses and buildings in the district. Chalk deposits, formed into wide bricks, were used to build the two and three story homes in here. Chalk Gate is often called "the servant's quarters," as many of the low-level company functionaries, maids, butlers, household cooks, and other servants and their families reside in this district. The shops and taverns reflect the wealth of the residents; decent, but simple and fairly cheap, and not elegant or extravagant.
- King's Bridge, the widest bridge that spans the Aven River and connects the two halves of the city. King's Bridge is wide enough for two great oxcarts to pass each other with room enough to spare for pedestrian traffic. Both sides boast rows of small kiosks where tradesmen can sell their wares. At the center of the bridge is a covered spot where a city herald shouts out the news on one side, while on the other, a city guard calls out the hour. Just to the south of King's Bridge is Queen's Bridge, which is slightly smaller. The district also includes the large mercantile square on the Lower Court end of the two bridges.
- Forlorn Road, located just outside the western gates, is a collection of cheap houses, taverns and slums. The district is technically on Rosalind land, but those that live and work there consider themselves to be part of Avencourt, for better or worse. The main business in Forlorn Road deals with the transitory; a cheap place to sleep, a quick meal, or a mount to rent or board. Residents of Forlorn Road are closemouthed as a rule; if a person seems friendly, they are more likely to be a scout for a bandit gang than anything else.
- Auldmarket, located in High Court, is aptly named as the district is the original market district of Avencourt. Along with many upscale shops that sell nearly everything that a person might want, Auldmarket also boasts the guild houses of several of the city's crafting guilds and the largest open air market in Avencourt.
- Greathorn
- Murders Crest, located just outside Traitor's Gate, is the site of the city's executions for common crimes. The public gallows sits atop of a low hill next to the roadway, so passersby can see the condemned swing in their noose for a day and a night. Near the gallows is a small jail where the condemned spend their last night and a church dedicated to the godling of secrets, The Stranger.
- Meatridge, located to the south of the city outside the Straw Gate, is where the city's slaughterhouses and butchers work. The nearby farms are generally beef cattle farms, along with chicken farms and some sheep. Meatridge supplies more than two thirds of all meat consumed in Avencourt. Because of the smell, few people live in the district; the closest residents are the farmers who live nearby.
- Cheese End, which spreads both inside and outside of the Eagle Gate in the southern edge of the city, is not actually made up of dairies and creameries, as many might suppose. Instead, Cheese End is the home and offices of the late Lord Grana Padano. In his lifetime, Lord Padano owned a large number of dairy farms and supplied the city with cheese, which brought him a large amount of wealth and position. The manor house he built just inside the walls of Avencourt was named as part of a jest, as the manor was the end result of the business of cheesemongering. Over time, a larger manor was built outside the city walls to accommodate the larger Padano family and the older building was repurposed into housing for servants, More prosperous servants and other freemen began to purchase and build homes near the manor or on the grounds (with permission of the Lord's family). Now on its third generation, Cheese End is still owned and controlled by the Padano family, but boasts a small tidy village of homes surrounding the manor.
- The Forge
Maps
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Avencourt - the City of Banners
Founding Date
Third Age
Alternative Name(s)
The City of Banners, the Eye of the World, the Great Tangle
Type
Capital
Population
estimated between 200,000 and 250,000
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Related Traditions
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