The capital, Spiralai

Spiralai is the founding city of Entrelai. It is located on both sides of the North River, with six bridges connecting the north and south sides of the city.

Demographics

The river separates two very different demographics in the city:

North or the river, seats the wealthy part of the city. A good portion of the population are merchants, nobility or academics. The rest are the burocrats and civil servants which work in the different part of the royal machinery.

South or the river, most of the population are farmers, peasant and slaves, with the exception of the people who lives in the south-west, consider haunted by most. This area, is mostly occupied by academics laboratories, normally delving into new and experimental numenera fusions. Around the south fort, the population is mostly military.

Government

Since the unification, Entrelai is an monarchy, with The Crystal leader ruling both the country and the city. Of course this is only the theory. In practice, the unification terms, gave The Crystal leader ownership over the forts, which protect the city and a good number of its military but the Sinclave family receive ownership of the royal tax collection, and other families hold different resources needed to keep the city running. This mean The Crystal leader, leads over a noble council, which is the real ruling body of Entrelai. Of course, formal approval of the council is not needed for any edict to be valid, but pushing a rule without consulting with them, too often could lead to governametal fracture, that no good leader want to call upon it. In the other hand, it is not healthy to any noble or noble family to x the The Crystal leader, as this could imply a treason charge and death.

Defences

Spiralai is not walled, with any kind of traditional wall, instead it has 3 small structures or forts, which can be connected with the spiral mountain to create an sphere of energy which surround the city. The area this spere covers is easy to determine, as it is around a metre above the surrounding terrain, traditionally called, the protected area. It's important to know, all this structures were found with the city, They are extremely powerful numenera artifacts, which means, even when we have learned how to use them, we can't alter them in any discernable way.
If the protected sphere of energy need to be activated, the process takes around 10 minutes. This is the time it takes the 3 forts to power up and connect with the heart of the spiral mountain. This power up sequence, is also visually impresive. The forts are covered in spiral decoration. This decorations are not normally visible, but they will light up when they come to life, first in deep blue, like the clear water of the river. Followed by muddle green, like algae and finally resting in solid amber, more pure than any gemstone found in nature. At this step in the activation, the connection with the artifact in the mountain occurs, each fort discharge a amber ray towards the sky, which bends towards the mountain completing the connection. A sphere grows from the mountain to surround the city. The field is now active.
When the field is active, he city sky appears to changes from blue to green, due to the amber color of the sphere. Nobody can enter or leave the city, unless they are using one of the forts and they are open for transit. Anyone fool enough to try, at normal walking speed, will receive extreme pain, upon first contact with the sphere. This would render them unconcious, if they are lucky. Or kill them, if they are not. Anything trying to traverse the field at higher speeds will be desintegrated.

Districts

The city is divided in 5 district north of the river and 4 in the south .

North of the river

HIgh city / High Town

This is the area where the Crystal family first set up, upon arriving to the protected area. It contains all of the spiral mountain and the ground area surrounding it. Currently it contains the royal palace, the academics university, the healing chamber and many other administration buildings. The rest are the palaces and house of the nobles in the city, which normally side with the Crystal family before the unification.

First quarter

This is the area where the Sinclave family first settle upon arriving to the city. Currently it the most comercially active area in the city. This is also where all the most important guilds have their HQ. The rest of the area has the palace or house of rich merchants and those nobles which originally sided with the Sinclave family before the unification

Right quarter

When the Sinclave family discover the forts were key to activate the city defences, they rushed to ocupy the second tower north to the river. This was the creation of the right quarter. Currently is also a comercial area, even if not as affluent as the first. It houses, more humble merchants and those civil servants, who don't belong to a noble house.

Academic quarter

The area between the left and right forts were not desirable for merchants which prefered to situated themselves perpendicular to the river, the nobles, which prefered the views and protection given by the mountain or the farmers, which settle closer to the river. So over time, a new group started to settle there, Those who like to tinker with numenera and study their properties. Nowadays, this is mostly a residential and comertial area. There are some research which happens here, but only if it theoretical or consider safe. The most groundbreaking experiment are performed in The haunted quarter.

River down

The area called today river down was the original spot where the first farms were established, upon settling in the area. Those original farms, where displace to the other side of the river. Today, this is home to a good number of entertaiment locales and the place or residence of the many artist and better off peasants.

South of the river

The haunted quadrant

After the events of the The haunted quadrant of Spiralai, this whole area of the city was abandoned by most of it inhabitants and even today more than 200 hundrends years from the first cave in, most citizents who aren't academics or have a choice, avoid the area. To be fair, since most dangerous numenera experiments are performer here, explosions are common and depending on who are doing the experiment, so are disaparences. Those events can only grow, the already dark reputation this district has.

Fisher town

This district come into existance, after the haunted quadrant was abandoned, The people who used to live there, move up river to a location they consider safe. Today, its populated with fisherman, as fishing is still practiced, even if not directly in the city, but up the river toward the mountains. Those farmers who own farms in the city, normally lives here as, regarless if their farms are in this disctric or in low town.

Low town

This is the poorest area of the city. A good fragment of the people who lives here area either slaves or imdebter workers, normally working in farms or mines outside of the city.

South Quarter

After the Sinclave family took posesion of the two forts in the north of the city, the Crystal family rush sucesfully to secure the south fort. This military tradition, persist to this days, with this quarter being also called the military quarter. Almost all military expeditions comes from here.

Guilds and Factions

There are 4 mayor factions in the city:

The resiliant merchant: This faction is in control of the Sinclave family. They control commerce into the city and city and family wide taxes.

The community of crafters: Originally in control of the Crystal family. The unification mean, the control passed to other families, most of the crystaline. This was the first craft guild. Since then, many other guilds have been created to regulate most activities in the city. Only the best crafters or those with Crystal family connections enter in this particular one.

The university researchers: They control the numenera field and research. They got an increasing amount of influence, due to the maintenance of not just the towers, but every powerful artefact, every noble family comision. The increase of influence of the univertiy, also mean, many noble families have sent people to them, which in turn, has give them even more influence.

The dark river: They are the main cartel in the city. Any underground comerce, normally have at least ties to them. They don't have any official political power. Instead they have ties to many merchants, which want to move things discretly, and to more than one noble family, either because of commerce or because they have adquire information about them.

Founding Date

50AC

Alternative Name(s)

The protected city

Type

Capital

Population

90.000

Inhabitant Demonym

Spires

Ruling/Owning Rank

The Crystal leader

Owning Organization

Entrelai

Characters in Location

• Meania Crystal

Why quarters when there is more than four?

Originally, the area was going to be divided in 4 roughtly equal parts: The left, right and south forts and the high city. This plan starter to unravel, after several family comfrontation and the organic grow of the city, but since the first quarters were already name, the next ones got stuck with the name.