Corasonne

Description

The heart of the world, as some of its citizens call it, Corasonne is the richest and largest city in Middenland and the capital of the Celesian Duchy of Anthalia. It holds a population of nearly 350.000 people of a variety of species, but mostly humans. It is situated on a grouping of nearly 200 islands of varying sizes, which are connected through bridges and aqueducts. It is an economic and cultural superpower and home to the headquarters of influential organizations such as the Order of the Staff, the Sea Serpent's Step, the Ember's Gift and Kyneth's Institute for Magical Research and Education.

Districts

The city is home to, or divided in, a number of districts, each the responsibility of a different pair of the city's council members, with the Upper District being governed by two pairs (so four) instead. These are not elected, but chosen from among the city's upper class, the 'Patriori'.

Harbor District/'The Viper's Nest'

The Harbor District, often called The Viper's Nest by the city's lower class, is the heart of the city's trade, culture and crime. Hundreds of warehouses here store the goods of merchants and traders, hauled back and forth by the longshoremen of the Sea Serpent's Step. Dozens of bars, taverns, gambling houses and brothels serve the longshoremen, sailors and traders who frequent its streets and alleys. Among them are also the underground establishments owned by the clandestine part of the Sea Serpent's organization, led by former loan shark Drago Canni. The major streets instead are filled with craftsmen, artists and money changers, brought to the forefront as they are more palatable to witness for the wealthy and influential who arrive from abroad.

Central District/'The Bottoms'

Central is the city's oldest district, and home to many, many plazas adorned with a variety of shops, stalls and more, where the majority of all goods that arrive in the docks end up. The skyline here is dominated by cast-iron aqueducts that move products up and down between the harbor and here. This part of the city also houses a large part of the lower to middle class population, which is why it is often called The Bottoms as well. These are the people who can afford to leave the cheap factory homes of the Smokes, but are not nearly rich enough to buy a comfortable place in the city's Upper District of Cloudbank.
The western part of this district also houses the Warrens, a fancy name for what is really just an enormous garbage dump. Here waste is temporarily left before it gets disposed off by the city's wage-mages or the Junk Drakes who live there and in the sewers below.

Upper District/'Cloudbank'

Just above the Lower District, and home to Corasonne's main government strutures, lies the Upper District or Cloudbank. Here you can find the city council, courthouse and guardhouse. It is also home to the city's rich and influential families, the 'Patriori', as well as their main venues of entertainment such as party halls, grand parks and the Ventu Opera House. It is also home to the Imperial Celesian Palace, which houses the current Duca of Anthalia, Ferando Orario.
The northwestern part is almost a district on its own, and it can be divided into two areas:
The first is the temple plaza, where one can find temples for nearly all the known Gods of Levantis. The largest temple is the one dedicated to Sicere, but that is not the largest building in the area in fact. The area is dominated by the Inquisition Monastery, home and training ground of the fearsome The Iron Arbiters who ensure that no false idols are worshiped.
The second area of interest here is Kyneth's Institute for Magical Research and Education, more commonly called the Celesian Imperial Academy. A structure dating from the time of the Celesian Empire where natural philosophy and the theory behind magic are researched and taught to prospective mages. It is home to three large towers in which the different faculties are housed, as well as an expansive library that is found underneath the central of the three towers.

Trade District/'Westgate'

West of Central, below the temple plaza of Cloudbank, lies the Trade District of Westgate. This is where specialty goods are sold and it is where Cloudbank's citizens (or their servants at least) do their shopping. It is also home to artisans, gemcutters and other fine craftsmen who wouldn't want to be found dead in the lowly harbor areas. The citizens of this district pride themselves on its appearance, and they are affronted by the nearness of the Warrens and the Bottoms. There have been petitions to build a wall between the two districts to keep out 'undesirables', but so far these have gone unheard.

Industrial District/'The Smokes'

With the invention and implementation of steam engines, metallurgy and production changed massively. The eastern part of the city was mostly cleared out and leveled to make place for these new factories and is now known as the Industrial District. Because of the constant steam smoke the factories release, the district has also earned the name of The Smokes. The few houses that remained after the building project were soon joined by other cheap, stacked tenements to house workers close to their workplace. It is a foul-smelling, soot-choked warren, but so far the standard of living has been decent compared to other cities due to the minimum wage that the Duca instituted. With the increasing industrialization however, the living conditions are starting to worsen again as the district is getting more and more crowded. To counteract the over-crowding by the factory worker's children, Duca Ferando Orario has instituted public schools in the Bottoms where all children can go to obtain a basic education.
Still, the district suffers from both over-crowding and ever-increasing crime rates as both the population and the discontent among the population about the inequality in political power begin to rise, while space becomes more and more constrained. To further stoke the fire, the city council has decided to start clearing out tenants and demolishing buildings to make space for the first test rail line to be used by a fire elemental-powered steam freight locomotive prototype.

Alternative Name(s)

Heart of the World, City of Twisting Waters

Population

Well over 300.000.

Inhabitant Demonym

Corassoner

Location under

Middenland

Owning Organization

Duchy of Anthalia