Cada Cratal

It's a weird old place, Cada Cratal.  Most of your intellectual folks have been there before at least once, and like any place its got its eateries and taverns and the layer of crime.  But there's something about it that makes it different - not in a good way, neither. Too highbrow for the likes of us, but have you ever heard of anybody really talented making it their home?  There's a reason Skadari and Talas upped and left after they calmed the Rift.  And there's another thing - I ain't looking down on their act, they were sure talented, but I wouldn't want to be near that Rift every day.  Nobody really knows how they work - it's mad I say to build a house near that thing.

Demographics

Cada Cratal is populated by many. Approximately 55% of its inhabitants work as labourers or in other low-skill professions such as tavern keeping or printing. Additionally, the city has a substantial proportion of literary academics and prospective writers, due to the Academy of Spellwriting situated there. These make up approximately 15% of the city's population.  The rest of the inhabitants are craftsmen or officials.  The city also typically houses one Rider troop and one spellslinger coterie at a time.

Government

Cada Cratal is a city-state, and independent of any other body.  It is run by a hereditary monarch, who appoints assistants to their leadership in order to assist with the running of the city's affairs.  Citizens are taxed in order for construction projects to be completed, as well as to pay the salaries of the monarch and their court.

Defences

Cada Cratal has an exterior wall built of stone bricks rendered impervious to explosives, flood, and bludgeoning using the appropriate Preservewrits.  It also has an exclusion zone around The Cada Cratal Rift which protects the city should the containment of this Rift ever fail.  A large ditch is dug around the outside of this exclusion zone, which can be flooded using water from the Tiyn by opening a gate set in the side of its banks.  Drawbridges cross over into the zone for the use of those studying the Rift and Cada Cratal City Guard members or Riders.

Industry & Trade

Cada Cratal is very much a hub of knowledge and nearly all of its industry and trade is connected to this area.  The main thing that attracts merchants and other such people to the town is its trade in spellwriting materials, such as fine papers and Ink.  Cada Cratal is home to some of the largest Ink farms in Mythia, which are found on the outskirts of the city.  It also attracts prospective spellwriting students who wish to study at the Academy, who contribute to the city's economy by paying for their tuition and living costs.  Additionally, Cada Cratal has a steady import/export trade in refining metals, and also attracts tourists coming to the Rift.

Infrastructure

Cada Cratal has a royal residence in a band near the middle of the city, running circularly around The Cada Cratal Rift about 1 km out.  This royal residence is composed of many opulent buildings, as well as those that are needed for the legal proceedings of the city such as courts and other things.  This band also contains libraries and collections of spellwriting resources.  Many of the city's artisanal workshops are situated near this band, as is the Cada Cratal Academy of Spellwriting.
The city also contains several bridges in its Eastern reaches where the river Tiyn passes through on its way to the ocean on the South coast of Mythia.  There are several tanneries along this river, and forges line the inner rings of the city.

Guilds and Factions

The most prominent guild located in Cada Cratal is that of the guild of spellwriters, the headquarters of which is located with the Academy of Spellwriting.  This guild, while ostensibly not having any ties to the governing of the city, often seems to get good breaks when new policies are introduced and many suspect that it has an undeclared line to policy makers in the ruler's council.
Another prominent guild in Cada Cratal is the guild of printers, who have a large outpost with approximately 15 presses located near the Academy of Spellwriting.  Similarly to the guild of spellwriters, they often get good breaks when new policies are implemented.

History

Cada Cratal began to be settled around the year 120, with a few settlers coming there due to its proximity to the river Tiyn.  The town grew slowly, due to people not wishing to settle near the rift as they examined how the containment implemented by Skadari and Talas would hold out over the years.  As it became apparent that the containment on the Rift was holding and the Rider troop monitoring The Cada Cratal Rift was moved on, more and more people came to the location and the city began to grow.  It reached a reasonably large size in the late 2nd century (about 190) and continued to grow from there.

Tourism

Cada Cratal attracts mainly intellectual and academic tourists, who come to the city in order to access its libraries and The Literature Museum that lies on its outskirts.  These people typically stay in the accommodation provided by various taverns and inns, and those more respected often find lodgings in the Cada Cratal Academy of Spellwriting.
The non-academic tourists to Cada Cratal, often comprising Adventurers looking for work or people rotating into The Guild of Printers' workshops, tend to stay in the inns or occasionally simply on the streets - in the poorer regions of town it's not uncommon to have to dodge a mattress under a tarpaulin every now and then.
Cada Cratal's major attractions are its famous Rift, as well as its large concentration of libraries and other such things related to spellwriting.  As possibly the most influential city in Mythia, it also draws people looking to make a name for themselves in Mythian politics and similar arenas.

Architecture

Cada Cratal is a prime example of the architecture of the Age of Greats.  Most of its buildings are wooden or stone, painted in muted tones of brown or grey.  There is very little bright colour in the buildings of the city, save perhaps for a few of the palacial buildings in its middle ring.  There are also few open spaces, most of the city's space having been exploited to the fullest possible extent over its many centuries of development.

Geography

Cada Cratal lies near the river Tiyn, in the centre of a large plain on the edge of the rest of the plains kingdoms.  To the South the Sea Queens reign over the coastal regions of Mythia.

Natural Resources

Cada Cratal has very few natural resources remaining to it after prolonged intensive development of the city.  However, it has some mines that still produce reasonable quantities of iron and silver, as well as Ink farms and farms outside the city in order to sustain itself.

Founding Date

120

Type

Large city

Population

12,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Cratalian

Included Locations

• Cada Cratal Academy of Spellwriting
• The Bouncing Brook
• The Caraed

Related Professions

• Spellwriter