Xanotrey Taoul (Ancient "Prince City" of Tauol'Vers)
Xanotrey Taoul, the Prince City, was the third of the flying cities of Taoul'Vers. Xanotrey followed Da'ar Taoul, the King City and capital of Taoul'Vers, and Da'vyr Taoul, the Queen City, into the sky. Xanotrey served as both a noble retreat and an academy city. Here promising students, well-to-do merchants, and those with noble blood intermingle. There are wizard libraries, magic shops, and villas dotting the sides and top of the former mountain top that makes the foundation of the city.
The outer and top edges are a cluster of docks at the lowest level moving up to merchant stores and residences, all the way up to the more affluent and noble estates, wizard towers, and academies. Beneath that are the tunnels that lead to the sewers which regularly expel wastewater to the woodlands beneath the floating city. At the dock level, storage areas are built into the base of the city. Large and cooled, here is where the goods of the city are stored. There are rumors that some of these storage areas also have false walls and hidden access points where illicit goods and entrances to the Undercity.
The merchant levels are where the stores, both common stores as fruit and butchers can be found and more exotic goods as familiar vendors and magically infused clothing. Some churches can be found on this level of the city, as most deities are not popular here. Congregations are thus small, and mostly converted storefronts. There are some more "Common" arcane instructors here, as well. Wizards and arcanists who teach apprentices practical applications of magic are not often as lofty and flamboyant as those gleaming towers at the upper level.
The highest level is reserved for noble houses and archwizards and their academies. The estates of those with the greatest histories of arcane talent can be found. Names like Hightower, Gretaborne, and Dragonbow are just a few found in sprawling estates. Here also sits the only "approved" church, a Church-Library of the god Thoth. These estates, academies, and wizard's libraries are vast, compared to the rest of the flying island, but also butt one against another due to the restrictions of the available space.
In the very center e top of Xanotrey are artificial woodlands and a central mountain "range", the Prince's Preserve. Here both standard hunting prey of deer and mountain goats can be found, alongside some more unusual creatures, such as smaller sauropods and hippogriffs, all placed within the reserve for the sole purpose of having their heads mounted above hearths and along walls of lodges high in the sky.
As one might expect in a city of lofty mages, aristocrats, and an immaculate façade, there is an underbelly. This is what is referred to as The Undercity, or, more commonly, the Playground. A sprawling network of tunnels, meeting large chambers takes up a surprising amount of the inner space of the Prince's City. Here vices of all manner can be found beneath the glow of arcane lights. The slave market, brothels, gladiatorial pits, and dens engage in all matters of intoxicants and other means of "relaxation". It is an open secret, so commonly known that as long as you don't say anything about it to the neighbors, everyone from the lowest dockworker to the elevated archmagi can be found here.
One of the main draws to this region of sin, beyond the obvious, is one of the few places where everyone can interact. Many a business deal between a merchant and a noble lord has been shaken on while enjoying the sweet aromas of some alchemical mist, or potent libation. Slaves are purchased here and serve in households both great and small. A young noble may find themselves owing the local air harbor master for gambling on one too many gladiator matches.
For the most part, The Playground polices itself, with the City Watch rarely entering into the depths of the Undercity. Gangs under the control of different Underlords make sure that murder and muggings are not too common an issue that draws the wrong type of attention. It is for this reason that there are detectives that serve the various Houses and common folk alike. When a family member goes missing, is spending too much time at a particular ale house, or is suspected to be carrying on an affair that is becoming too gossiped about, a detective is often called in. Detectives are people who make contacts, understand which tunnels to avoid, and how to not say the wrong words to both criminal and inquisitive neighbor.
Fate of Xanotrey Taoul
When the Dragonfall occurs in 1047 BYK, like many other mage cities, Xanotrey tumbles to the earth and is destroyed. The ruins of the city are lost and shattered, and the debris is scattered over miles. It is interesting to note that in later centuries, the nation of Vyak grew in approximately the same location as where Xanotrey crumbled. Additionally, if one were to look at the fashions of Vyak now and what they wore through Taoul'Ver's height, the similarities would be shocking.Ancient academy city and arcane playground
Circa 2590 BYK to 1047 BYK
Type
Large city
Social Hierarchy
In the nation of Taoul'Vers, there was a less restrictive, but still existent, caste-like system in place. While this does not prevent contact between the various groups, some interactions are considered more within the guidelines of propriety. It is also important to understand that Taoul'Vers was a slave nation-state. Slavery was not as prolific as in other nations, but a large number of servants and labor were performed by slaves. That is reflected in the following breakdown of the hierarchy.- Arcanists, Magi, Wizards.
- Sorcerers, Witches, "lesser" forms of unstudied or uncommon arcane practitioners.
- Members of Noble Houses that are not arcane spellcasters. This category also includes members of noble houses that are also "planetouched"; Aasimars, Tieflings, ifrits, Sylphs, and the like; all regardless of occupation. This also includes nobles with divine or other spellcasting talents.
- Divine, psionic, and psychic spellcasters, regardless of source. This also includes followers of martial disciplines.
- Merchants, Exotics arcane spellcasters
- Freemen. Humans filled the positions of skilled or unskilled laborers. Butlers, valets, cooks, dockworkers, and janitors, for example.
- Foreign Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Halflings, and Minotaurs.
- Underlords and Criminals in the Undercity
- "Exotics" - Nonhuman races that are not active practitioners of arcane magic
- Human slaves, regardless of skills. (Arcane casters are never slaves)
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