Coulchlek

A great hole dug from the earth, reaching depths hitherto unseen. Her grand aqueducts drink from the bottomless lake Chluetichlon, bringing with its holy waters to us wealth and prosperity. She is my home, to which I wish to one day return.

— A Rektouzk Trader

Coulchlek is the grand capital city of Rektouzk, ontop of being one of if not the wealthiest city in the known world, it is host to a number of architectural marvels— while being one such marvel itself.

A Great Excavation

Coulchlek is the grandest specimen of Coulqepluex architecture, excavated in stepped rings like so many others— but on an unprecedented scale. These rings are not circular entirely, with streets sprouting from its edges and oddly-shaped sections excavated over the years creating a new, sprawling organic shape. Being one of their oldest, and valued cities, Coulchlek's tiers have been excavated deeper than any other. So deeply, in fact, that the palace at its center now sits in what was once an underground lake. Five titanic aqueducts bring in water from the southwestern edge of the city, which borders Chluetichlon, down to this center, branching into a great web which allows water to reach all corners of the city.

The city itself is divided into sixths— six being a revered number by the Coulqepluex— with districts divided within each, though not evenly. Notable examples include the artisan district in the northeastern sixth, the manufacturing, docking, and warehousing districts of the southwestern, and the banking districts which occupy the innermost edges of all the sixths.
Nobles tend to live closer to the city's center, nearer to banking districts and the capitol. Various markets sprawl across the city, and typically stretch across the sixths they are found within, insulating the wealthy from those less well-off— typically Nouex who shun monetary gain. They are left in squalor, closer to the city's double walls— and would be the first to die if Monsters surmounted them.
Due to the Flooded Treaty, however, Nouex and Coulqepluex cannot live segregated— while there are so-called "Nouex districts" they are peopled by Nouex, Tollouchi, and Coulqepluex who are more empathetic towards their countrymen. However, some particularly affluent citizens build insultingly extravagant homes among their run-down neighbors due to the cheap pricing of these lots.

What could make a home grander than surrounding it with squalor? Contrast, my friend, contrast makes every reward all the sweeter!

— A wealthy merchant

Several of these once-grand homes built by the rich and well-known long since past have ended up as ruins, especially along the outer edges of the city. Several pockets of these crumbling mansions dot the city, with the infested street of Yonteu as the most well-known example. City guards are more akin to hired mercenaries than a singular state-led body, and the issue is seen as only a minor one in some places. Guard lodging, as with their priorities, differs from district to district. In some, they are housed in imposing stone towers, while in others they may be stationed beneath hotbeds of criminal activity.

Cool-kleh-k

Type

City

Population

345,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Coulchlekeun

Owning Organization

Rektouzk

Characters in Location

• Lohtzin Atozolklio

Heart of gold

Beneath the grand city, lies the heart of Rektouzk's wealth and power— a great subterranean expanse which dwarfs the city ten times over.
The section of Tchaoxlik known as Chluetichlon Polt is home to unimaginable wealth, with gold as far as the eye can see.
Not to mention— the glittering gemstone found only here, Couleuz, which has captivated many throughout the known world.
Supposedly there are entrances into the great cavern from the city, namely within the palace itself— but these are not known to the public at large.

Underground

As the city expands, things go forgotten, unseen— over time, a veritable web of forgotten alleys, tunnels, and streets has been woven.
There are a handful of criminal organizations that utilize these to operate, with everything from black markets and assassins for hire to cults and lunatics using them for their own gain.
Revolutionaries, as well, use these to their advantage whenever a revolt or strike is carried out, to allow for their leaders or injured to escape certain death.

Death cannot meet us along roads even it does not know.

— Revolutionary saying

Notable Landmarks

Market of Qet

In the southernmost sixth of the city lies the Market of Qet— Coulchlek's grandest market. Here, it is said, one can find anything they seek. Colorful stands and structures alike all vie for customers' attention, smells of a dizzying variety combat one another in the air, and various shouts and cries tug at one's ears from every direction. Some believe that one could become lost among the twisting alleys and pathways, left to wander the market for the remainder of their lives.

Merchant's Guild

A sprawling campus, at the innermost edge of the southeastern sixth, houses the various structures needed to operate and house the Coulchlek Merchant's Guild— which run not only the city but the entire nation of Rektouzk. Beyond their grand meeting halls, sits an impressive array of statues, depicting influential members throughout the guild's past, as well as the nation's largest, most heavily protected bank.

Tuiz Gardens

Commissioned by a long-passed Tichcoul, Tuiz Gardens is a monument to mankind's ability to emulate nature— better than nature itself. This gigantic garden takes up a large amount of land in the westernmost sixth, spilling over three different tiers with breathtaking man-made waterfalls. Plants from across the known world grow here, while native and exotic animals both either roam or are caged along the winding pathways. Here, one could almost forget that they walked within city walls.

Yonteuch Palace

The first thing many notice when entering the city— and this is entirely by design— is the Yonteuch Palace. Its gold-plated domes reflect the sunlight brilliantly, and its limestone walls are maintained along the waterline, so that one could never tell whether the water level changed. The palace itself is reached by boat, which grants it an extra layer of protection in the rare case that the city is attacked.

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