Sabellis City
City Districts
1. Victor's Square /
2.Oddgarden /
3. Honourtent /
4. Treasure Box /
5. Crossed Swords /
6. Twin's Tail /
7. Shooting Star /
8. Red Ember /
9. Bent Coin /
10. Fourbless /
11. Brokechariot
A Brief History
Sabellis City stands on a site used long before The Old Empire (1501-1212), though its establishment as a major settlement is largely consonant with the Eannelk Occupation (707-598). As it straddled the borders of Eannelk-Uil and the Southern Drakoyan Empire, Sabellis proved perfect for the administration of Northern rule, and over a few short years was transformed by the Eannelks from a small and sleepy town into a bustling military stronghold, whose walls and battlements surround modern-day Oddgarden. Sabellis' now-characteristic milieu of social freedom is, however, the accomplishment of a single family: The House of Davinet. Disaffected by the tangled politics of the province's erstwhile capital, Enribellis, the Davinets struck out with their allies to forge a community honouring Reconstruction-era virtues of human equality. They wrested Sabellis' governance from the hands of corrupt tyrants and radically reshaped it through several innovations, including reinforced guild structures that ensured economic stability and fair labour practices; a system of basic education, made available for the first time to an emerging middle class; new laws banning forms of discrimination by race and by gender; the abolishment of indentured servitude; and even a welfare-type safety net for workers claiming financial hardship. Though such ideas were deemed aberrant by most others in the aristocracy, they spread widely enough on account of their overwhelming popularity with the common citizenry to become Draksineon's dominant mode of rulership. Sabellis continues to set the nation's politically progressive tone - and, to the extent that Draksineon is the effective center of power in the north, also that of the continent of Rela, and beyond.
The City Proper
At the center of Victor's Square, the heart of Sabellis, stands the Gate of Three (Draksi: üi tsedz). The monument, commissioned by Et Davinet in 281 UT, contains three arches that symbolize the unity between The Church, The Council, and the nobility, each playing an essential role within a governing structure that includes the separate yet equal realms of religion, magic, and mundane rule. At the center of the arches is a stone column holding a sacred fire, which is stoked daily by Reshai of the Column of Taharjin.
NORTHERN QUARTER - (ongbawkh kʼabzä)
Encapsulates Oddgarden, Honourtent, and Treasure Box, and is the wealthiest area in town.
EASTERN QUARTER - (ongbawkh pʼipsaw)
Contains Crossed Swords, Twin's Tail, and Shooting Star, affluent areas where the Council and Church have significant holdings.
SOUTHERN QUARTER - (ongbawkh yäynu)
Houses Red Ember and Fourbless, and is in some sense the "creative" district as the former's artisans and latter's mages often see themselves as ideologically aligned through their arts.
WESTERN QUARTER - (ongbawkh g̀ün)
The least monied area, though still far richer than slums found in cities of comparable size. Bent Coin's famed market generates a fair amount of wealth, but the traditionally lower social class of its merchants has held them on par with the peasant residents of nearby Brokechariot, though these views are changing as trade routes continue to expand off-continent into Arlok and Delhiza.
(Above: View of Victor's Square)
Three further areas not depicted on the map exist on the outskirts of town. The first of these is The Hammer (tsezh), just south of Brokechariot, where the Lower Courts are located. Next is Cool Breeze (pʼijä j̀awd’), the arts district, northeast of Oddgarden. Lastly, the so-called "Friend's Haven" (Dzashakpan) is a makeshift shanty town west of Bent Coin, far enough away from the city not to be considered a part of it. More accurately referred to as the Foreigner's Ghetto (säkhawngi kaʃakb), or more simply, "The Ghetto", this area houses those arriving from afar with too little coin to settle in the city. The Ghetto points up a brand of hypocrisy rife in Sabellis, as native Drakoyans can show less equanimity towards outsiders than might be supposed by their on-paper commitments to civil rights. As the Drakoyan people have never been comfortable living very near their dead, a vast cemetary, the Heavenly Road (og-tsog’), was constructed miles to the north, closer to the town of Symbing than to Sabellis. The site is massive, full of mausoleums and monuments, and a must-see for any student of history. Finally, the Proving Grounds, a large-scale coliseum where Berythians spar both for practice and the general entertainment of city residents, is situated to the southwest of town, en route to Chligh. Gladiators are worshipped far and wide; many famous figures have their effigies sold in Bent Coin.
Demographics
Sabellis hosts a vast diversity of cultures and ethnicities. The dominant cultural group is Drakoyan, accounting for some 75% of the population. Drakoyans founded the current empire, which has persisted for some 1500 years despite shifting forms several times. Legal codes of The Reconstruction (362-Present) have diminished the importance of Drakoyan blood, but it is still inevitably advantageous to be born to this race. The Bonneru are the next largest group, comprising perhaps 10% of the census. Though occupying the region before the Drakoyan conquest, they've existed as second-class citizens since the days of Occlose. Conditions are slowly improving, but most Bonneru today still hold humble professions, such as farmers or servants, and are thought somewhat simple. Officially they are members of the Congregation along with the Drakoya, though their observance of the faith retains nature-related elements from older, pagan sources, generating tensions with the Church. Galoricans form between 5-10% of the city's numbers, and are concentrated in Honourtent and Treasure Box, close to their national embassy. They are more tanned in complexion than Drakoyans and easily recognizable by their dark, naturally curly hair. Those from Galori tend to be bon vivants, enjoying the many sensual pleasures life has to offer. The remaining residents are a mixed bag from across Rela and elsewhere. A thriving Delhizan population occupies Twin's Tail. Those from Arlok, especially the nation of Ceweren which is politically aligned with Draksineon, have a small enclave in Treasure Box. Navirds - like the Bonneru, an indigenous people - are liberally peppered into the social soup. Also tending poor, most live in Brokechariot; however, unlike Bonneru counterparts, no active prejudices haunt them.
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