Gartcha
As Gartcha is a citystate, it is both the nation-state’s only city and the bulk of its inhabited land. Along the banks of the River Sind, far enough upstream to protect it from the storms of the gulf , among the redwoods of the Deerpath Woods , in the southern Malpighien Steppes, rises the city of Gartcha. Its stark, thirty foot tall and ten foot wide walls of granite, dotted with catapults and ballista, protect the city from Zennonaize armies. Behind these walls, in straight, wide boulevards, lays the chaos of a city of commerce. Wooden kiosks with thatched roofs line the boulevards, craftsmen, farmers, and merchants hawking their wares in a half-dozen languages. Rather than painting their homes, the city’s buildings are simply the aged redwood of the forest, roofed with slate. Due to the presence of both a city watch and the Eldorian Legionnaires, the city is mostly a civil one.
The wharf, with its wide channels cut into the shores of the river, makes an excellent harbor. Dirt from the river bottom, dredged to create the channels, was dumped onto the shore to create jetties upon which warehouses, merchant’s shops, and the usual bars, inns and brothels. Further east from the docks are wide boulevards and large public squares, decorated with marble statues and fountains given as a gift to the city by the The Nerrid Alliance. It is here that the great markets of the city lie, where venders sell their agricultural goods from the farms surrounding the city and wares imported from eastern Tarien. Situated at the center of the city, surrounded by a great wall itself, is the Prince’s Palace.
The eastern edge of the city is mostly residential. Small shops, homes to the city’s artisans, mingle with the quaint wooden homes and large mercantile mansions. In the northern quarter of the city, the shadow of the great wall, lies the Nerrid Corner. The neat set of brightly painted homes, bookshops, and antique dealers boasts the largest population of Nerrid outside of the alliance. Further south, a few farms that have not yet given way to the city dot the streets. Near the southeastern gate, across the street from the barracks for the Eldorian Legion, is the great War College of Gartcha.
The gates of the city are manned by a combination of the city watch, priests of Anderi (scanning for magical contraband), and Eldorian Legionnaires; access to the city is tightly controlled. Not to be outdone, in terms of vigilance, a similar contingent patrols the city wharf, checking ships as they arrive. Both groups, of course, also have tax collectors in their numbers that dutifully check cargo and levy tariffs on all the traffic passing into and out of the city.
Maps
-
Gartcha
Founding Date
235 AC
Type
City
Population
15,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Gartchans
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization