Yaty
Known to locals as "the city on the hill", Yaty rises out of Theridon Bay at the mouth of Parfelle's River, a majestic spiral of streets and low buildings capped by the columns and orange trees of the Yatian Forum. Known for the white washed masonry of the buildings in the upper parts of the city, complete with domes of red and blue clay, the city is indeed a marvel to behold. As the gateway to northwest Tarien, it buzzes with commerce and markets. Camels, horses, and oxen jostle pedestrians in the crowed streets of the lower city, hawkers selling their wares in a cacophony of languages from roadside stalls. Along the docks ships from ports all across the Inner Seas and Azermathia discourage sailors and cargo daily, adding to the fray. With its favorable trade laws and general attitudes of freedom, Yaty has become one of the most cosmopolitan cities on Tarien.
A View of Yaty from the Harbor
For all of its commotion and commerce, Yaty began as a planned city. A broad street, known as "Trader's Way" winds it way away from the docks in a spiral, rising to the right and wrapping around the hill until it reaches the stately columns and orange groves of the Forum at the peak. Lined with olive, fig, and almond trees to provide shade to the countless stalls of street vendors that line its winding path, Trader's Way is where the planning behind Yaty ended. It may be the only true boulevard in the city, with countless side streets and alleys serving as the only other paths through the buildings that ring the hill.
The city itself is divided into three distinct districts. The lower city, which technical sits outside of the limits of the old city walls, is a warren of low wooden buildings that serve as taverns, homes, and warehouses for the trade that comes into the city by land and sea and for its poorest residents. Unsurprisingly, this part of the city is most prone to the petty and sometimes violent crime that one often finds in a large city. Even here, though, crime occurs at a much lower rate than in the seedier parts of Karradone and Grennig. The city has long learned that crime is bad for business and deploys the Yatian army, which serves at the city's police force, with a heavy hand in lower district.
Once the hill begins to rise at the base of the old city walls lies the middle city. Here the buildings shift from wood to brick and their height grows to three and even four stories. Jammed together in cramped fashion, they house the city's craftsmen and their shops, along with housing the city's large middle class. Taverns and inns here provide modest but clean accommodations and count the many ship's captains and caravan owners that pass through Yaty as their patrons.
No less confined, unless one has the pleasure of walking though the gardens of the various estates that ring the very top of the hill, is the upper city. Somewhere around two-thirds of the way up the hill buildings change to fine stonework, typically washed white and topped with domes of bright red and blue clay. The upper city is home many of the city's temples and wealthiest residents. Alleys here are almost non-existent as the building abut one another or site on properties protected by stone walls. Numerous cafes spill out into Trader's Way, offering pleasant outdoor seating beneath the shade of the trees. At the very top of the hill, of course, sits the Forum where the Yatian Senate meets to govern the city and its surrounding lands.
Ever present in the skyline of Yaty are the aqueducts which run from the Wind Wall Mountains into the city, bring fresh water for all regardless of the season. In the lower districts they feed fountains, often artful, that are free for all to use. In the middle and upper districts they also flow directly into many buildings, the constant pressure of the water allowing residents to simply turn a valve and have it flow directly into their taverns, shops, and homes.
Founding Date
232 AC
Founders
Type
City
Population
30,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Yatians
Location under
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Vehicles Present