Noskanar
A northwestern city in the Demon Realm most known for being built into a giant tree.
Demographics
Species
- Demon - 70%
- Beastkin - 24%
- Elves - 5%
- Other - <1%
Demon Variant
- Traditional - 47%
- Beastly - 40%
- Arcane - 10%
- Trollish - 2%
- Inspired - 1%
Government
Governance of Noskanar, unlike most demon cities, is not split - as the "castle" and city are both built into the Great Tree of the city's Demonae namesake.
With this being the case, however, Noskanar tends to be more politically active than other cities - holding Assembly once a month rather than once a quarter, and having a Ruling Council divided into the Lower and Upper Houses. The Lower House is comprised primarily of non-nobility, elected by the citizens of each city district to represent them before the court. The Upper House is compriseed of nobles, the roles passed on at the discretion of their holders or by means of dueling.
The Lower House takes on the responsibilities of overseeing and managing the city - from public works, infrastructure, and enforcement of the law.
The Upper House is responsible for managing High Ring, the portion of the Great Tree considered to be the "castle" of Noskanar, as well as overseeing trade with other cities, ensuring the protection of the citizens from outside threats, and managing new initiatives on the ground.
Both Houses participatin in the creation and management of laws in Noskanar, though the Upper House's votes are weighted more heavily than those in the Lower House.
Defences
Noskanar's primary defence is that it is built into the Great Tree - making it difficult to approach the city on its plateau to begin with. It also has a Field Wall around the base of the trunk, though this took far longer to complete than others as the ruling class did not see the need for it.
Industry & Trade
Prior to the introduction of the rice fields, fruit harvesting was the primary trade in Noskanar - and remains its primary export to the rest of the Realm. As fire inside the Great Tree must be well contianed, stone and metals and tools crafted from such are their biggest import.
Infrastructure
Noskanar is built directly into the Great Tree - but only around the outermost edge, leaving the center soundly in place. Most of the city rings closely around the base of the trunk - high enough off the ground to waylay predators merely by pulling up the ladders leading to the first level.
Like those in Beastkin Realm the Great Tree most likely originates from, the city makes use of "tap roots" inside the tree - using the water inside them to power lifts between city levels within the tree, and as a water source themselves. These largely replaced the early lifts around the edges of the city, which were manpowered and still available - usually for those with large amounts of goods or other cargo.
Aqueducts spiral outside the city to remove waste water - delivering it mainly to fields built around the base of the tree several millenia ago.
Districts
Being built into the Great Tree, districts are refered to as "rings" - with the higher rings being considered the most wealthy and the lower rings the least.
Bottom Ring
The lowest tier of the city, closest to the gorund though still several hundred feet above ground. This is the tier where the poorest citizens live, many now working as farmers in the fields planted amongst the roots of the Great Tree. Noskanar's finally completed Field Wall has made the job much safer in recent decades, though it is still not a highly sought after profession.Lower Ring
The second lowest tier of the city, where one can find most crafts and tradesfolk living as well as the moderately priced inns. Many Beastkin immigrants can also be found on this tier, and it is also referred to as the "Lower Kingdom" in reference to this. Restaurants serving Beastkin food from across that realm can be found competing here. It is also home to the primary form of entertainment in Noskanar - dueling rings for non-lethal combat.Middle Ring
The middle ring of the city, where temples to Maenscul, Vouscu, and Vemera can be found - as well as the bulk of the common population. It is also home to the main body of markets in the city - the Middle Ring being the size of two of any other ring to accomodate more space. One can also find a small district for the arts, including poetry houses for battles of such nature.Half Ring
A "ring" halfway between the Middle and Upper Rings, which serves solely as the Great Temple to Carmesso, Goddess of Storms. While seemingly an odd choice, being built into a tree makes the residents of Noskanar more exposed to the elements than others - particularly during storms. As such, the Great Temple was constructed to appease the goddess, and entreat her to be kind.Upper Ring
The highest ring of the city itself, where most affluential citizens live from well-off merchants to nobility alike. This is also where most legal, governmental, and public works buildings can be found. This is also where most elven citizens can be found, as their magical abilities are highly prized for reducing Noskanar's reliance on fire.High Ring
With a few miles of empty space between it and the Upper Ring, High Ring serves as the "castle" of Noskanar - and, as with other demon castles, serves as a small city unto itself. High Ring reaches the bottom-most branches of the Great Tree, and sprawls partially across them in addition to the portion built into the trunk.Assets
Unlike the rest of the Demon Realm, Noskanar is rich in wood and fruits that grow from the branches of the Tree - and its agricultural initiative has been to plant rice paddies in the tiered roots of the Great Tree. As such, it is one of the few cities that can independantly sustain itself within the realm of food - especially now that wyvern riders are able to procure large amounts of meat.
Guilds and Factions
Political Factions
Conservative
Perhaps due to the unusual arrangement of their settlement, the conservative faction in Noskanar is one of the staunchest in the Demon Realm. Noskanar conservatives believe fully that might makes right, and the physically strongest not only deserve but are obligated and entitled to rule. Though, differently from many other conservative factions, Noskanar's faction holds little regard for traditionalism - those with power should do as they please, whether it follows traditional cultural values or not. This faction is also not particularly pious, though they do pay the deities token respect at the least. This faction also believes in the innate superiority of "pure" demons - or rather, tradtional demons that do not exhibit traits of other species. They hold a particular derision for inspired demons, having a low opinion of humanity for the vast majority of Noskanar citizens having never met any.Progressive
Similarly, it it the progressive faction of Noskanar that espouses more traditional values compared to the conservatives - that the strong are obligated to rule, yes, but because they are best able to protect the weak. Progressives also tend to be more pious - looking to the deities for guidance, and help in how to improve the lives of the populace. As a city that has long held a tradition of incorporating new technologies and ideas, technological progressivism is not seen as notable in Noskanar - but social progressivism is. Treating all demons and non-demons equally is another tenet of this faction. This faction particularly fights for the fair treatment of the poor, as across special lines, it is the poor that suffer most in Noskanar.Moderates
This faction represents less those between conservativism and progressivism in Noskanar politics and more those not wishing to align with either faction openly. Noskanar politics are highly polrizing, and physical confrontations, blackmail, coercion, and assassinations are all common risks - though primarily from the conservative side. As such, most identify as moderate - carefully balancing which initiatives they back to keep from being identified as either faction. However, after coronation of Petty King Joron - a hardline progressive - many former moderates have come forward as progressive themselves. The political landscape has begun to undergo a change with a progressive ruler at the helm, though it is a slow one.Noskanar Tradesman Guilds
Carpenters
Noskanar is the only demon city with a Carpenter's Guild, and the only city without a Stonemason Guild.Artisans
All artisans share a single guild in Noskanar, like most demon cities.Pharmacy
The Great Tree and the plants surrounding it have medicinal value often studied by the Pharmacy Guild.Merchant
The Merchant Guild of Noskanar, with the city's proximity to the Beastkin Realm Gate and large beastkin population, is run more like the guilds of that realm - though it is still structured as a single guild for all trades, rather than as mulitple guilds.Agriculture
While Noskanar has had a thriving fruit harvesting industry for some time, the Agriculture Guild of the city only arose with the rice planting initiative - maiing it relatively new.Magic
With the small but significant population of elves - particularly Wood Elves for their affinity and long history of plant-based magic - Noskanar maintains one of the few Magic Guilds in the Demon Realm.History
It is difficult to say when demons first came to Noskanar - with how large the tree is, it must have taken millennia before demons began to settle it. There are still some typical demon-style houses that can be found around the base of the tree, indicating that demons first settled near the base before making their way into the trunk. It is largely believed that the shift happened when Beastkin either arrived or were sought to teach the demons already living near the base the way to carve into the trunk instead.
In it's early millennia, many thought Noskanar was a myth - a city inside of a giant tree utop a plateau sounding fanciful to a realm where gargantuan trees were not common and the plants of other realms did not often take root.
Noskanar became widely known to the rest of the Demon Realm when its first King claimed it in the Fractured Realm Era.
Tourism
Many come to Noskanar simply to see the Great Tree in all its glory - even those who are familiar with such trees in their native realm wishing to see on standing by itself in another realm.
Others come to see the famed wyverns - as the giant birds only live in the Great Tree or high in the mountains.
Architecture
While being built into a tree means thsat Noskanar lacks the dome-based clay and stone architecture of most other demon cities, buildings are ctill carved out in sphereical shapes. Many signs and directions are carved directly into the walls, though woven cloths may serve as doors as often as wood.
Crystals charged as light runes are used more often than fire for logical reasons, brought to the Tree by a previous ruler inviting a large number of Wood Elves to immigrate to the city.
Geography
The Great Tree sits in the center of a large plateau, a river gorge on one side and a steep valley on the other.
Climate
While the lower tiers of the city experience weather typical to the rest of the Demon Realm, the high altitude of the higher tiers cause it to be much colder.
Natural Resources
As one might expect, Nokanar is rich in wood and fruits - its branches functioning more as forests than true branches.
Founding Date
9628 FR
Population
850,000
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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