Ars Silica
One of the five Great Cities built during the greatest era the mortal races have experienced, Ars Silica is a perfect circle built around the imposing Silver Tower. The city houses nearly two million souls, around 10% of the entire world, and among the buildings crafted by long dead hands thousands of years ago, one million live in relative luxury. Like all the Great Cities, Silica survived the Ascendancy War mostly unscathed, though the years have not been entirely kind to it as several skirmishes and even coups have scarred its walls and destroyed some of the ancient buildings. Still, like a testament to Lost Si'yla, the city stands proud.
The district nearest the Silver Tower is known as Noble Quarter, where the current favored of the Ascended Ruler of the City, Syvriak the Steel Blood King, reign. They live in villas built before the fall of Lost Si'yla and maintained by armies of servants, growing fat off of the rewards they reap for their loyalty.
Outside the walls to the Noble Quarter but still within the official city lines is the Inner City, surrounded by low walls and watchtowers that have watched the armies of Ascended approach since the Ascendancy War. The people there live rougher lives and space is hard to come by, meaning that evictions are not uncommon. Only those with useful trades or money or important relations are allowed to stay in the Inner City and such people must constantly prove their worth or risk losing their homes to those who can. Still, the Inner City holds a merry residential district where the Dwarven administrator clans live, a bustling Elven conclave, and a decaying if solid and unyielding Human Quarter.
Outside the walls of Ars Silica are the slums, a series of shanties, waystops, and roadside taverns that have grown up in the surrounding area. Any who cannot earn citizenship must stay in the slums, which are filthy, overcrowded, and growing more dangerous by the day. Crime, even murder, is rampant, and the city watch is powerless to stop it. The Silic Knights are too few to police the area, and the Steelblood Order doesn't care about anything outside the Inner City's walls.
Demographics
30% Dwarven
15% Halfling
15% Human
10% Elvish
10% Half-done
8% Orcish
12% other
15% Halfling
15% Human
10% Elvish
10% Half-done
8% Orcish
12% other
Government
Monarchy, ruled by force. Syvriak is a dictator and the Steelblood Order enforces his will on the city.
Defences
The walls of the inner city have watchtowers every 300 yards and are patrolled frequently by the city watch, a dominantly Dwarven body of peacekeepers. Each watchtower holds a pair of guards and a Shoutstone, a Si'yl invention that emits a loud noise when destroyed. When the alarm goes up, the city watch can deploy 3000 troops onto the walls.
Should the Inner City fall, the Watch can retreat to the Noble Quarter, where the walls are two foot thick stone reinforced with steel. Ballistae, trebuchet, and more magical siege weaponry sits atop the walls and ready to fire on an attacker coming from any direction. The final retreat of Ars Silica if under siege is into the Silver Tower, but not even the Steelblood Order is certain they know all of the defenses the Archmage left in his seat of power.
Infrastructure
Continuing as they have since the Ascendancy War, the Dwarves manage the city and keep it running regardless of who they swear fealty to. Under Syvriak, the dwarves are free to collect taxes, enforce the laws, build and repair infrastructure, and enforce city zoning.
Type
Large city
Population
2000000
Inhabitant Demonym
Silican
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
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