Chrailis - Jungle City

The city itself is roughly populated by 200,000 while the surrounding lands hold about another 300,000, with almost everyone living within about 20 miles of the city center.

The city has equal parts of extensive rainfall (about every 1/3 day on average), sunny days (1/3), and overcast days. The weather rarely tops over 85 degrees in the summer and lows can be near 40 in the winters as the mountain air continually blows down over the landscape. Violent weather is almost unheard of – possibly due to location but also likely due to powerful magics of the Matron.
Due to the heavy rain fall, most of the diet for the city is supported by fruit-bearing crops, fishing, and magic. Bread products exist but are considered a delicacy as corn and wheat crops are scarce, with some good-sized rice farms existing due north of the city and wheat crops existing only in the halfling lands to the far north.
The city design is largely circular, radiating out from the three central white alabaster towers which house the royal family, each of the towers being nearly 1000’ tall. The inner cityscape consists of several white towers (roughly 30 of them) with spanning arches all covered in well maintained vines traipsing up their side and heavy vegetation at their bases. Several walls of arches extend out from the city center in larger and larger concentric rings. As you get further from the city center, the construction material changes from white alabaster stone to more of a mundane ivory colored stone, to regular stone buildings and then at about 1 mile out, it’s mostly wooden buildings. Large gardens and parks are spread heavily throughout the metropolis. On the plateau itself, all roads are made with large paved stones. The city is undeniably quite beautiful.
Several small waterways flow through the city, coming from the upper northlands, allowing babbling brooks to slowly meander their way through the parks, creating splendid fountains and waterworks, until flowing down into the less affluent areas of the city where they finally deposit into the Zygarosse.
While trade is almost non-existent outside the city, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. A small amount is sanctioned through portals and teleportation controlled as a facet of the Arcane Guild, with their motivation keeping everything low key so as to not disturb the royal family.
The entire government exists as spirals out from the Matron of the city – Her Benevolence, Matron Si’Nassapherion. She is an ancient brilliant emerald colored dragon of immense size, having a wing span of over 500’ when she assumes her real form at full size, though often she might be seen as a tiny multi-colored fairy dragon flying around the arches of her city. To say she is benevolent is misleading, but she isn’t cruel either. Truth is, she considers Chrailis (she uses a 32-syllable word for the name of her city) to be one of her treasures. As long as the city is functioning more or less in harmony, she doesn’t really get involved, leaving it mostly to the humans to organize their own affairs. Since she considers everything in the city hers already, she doesn’t even demand tribute. When she hunts, she usually flies to Dawn Lake for food or to the large dinosaurs of the deep south. She only occasionally communicates with the city Leaders. Twice a year on city holidays (New Year, Mid Year Revel), she will participate as the city revels in celebration.
As she is also the protector of the city, there really isn’t any form of standing army, the only real threat would be from other dragons.And on this topic, most of this continent is made up of large expanses of dragon controlled city states. Of the Jungle city states, Chrailis is the largest.The mountains have much larger dragons with larger territories, however their city states are usually much less inhabited. Si’Nassapherion isn’t interested in conquering more land and there haven’t been any dragons in the vicinity which could even come close to her power for centuries.And when it comes to her power, if she weren’t a dragon, she would still probably rank among the top 10 arcane users on the planet.Even the gods steer clear of interfering with her.Some scholars will tell you she comes from the previous world and is older than the gods themselves.
Of the rumors which exist about Si’Nassapherion most state she is near omniscient of everything that happens in her realm and in truth, the populace largely acts as if that is true. Some believe she hears every single conversation. Talk against her can be opening blatant, however actual actions are far and few between. When open revolt does happen, she has no problem destroying small swathes of the city either through magic or breath weapon. She has been known on a few occasions to shrink down small enough so that she can stunningly devour annoying individuals.
She has several children – all draconic, who exist in human form at all times (out of fear of triggering their mother’s draconic instinct of having no other dragons around.) They will intermingle with the aristocracy of Chrailis, but otherwise have little effect on the government, all choosing instead to pursue more scholarly pursuits. The are 4 known children – all female. The heir apparent lives in seclusion in one of the 3 central Dragon Spears (the collective name of the 3 towers sitting at the center of Chrailis.)
The general mood of the city can be at times described as despondent, especially in the lower income levels. Moving up is an option, but leaving the city for greater opportunities isn’t really considered feasible – where would anyone go? Outside the city, those who live in the small habitations live from day to day. Inside the city, many of the lowest levels exist as servants (slavery doesn’t’ exist, however servitude isn’t far different, it just means if you don’t want to work, you are free to choose the location where you eventually starve.)
Above that in the middle class, a thriving community exists of merchants, makers, and artisans. Amongst them they are content – almost happily content.
Once one gets to the upper class, the under government of the city starts to be seen. The under government consists of several guilds and organizations all vying for control of their piece of the city. Amongst these is and Arcane Guild (wizards and sorcerers), a small competitive Alchemical Guild, multiple city watches and militias (with attached fire departments) around the city, and several assorted merchant guilds. There are at least 3 different banking organizations. A few criminal organizations exist, though they are sectional to the city – none exist city wide.
Outside the city, the Rangers are a loose organization which protects the country side and the outer inhabitants from the more mundane threats like a lizard folk raid. Despite being active outside the city, the Rangers enjoy quite a bit of influence and prestige in the internal politics inside the city. Being a Ranger is a prestige and an honor. (This is not the ranger class, but a group. If there is a standing army, this is the closest to it as it does use military rank titles like sergeant and lieutenant.) The Rangers are led by internally elected officers elected to the ranks of Marshalls and are subservient to the city council. While many are Rangers, there are casual Rangers and then there is a core group which make up the bureaucracy of their order.
From the guild level to the aristocracy, large amounts of intrigue exist as they all vie for control of a city with the only rule being don’t go so far as to annoy the Matron. A familiar euphemism exists in the form of “When Mom is unhappy, everyone looks like dinner.”
The actual city planners are a city council of elected officials from the ranks of the various guilds and rarely from the ranks of the Rangers. The aristocracy is usually too busy to really pay attention to the direction of the council as long as they are left alone.
The aristocracy, which numbers about 1000 total, lead lavish lifestyles with extravagant parties fueled heavily with magic creations and beautiful illusion masterworks of art. They pride themselves on being above and separate from everyone else.
Outside of the normal social structure, one group in particular bears mentioning – over the last decade rumors have swirled about a small band of powerful bards and street performers known as the Borkjä. While rumors are what they are – this particular set of rumors is that they want to dispose of the dragons and let the other races rise up and actually be their own masters. Other rumors are they just want to do away with the Aristocracy. It’s not uncommon to see a street urchin or pickpocket make claims (in all likelihood false) that they are secretly members of the Borkjä.
The religion of city is muted. The gods have a minimized presence. They exist in the city, however like everyone else they are somewhat low key. As a rule, they choose to not participate in the politics. Religion really isn’t a motivating factor in the day to day interactions of the populace. Many don’t really worry or concern themselves with thoughts of good, evil, or an afterlife.
All five of the good gods have temples spread throughout the city. The war aspect of Josca is largely unheard of and she is only worshipped for her beauty aspect.
Of the neutral gods, Yahalla and Sanderal have a few worshippers. Because Torya is the goddess of nature – she actually has probably the largest following of any of the gods regardless of alignment. Many in the Rangers worship her as most Druids at some time or another find there way of joining the Rangers.
Slinjetto avoids the city since being the goddess of dragons does not put her in the good graces of Si’Nassapherion. Out on the coasts of Dawn Lake, those who chose to give worship will sometimes follow Slinjetto if they don’t already follow Radok.
Of the evil gods, Ramian Fax has completely forsworn Chrailis – leaving it for his sister-wife Letheria. The Matron is overly tolerant of the gods having a presence in her city, however she has and will actively destroy any presence of Grethello, and as such his presence will not be found anywhere in her lands.
The racial mix of the city is about 85% human, 7% elven, and the other 8% a mix of all the other races. Because the Matron simply does not tolerate large civil unrest, and possibly due to the high number of races living in the city (at least 80), racial tensions are at a minimum and hardly exist. (Individual prejudices may still occur, mostly with superior minded humans in the aristocracy.) Most of the races exist peacefully in their own wards, quarters, sections of the city, however it is not uncommon to find a member of a race in any other location. The guilds are made up of a slightly higher number of nonhumans, especially near the top with a mix of 60% human and 40% other. The aristocracy is almost all human (in fact, it may actually be all human.)
There isn’t much mining below the city due to the nature of the hills and jungles, but what mining does exist has small thriving family groups of gnomes and dwarves and even goblins. What halflings there are largely stick to the north of the city out in the small farms.
One race which does not exist in the city (and is not available for PC usage) is any race of draconic descent. The Matron would not stand for any draconic blood to exist which is not of her lineage.
Outside the city, one will find a much smaller diversity of races. Tribes of jungle elves are scattered all around the surrounding locales, at least out to edges of Si’Nassapherion’s control, while south of the city where it turns more into marsh lands ones might stumble across tribes of lizard folk. Gnolls are not unheard of and neither is a strange life form of plant people seemingly hostile to everyone – druids included. Up and down the coasts of Dawn lake, several of the fishing villages which exist are made up of orcs who will happily raid each other, however they know that raiding any non-orc village or outpost would more or less lead to their immediate removal. The orcs might occasionally harass a single traveler or two but never more than that. Even the jungle elves outnumber them so outrageously it is simply survival which keeps them so docile.
Once one gets beyond the Matron’s sphere of control (about 200 miles in any direction) anything goes race wise. Sometimes strange races drift in to be assimilated into the city from miles and miles away. Rumors exist that deep south possesses giants, while far north one will find jungle elves with midnight black skin.

Demographics

85% Human, 7% Elf, 8% Other. No races with draconic blood or descent outside of the direct linage of Si'Nassa herself.

Government

Plutocracy, under the careful watch of the Aristocratic society at the top level.

Population

About 1/2 million total area.