Kiniswell
Defences
The city proper is surrounded by large turreted walls, patrolled regularly by guards and armed with ballistae. Five gates, closed nightly with iron portcullises, serve as the primary entrances into the city. Guards keep watch for suspicious individuals and anyone foolish enough to walk through with their face on a wanted poster. Catacombs beneath the city provide private and secure exits for nobility in case of invasion, though even those aren't fully mapped out and are rumoured to be even older than the city itself.
Industry & Trade
Kiniswell is known as the craftsmen city, with its primary income being from the master carpenters, metalworkers, and textile workers whose shops are housed within. Artists thrive in this city more than any other, and an annual festival is held for the city's various creative types to showcase their best works. There is also the requirement for anyone travelling in for temporary work to buy a license that, while initially cheap, bring in a lot of money though the sheer number of wandering craftsmen and traders that come through.
The city does still need to import a fair amount, however. With no glass-makers, it spends a great deal having window panes brought in for new buildings, particularly stained glass. While there are farms on the city's outskirts, Kiniswell is also known for having a variety of exotic fruits and such brought in from the southern countries.
Architecture
The city is divided into quarters, each one having its own overarching style for the buildings within.
The Sun Quarter houses a majority of the workshops in the town and reflects this in the sheer variety between the buildings. Having a very loose, artsy look to everything, the buildings are built with function in mind, then have form added to them as the years go on. The commercial district of this quarter is known for being the most colourful in the city. It's in this portion of the city that you'll find those dealing in textiles, pottery, paints, and sculpture.
The Moon Quarter features imposing gothic architecture, with high vaulted ceilings and stone gargoyles, and interiors decorated to the nines in various carvings and frescos. The nobles' district in this quarter is best known for the abundant use of stained glass in the windows, particularly in religious buildings. This quarter also houses the Kiniswell University for Magick and Medicine, religious buildings, and the vast majority of administrative offices, with the castle of the ruling lord at the North East residing in its own separately walled-off section.
The River Quarter has similar basic shapes to the Moon Quarter, but far simpler, being one of the poorer quarters. Roads in this quarter wind and flow, with anyone unfamiliar with the area sure to get lost. They say the city planners were drunk when designing the River Quarter, but the locals seem to rather enjoy its maze-like nature. While it's popular with children wanting to explore, it is also rife with crime.
The Mountain Quarter is also known as the workman's section of the city. Buildings here tend to be shorter, most no more than two stories, and very minimalistic in their design. Whatever colour my have been there originally has been covered over the years with layers of grime and dirt. It's in this quarter that you will find the metalworkers, the carpenters, and the barracks for the city's official soldiery. Where the Sun Quarter's workshops focus on craft for aesthetics, the Mountain Quarter's workshops ply their crafts in service of practicality, with decorative touches as an afterthought.
Geography
Alternative Name(s)
The Craftsmen's City
Type
City
Population
7890
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Comments