Thread: TARAK TALES BACKGROUND THREAD - WORLD MATERIAL (no comments)

Tarak the Tower City - Landmarks In Detail Gate Shafts The various Gate Shafts each have a distinct flavor and personality The River Shaft is generally a tourist and trading area. The flashiest inns and gambling houses are there, and the area of the Mines beneath the Shaft is devoted to warehousing goods, which are off-loaded from ships or caravan wagons outside the Gate and are then carried to storage. Local shipbuilders and labor-for-hire offices are also located here, to better service the traveling merchants and tradespeople who visit the city. In general, the higher up the shaft, the more refined and expensive the services available, but the River Shaft tends to be the cosmopolitan, multi-cultural, traveler's area. The perimeter of the shaft floor has many stalls and kiosks catering to tourists and visitors, as well as temporary places where visitors can set up shop while they are in town--for a fee, of course. The Forest Shaft , while comparatively close to the River Shaft physically, is miles away in flavor. This is where the locals come to shop, for the freshest foods and sturdy, practical goods, and the bazaar on the shaft floor is the site of the toughest haggling in the whole city, as opposed to the tourist servicing that goes on in the River Shaft. The establishments higher up are more likely to be residences than any other shaft this is the second most expensive neighborhood to reside in, with the most expensive being the Sun Levels themselves. The Forest Gate is also called the Shadow Gate because it faces north, and given that Tarak is north of the equator, that means the sun never shines into the Gate itself. The Farm Shaft is dedicated to exactly what it sounds like the livestock of the city is housed up this shaft, and yes, the smell is notable and persistent, which explains the low rents on residences in that area, and also why one of the widely-separated end shafts was chosen for this purpose. Butchering of livestock is done around here, but the finished meats are generally sold in the Forest Shaft, as only the most dedicated customers will brave the environment to purchase their fresh meat. This is also where the city's stables are located, along with wagon storage, so this is a frequent departure point for overland expeditions. The Dragon Shaft houses both recreational establishments the floor of the Dragon Shaft houses the only real public park the Warrens have, with shade-loving plants in planters and a variety of benches and kid's play equipment and highly professional services, such as the Guild of Wizards, attorneys, bankers, and so forth. Moneychanging and the trading of shares in business ventures and bulk goods goes on here, the local equivalent of a stock market. Businesses in the Shafts observe the normal diurnal cycle, as they have direct access to the sky as has been stated, businesses elsewhere in the Warrens and Mines frequently don't bother to, as long as there are customers to be served. The Dragon Gate is also called the Dawn Gate because the rising sun has an almost unobstructed shot down the length of the gate, casting early-morning sunlight on the back wall of the Dragon Shaft. This is not the case with the Farm Gate, as there is a conveniently-placed mountain that blocks the sun before its setting rays reach even half-way down the tunnel. The Spiral The Spiral is not only the central vertical thoroughfare, it also houses several important city services. The central mass that the Spiral encircles is largely reserved for City Records Service offices and residences the bureaucracy needs a good place to operate out of, and the Spiral provides an adequate central location. Along one side of the Spiral, the city's Water Wheel slowly spins, as described above, and on the opposite side, one finds the city's Elevator . Reaching just into the Sun levels, and dipping down into the top few levels of the Mines, the Elevator consists of a set of gigantic metal chains with suspended platforms that slowly rise all the way up one side of the shaft, then move to the other side and slowly descend, all powered by Ever-Turning Wheels. Anyone is able to hop onto one of the platforms and ride to the point nearest their desired level, but the travel is so slow, it's usually faster to walk. The Elevator is most frequently used by those moving heavy cargoes, and many times the porters responsible for those cargoes either as movers or directing crews of Forged workers sleep during the trip. Within Tarak, riding the Elevator has become slang shorthand for taking a catnap. Council Building and Park While only the rich andor powerful actually live on the Sun Levels, all citizens are able to travel there. In fact, the area around the Spiral between the tops of the River and Forest Shafts is a dedicated park, known only as the Park , with carefully tended trees and other foliage, and the gentle murmur of the water from the Water Wheel burbling down its aqueduct to the Reservoir off to the west. Many citizens visit whenever they can, and among the wealthy, residences with a view of the Park are in high demand. The Park is never too crowded, but it is always at least marginally populated, night and day, and this tends to make it quite safe this also makes it a popular meeting spot, particularly for young lovers. The area immediately above the bulk of the Sprial, above the City Records Service offices, is the Council Building. The Council Building houses both the meeting chambers of the Council 5 members of noble blood and 4 wealthy merchants, 1 of each group elected annually by the populace of the city and the courtrooms, where 9 elder clerics, the Justices , who have taken oaths to encourage fairness and impartiality for the rest of their lives, adjudicate criminal and civil cases. Tarak's laws are not complex, and the clerics are more concerned with justice and fairness than the letter of the law, anyway, so trials are speedy. The Tower City's judges prefer mystic punishments a spell can enforce house arrest with much more efficiency than it takes to build a jail and house the criminal there. Instead of execution reserved for only the most heinous crimes, severe crimes warrant being confined to a Time Chamber see the Gear section for several years. Emerging cut off from previous contacts and influences, many criminals are forced to reform simply to survive and cope. The elder clerics find this more humane than execution the opinions of the criminals so sentenced vary quite a bit. The 9 members of the City Council in order of first nobility, then seniority are Lord Iblis Nosenfrene , Lady Velena Toris-Greenson , Lord Winson Steelstriker , Lord Yis Ballynonfrenis , Lady Emma Sona Ri'allan , merchant Sinni Helmcrafter , merchant Maxil Proudfoot , merchant Jon Hemmil , and merchant Prentis Greenwood . The 9 Justices are Toril the Compassionate , Gina the Fair , Powta the Insightful , Zenos the Just , Kiritik the Knowing , Semiton the Lawful , Wosin the Stern , Liam the Valorous , and Erids the Wise . Guild of Wizards Chapterhouse and Library As in many cities, the local Guild of Wizards headquarters serves as a metropolitan library. Located just a short walk west of the Park, the Guild's tall, monolithic building looks foreboding and severe on the outside, but inside the public areas have been remodeled as a much warmer, friendlier environment. The library's books are kept in special enchanted flame-proof vaults, and any citizen can request any book cleared for public perusal from the librarian on duty, then take it to the public reading rooms books are not allowed to be taken away from the library, but in-house access is free. Naturally, full wizards have unrestricted access to all books in the Guild library, including the tomes on magic and research that are kept from public view. The floors above the public level are dedicated to training, magical study, and executive residences Guildmaster Orino even has a skylight in her suite. The two levels below the library, still technically the Sun Levels, are dedicated to dormitory cubicles, which are small and Spartan, but safe and quiet. Not all the cubicles are occupied, as there aren't actually so many younger wizards in the city. However, all unoccupied cubicles are kept ready and available for visiting wizards and authorized guests. Great Temple of Tarak and smaller Shrines To the east of the Park is the airy, open-cornered Temple, austerely beautiful in a style we would call Grecian. The main space of the temple is a large open rectangle, dotted with massive columns and tiled with creamy marble. Niches dot the sides, with two large alcoves at each end and numerous smaller ones on the sides. The end spaces are dedicated to Zor and Ra'an, the King and Queen of the gods, and the other major gods each have a niche of their own. The minor gods who operate in Oresti are represented, and local powerful spirits also have places, each being's area corresponding to their relative power. There are no upper floors to the temple, just a sturdy roof the two levels below are dedicated to medical treatment spaces, a communal eating area, and dormitory cubicles, which are small and Spartan, but safe and quiet. All clerics live equally even the city's High Priest, Aardock the Gentle , lives in a cubicle identical to that of the lowliest initiate. There are numerous shrines dotted all throughout the Warrens and Mines, but the residents of the Sun Levels generally visit the Great Temple when they feel spiritual. The shrines vary with the flavor of each neighborhood every being acknowledged in the Great Temple has some representation in each shrine, even if it's just an icon hung on the wall, but different shrines have more or less space devoted to different deities. In a shrine, the main open space serves as the worship area, the medical treatment area, the free soup kitchen area, and pretty much any other necessary purpose. There is always a store room, a private office for the clerics, and at least 2 cubicles, pretty much identical to those below the Great Temple. Most people check in at their local shrine every couple of days, to stay in good graces with the gods, to collect any messages that might have come for them, and to hear any important news.