Laya (City)

Laya is a large city located in the Laya Valley east of Navachar in Maragol Clan territory.

## Initial Impression

The dark grey stone walls of Laya loom over the miles of farmland. Maragol soldiers keep watch from eight watchtowers spaced around the walls. The large wooden doors that mark the south entrance to the city remain open, their heavy chains meticulously maintained despite not being closed in decades. A steady stream of farmers, travelers, soldiers, and all sorts of other people funnel inside, crossing over the deep moat that surrounds the outer walls. Dozens of shallow-keeled ships anchor at the docks jutting out into the lake and river. Fishing boats make their way upstream, pulled by teams of horses and laborers. Barges filled with crates and barrels drift north downriver, heading toward the Materine Castle. The Maragol Citadel towers over the city, all dark stone walls and timber scaffolding. The spires of the neighboring Eternal Flame temple peek over the walls.

## Architecture

The walls are made of grey stone quarried from the Khyazgoran Mountains. Most residences and commercial buildings inside the city are sunk partially in the ground with a foundation of stone with the aboveground walls and roof being made of timber from the nearby forests.

Houses and buildings have the living areas underground to conserve heat, while production and other parts of the house are on the upper floors. Most houses are anywhere from 3-4 stories tall and are relatively narrow. Residential areas have houses pressed closely together. Alleyways between houses are uncommon, although most neighborhoods have narrow alleys behind the houses. More expensive houses are made of brick and stone, with more refined and fancy wooden parts. Open squares are common, at least one per district. These are used as markets, as actual storefronts are not common. Market days happen once a week.

## Districts

### River District

The northern part of the city is known as the River District for its proximity to the river. The major buildings and landmarks here are the Laya Docks. Dozens of ships moor here to load and offload supplies. Most warehouses are here as well. The air smells of fish as fishmongers clean fish and fishing boats offload their hauls. There aren't a lot of residences here, although there are still several blocks of apartment buildings for sailors and other laborers that work the docks. There aren't really any houses, any property here will be renting a room or paying extra for an entire multi-room unit. While the Dockers Guild and Hauling Guild exist, they are made up of by dockers and haulers themselves. The two professions are largely self-governed, regulating themselves and setting compensation standards that merchants have no choice but to follow.

### Military District

The eastern part of the city is the Military District. Most governing buildings are here, as well as the higher class buildings and residences. Most actual storefronts are here and sell luxury goods like jewelry, minor magic items, textiles, and other artisanal goods. Most of the houses here are single family, upper class residences. Most of the property here is rented directly from the military council or the church itself. It is extremely expensive to buy property outright. The streets are covered in flower petals in the spring months, as the wind blows from the park into the district. It often smells of flowers.

### Other Districts

The southern and western parts of the city are mostly residential, with buildings packed close together on wide streets. The city continues outside the walls in much cheaper and less cramped buildings. After this exterior sprawl are the numerous farms that surround the lake. The further south you go, the rougher it gets. Town houses are the most common type of property in this district. Narrow and tall single family residences. There are also shorter, wider community houses that are meant to be shared with at least two other families. The southern district smells of industry and production, usually in a bad way. The western district is a residential district, so it smells of cooking and people.

## City Laws

Weapons larger than a knife have to be tied to their scabbards/harnesses. Arrows tied together. Guards at the gate use wax with a special seal to finish the knot. If someone draws their weapon the seal will break and they will know that the weapon has been drawn.

Magic inside the walls is forbidden unless sanctioned by the Eternal Flame.

## Lighting

Much of Laya is lit by oil lamps. Major intersections have brighter lights, but many of the alleys and outskirts of the city are dark. It is suspicious for someone to walk around without a light. The Night Watch carries lanterns around to illuminate streets. Inns, boarding houses, and other establishments open at night keep lights on in windows or in lanterns outside to advertise that they are open at night.

## Surfaces

The main roads are made of cobbles that fit impossibly close to each other. There are no gaps between stones, and they show no wear despite being thousands of years old. Alleys and side streets are often made of packed stone or loose gravel/dirt.

## Sewers

The sewers of Laya are legendary, twisting and turning underneath the city with magical properties. No one knows how it works but the water that flows through the tunnels is slowly purified over time before getting dumped back into the lake. Because of the incredibly effective sewer system, Laya is one of the cleanest cities in the world. These tunnels are also used to transport potable water throughout the city. The current occupants set up pumps and pipes that extend down into the underground cisterns the ancient Solerans built long ago.

## Defenses

The walls of Laya are double-layered stone, dark grey since it comes from the Khyazgoran Mountains. They have battlements and watchtowers that are staffed by Maragol lookouts. There is a large moat to the north of the city and to the east of the river. It is filled with sharpened wooden stakes and is maintained by the soldiers. A large wooden bridge is placed overtop of it, although it can easily be removed in the case of a Frostfell incursion.

## Bathhouses

Bathhouses using water from Lake Laya dot the city. While many are open to the public many private baths serve as meeting places for the elite. Several of the baths have restaurants and recreational facilities built in. A common sport is wrestling and a form of field hockey (sometimes they set the ball on fire at night). Attendants put scented herbs and oils in the bathwater.

## Communication

The most common form of conveying news is through large broadsheets plastered to the sides of buildings in squares or common gathering places. The scribing guild of the city is in charge of creating the weekly broadsheets and hanging them up. They are often under the scrutiny of the military council, but sometimes things slip through. For more immediate announcements, younger pages for the military run through the city shouting the warning/news.

## Institutions

Since Laya originally existed as a stronghold against the Frostfell, the military is the most powerful organization in the city. The city is run by a council of generals, and Maragol soldiers living in Laya often work as guards as part of training exercises.

There are several active guilds in Laya.

### Scribes Guild

Create broadsheets to post in the city for news. Transcribe books and take dictation. Works closely with the Koltev Company to deliver mail. They are about to get blindsided by the printing press. Also act as notaries.

### Metalworking Guild

One of the most powerful guilds in the city, the smithing guild is backed by the military council and is responsible for all metalworking. Members of the metalworking guild are issued badges that represent their membership.

### Bakers Guild

Responsible for all the bakeries in the city. Bakeries use barley from the surrounding fields to make pastries and bread.

### Construction Guild

If you want to build a structure in the Laya Valley, you need the approval of the Construction Guild.

### Dockers Guild

Runs the docks and the crews that load/unload cargo and pilot the boats down and upriver.

### Farriers Guild

Shoes horses and provides veterinary care for horses and draft animals.

### Fishers Guild

Runs fishing in the lake. Prevents overfishing and leads conservation efforts.

### Weavers Guild

Seamstresses, tailors, weavers, shepherds. Anyone who works with cloth.

### Sellswords Guild

In charge of managing local mercenaries and adventurers. Membership indicated with Wayfinders.

The Koltev Company runs most of the warehouses and trade routes going in and out of the city. Many of the alchemical shops are under the Koltev Company's jurisdiction.

The Eternal Flame is the official religion of Shankhor, there is a huge temple to the Flame near the Maragol Citadel. They oversee any magical problems and also provide guidance to the population. Spirit worship is practiced here but not very common.

## Interesting Landmarks

### Farhov Baths

The Farhov Baths are legendary throughout Shankhor. They are open to all and completely funded by the Eternal Flame to encourage hygiene. The baths also as a medical center, where priests and healers work to provide care for those in need (with a generous donation to the church after all). Rich people donate to the Farhov Baths to look good and flex their money. The baths are heated by rocks that minor clergy dump into the bath. There's a large offering bowl at the entrance filled to the brim with coins. Other baths cost money but are more private and offer more specialized experiences.

### Maragol Citadel

Maragol Citadel is the center of military operations for the Maragol Clan. It has never fallen in known history. Access to civilians is forbidden, although its massive courtyard is constantly host to people training and being instructed. Because of mandatory military service, almost everyone who lives in Laya will have seen the inside.

### The Maragol Library

The Maragol library is widely known for its wealth of texts on military history, strategy, and leadership. There are hundreds of fighting manuals from all over the world, most of them translated into Osiran Common. Books are forbidden form being taken out of the library, but one can pay a silver piece per hour to have unlimited access to its books.

### The Temple of Enduring Warmth

The largest Eternal Flame presence in the western half of the Khyazgoran Mountains. Features a retractable canvas roof to allow worshippers to observe the aurora and moon at night. Services are held daily. There is a large white flame burning on a pedestal in the center of the room.

Most arcane texts are held in the libraries and archives of the temple. The monks tend to the library, collecting and documenting scrolls, magical books, and documents about the divine. They have a collection of esoterica and occult texts. Getting into the library requires a donation to the church (minimum 2 sp). Books are forbidden from leaving the library.

Monks and priests take in anyone who wants to learn the ways of the Eternal Flame, although many are quickly weeded out by hard labor and intense study.

### Upper Tunnels

Some of the upper parts of the ancient Soleran tunnels are open to the public. The tunnels to the south are usually home to homeless or criminals, and the northern tunnels are completely off limits. There is an entire makeshift town underneath the southern district where homeless people have banded together in a mutually supportive community.

### The Sherkhan Windmill

A central fixture to the Ghertall Square in the southern half of the city is a large windmill apparatus that is connected to a complex mechanical statue. It depicts two armored figures back to back holding spears fighting off what looks like blowing wind. As the wind blows and turns the turbine on top of the structure, the central drive shaft turns, causing the wisps to spin around the warriors as they lash out with their weapons. This is a depiction of a pair of Maragol Clan heroes Dorosallo and Daykhur Maragol. The couple were legendary warriors and poets known for singlehandedly defending the rural outskirts of Laya during the initial Frostfell incursion centuries ago. They are also renowned for their deeply romantic poetic correspondence, which was distributed after their deaths. It's not uncommon for people to recite their poetry during courting efforts. Many people speak of them in reverent tones, and many soldiers pay homage to them. Many consider them demigods. The creator of the statue is Sherkhan Maragol, an old machinist and inventor who lives in the military district. The wooden beams that support the windmill are covered with names, it's common for new lovers to carve their names into the supports for good luck in their relationship.

### Dorbe Performance Hall

A small wooden building built in traditional Shankhor style. It is a place to perform the Khaggore, an hours long epic about the first Hearthfire and their fight against the Frostfell. While this place was built to recite the Khaggore, other epics and historical poems can be performed here as well. As epics are meant to be recited in an intimate setting, one must make an appointment months in advance to get an opportunity to visit. The performers who recite the epics are the best in Shankhor, rivalled only by some high ranking clergy in Osugviet. Tea is also served here.

### Zagora Square

The beating heart of the city is Zagora Square, a sprawling park between the Military and River Districts. This is the most popular public space in the city, and features other businesses and events even on off days. Most of the park is trees, flowers, and other greenery, although the main focus is the huge fountain in the center. The fountain is dedicated to Juresda Maragol, the general who turned the shantytown surrounding the Maragol Citadel into a proper city around 100 years ago. A paved plaza surrounds the fountain, and merchants are known to set up here on market days. On off days, buskers and performers take advantage of the open space to practice their craft and attract potential sponsors/patrons. Citizens of the city use this park as a social space; people are always picnicking or relaxing or socializing in the park. Most festivals are centered on the park.

Complex irrigation systems feed the plants and keep them healthy with minimal intervention. They were built by the ancient Solerans and leveraged by the city planners.

Property near the park is the most expensive in the city and highly sought after.

Sheep roam the park, and it is illegal to harm them. The Weavers Guild has a contract with the city to shear the sheep and donate a portion of the fleece to the church and citadel.

There is an open field where a form of field hockey is played. There is a big tournament every year where citizens of the town can form their own teams and compete for a prize pool. It is accompanied by a big party with other sports competitions on the side.

### Joganshi Restaurant

Joganshi Restaurant is one of the most exotic landmarks in the city. This is a traditional Chardanis restaurant that is very expensive. It is an open pavilion with a huge cast iron stove/oven in the center. The chef, Beremud Vizo, came to Shankhor to flee Karavost occupation decades ago. Even though Cardanis is now free, he decided to remain and spread the flavors of the plains to the mountain kingdom. Lots of dumplings, soups, and lamb. Spices not many have tasted in their entire lives.

### Maragol Military Academy

Maragol Military Academy. Located inside the walls of the citadel, the academy is a separate building where rich people send their children to learn tactics and leadership and where middle to lower class people send their children to become professional soldiers. While military service is mandatory, people who attend the academy intend to make the military their career. Students of the school are immediately recognizable by their uptight, rigid uniforms. Colorful cords circling their shoulder indicate class and rank. They are permitted to wear swords while out and about, which leads to conflicts when they inevitably get drunk, arrogant, and/or belligerent.