Sidon

Sidon is the largest city and capital of Bahlmorea with a population of 1.8 million people. It's the where the King and his council rules from, making it a political center as well. The city rests upon a massive pleateu peninsula that slopes up over the ocean, reaching over 800 feet high in some areas, that stretches out into the Bay of Whales. Underneath the city is the complex system of sewers that drain into the bay. Unlike the rest of Bahlmorea, Sidon's architecture is a bit different than the primitive medieval European-style that takes over the rest of Bahlmorea. Gothic buildings seen in Victorian era London and France make up the major parts of the city. Buildings are closely clustered together and crowded cobble stone streets are filled with horse-drawn carriages and wagons and all sorts of people. The city is home to the first train station and along with it, the first train system in Bahlmorea.

The lower class area of the city, called the Fish District for its constant smell of fish because of its close proximity to the docks, is located towards the back end of the peninsula where it starts to slope down to sea level. The buildings in the Fish District are mostly made out of brick/plaster/wood compared to the more ornate stone and marble buildings of the higher class district, known as the Marble District.

## History

When the White Bloods, approximately 1,000 years ago, sailed across the Iron Sea into the Bay of Whales, the first thing they saw of the Bahlmorean continent was the towering peninsula that would very soon become the foundation for the city of Sidon. The city hasn't always been the capital of Bahlmorea. In fact, it was just a tiny stone fortress for many centuries where small kings ruled greedily over their tiny kingdoms. Layers upon layers grew on the small hovels and fortresses until it became something of a city. It wasn't until around 400 years ago when tensions between the Rajin of the South, Wolf of the North, and King of the East began to rise as territory disputes grew stronger did Sidon become a powerful center. Small feuds grew into wars and thus began the Divine Royale, a 170 year long war that began in year 170 BW (before war) and ended in 0 AW (after war).

When the war was over completely by 2 AW, a peace treaty between the three rulers decreed that the kingdoms of Bahlmorea would be ruled under a single king who would be centered in Sidon. From there on, Sidon became the political center of the North.

## The City Itself

Sidon is a very large city and its size shouldn't be underestimated.

   It is approximately 2.5 miles from the east side to the west side and 10 miles from the tip end of the peninsula to the end of theFish District. Outside of Sidon's walls are miles and miles of farmland, lands that were once covered by Fornwood forest were cut down to make space to grow crops and build villages.

The **Marble District** is the smallest, located at the end of the peninsula and is home to the most luxurious and elaborate buildings with wrought iron crests on roofs. Great gardens and festivals are also said to exist behind the walls that keep the common people from entering. It is heavily guarded and getting into the district requires scaling 20 foot walls with guard dogs posted nearby. The Marble District is where the King's Tower is, a great white building built onto the very edge of the peninsula. It's both the King's home and where he rules from. Very rarely does the king leave the Marble District except to hunt or visit the two other major cities. It's also where many prestigious nobles, council members, and  ambassadors reside.

The **Dancing District** is the commercial district of the city and the largest district at that. Located in the middle of the peninsula, it's where the middle class and upper middle class reside. It's also where the majority of shops, theaters, concert halls, offices, museums, libraries, etc. in Sidon exist. Hence why it's called the Dancing District. The nightlife here is infamous for being loud and full of glamor and glitz, beautiful women in sleek dresses and handsome men in suits pulling up in their carriages to go see some famous play or listen to a band. People also come here to shop, eat at cafes and restaurants (both high-end and low-end and in-between), drink at bars, or fight in underground battle rings. Food markets and vendors are very common here. No one here sells armor or weapons and walking around wearing armor and brandishing weapons if you're not a guard is the fastest way to get thrown in prison. Away from the shops and such are flats that are both good and not so good, but are certainly better than the crumbling apartments in the Fish District.

   The **Fish District** is the second largest district and the poorest one in all of Sidon. Its poorly maintained apartments that surround the narrow smelly streets house the poor population. Smoke clogs the air above and the foul smells of sewage clog the air below. The reeking fish smell from the docks where ships come and ago and vendors sell their cheap goods are not far off lingers above the lower class district, hence the name. People here are wary of guards and for good reason, many of them fall prey to the abuses of guards who suspect the majority of them to be thieves and the type of ill-repute. Unfortunately, the guards are not wrong. Much of the poor resorts to thieving or selling of illegal goods to earn enough coin to survive. Prostitutes are common here on street corners and alleyways and raggedy beggars are even more common. Above the streets, drying laundry, power lines, and telephone lines hang over the heads of passerbys. Although most of the poor have electricity in their homes, roving blackouts are way too common so many resort to oil lamps, wooden fires and the sort. Illegal activities such as pitting and human trafficking (for organs and slaves) are rampant here, but those things are kept behind closed doors and only said in whispers to avoid the blade of a guard or the prison.  Famous brothels such as the **House of Spice** are open to both men and women desiring one, the other, or both are hidden from plain sight, but are known to been frequented by some nobles as well as countless guards and knights.

## Culture

The people of Sidon live in a world that's much more centered around earning money and making your way to the top. However, the middle and lower classes are resentful of their class status and despise the rich. It's actually very uncommon for someone in a lower class to raise up to the ranks of the nobles and golden hands despite the message that "anyone can make it if they work hard enough" that's perpetuated through the media (radio, newspapers, etc.). Sidonian society is notoriously materialistic and fond of entertainment. Nowhere else in Northern Bahlmorea can you see a jazz band or silent movie. The industrial level of the city itself is leagues beyond the rest of kingdom, making it one of the most unique areas on the map.

    One's class stature means everything. It decides where you will live, how you're treated, how others view you, where you can buy food, clothes, etc. and what kind of job you will have. People in upper middle class and rich class are seen as more educated and therefore superior to the lower classes. Education is available to all classes in the city, but the best education is reserved for those who can afford it: the wealthy and the education provided for the lower class is extremely basic at best. In Sidon, people (especially the upper classes) are very detached from the rest of Bahlmorea. Living on a farm or hunting in woods is not at all appealing to the majority–it is seen as barbaric and primitive. There is a heightened sense of superiority and arrogance held by many in the city who are far away from hunting for your own food, facing the elements, etc.

The religious scene in Sidon is strong, but not as strong as outside the city. People don't rely on the Will of Amos as they once did since material wealth and entertainment tend to take priority. That's not to say people don't believe in the Will, it's just not as important to them. The people of the Fish District are much more devout than those who live in the Dancing and Marble Districts. The High Steps are a popular place for devout to attend church services, to get food, beds, etc.

Slavery is a common thing in Sidon and in Antioch, where high concentrations of wealth allow for such a business. While it's more referred to as "identured servitude" by the upper echelon, it's still, in all aspects, slavery. Slipping into slavery is an easy mistake for those easily fooled since many get into it by being in debt and attempting to work it off, however, the owners continue to increase the debt more and more until it cannot be paid off.

## Political Scene

    Sidon is the political center of the continent. King Mozarth rules from here with his six advisors in the **Summer Palace**, a great castle built on the edge of the peninsula. Around the castle are the **Winter Gardens**, an elaborate and beautiful garden. Then there is the **Grand Hall** where the King, from his throne, and three other nobles act as judges to punish those guilty of heavy crimes. Your average thief or human trafficker would not be considered important enough to be taken to the Grand Court in front of the king himself and instead would most likely just be thrown into prison. Those who deserve to be taken to the court are those who commit treason, corrupt nobles, kingslayers, break Mozarth's Laws and the like.

Bahlmorea's government is a tradiational monarchy, with a King and Queen to rule. A council of advisors oversees the creation of legislation and act as temporary collective rule when the king is not present. Enforcing laws are the knights, trained fighters who leave the city to patrol the kingdom and act as soldiers in war, and the guards, who are lower than knights and act as the policemen of the city.

Cartographers, servants, nobles, accountants, scholars, writers, musicians, bards, stewards, tailors, bakers, cooks, stableboys, knights, and the like. are examples of the type of people who work with the king and his nobles. The lower ranking ones on the castle hierarchy include the servants, stewards, bards, tailors, bakers, cooks, stableboys, and musicians do live in the castle but in the lower servant's quarters. Those higher ranking usually live in their own apartments or in much nicer areas. Knights are the exception since they live in the barracks, which are on par with servant's quarters.