Palnu

**Palnu** was the wealthiest city-state in Estarcion, partially due to having not experienced the crop failures that affected other areas. Lord Julius was the ruling Grandlord of Palnu.

## Geography

Palnu was bordered on the east and south by the Bay of Sunshee. Bordered on the west and northwest by the Gitan River. Palnu was located on the Sen Bir River.

## Districts

The city-state of Palnu was divided into six districts:

* Old Palnu: the area immediately around the city of Palnu
* Parmoc: to the northwest, containing the city of Fluroc
* Vessariat to the northeast, containing the cities of Hivat and Eniath
* Ci'Nufinn: to the west, containing the cities of Avers and Cihnu
* Behn Rhiador: to the southwest, containing the city of Stehlis
* Nedeca: to the southeast.

## City of Palnu

"The aristocracy had all but vanished in Palnu!

Bound as they were to their enormous estates, they were no competition for the thriving merchant class whose assets now generated undreamt of income. There were five dominant merchant "houses" within the city walls. These houses employed "clients," each citizen of voting age being a client, their living expenses paid by the house "lord" in exchange for their vote! The lord, by paying for these votes, assured himself a place on the "Grand Council of Palnu." The lord who owned the most clients, and, hence, votes was made 'grandlord' of the city and its surrounding territory! At the moment, this was Lord Julius!

The wrinkle that Julius had added to this idea was the selling of titles for additional revenue! The lords of the nouveau-riche merchant houses, having, some time before, run out of things to buy, now filled Julius' coffers in exchange for the title of their choice! These they handed out like party favours to concubines, family bodyguards, accountants, nieces, nephews and, of course, themselves."

Palnan architecture is very ornate, and easily climbable.

"...the first lords of Palnu untapped mysteries of the ancient world! There were rumours of strange unholy experiments... alchemy and other forbidden disciplines... For a time, the Church of Tarim struck Palnu from their maps, and allowed no priest to venture within a half-mile of it. And then... about a century ago... an earthquake swallowed up the city; a gift from the infinite mercies of the living Tarim... Thousands died, virtually in the blinking of an eye! Fully ninety percent of the city disappeared beneath the surface. Even today, many of the old streets lie intact beneath the city... It is these passage-ways which are called... the Pits! Though most regard them as an amusing bit of folklore, populated by mythical beasts, dreamed up to frighten children. They are unaware that much evil manifested in the old city yet lives in those dark caverns." Charts of much, if not all of the Pits are available. The Eye in the Pyramid initially operated out of the Pits.

## Dave on Palnu

"Palnu is essentially structured like a feudal society. It is in the middle of some of the best agricultural land in Estarcion. It produces enough to feed all the farmers and their families as well as the population of the actual city. The crop failures mentioned so often in the Feldwar States and Iest have missed the Palnan lands. Think of them as wheat Arabs. They are being courted for their wealth.

"Citizenship in Palnu is by invitation only. You have to show the ability to make lots of money and connive your way out of paying your bills. The peasant farmers are kept at a very low standard of living, but they are permitted to trade their surplus wheat to whichever market they choose to sell: Iest, Beduin, Sepran Empire, Upper Felda. The ones who start making money in large amounts begin sending in their own bribes get an invitation to a festival or High Tea or Lord Julius' Every Other Fortnight Booze-up and are granted instructions on where they start work. At the end o their first day on the job, they get sealed instructions on where they report for work the next day. You answer all the mail when you arrive at your post and then you go home All correspondence coming into the city is searched. Any bribe over a fixed amount is relayed directly to Lord Julius' office. Any bribe below that amount is viewed as groft (sic) money, split mored or less equally etween the army and the bureaucracy. In your spare time you can do business with anyone you want. A lot of these people sell directories in their spare time. They just don't deliver. You get a pretty good tootsy-frootsying when you deal with anyone from Palnu."

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus* No. 14, page 4
2. ↑ *Cerebus* No. 14, page 14
3. ↑ *Cerebus* No. 15, page 7
4. ↑ *Cerebus* No. 31, "Aardvark Comment"