City of Myrcia

### Races

Human, Dwarf, Elf, Half-elf, Halfling, Gnome, Minotaur, Lizard Man, Changling, Shifter, Skaven, Ratus Faber, Other

## Politics

### Allegiances

The Colors, The Myrcian Guild

The city of Myrcia is the largest city in the northern region of Rune. The City is built upon the Dragon's Roost, an atypical mountain that juts up straight out of the ground in the middle of the myrcian plains. The city is ancient, dating back to the golden age, and has been built and rebuilt countless times over the centuries. First built by the First Dwarves of Aurumanguis, it was conceived as a fortress for the dragon god who roosted here. It is made up of ten districts, each made on top of great terraces cut into the mountain.

Each District, or Circle, is given a different purpose within the city. The first Circle is the castle of King Lionheart, while the 10th circle is mostly farmland.

### Geography

The city lies nestled in the arms of the mountain on it's eastern, western, and southern slopes. The Lionheart castle has supplanted the top of the mountain and it's northern slope is to steep and treacherous to accept building. The Aurum spring found within the 1st circle creates the Kings River and City Falls along the eastern slope. This flows down the mountain into the aqueducts of Underwater District and eventually into the Myrcian River.

The Myrcian River flows southward out of the hills of Nordheim and flows through the Outer Wall at Hadrian's Gate, a series of pillars used as a water break erected in the middle of the river. The river then runs along the wall of the ninth circle on the east side of the city until it widens and flows out through The Southern Break. The only entry into the Ninth Circle is by the King's Bridge which stretches from the Eastern Gate on the Outer wall to King's Gate on the eastern side of the ninth circle. Gates to the next ring are placed on the opposite side of the city, meaning that traveling from the 9th circle to the 1st can take the better part of a day.

The wind blows out of the west and south bringing with it warm air from the Endless Sea and Sea of Grass. As a result the city enjoys a Continental climate. Rains are common on the city, as storms ar brought up from the south and hit the mountain.

#### The Rings

The city is built into massive terraces in the side of the mountain. The tenth and ninth ring are built upon the flatlands and foothills of the mountain. Each ring grows progressively higher until you reach the royal castle where the highest spire is higher than the peak of the mountain.

* **Tenth Ring -** Given almost entirely to farming, most of the food of the city is grown in the tenth ring. Standing on one of the guard towers you can only see the other side on a clear day. There are four gates corresponding to the cardinal directions, each with a town formed just inside each gate. The South Gate and East Gate, called the King's Gate, are the busiest, imports of food from the former and trade from the east. The North Gate is seldom used itself but it is situated so as to collect goods shipped downriver and bring them into the city. The Western gate is the smallest of the four and rarely used.
* **Ninth Ring -** The ninth ring is the most populous of the rings. Many visitors never see any more of the city than the ninth ring. Divided into several districts, each district functions as it's own town and each district grows more wealthy as you travel away from the river. The 9th also contains the Grand Bazar where goods form all over the world can be found and is the only reason inhabitants of the higher rings would travel down to the 9th.
* **Eighth Ring -** The eighth ring holds homes for the strong middle class of Myrcia. There are few retail establishments in this ring leading to this ring being well traveled.
* **Seventh Ring -** The seventh ring is the Sacred Ring, home to most of the religious establishments of Myrcia.  Temples to the entire pantheon of Myrcia can be found here including the Church of Volk and the cemetery and catacombs. After the seventh ring the average visitor would need a pass to go higher.
* **Sixth Ring -** The Sixth Ring is devoted almost entirely to the Bureaucracy of Myrcia.  The great Myrcian Library is here as well as the Jail and entrance to the fabled Myrcian Dungeons.  Trials are held here in the Halls of Inquisituion, where the inquisition lays their cases before the Grand Inqusitors, and where people are sentenced.  The main branch of the Myrcian Bank is here Run by the Dwarven Noble Family, the Ironhammers. The Senate of the Rings and the Guild Council are located here. There are many stores which cater to people on the go or to the scribes who spend their lives here
* **Fifth Ring -** The Fifth Ring belongs to the wealthier people of Myrcia.  Merchant Lords, retired adventurers, and great warriors live here.  The stores here cater to select clientele and usually do not sell to people without introduction
* **Fourth Ring -** The Fourth ring is the Upper Market, shops for the truly exquisite, and where the rich and powerful get their food and drink. Home to the Guild of Magic and Myrcian Globe Hall, and the Bardic College, are found on this ring.  There is even a Zoo!
* **Third Ring -** The third Ring belongs to the richest merchants in Myrcia and the guild leaders. The city Marshal’s home is also here.  Those with great station are sometimes offered homes on this ring. The third ring is also the location of the Aeries of Myrcia where the Griffin knights are trained and stationed.
* **Second Ring -** The second ring belongs to the nobles.  Only the great families of Myrcia have homes on the 9th ring.  There are no stores here; everything is delivered from lower rings.
* **Royal Palace -** King Lionheart and his family have become mythological in the eyes of Myrcians. Only the most trusted individuals are granted audience with the royal family and the word of the king is considered the word of the gods. No one enters the royal castle except the royal family, not even the great noble families are granted acess. All meetings with king lion heart or his family are usually held in the royal palaces on the ninth ring.

## Society

Myrcia is a city of bureaucracy and of contradictions. The city is both inclusive and structurally racist. Monstrous races, often derogatorily called "The children of Lillith", are common on the continent, due to the continent's Great Curse. The city, by population, is over 50% monstrous races. However Humans make up the the other half and the upper classes are inordinately human, who tend to look down on the Monstrous underclass. This dichotomy is reinforced by the teachings of Sol, which views monsters and their ilk as a curse upon the land, and the fact that without the abilities of the monstrous races Myrcia would not have existed to today.

### Customs

Myrcia is one of the few truly multicultural cities and its customs of dress and mannerisms reflect that fact. A market in Myrcia is filled with goods from around the world, shipped in from Meribia the nearby coastal town. There is rarely a day that goes by without a district in the city holding a festival or religious ceremony of some kind. There are two festivals that are held city wide. The Festival of the long night, the celebration of the New moon, and Luna's Rising, The "mourning" of the full moon. Due to the nature of Myrcia the full moon is a time of despair. Lycanthropy is rampant across Myrcia, with Wererats, called Skaven, even having their own subculture in the city. During the time of the full moon, which lasts for four days every three months, everyone boards up their windows, the city guard are called into the streets, and mercenaries are given a blank commission to protect the city. Even so the city usually has several instances of "civil unrest" during the full moon. During the New moon, or Long Night, people often stay up late holding bonfires and lighting torches. It is a religious ceremony where people pray for the return of the sun and ward off monsters and other creatures of the night.

Being a Feudal Monarchy, land holders in Myrcia are considered Lords or Ladies and given special privileges for their nobility. There are many houses but they were all created from the original ten noble houses. In addition each house is associated with a guild or trade. While not in control of each Guild, the Guild provides each house with favors in exchange for the benefit of their nobility. Often this is how the main noble houses achieve thier wealth as taxes within the city are tightly controlled by the office of the Marshal.

### Religion

The primary religion in Myrcia is the Myrcian pantheon of Gods. Most of the city worships the entire pantheon but giving prayers to specific gods for specific life events.