Hago

The City of Hago is approximately 800 years old, and its population is approximately 200,000. Hago was founded by Plob the Elder, the leader of a migrating band of Elves and Humans known as The First Few.

The city is incorporated into the end of a seaside cliff on the south side of the continent.  The city is built right up to the edge of the water, which is thoroughly developed into docks.  An artificial reef, grown by the magical botany department at the university, dissipates ocean waves before they reach the docks, making Hago an ideal port.

## City government:

The major governing body of Hago is the Hago City Council (9 elected members, 1 per borough).

The city council appoints the High Court of Hago (5 judges, appointed for life), which is often considered to be unfair agents of the aristocracy outside of The Core, East Block, and East Cliff, which are the boroughs all of the judges are from (likely due to their ability to pay the exhorbinant bribes that have become the most common way to get a seat on the bench).

Advised by and complimentary to the city council is the Mayor of Hago (elected). The mayor is aided in their work by the Assistant Mayor of Hago (runner up in the election); the relationship between the Mayor and Assistant Mayor is often adversarial, but usually productive.

A defunct monarchy exists. The royal family has no formal power but their opinions are given great weight by many of the residents of Hago.

## Public Services

Hago provides a great deal of public services to its citizens.

### Water and Sewage

Hago has a very old and complicated water system, which provides clean water to all boroughs at public wells and safe disposal of sewage. The Hago Sewer is large enough to traverse in many places and extremely difficult to map due to its complexity and the presence of thousands of unofficial extensions to it. Because of this, it is a common way to move covertly in the city, as well as a permanent residence and public space for many (mostly Ratfolk and Tiefling) citizens. The water pipes and sewer are managed by the Department of Magical Sanitation (not to be confused with the Department of Magical Hygiene.)

## Boroughs

The city of Hago is divided into 9 boroughs:

The Shore

The Shore is a relatively poor area, mostly occupied by fisherman, farm hands, and laborers.  As it trails off towards the west, it transforms slowly into farmland (called “The Flats”).

West Block

The West Block is a relatively poor neighborhood, which is predominately non-elf, non-human races. It’s notably home to The X (formally, the Blodon College Extension Academy), which was established by Blodon College as a public service project, but is largely considered to be corrupt and ineffective.

Old Town

Old Town is a transitional neighborhood between The Core and the West Cliff.  It is also populated largely by elves, who maintain relatively independent trade networks from the humans who are more common in The Core and East Block.

The Core

The Core is the downtown business district of Hago, studded with large, brilliantly decorated (usually stone and iron) buildings. The Hago City Hall and High Court of Hago are here, as well as the city’s largest school, Blodon College. The streets are usually busy with heavy foot traffic, as there are three markets here (the Hago Fish Market, directly on the harbor, the College Market, sitting below the Canopy, and the Old City Market, which is a consumer market on the eastern side of the borough sitting just east of Blodon Mansion (locally called "The Castle"). Beneath The Core sit the well-used Trade Tunnels, which are used both by merchants and well-off/official travelers to move people and goods from the
harbor to various destinations in the core.

East Block

East block is a relatively rich commercial and residential area to the south and east of the core.  It houses two market districts – Point Market and the East Cliff District, a very long commercial district running along the seaside. The Barracks, home of the Hago Militia, is here. The East Block is largely populated by humans and elves, though the extensive ports on the sea side of the district are home to traders, merchants, soldiers and civilians of a wide variety of races.

West Cliff

The west cliff is the poorest borough in Hago, and is home to mostly non-human and monstrous races, including Ratfolk, Tieflings, Spikeback Lizardfolk, and half-orcs. This area is a hotbed of gang activity and organized crime. It is bounded on the east by The Garden, a narrow raised garden with armed guards, which is a thinly-veiled wall between this borough and the much wealthier East Cliff.

East Cliff

The east cliff is predominantly populated by elves, humans, and half-elves. Here, high fashion and conspicuous consumption are the status quo.

The Steps

The steps are large terraces build into the hillside at the western edge of the cliff, each connected to each other by a humongous public stairway (which also serves as a market corridor). There are three steps, lower, middle, and upper. The steps are home to the few dwarves in the city (who, as descendants of the workers who build the steps, live in stone homes built directly into the structure of them). The steps are also known for their illegal activity, but of a somewhat high class.  The organized crime here is quire affluent and refined. This is the home of The Mouths, a gang run by tieflings and humans that is suspected of being involved in several high-profile assassinations.

Tops

Tops encompasses the top of the cliff, and mostly is pseudo-farmland with a rough-and-tumble but homey feel.  Towards the outskirts of this borough, many homes are only sod or wooden shacks. Neighborhoods in Tops are often controlled by gangs – some of which act as functional local governments.