"Welcome to Salis Freeport, the Sparkling Jewel in the Navel of the World!" Much as the Benaedresha may know about trade and commerce, they still have a long way to go when it comes to commercial marketing and tourism. Anyway, the city never sleeps cuz' it's just too damn hot, the markets never close and *everything is duty free!!!* They also have the largest Temple to Behldamh in the world, housing the most extensive and advanced Alchemist's Guild Research Facility ever destructed (sic- generally every 2 or 3 years, because:) that means they have, beyond any doubt or hope of challenge, the most spectacular holiday fireworks displays on either continent or island!!! (rated #1 by Poets', Fools' and Madmen's Really All-manac (C)(TM) for over a hundred running or else. . .)
A little more than a hundred miles inland from the coast of the Suntrack Sea, the Salis 'Freeport' neatly straddles the sluggish Salis River (some call it the Long Bog) literally bridging the Twin Kingdoms of Gorhstan and D'Jelaekhar at one of the only two points where its natural border can be crossed. The Salis is unusual in the world in that it establishes a political border between nations rather than `constituting a major traffic way within and through a surrounding realm. However, given the width of the low lying basin that gives its course, it is banked for nearly its entire length by broad marshlands that make it impassable to any significantly large traffic such as an army. The only other point of passage lies at its origin in the confluence of the Upper Salis and Tinwater rivers at the refining and shipping town of Bard's Ferry. Massive deposits of copper and tin being found ages ago throughout the foothills around the respective headwaters of the two rivers led to human and gnomoii settlement in the region as far back as the late AOS, though the search for more important iron ores during the last glacial period made this a lesser concern and the long foothill region forming the southern marches of the Twin Kingdoms was never extensively settled. Even so, a steady supply of quality ores was shipped overland to both capitols for centuries allowing the sparse population to subsist in relative comfort and security regardless of surrounding hardships. With improvements in smelting and refining techniques gradually disseminated in the early millenia of the ANS, the shipping point for the raw ores at Bard's Ferry, then still the only overland thoroughfare between the two realms, expanded to an industrial processing town, gaining more income through the export of refined metals and greatly reducing the the transport overhead of the previously massive ore caravans. Even so, demand for the raw metals was never particularly high and overland traffic between the two realms, routed far out of the way southward, remained limited to the marketable production of the mines and the influx of needed supplies. Given the security of their common border and the absence of any significant threats or pressures to the south of them, the Twin Kingdoms themselves grew and flourished side by side in an unusually friendly and cooperative fashion. Each having more passable waterways flowing through their hearts to the southern equatorial coast, commerce between them grew primarily in the form of coastal shipping routes between their principal port cities of Port D'Jelarh and Kehlarniss. Eventually however, as overall trade steadily increased throughout the nations of the Suntrack Sea, shipping activity began to grow beyond the capacities of their harbors. Even the secondary harbor of Port D'Jedarh established midway between Port D'Jelarh and the massive swampland of the Salis River delta and designed to accommodate the deeper draft and wider beam of newer hull designs could only alleviate the burden for a time and it became clear that a viable overland caravan route was needed to relieve the coastal ports' overcapacity of the interstate trade.
The only viable point of crossing the Salis was among the low limestone hills and bluffs overlooking the river just south of where it emptied into the vast bayous of the Salis Delta. The terrain fortuitously provided firm banks at the narrowest stretch of the river's entire length but created a correspondingly deep channel and powerful current making ferrying operations extremely hazardous and often disastrously costly in terms of both goods and lives. Approximately 1500 yrs BP (Before Present), an enterprising Benaedreshan bronzeworker named Duerndel Racjak of the Cjendek coppersmith's clan recognized the location's great potential for the production and export of finished metalworks supplied cheaply and easily by refined ores shipped downriver by barge from Bard's Ferry. This would significantly improve the flagging economy of the mining region by both increasing demand for ores which it could easily meet while at the same time drastically reducing the expense of shipping them from the source to the crafts guilds purchasing the raw materials. In typical gnomoii fashion he then presented the solution to the previously insurmountable problem of financing the monumental expense of constructing a permanent bridge across the Salis River capable of handling what would obviously become a huge volume of caravan traffic between the Twin Kingdoms. Previously neither burgeoning realm had been willing to shoulder the cost of such an ambitious and risky engineering and construction project and had been unable to reach any agreement regarding any joint proposal to meet this growing need. Duerndel instead put his vision entirely into private hands, persuading investors from numerous guild, mercantile and noble houses, both Benaedrishan and Malenoshan in both kingdoms who could readily see that despite it's great cost the structure would easily pay for itself in less than a single generation. This financial consortium then had little difficulty persuading their respective rulers to permit the founding of a single city located in both realms and straddling the river by means of a bridge provided entirely at their own expense. Further, they were able to facilitate the negotiations between the Twin Kingdoms establishing an unprecedented trade agreement eliminating all tariffs and customs duties upon any goods entering either realm through the city in exchange for the agreement to charge no fees or tolls for the use of the bridge linking them together. Additionally, while the city's potential tax revenue was extremely attractive to both, the difficulties and responsibilities of actually managing such a metropolis jointly were clearly unfeasible and as neither was willing to relinquish control and profit to the other eventually both reluctantly agreed to permit the city its unheard of independence from either! In exchange the city's founders agreed to shoulder all expense and responsibility for construction, maintenance, governance and law enforcement not only of the city itself but the entire stretch of the Salis River between its banks from it's confluence at Bard's Ferry all the way to the sea, including the troublesome and unexplored expanse of the great Salis Swamp to which both had historically and quite insistently been more than happy to cede claim to the other. . . Thus, entirely unique in the world, was the Salis Freeport established.
The first, and principal bridge in the city took only five years to build. More amazing was the minimal loss of life and limb to accident during such a hazardous undertaking. Built of local limestone cut from the surrounding bluffs, the primary engineering problem was simply the placement of the three gargantuan stone blocks properly upon the riverbed to support the four masonry arches between them and the limestone abutments upon either bank. Five costly magical rituals were performed to move these monolithic foundations into place and further magical means employed to safely construct the extensive falsework centering upon the piers required by the Rimenoshan stone masons to assemble the arches. Although the roadbed filled only half the bridges width, once paved the bridge was open to traffic wide enough to allow two large wagons to pass each other easily without crowding. Further construction continued for a number of years beyond as the various investors then built shop space out to the parapet walls and eventually up and over the roadbed itself, further increasing the compression and stability of the structure until the bridge was entirely covered and enclosed.
Should've included this last night: map and some current regional developments significantly affecting Salis Freeport (http://www.thecbg.org/wiki/index.php/Malenorian_Empire#Regional) more to follow tonight - don't worry it gets much wyrder. . . And stay out of the Salis Swamp (concept, text, image by R.K.Milholland);
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As expected the location quickly became a thriving and prosperous community boasting the best appointed caravanserai in the nations along the Suntrack Sea and soon beyond. Open market bazaars were well established upon either bank no more than a stone's throw from the stables, warehouses and associated industries already springing up no sooner than the bridge's monumental piers and abutment had been set in place. By the time it was completed either bank was lined with solid stone retaining walls anchoring a series of piers for river craft and teeming with the activity of the numerous guild halls the docks supplied. Eventually the jetties and wharfs would extend nearly a mile both up and down river.
Dwarven craftsmen were employed not only to construct the bridge but for the levees and a number of other projects, in particular the extensive stone quarrying the work required. Once the principal monoliths had been cut from the steep hillside facing the eastern end of the bridge the stone cutters proceeded to tunnel directly into the hill, cutting the smaller blocks used in the bridge from the tunnels center's and utilizing the rubble produced around the blocks in various other public constructions, simultaneously hollowing out the eventual Undertown structures as they built those above ground. The Coppersmith's Guild commissioned first the construction of large presses and before the autumn monsoons had set in the rooftops of the town shone brightly with the copper sheets which have become its hallmark. Even after the initial boom the town continued to grow steadily over the century before it's expansion tapered off. Even so, today one or two new structures are added yearly and Salis Freeport has become renowned for the stately elegance and beauty of its architecture built of local limestone and nearby sandstone, tropical hardwoods harvested from the edges of the swamp and the copper, brass and bronze appointments of its master craftsmen.
Not surprisingly, this overnight boomtown drew vast numbers and variety of people seeking both its inherent freedom and proffered wealth and security. It's initial founders established a governing Guild Council headed by a town Lord selected for an indefinite term by the Lord's Cabinet, made up of the heads (or their local family appointees) of the founding noble houses. These latter were all 'Twining Houses,' noble families from either kingdom which had intermarried with those of the other sufficiently that the same house could claim titled members in both kingdoms.
When the reigning Lord and Cabinet were all assassinated about 700 years BP by an angry alchemist (and most of the Cabinetry's structure destroyed in the explosion) this portion of the government was replaced by a mayor elected every five years by the leading families of the city. Voting right, and weight, in the election is determined by a rather complicated scale of tax revenue received from each family for both income and property levees. Functionally, the wealthier a family, the more votes it has. Extensive family business branches (quite common) can either be parsed by name of family members holding separate deeds (cousins operating various shops, warehouses, caravans etc. in their own names) or incorporated under the head of the extended House over all '" ultimately the number of votes the family exercises works out to be the same. While many of these are still noble families in the Twin Kingdoms, Salis Freeport neither ennobles nor acknowledges any privilege of title held elsewhere and divisions of class have become purely matters of wealth and occupation.
Well before the town had grown to the size of a small city certain patterns of social strata were clearly manifest '" both in the town's geography and the interactions and activities of it's citizens. By and large practitioners of nearly all occupations faired rather better than their neighboring peers in the region, the proportional wealth and prestige accorded various trades and professions remained the same and in many cases was even further emphasized by the unusually high degree of influence wielded by the guilds in municipal affairs. As typical of nearly all cities built along the banks of a major river, the sewer and storm drainage systems constructed led to and emptied into the Salis, accumulating ever greater amounts as one followed its flow until the city's waste emptied into the vast swamp where it was easily absorbed by nature's own system of decay and waste treatment. Naturally property was valued much higher further upstream and the poorer residents pushed closer to the the edge of the swamp along with the city's waste. The expression, 'Shit always moves downriver' became a common euphemism for this pattern of municipal development.
. . .The expression, 'Shit always moves downriver' became a common euphemism for this pattern of municipal development. This is now even more clearly reflected with the subsequent additions of two other bridges above and below the original. In order to relieve the increasing congestion of traffic across the bridge (at times taking as much as an hour to cross), the second, slightly narrower but much statelier bridge was constructed about half a mile upriver some 5 centuries later from marble cut far to the south and floated by barge to the city. This too was subsequently covered over by the construction of a number of (very exclusive) luxury shops such as furriers, chandlers, perfumers, vintners and jewelers being the most prominent. The fine woodwork and cuprous appointments, most notably it's numerous lamps, clearly advertise the wealth and privilege of the financial, university and residential estate districts which it connects. Cargo laden wagons and carts were forbidden to use this bridge and it soon became known as the Carriage Bridge to distinguish it from the original Wagon Bridge. About 150 year later the narrowest, wooden Cart Bridge was constructed about a half a mile downstream connecting the slums and shantytowns of the Tannery and Abattoir Ghettos. Little provision was made to facilitate further construction upon the bridge itself as it had no arches requiring additional compression weight for stability. Regardless, numerous small, cramped structures soon sprouted upon its sides, many seeming to dangle perilously out over the river with other, even smaller rooms perched precariously on top of them.
Since it's founding, Salis Freeport has grown to be one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the world. If the denizens of Undertown are counted as well the population as swollen to easily over 100,000 residents welcoming thousands of travelers daily. The actual population and geographic extent of the Undertown is not known and it is recognized as constituting an independent, self governing domain. As with envoys representing the Twin Kingdoms, Salis Undertown likewise liaises with the Guild Council. All three emissaries are accorded the same speaking privileges in council sessions as the guild representatives although they have no voting rights. Further expanding the municipal census to an unknown degree, (with estimates ranging from a few hundred to tens of thousands) the denizens of the Salis Swamp also merit note. Long known to harbor a primitive saurian race within its depths, it is now also home to a significant humanoid population, predominantly a mixture of humans and a more reclusive ethnic group of the Benaedresha commonly referred to as Whisper Gnomes. While many who live in the swamp are simply outlaws and fugitives, most actually have ties and contacts within the city. The Whisper Gnomes in particular are nearly all secretive branches of prominent Benaedrishan financial and mercantile houses. More will be said of these and their activities later, but for now it should be noted that, while nominally under the rule of the city, the bayou inhabitants in fact constitute a law unto themselves.
Business, Wealth and Taxes
The cities robust economy derives from a fortuitous combination of a number of very lucrative enterprises. Seated squarely upon the border between the Twin Kingdoms and servicing the only viable overland trade route between them, considerable employment and revenue are generated by the needs of a huge volume of caravan traffic. The Twin Kingdoms have maintained a free trade agreement between them for nearly 2000 years and in order to relieve their overburdened ports this was later modified with the cities founding such that all goods arriving by sea are assessed by the port authorities the normal customs as those of any other foreign origin. Goods carried overland however are permitted to pass through Salis Freeport and enter either realm duty free. The result as that virtually all merchant traffic between them passes through the city.
The city is also well known for the quality and volume of its metal crafts supplied by the abundant mineral resources at the river's headwaters. Of particular importance is the copper sheeting produced. While a significant amount is used in the city itself, more than half of it is exported westward under extended contracts to merchants in Gorhstan's port city of Minnevahl. These then sell it to the numerous Khurorkh shipyards throughout the countless islands of The Neck. The Khuhrorkh discovered the technique of lining their hulls with this thousands of years ago. As barnacles and other marine life are able to find very little purchase upon it, the encrustation which builds up on wooden hulls and over time produces considerable drag in the water, as well as degrading the hull's integrity, is quite insignificant. As a result, copper clad vessels continue to perform at their top speeds long after leaving dry dock and require such servicing to scrape the accumulation away and replace needed sheets much less frequently. Since the islands of the Malenorian Empire contain few significant copper deposits, the incredible size of the Imperial fleets make it impossible to emulate this technology through foreign import.
. . .Since the islands of the Malenorian Empire contain few significant copper deposits, the incredible size of the Imperial fleets make it impossible to emulate this technology through foreign import. While certainly not the only factor, this clearly contributes significantly to the Khurorkh naval superiority in the eternal conflict throughout The Narrows between the two powers. The Empire has frequently sought to negotiate contracts for this abundant and valuable commodity and its proposals have been constantly and firmly rebuffed. In light of the generally restrictive nature of Malenorian trade policies and the Empire's draconian practices toward shipping throughout the waters of the Suntrack Sea this is unlikely to change appreciably. (Malenorian envoys are still welcomed in the city's diplomatic International Zone with the same courtesy as all others, but this is primarily to afford the guilds the amusement of seeing the expressions of impotent fury on their faces when their requests and proposals are denied.) The city further exports a wide variety copper, brass and bronzeworks, high quality items made from local hardwoods and rubber and a small amount of handblown mastercraft glassworks derived from native sandy soils deposited by changes long past in the river's course producing their distinctive deep 'Salis Green' color.
Dominated by the broad Council Hill, the southwestern quarter of the city harbors the Civic, University, Temple and Consulate Districts (the latter two comprising the heart of Salis Freeport's infamous International Zone). These support extensive business among the many Professional and Service Guilds as well as the wholesale and retail of imported and specialty products such as materia magica, foreign spices, dyes and fabrics, books, scrolls and other texts and artwork, etc. Between the quarter's many enclosed shops and the countless stalls of the open Market Bazaar virtually anything can be found or acquired given sufficient time and money. As one travels further south upriver and onto the plain the urban districts give way to the estates of the city's wealthiest families.
North of the caravan High Road extending from the Wagon Bridge and dividing the city in half, the numerous inns and taverns lining the river and road surrounding the Theatre District give way to the warehouses, stables and caravanserais supporting the Market Bazaar. Further north are the middle class human and gnomoii residential districts upon and within the twin Beacon Hills. (Since the construction of the large complex of the Temple of Behldamh with its Hospice of the Lady and adjacent Alchemist's Guild Hall at their base, these northwestern landmarks have become commonly known among residents alternatively as the Madwoman's Tits and the Bursting Breasts.) Sandwiched further north between these, the river and the edge of the swamp, the more courageous or desperate will find the often partially flooded (and rarely patrolled) tenements and slums of the Abattoir District.
On the Eastern side of the river many of the noble families of the Twin Kingdoms maintain estates south of the High Road. The far larger Garrison Quarter covers and surrounds Gaoler's Bluff and Salis Undertown on the north side of the road. Lining the riverbanks are the halls of the numerous craft guilds. Packed between them and the sheer face of the honeycombed limestone bluff can be found the bustling Trades District with its numerous shops, taverns and inns and the city's Red Lantern District just above the flood plain of the slums and shanty town of the Tannery District crowded up against the edge of the swamp. Crowning the bluff is the principal garrison, barracks, administrative offices and gaol of the city watch which gives the quarter and it's principal landmark their names. The broad western slope of the hill is covered with residential sectors extending out onto the plain which houses the facilities of the Mercenary's Guild and the Regimental Headquarters and Prime Battalion of the famous Harak Shyz'n (Khurorkh) Infantry Brigade. Numerous security firms can be found here recruiting personnel and contracting their services both within the city and as caravan guards throughout the region. By separate contract the Mercenaries Guild also staffs, supplies, equips, houses and maintains the city's watch and its facilities. To avoid conflicts of interest, all personnel servicing the city's contract, from the top level administration to the lowest rank and file, must terminate all other contracts, sovereign or private before swearing their oath to the city. Functionally then, the guild proper simply performs recruiting and contract brokerage services for a separate, quasi-private law enforcement corps. Lining the High Road between these sectors and the estates to the south are the extensive warehouses, stables and caravanserais associated with the expanse of the Commodities Market.
Law, Freedom, and the International Zone
Not surprisingly, the open and rather liberal atmosphere of the city encourages a great deal of activity of rather dubious legality. The home office of Freetrading Gentlemen from the furthest reaches of both continents, in Salis Freeport or the shadows of the Salis Swamp one can, given deep enough pockets and connections, contract virtually any product, commodity or service to be provided virtually anywhere in the known world. Within the city itself explicitly illegal activities and goods are severely curtailed and the law strictly enforced. Given the flourishing gray market this is more easily accomplished than in other metropolitan centers. Smuggling, for instance, constitutes a marginally legitimate trade through the city. Given the long standing free trade agreement between the Twin Kingdoms, cargoes entering and leaving the city are not inspected as they are assumed to have originated in one or the other realm (or have been assessed any duties upon entry into the realm before transport to Salis). For certain foreign cargoes then, it can be more lucrative to bypass the ports of either kingdom, with ships anchoring off the coast beyond the Salis River Delta and offloading into small boats which then disappear into the swamp. From there they are moved up river into the city and merged, with forged manifests, into outbound caravans for sale, free of customs, tariffs or duties in either kingdom. While both kingdoms are aware that this occurs, and address it directly with coastal naval patrols, so long as the Freeport's activities do not significantly undermine the force of law or security of either it simply isn't worth the effort to take any further steps to counter. This is one of the reason's why the City Watch does enforce such laws as are in place with great certitude '" the guild council remains very cognizant of the need to ensure that the city never becomes a significant thorn in the side of either kingdom.
Even more lucrative, and hazardous, is the trade in information and espionage. For centuries the Freeport has provided safe haven for the agents and factors of countless interests, political, religious, mercantile and racial. Countless wars and rebellions, assassinations, coups and fiats, successful and otherwise, have been both conceived and concluded in the blue-green light of the city's lanterns '" the most expensive and dangerous having been accomplished without the world any the wiser. The diversity of the Diplomatic Quarter harbors the desires and knowledge of virtually every known, and more than a few relatively unknown, culture upon and beneath the face of the world. The University District, between the river and Council Hill and the Civic District upon (and within) the hill itself are well patrolled by the Watch from the auxiliary Civic Garrison at the hill's north end, as are the shops and Bazaar of the Market District adjacent to the garrison. To the south and west of the quarter however begins the Temple District which extends further out onto the plain into the Consulate District. As these two consist of numerous compounds which police themselves according to a bewildering array of diverse canonical and foreign laws and customs, they constitute a rarely patrolled and virtually lawless municipal sector that has become known as the Freeport's International Zone, or simply Interzone.
Sorry that I haven't responded sooner. You have so much detailed information on the city and its surrounding area, excellent work. Also the redneck tree was both unnecessarily disturbing and resoundingly hilarious at the same time.
Thanks. I laughed my ass off the first time I saw that.
Beginning of map follows. Nothing labeled, but hopefully from the descriptions the principal landmarks are readily identifiable. Red lines indicate general contour - I'm figuring about 100 - 150 feet. The flood plain from the river fans out at the bottom. Scale is approx. 1 mile to each large square; small squares = 525 ft. This is a sprawling city - it hleps to realize that one of those small squares can easily contain a typical high school football field w/bleachers and outbuilding etc., out to it's surrounding fence line. These are just the principal thoroughfares but they help define the various districts. N.B., this is oriented toward the south (river flows from top to bottom).
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Now is is good that 'Interzone' sounds so futuristic? Maybe, but it's bugging me.
[blockquote=S&M]The city further exports a wide variety copper, brass and bronzeworks, high quality items made from local hardwoods and rubber and a small amount of handblown mastercraft glassworks derived from native sandy soils deposited by changes long past in the river's course producing their distinctive deep 'Salis Green' color.[/blockquote]
This one worked, just so you know. I like the local flavor here.
The whole ore. smelting and metaltrading works very well in a system where alchemists can be a power. If the system you choose to run with has actual alchemists, with actual use for alchemy and enhanced ore work, Freeport makes great sense. I worry if it makes as much sense if magic supercedes alchemy, if alchemy would be swallowed by magic.
Yeah - it doesn't quite meld smoothly with other terms in use. I'm considering the Liminus, but basically want the idea/feel of multiple borders and flux. In many ways you can travel to a variety of widely variant locales within the IZ expanse (Sigil has a similar feel) and in a few places secret magical gateways and portals (terrestrial and interplanar) have been established. (Knowledge of and access to these is extremely guarded.) It does constitute a cultural crossroads on the surface, with a more literal crossroads behind the facade of an international diplomatic collective. It's odd - the city's 1500 years old, and yet in many ways feels young. Still, at this time it is probably the single most significant locus in the entire setting - hence I'll be developing it in great depth. Anything occurring anywhere will produce subtle, tell-tale ripples here for those few with the perception to detect and interpret them, so their needs to be layers within layers of this microcosm, and like many of my creations, a delicate balance of powers is constantly at play - here many games on many levels. Not surprisingly, the Church of Behldamh has it's Holy See here, though located well away from the Temple District (more below). Really I'm just working on the infrastructure right now - the elements of local geopolitics and commerce which combine to make this unique location possible, and observing the implications thereof. I'm considering the idea of magical data havens - vast libraries of orbs containing histories, memories, etc. (think 21st century cyber data havens and the wide variety of data they store). Salis would only hold a minor one, but one or more gates would connect to the biggest from somewhere in here. Proof of every single treasonous plot conceived since the Dawn of the New Sun (and many older) could be accessed by someone who knows were to look. Those who don't would never even get close. No one notes the quantity of halfling caravans moving through and stopping at the Hostel of Surnest.
Alchemy is big here - I'll be getting to that. So is Behldamh - the Lady's church has been based from the Temple and Hospice here for nearly a millenium. The complex also houses the only monastery the church has. (I'm still trying to get a handle on what these mad monks would be like - meditation has proven an effective treatment for many disorders, but I think would have some very unexpected side effects as those with rather skewed perceptions of reality gain greater insight. . .) Note that alchemy in 3.5 is a branch of magic - which they haven't really developed well - I'll be looking toward that later. It tends to bridge the magical and physical technologies. Alchemical refining and enhancement of physical metals is costly and cannot be performed in large quantities, making items incorporating it uncommon and expense masterwork handcrafts. Naturally, given the various elements present - Salis is a principal producer of said in the world.
And definitely more local flavor to come.
Stay out of the swamp. Seriously
As labyrinthine as the intrigues which fuel it, Interzone is a veritable warren of deception and counter-deceits. Smoke and mirrors are the tools of amateurs where virtuoso's dance in the shadows of ancient powers and purposes which very few can perceive with even the faintest clarity. Some find it surprising, while others readily expect, that nearly all of the city's eleven population may be found here, along side many other races little known to most of the world and still less understood.
Civil and contract law formulate far more of the legal concerns within Salis Freeport since so much business is conducted there. Below (directly down river from) the University District, the Professional District ends among the stationers and clerks shops lining the High Road at the western foot of the Caravan Bridge. It is said that the riverside paper mills and presses never cease printing nor the scrivener's quills of The Artery pause in their records. The city's courts, civil and criminal, lie on the northern end of Council Hill, above the Civic Garrison on Courier's Way, facing the Arc of the Magistracy. The Civic Garrison constitutes nearly a third of the Watch personnel and patrols the Diplomatic Quarter and Market Bazaar, sending a single squad per shift through the Interzone, while the remainder of the city is patrolled from the Watch Garrison on Gaoler's Bluff.
Within the city in general, the Watch is constituted of four shifts leaving garrison every six hours to patrol the city for six hours before making way back to garrison. Dawn and Dusk Patrols normally consist of four personnel led by a Sergeant-At-arMs, while in the heat of the Noon Patrol squads only consist of two members and their SAM. Night Patrol is actually heaviest with a Commanding Officer of the Watch Leading (COWL), aided by a SAM and six personnel
Watchers typically wear bronze studded leather armor 'sailors' coats' with bronze bucklers and are armed with a naval pike (naginata with a hook added), light crossbow, morningstar and scimitar. Sailor's coat's are a style of light armor (only) common throughout tropical zone and among ships marines and similar naval combatants. Worn like a robe and belted at the waist, it extends to just below the knees. Most often sleeveless, it is generally made of lighter material overall than a similar suit of armor, making it cooler, but is doubled across the torso in front, providing more protection than usual where it is most needed. Some form of bracer or other covering is usually worn on the arms. More importantly to maritime users, a sailor's coat can be removed in a matter of moments should the wearer fall overboard. SAMs typically wear the same style of armor a buckler, light repeating crossbow, retarii (net and trident) and short sword, while COWLS wear chainmail coats and small shields, bearing a hand crossbow and hanger (rapier with bronze fittings). Numbers of squads varies by quarter and shift (generally one squad per district) but the Watch Garrison always posts a Quarter Command squad in each the two city markets and in the local Penny Market near the Cart Bridge in the Garrison Quarter. Command squads always contain an adept or a cleric and a militant arcanist wearing chainmail coats and armed with quarterstaves. At night the Civic Garrison also posts a command squad in the University Commons. Investigative and further special (mostly healing and arcane) assets operate out of here as well, detailed to the Watch Garrison as needed.
It should be no surprise that the Civic Garrison is treated as the Watches' elite '" duty here is generally easier and safer (physically speaking,) and equipment better '" as the personnel from the Civic Garrison present a much higher public profile, at least in terms of a higher economic class among the public. In fairness, the duty necessitates a far more diplomatic approach in procedure and protocol than is generally required for the enforcement of law in the other Quarters, and to operate effectively in its districts, a higher degree of awareness, education and intelligence, of presence of mind in general, is needed of those who patrol there. (e.g., 90% of the incidents requiring Watch response which involve magic in some fashion occur in the Diplomatic Quarter.) Fencing skill is a requirement and guards are armed with hanger and sai, naval pikes and repeating crossbows rather than morningstars and scimitars. The distinctive bronze bucklers and small shields of the Watch throughout the city serve as identifying badges giving rise to locals referring to the City Watch as 'the Bronze.'
Just north of the Coach Bridge the River Watch maintains a wharf, warehouse and watchtower overlooking the river from the point at Goldwater Bend. (The three bends in the river's course as it flows through the city are known as Goldwater, Silverpiece and Penny'sworth Bends.) They patrol the riverfront in small skiffs each shift from the start of the levees about a mile upriver of the Carriage Bridge to the floodplains about a mile below the cart bridge. Beyond the city larger keel boats mounting ballistae in prow and stern leave each week for month long patrols the length of the river to Bard's Ferry and back. River piracy, while not common, does at times occur with small boats concealed among the cattail marshes lining the riverbanks swarming the slow and clumsy barges, lighters and keelboats plying the river highway. Skiffs and keel-boats also mount swiveling pintles on the gunwales capable of stabilizing light or heavy repeating crossbows. (Skiffs are outfitted with the same in the prow.) A handful of small, swift dhow (favored craft of those who choose to literally live on the river) also constantly patrol the river's length, serving as messengers and support vessels. With regard to jurisdiction, the Swamp is the responsibility of the River Watch. However, they will not (save under unusual and extreme circumstances) pursue any craft more than half a mile into the swamp upon the river proper and less than a quarter mile along any of the numerous shallow bayous branching from it. Ill equipped for the sodden and treacherous terrain, foot patrols likewise will not pursue anyone beyond the slums and shanty towns of the floodplain under the mossy eaves of the cypress groves at the swamp's edge. Regardless, very few can consider escaping into the sanctuary of the swamp as reaching a place of safety.
In light of the combination of a rather permissive laissez-faire civil code and its enforcement under semi-private contract, corruption and organized crime are relatively uncommon save at either the highest and lowest of extremes. The pervasiveness of semi-legitimate 'gray market' or shadow commerce has obviated much of the bulk illegal activity by which a concerted thieves' guild supports itself in most urban centers, leaving either petty crime and theft which could only organize itself on small patches of turf (and has done so quite pervasively) and is simply not worth the costs of bribery, or the rarer extremes such as slave trade, assassination, extortion and trade in highly dangerous and illegal (often magical) contraband in the very professional hands of local chapters of much larger and more resourceful organizations which tend to direct their subversive efforts toward the corruption of officials well above the level of the ranks of the constabulary. The one area of criminal activity which reaches into all levels of society is that of usury and money laundering. A city such as Salis is filled with the plans and schemes of those seeking to make a quick fortune at the expense of others, con artists and gamblers, and simply those pursuing what they believe to be 'the sure thing' that will leave them set. There are always those needing money to finance their latest 'sure bet' and in a city where so much money changes hands nightly, they can always find someone willing to back them in exchange for exorbitant assurances of repayment which will be forcibly met in cases of default. Additionally, the cumulative value of even petty theft and burglary can be sufficient as to require a fair amount of creativity and license in accounting for the exchange of property and money in a city where bookkeeping is generally very meticulous, hence a great deal of money circulates entirely off of record, constituting a second 'Highnoon Market' economy. (It should be noted that the climate throughout the equatorial region to the tropical bands at the height of an interglacial period is so oppressively hot at midday that very little activity occurs at this time year round save by absolute necessity. As a result, a great deal of criminal activity and business normally associated with the night time in other locales is conducted during the hottest part of the day when fewest are paying attention, giving rise to the term Highnoon rather than Black Market, where shady dealings are quite literally that and Shadows actually refer to the presence of some ambient light shed upon matters. . .) While a great deal of local jockeying occurs in the constant attempts to dominate this particular niche in illegal financing, there are too many with their hands in both markets to varying degrees and moving currency through the virtual membrane between them that no particular individual or organization has succeeded in doing so beyond the scope of a given district at best.
Most criminal activity in the city falling within the purview of the Watch is characterized by countless local Sets and Masques. Sets are essentially no more than minor, relatively low profile street gangs operating in small patches of often fiercely contested turf downriver from the Wagon Bridge. Masques on the other hand can be found wandering and loitering in the streets openly from sunset to sunrise from the Cart Bridge upriver to the edges of the Estate and Consulate Districts (and occasionally spilling over into them). These are not always necessarily criminal groups, but rather anonymous (masked) cohorts of young men and women often seeking no more than a sense of group identity and worth in their relief from boredom. Most will engage in some degree of petty crime, more distinctly through threat of violence than larcenous intent. The one illegal act which characterizes them all is dueling, although between Masques this is more an act of counting coup through the 'The Gentleman's Passe' than an attempt to seriously harm or kill. On the other hand, feuds between the Sets and Masques located, often in overlapping territories, among the districts between the Wagon and Cart Bridges are bitter and often bloody. Some Masques in these areas even act as vigilantes, offering 'protection' from the criminal activities of parallel Sets in exchange for money and/or other considerations and privileges.
Masquers are a social phenomenon originally unique to Salis Freeport, although the practice in recent decades has spread to other cosmopolitan centers along both coasts of the Suntrack Sea. Their origin stems from a now famous event some 500 years previously in which a local university student attending a masquerade managed to inadvertently give offense to the very intoxicated attache of a Fehladurh envoy. Having no actual desire to offend, much less harm the inebriated elf who would hear none of his apologies, the young man (fortunately the son of a well-known fencing master) parried his thrusts repeatedly until an opening in the elf's defense presented itself, whereupon he lunged suddenly past his exposed side to snare the handkerchief in his far breast pocket, snatching it out as he recovered and presenting it to his opponent upon the point of his rapier. Even intoxicated the elf recognized the fact that his reluctant foe could have readily dispatched him and humbly passed the victory to the young gentleman. The event (typically growing in its retelling,) caught the imagination of many of the students who began to form fencing clubs within the Collegium and nearby locales. Each club adopted a unique, heraldic pairing of colors and designs upon their fencing masks and the handkerchiefs they prominently displayed. They spent much of their free time after dark contesting with each other for prestige, usually illegally in the streets. The pastime, known as Masqueing, spread throughout the city over time so that by the end of a decade young Masquers were common among virtually all classes and occupations. Certain unwritten customs evolved around this, particularly with regard to the relative anonymity which the fencing masks provided. Masques never gather until after the sun has completely disappeared, donning their masks as Salistreiah touches the horizon and proceeding through the streets while she sets, whistling their Masques unique signature calls to each other as they rendezvous. Throughout the course of sunset no duels are engaged in and Masquers go to join their comrades unmolested. (Sets observe no such custom and frequently will assault a lone Masquer should they encounter one. It is not uncommon for members of a rival Masque to aid someone so ambushed.) Likewise at sunrise, as soon as Salistreah's edge appears above the horizon all duels and engagements immediately cease and combatants scatter through the streets and alleyways until no other Masquer is in sight of each other when they remove their masks as Salistreah comes completely into view. While wearing their masks Masquers assume entirely separate names and personas from their everyday and by tacit agreement none acknowledge the recognition of any alternate identities by day or night should they be aware of them. There are easily a little more than a hundred active Masques throughout the city at any given time, varying in size from three or four members to as many as twenty, roughly a dozen being the norm. They come and go over time, some are quite newly established and a handful can trace their history to the first Collegium fencing clubs. Harking back to their academic origins, Masques tend to have peculiar names derived from obscure references such as The Hungry Lantern Men, The Second Wind of Waiting and The Screaming Stone Children. If anything their sense of honor and prestige, even among the most recent, is even more inflated and prone to insult than that of the Fehladurh given that it is based solely upon its declaration and generally serves no further purpose than its own perpetuation. That said, many Masques certainly do engage in some sort of secondary pursuit with which they become associated, noble or criminal. It should be noted that open dueling is expressly outlawed in Salis Freeport, with formal Trials of Honor permitted upon the grounds of the Civic Garrison by registration and overseen by a Captain of the Watch serving as Marshall of the Lists.
>and there are more to cover in other parts of the city. . .
Churches, Orders and Other Interests
By this time Salis can easily claim to harbor within or beneath it a place of worship for every known deity in the world and chapter for every public Order or Society, with the specifically (and deliberately) noted exception of the Church of the True Suns. (Given the presence of envoys of the Order of Bright Suns in the official Malenorian Consulate within the Diplomatic District this no doubt isn't even entirely true. However, since Malenorian sovereignty is honored with regard to everything above the ground within the compound, it remains technically, and officially, correct. This particular legal definition has also given rise to the architectural practice throughout the District of laying some form of paving over virtually all soil within a consulate's walls, to the point of constructing raised gardens within the compounds. For the latter many however simply prefer to build some sort of aesthetically pleasing elevated pathway and decked structures through the courtyards and gardens, often preferring large pools and fountains for the latter.) Most, though not all, places of worship are found within the Temple District '" and these are accorded the same rights, and definitions of what constitutes canonical sovereignty within their enclosures. Elsewhere this is not the case, though rarely will the city enforce any form of jurisdiction within a temple, order or monastery's precincts. Status of those within Undertown is of course determined entirely independent of the city's purview.
The first temple constructed in the city of course was that of Delatrian Roadstar, the official Patron Deity of Salis Freeport. This remains the most prominent religious landmark, it's impressive facade and dome overlooking the Market Bazaar at the junction of the original Trade Highway and a number of other significant boulevards leading into the city from its western edge. Second in popularity in Salis is the Auburn Vault of Salistreah at the center of the Way of the Gods leading from the junction southeast toward Council Hill. Much less ostentatious, many might easily overlook the Archdiocesan See of The Friends were it not by far the busiest complex in the District. Situated at the heart of the Interzone where the Temple and Diplomatic Districts abut each other it is a constant, round the clock beehive of activity not only for the church proper but the numerous orders with which it is associated. Both an administrative hub and the churches' primary diplomatic training center, it coordinates the churches' various interests throughout the region of the Suntrack Sea and directly oversees more efforts within the Freeport itself than are engaged in by most dioceses. Clerics and Servants of The Friends consider Salis by far the most difficult and exhausting post in the entire organization, requiring the utmost abilities of their most experienced and skillful Pairs. In the center of the Temple District the enclosure of the Primordials' Park surrounds a thick Druids' Grove with the numerous shrines dedicated to the various Primes. A mixed handful of clerics, adepts, druids and monks can all be found together here tending the facilities and interceding for the faithful, those of Wu-Jai and Salimarah (as Goddess of the Rivers) being most numerous and many of her otters may be seen gamboling in and about the pools of the park where Wu-Jai's dragonflies fill the air like a dancing cloud of glittering jewels. The Sacred Apiaries of Dashin can also be found here as apiculture is an important pastoral industry throughout the tropical zone. The Salis Orchid honey and wisteria scented candles made from the wax of The Hives of the Mother here cannot be bought at any price, but are only presented as gifts every Mummer's Night by Dashin's clerics as their Goddess deems fit. Leaving the Market Bazaar by the Way of the Gods one passes the sprawling Hostel of the Moons. This is the only location on either continent where the churches of Melanar and Surnest have combined their resources, but as the Hospital of the Bloodmoon grew in renown many traveled from far away to seek healing. The result is viewed by many as simply an example of orkhiish and halfling pragmatism and as such rather unremarkable in spite of its uniqueness. Nevertheless, rest and healing may be found by many within the hostel in exchange for participation in the labor and needs of maintaining the facilities for the duration of one's stay. Beyond the Auburn Vault then may be found the Measure of Fate and finally, at the juncture of the Way of the Gods with the Civic Course at the southern end of the long Teamster's Road, stands the Armory of Galenar and Watchtower of the Knight, situated so as a watchman posted in the tower's belfry can look directly past the base of Council Hill down upon the Civic Garrison. Hidden within the maze of the Temple District's backstreets, behind and between The Auburn Vault and The Hostel of the Moons resides the deceptively unostentatious porticoes of the Convent of the Ladies' Hand. Well shaded by the many more imposing structures surrounding them, the nuns inhabit and staff by far the most luxurious, and tasteful demesne in the entire city. In light of much of what the Ladies are privy to, the Guild Council actually insisted that they locate their chapterhouse above the ground of the Temple District rather than among the halls of the Service Guilds in the Professional District. As the Courtesans' Guild proper they do operate guild festhalls in the other city quarters as well, but the Convent serves not only to host social functions and entertainments but as an academic ministry, being one of the order's principal novitiates as well as a public extension of the University Campus. Adjacent to the convent and far more likely to draw attention is the Festhall of Benaedress. Invisible from the street below and unknown to many, its parapets enclose The Open Vault of the Night Sky, the precincts of which are covered by a permanent spell rendering anyone on the roof invisible from above, making it look like a simple, if exquisite, rooftop garden. (The spell can be temporarily negated at any time the faithful choose to be seen enjoying the locus.) Finally, the District is also host to a Monastic Abbey of the Seekers of the Way attached to and assisting The Hospice of the Wheel which lies between the Abbey and the Hospice of the Moons. These also tend to and observe the duties of the necropolice beneath the cliff face on the northwest edge of the city. The original name of the bluff has been forgotten and its is now universally referred to as Dead Monk Jump; stories as to why vary both widely and wildly.
Temples, librams and choirs of Shaliah, Varrul, Haendriss and The Arcane, as well as a prestigious Do-kyu Hall of Kensoto, may be found beneath the Dome of Stars at the heart of the University.
[blockquote=S&M]Note that alchemy in 3.5 is a branch of magic - which they haven't really developed well - I'll be looking toward that later. It tends to bridge the magical and physical technologies. Alchemical refining and enhancement of physical metals is costly and cannot be performed in large quantities, making items incorporating it uncommon and expense masterwork handcrafts. Naturally, given the various elements present - Salis is a principal producer of said in the world.[/blockquote]
Talk about a quote that bridges system and game design!
This was one that has rolled around and around my head and my games for decades. One of the original reasons I eventually had to create my own system was the bullshit treatment of alchemists/artificers in most games. If magic was going to take the place of technology, it would need to, at some level, develop as technology did/does. Nomadic, who has started playing online with one of my groups, has already run into Evercoal, ingots with a very minor enchantment to light/burn very hot whenever touched by a flame for 3 hours, then must be re-lit, burns with heat that only radiates 4 feet, but very warm and work for 60 uses. A pot of evercoal runs 300-400 Electrum goodwives. My Igbarians are about to find a magic roasting pan, no joke, that was one of the original pans from Hostem's House of Hospitality. It increases the cooking skill% of the user by 10%, made of copper and well decorated, runs about 800 Goodwives to buy or 200-300 if they sell it. There are probably 20-30 such magical pans/pots/etc in the 30k+ population of Igbar.
But the real point is that alchemy and artiface are the agents that bridge the common, non-magical world to the magcial one, in that items are created for the use in the mundane world. Even healing, which is probably the most important thing for much of the common world, still needs casters.
Okay, now it gets a little wyrd. . . .
The busy and popular Hall of Making can be found in the heart of the Trades District not far from the riverfront and surrounded by the numerous guild halls in which its faithful labor. Typical of its deities direct and pragmatic outlook on life, it serves much more as a trade college and employment agency than a house of worship of a goddess whose worship is seen in the sincerity and dedication of the labor itself. Beneath the awnings of its large central courtyard laborers and craftsmen may be found at all hours talking shop while enjoying the simple, hardy meals from the ever busy canteen which produces the majority of the temple's revenue. Intermingled among them will be representatives of any guilds which may be currently accepting apprenticeships or new members who have learned their trade or craft elsewhere. Additionally, this is the site of the monthly hiring faires held every holiday. Basic instruction in numerous common craft and trade skills may be learned here for a nominal cost, both for those seeking entry into a particular guild and those simply wishing to increase their own self reliance rather than hiring another for such things as simple carpentry or tailoring needs or purchasing common pottery and leather goods.
One of the most visually startling and amazing architectural marvels of the world, the terraces and spires of the Cathedral of Zelatrix thrust outward from the sheer cliff's face of Gaoler's Bluff. Upheld by ornamental buttresses seemingly far too delicate to support its mass of carved and polished stone, it appears to dangle magically in the air high above the rooftops of the Trades District. Outside of its principal entrances from Undertown, public access as provided by narrow, rail-less arched bridgeways of stone connecting it's two principal corner spires to the top of the bluff at either end of the Battery proper (Garrison HQ and Command Post). These are further connected to the central spire by a pair of similar bridgeways. Public Works and administrative offices are located within these spires which oversee construction and maintenance of such city safety requirements as the storm drains and sewers, the bridges, jetties and levee system and lower floodgates, and the structural integrity of all buildings and edifices within the Freeport's jurisdiction. Among the duties of the Watch squadrons is to make note of and report any structural hazards observed in the course of their nightly patrols and enforce any closures which subsequent inspection may determine necessary for public safety. Also connecting to Undertown from the cellars of the Battery is the Cavern of Tears where devotees of Zhedarhe congregate for prayer and meditation. Nearly a quarter of the Battery Garrison rank and file are Rimenoshan warriors of the Clan of Sorrow and a handful of members of the First Clan serve as impartial arbiters and investigative staff in the Civic Garrison.
Beyond the eastern edge of the city proper, among the offices, barracks and training facilities of the Mercenaries' Guild can be found a small Commander's Academy. While the region is generally far to peaceful to support a War College, cadre of the church of Nuhveen do provide training in leadership, logistics and unit tactics. Occasional visiting Officers will present brief practicums in command strategy, field intelligence and military history once or twice in the course of the year. These are highly popular (and tuition is accordingly expensive), with enrollment frequently filling months in advance with commissioned and non-commissioned officer staff of both the City Watch and the neighboring Harak Shyz'n. The latter also hosts within its extensive training halls practical courses in caravan security operations and integrated infantry squad formations and tactics. As the only actual military unit in the area, rivalry between the Khurorkh garrison and the other mercenary contractors is generally friendly in nature and cooperative. The two engage in competitive war games twice a year, usually in the week preceding such practicums (which the visiting Officers are invited to observe), in command post staff exercises during the summer and limited field exercises in the winter.
Finally, at the base of the twin hills constituting the principal landmark of the Populous Quarter are two more temples of peculiar note. The smallest and most recent, the Walls of Verse houses practitioners of all four Cantos of the Lyricists on the eastern side of the hills at the edge of the Theatre District. They have in recent decades begun to appear at night among the Masques of the district, however their unique fighting styles and even more distinctive modes of speech utterly negate the anonymity of the masks they wear (in the same monotones of their respective Cantos as the rest of their clothing) for which reason many of the established Masques in the Quarter have been quite slow to take them seriously. Nevertheless, their poetic flair has gradually begun to permeate and influence the artistic fashions and sensibilities of the Theatre District, showing (typical of elven foresight,) that over the course of time their choice of locale was in fact well chosen after all.
On the other side of the hills filling a quadrant nearly half a mile on each side bounded by the base of the hills on the east, the arc of the Wagoner's Loop on the north and the Teamster's Road on the west, the sprawling Care complex of Behldamh has housed for nearly a millennium the central See of She Who Cares, overseeing the churches formal activities throughout the world. Within its thick stone walls (further enclosed by a second wall) is housed what is universally considered to be the most advanced, extensive and comprehensive (hence, inherently hazardous) alchemical research laboratory in the world. Northwest of the city, further beyond the necropolis, is the guild's Magazine, a secure, fortress like enclosure of earthen ramparts and stone containing the churches' firearms armory and guild artillery range below (what's left of) Powder Bluff. From here the church and guild present their famous fireworks displays visible throughout the city every holiday night. Within the complex is an extensive hospice for the Care of Her Children who cannot do so for themselves staffed by her clerics, adepts and monks. The Temple houses the only known monastery dedicated to her, constituting what appears to be a largely successful experiment in the use of meditative practices to treat many mental illnesses. Her monks have become rather well known among similar orders both for their radical breakthroughs of insight '" believed to be in part attributed to their preliminary mental conditions, and their frequent use of potent, and to other races poisonous, dwarven intoxicants. In particular, they have been known to perform incredible feats of superhuman strength, speed, agility and perception while under the influence of one of the most powerfully hallucinogenic and deadly of Rimenoshan preparations, Dwarven Glowwine (so named for the intense luminescent quality imparted by the subterranean fungus from which it is distilled), not the least of which being actually surviving the consumption of quantities of it which would hold a Druid in the Clans of Will paralyzed by visions for a week or more. The peculiar and unique relationship between She Who Cares and the city harks back to the assassination of the reigning Lord of the City and Lord's Cabinet which precipitated the current Mayorial system. When the Lord repeatedly refused to ratify Guild Charter (and its concomitant Council Seat) petitioned by the Alchemists' Guild, the (at the time unofficial,) guildmaster, Addlebright Onestoned (who reputedly had lost his left testicle a laboratory accident years before which had resulted in his discovery of the now common seltzer process by which many beverages are now carbonated throughout the world) walked into the Cabinetry one afternoon carrying a large wine cask, ostensibly as a gift to the city officials. When the Lord's Cabinet reassembled that evening they found him seated upon the cask in the middle of the room from which he addressed them saying, 'Gentlemen, I shall now conclusively demonstrate to you the precise nature of the services of the Alchemists' Guild which Salis Freeport desperately requires,' whereupon he blew himself, the gathered lords and the majority of the building to Smithereen's. (Smithereen's is a popular student's tavern about half a mile down Council Hill in the University District where legend claims that his head landed, miraculously intact and still spouting random alchemical formulae and populist diatribes at the top of his very operatic tenor's singing voice.) To this day it is claimed that his head sings on as a sacred relic hidden in a vault somewhere deep within the Walls of Care and that so long as it does so no lord may ever rule the city and so long as no lord rules the city Salis will never lose its independence as a Freeport. When the Guild Council met the following day its members found waiting for them numerous documents proving that the Lord's Cabinet, which had overseen, among other things, the contracts for the City Watch, had been preparing to impose martial law and disband the guild council entirely, establishing Salis instead as a plutocracy under their direct rule by coup d'état. To this day Addlebright is honored as a hero and his statue stands proudly in the center of the soda fountain circled by the Pushcart Promenade at the northwest corner of the Commodities Market. Additionally, while Delatrian remains the city's official patron deity, Behledamh is unquestionably acknowledged as it's true and very real guardian and protector. While the citizens of Salis Freeport my feel some ambivalence regarding this, ultimately it serves as an acknowledged source of comfort and security to them as it truly is universally held that no one in their right mind would ever attempt to harm any that Behldamh has chosen to be among Her Children in her personal care. In fact it is generally regarded as impossible since attempting to harm a Child of She Who Cares is certain to result in the perpetrator no longer being in their right mind, being chosen instead to number as yet another of Her Children.
And before bed, a small addendum to the districts descriptions which I had overlooked:
On the Eastern side of the river many of the noble families of the Twin Kingdoms maintain estates south of the Carriage Promenade on the edge of the Market Quarter. Lining the High Road beyond the Market Close of the Wagoner's Loop are the extensive warehouses, stables and caravanserais of the Teamster's District associated with the expanse of the Commodities Market. Between the Market Close and the Market Run of course, is the Market itself divided in half diagonally by the Market Cut which is anchored at the entrance to the Market by the Pushcart Pram circling the Font of the Martyr, a soda fountain and large wading pool surrounding the statue honoring the city's savior (and incidental inventor of the carbonating process), Addlebright Onestone. In the middle of the Warehouse district, bounded to the west by The Vane, rises the low hill with its distinctive weather observation tower called The Finger. (Yes, it is on the Vane [in the opposite position across the river from The Artery,] and yes, it is the middle Finger. This is what happens when gnomes found a city, and if you haven't figures it out by now, gnomes just love this shit.) Finally, between The Vane and the Revenue Parkway sits the Financial District.
Lots of back editing being done - will show in wiki later. More of the city map to scan and post as well. The Interzone is: The Verge. (Play with some sentences - I think it captures the feel of a blurry sort of liminal zone nicely.) and as for what kinds of things go on there -
A number of clandestine organizations are thought to operate within the city along side the more public groups and members of the intelligence agencies of virtually every nation in the world (and some of other worlds). Much of their activity occurs relatively openly, at least by comparison to their business as usual. Planning the assassination of some elven noble or arranging bribes of officials through part of the proceeds of moving slaves across their border thousands of miles away simply doesn't expressly violate any city statutes. Of course there are many in the city who make it their sole (and profitable) business to know what everyone else is doing so protocols of secrecy are still observed, simply without the added fear of government agents bursting through the door at any time. (The fear is much greater regarding who may sneak in through the window.) Not all espionage is political either. Factors of numerous merchant cartels constantly try to outmaneuver each other through purchase and sale, arranging sabotage of shipments and delays in delivery, etc. Additional there are many merchants in the city who will gladly provide a foreign buyer with a second receipt valuing goods at half of what was paid for to be shown at customs upon return to their home port and even a third for twice what was paid to show the auditors at the end of the year. While the church of Delatrian may frown on such practices, Mine can certainly claim more than his fair share of adherents among the city's traders.
Such a setting naturally provides a rich market for the information and services of the Librarians. The Salis University library itself is one of the more extensive in the Suntrack region, as well as among the best staffed. While the University is, not surprisingly, dominated by Roadstar College, the shear breadth of its mercantile studies has sponsored an extensive reference collection regarding crafts, trades, commodities and materials, extending comprehensively into geography, history and social, economic and political theory and philosophy. Consequently, simply on the surface, information and research is a relatively lucrative public field for scholars, with numerous clients throughout the city and abroad. With no reason for censorship, the scholars of Salis Freeport then have a sterling reputation for accuracy and lack of bias. Here, then the line between the public and the clandestine can be very difficult to determine among the musty stacks, and many of the research commissions and sales of information which the Librarians engage in filter to them through the course of regular scholastic business. Signs of activity by The Unseen are remarkably low for such a hotbed of intrigue. Conversely, the faction within The Librarians which posits the (speculative and at times hotly argued,) existence and theoretical goals and activities of the organization is primarily centered here. Any conjecture regarding Unseen actions within Salis Freeport then is primarily based upon the assumption that they have infiltrated and manipulate the activities of numerous organizations which are quite active in the city, The Librarians included.
Of particular note regarding serious crime is the activities of a number of prominent 'assassin's guilds.' Over the course of the last century, The Twilight has made it clear throughout the Suntrack region that they consider Salis Freeport to be theirs. Agents of both the Shadow Hands and the Dark Bow are believed to still operate in the city as liaisons for these organizations and there are no reports of the Blood Knives refusing contracts to be executed within the city, but this obscure faction within the church of Hebnitarath does appear to have made good upon its claim. Since The Twilight will only accept contracts which are in keeping with their own baffling agenda, they are known to decline some which have been carried out by other guilds with their sufferance, as the targets evidently were not expressly counter to their agenda either. However, it is also known that they have declared certain proposed contracts 'unfulfillable,' and when another guild has accepted them The Twilight has responded clearly and decisively with the termination of all parties to the contract. To date only one such unfulfillable contract is believed to have been successfully completed within the last century, and neither client nor executioner survived, their own assassinations being carried out in particularly graphic and painful manners. This 'Right of Sufferance' has since been extended to include the approval of all contracts negotiated in Salis Freeport, regardless of their locus of execution throughout the Suntrack region. The Twilight are known to have intervened in the execution of more than one contract elsewhere in the region which was arranged without their sanction in the city, again executing all parties involved. While their purposes and agenda remain unknown, one pattern has begun to emerge in the city with regard to Malenorian agents. While public representatives of the Order of the Bright Suns are tolerated, bodies have been found in the river with The Twilight's signature gray veil over their eyes of those later determined to have been agents of the Empire's covert order, the Grasping Talons. In the absence of any known formal declaration of underworld war, it is primarily surmised that the order does not tolerate government engagement in their profession on their turf, however the Grasping Talons pursue a broad spectrum of espionage activities and not all assassinated agents were themselves assassins. What ever the cause for animosity may be (and when it comes to the Empire, the list of probable causes is both long and easily cited,) it is generally believed that The Twilight will execute any agents of the Grasping Talons upon their discovery in the city.
Even further outside the reach of The Bronze in most instances, the interminable covert war which the Wild Hunt and portions of the Ferine have conducted against the spawn of Gaurashiage and agents of The Web for countless ages is in few places more evident than the vast expanse of the Salis Swamp. A separate domain entirely with it's own dangers and laws, the labyrinthine network of bayous conceals much from the world which would drive many of its inhabitants mad were they to face its reality. Still, some of this war does at times spill out into the city and the agents and factors of the principal players as well as their local subordinates may be found throughout the city and active in its affairs. In the midst of all this, activities of the True Sons, particularly with regard to slave trade through the Swamp is also at times recognized. Besides the extensive smuggling activities, the Salis Swamp is known to harbor one or more slave trading operations. These have very little contact with the city itself however, being primarily coastal operations, so attempts by The Bronze to curtail their activities are minimal and of little effectiveness. A number of highly addictive substances however, are introduced into the city from that area and The Bronze is far more active in searching out the sources. To date though little of real significance has been accomplished and supplies of opium tar, 'Cloud Leopard,' and 'Wings of Shaliah,' among others continue to circulate with only occasional interruption. Dwarven intoxicants are rarely brought from Undertown, and very few are even mildly addictive. Some are popular among the city's large gnomoii population, but legal. (Publicly embarking upon 'Vision of Stone' and a couple of other hallucinogenic substances on the other hand is.) 'Crawling,' or frequenting the taverns and 'monk's cells' of Undertown is not an uncommon pastime, particularly among the Theatre District's professionals, but again violates no laws.
(still more to come. . .)
Government and Taxes
The city is governed by Guild Council chaired by an elected mayor. All guilds under city charter have a single seat and vote. For many legislative purposes all churches and orders are defined as guilds having a seat and vote. While some have argued that the inclusion of orders functionally gives the churches they're affiliated with an extra vote, this really becomes insignificant in light of the number of churches active in any given order which, while obviously having common interests, do not necessarily agree in all matters '" nor do the attitudes and agendas of the various orders always coincide with those of any given constituent church. Slightly more problematic (and arguably evident) is the influence of the Order of the Ladies Hand through the numerous Arts and Entertainment Guilds (the Courtesans' Guild being numbered among the latter) constituting chapters of the order in the city. Given the city's mercantile focus these, the Entertainment Guilds in particular, initially encountered a great deal of resistance to their chartering from those guilds providing more readily, and objectively, quantifiable goods and services. In regions where these are collectively subsumed within a single Bardic Guild as a whole they have significant influence. However in the handful of larger metropolitan locations which actually support the numbers warranting separate Guilds of Troubadour's, Thespians', Theatre (these two are not the same), Acrobats, etc. they often face significant opposition to the establishment and pursuit of their different arts and needs as separate concerns. Here (as in some other cities) the Order of the Ladies Hand provided the necessary influence, incorporating the various guild interests alongside of the Courtesans' Guild as separate chapters of the Order. Although each such chapter/guild maintains its own properties and finances, officers, etc., it can't be denied that the Order holds considerable sway over these subsidiary organizations. The balancing factor which has made the situation acceptable is the diverse interests of the five different churches constituting the order itself. Undoubtedly, in matters where all, churches, order and guilds, are in agreement together they wield far more influence than any other collective of churches and orders, including even the vast network and the interwoven interests of the churches and orders associated with The Friends and the other Enlightened and Ascended Masters. (Given the activity of Melanar's church among many of the first group and the interaction of the Ascended Masters' churches with the colleges and arts through which they achieved and foster ascension, ultimately these all can be seen in many cases as even serving to strengthen The Ladies Hand still further. . .) Still, the bulk of the council by far is composed of representatives of the crafts, trades, professions, services and merchants from the numerous mercantile guildhalls. Although a council seat formally belongs to the relevant guildmaster, prelate, abbot or lodgemaster, virtually all are functionally filled by a delegated officer, curate or other proxy as those who hold the chairs are already employed in seeing to the responsibilities
[blockquote=S&M]On the Eastern side of the river many of the noble families of the Twin Kingdoms maintain estates south of the Carriage Promenade on the edge of the Market Quarter. Lining the High Road beyond the Market Close of the Wagoner's Loop are the extensive warehouses, stables and caravanserais of the Teamster's District associated with the expanse of the Commodities Market. Between the Market Close and the Market Run of course, is the Market itself divided in half diagonally by the Market Cut which is anchored at the entrance to the Market by the Pushcart Pram circling the Font of the Martyr, a soda fountain and large wading pool surrounding the statue honoring the city's savior (and incidental inventor of the carbonating process), Addlebright Onestone. In the middle of the Warehouse district, bounded to the west by The Vane, rises the low hill with its distinctive weather observation tower called The Finger. (Yes, it is on the Vane [in the opposite position across the river from The Artery,] and yes, it is the middle Finger. This is what happens when gnomes found a city, and if you haven't figures it out by now, gnomes just love this shit.) Finally, between The Vane and the Revenue Parkway sits the Financial District.[/blockquote]Good and bad here. Love the market quarter, and I hope you didn't expect to 'float' that Soda fountain by us without someone noticeing. Teamsters are vital to a city and so they should have a lot of space taken up by them.
The gnomic middle finger rubs me the wrong way, and seems out of place. They may have a good sense of humor, but that is just so 'in your face; and unsubtle.
all guilds have a seat? Wouldn't this actually be all sanctioned and registered guild? I make this point because such governments have existed and it was the constant making and breaking of saild guilds that caused the demise in one case. I am also surprised (not bad or good---just surprised) by the inclusion of the entertainment guilds. I would normally only see mercantile guilds as included into governments. Entertainers normally (almost always) end up in the position of poking fun at all forms of politics from the outside, their influence being burnished by that very independence.
However, I applaud the interrelated/interdependent nature of same. I always know I have succeeded when my PC's spend a whole session feverishly engrossed in tryiong to figure out which guy from X guild is also connected to Y group that knew about that thing they did, and how the hell did he set the Unicorn Protectors (tax men) on them????
Or as I have said bvefore, mutually exclusive factional memberships are the minority.
The Finger is the name of the hill - more precisely the Tower on it. The reference is implied by the fact that it's in the middle of the Market Quarter - as is the fact that it's "on the Vane" - the thoroughfare touches upon the bottom edge of the hill. Numerous double entendre will be detectable on the map once posted up - the Butcher's Cut being the cut from a main road over to the Cart Bridge establishing the southern edge of the Abattoir District and The Tenderloin just south of it defining the far edge of the Red Lantern District between the two; the Vane named for the weather observation purpose of the tower (The Finger) and also corresponding in location to The Artery on the west side of the river, The Piss Trough running into the slums of the Tannery District - describing both the general condition of the street and the principle method of tanning hides, etc. . .
Yes - that is all sanctioned and registered guilds - this does mean a lot of council seats - and creates the fact that nowadays it is hard to get the Council to charter a new guild since it means adding a new seat. Given various patterns of partisanship in such a legislative body a petition for charter is looked at more in terms of how much it will strengthen the position of its sponsors at the expense of others than the contribution to the city the new guild might represent, although serious revenue potential is never ignored and can still outweigh benefit to rival coalitions.
As for the Entertainment Guilds - this may be less surprising if you have read the edit in the Orders and Societies page of the one formerly known as The Order of the Three Ladies (http://www.thecbg.org/wiki/index.php/Orders_and_Societies#Order_of_the_Ladies.27_Hand) (which I just checked and realized I had only updated the name and affiliated churches list - body is now updated. . .) with reference to their paragraphs above re: The Convent of The Ladies Hand and the adjoining temples. The pattern you mention regarding such guilds of course was almost manifest (The Empire representing the most extreme example of that - a single Bards' Guild under very heavy restriction being granted Imperial Charter). Part of the fact that it didn't arises from the gnomoii cultural influence on the city as a whole - Benaedrass has as much influence on them as Delatrian, so being able to laugh at themselves is a highly valued trait. (Actually Benaedrass reflects the primary attitude of their culture while Delatrian reflects the principal activity in their society.) Arts Guilds do produce goods which generate revenue and prestige, it's just a hell of a lot harder to determine monetary value as that is purely subjective for a lot of those products. Note however (and I probably need to explicate this in the passages we're now discussing) they are in the stage notable through Leonardo's lifetime (no surprise that the maestro is one of my principle role models and idols) where artists are still considered, at least in part, as craftsmen. So there are more directly appreciable guild products and commissions, e.g. sign painting, illustration (wood block prints and the like) and portraiture coming most immediately to mind. Entertainment guilds, much like today, could also essentially unionize and set rates when there are enough potential members in a city - a mercantile guild master doesn't want to be blacklisted by the Musicians' Guild when he's planning to host a major social event. He first goes to the Ladies Hand - among their services are what we would see as party organizer, event producers, wedding planners and the like - putting the arrangements in their ever so capable hands and if any critical subcontractor refuses to consider the commission he's seriously sunk. The Ladies Hand of course will stand by the guild (or potential guild) in question and he's faced with the fact that there will be no ball without a band, and if he doesn't want to pay every member of the orchestra 100 gp/hour or more he'll have to find some other way to show how valuable he considers the city's entertainment professionals. Since that last group includes the Courtesans' Guild it can also mean no escorts for the visiting dignitaries, potential trade partners, what ever, that he's trying to impress; and if the musicians, acrobats, thespians and so forth have chosen to enchapter within the Order (in the same manner as the Courtesan's Guild) any on the council voting against their city guild charter then has functionally insulted the Order and all of it's chapters. This means making a *very bad* impression on any visiting nobs because he will find it virtually impossible to entertain visitors in any fashion - and he won't be in any position to try to make any excuses for his utter lack of hospitality. In short, when the Ladies Hand sponsors one of it's chapters as new guild in the council they really don't have much choice - it simply isn't worth it to oppose them in the matter. (Not everything goes their way in this fashion - in many business matters it very much is worth it to take a stance contrary to theirs, and of course they likewise need to be able to hire food service (bakers and so forth) guilds, porters, waiters, construction etc., etc., or they're sunk as event organizers. . .) "Never slap the Hand that kneads you. . ."
Well, I'm not all that pleased with the overall appearance, but it gets the information across. All names on the map are current - reflect recent edits which will appear in the wiki.
(//../../e107_files/public/1215338129_541_FT50640_district_.jpg) (//../../e107_files/public/1215338129_541_FT50640_district.jpg)
Well, I suspect the following was more interesting to write than to read, but getting the bulk of it worked out clearly gives me (and any other potential DM) the basis for handling a huge variety of potential situations which might occur in play as influenced by nuances of legal status, both of citizens and aliens, in interactions involving virtually any city functionary or official (including the watch) or representative of a foreign power appering within the city. It will also be prompting a review in the Campaign Elements forum of relevant reference materials I've made passing mention of elsewhere which proved extremely helpful. A small portion of it (appearing below in red) was posted previously (generating some subsequent commentary), but has been moved to a position much later in the section for reasons of logical progression in the subjects' development and re-included here for the sake of contextual clarity. Enjoy.
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Citizenship, Government and Taxes
The city is governed by Guild Council chaired by a Mayor elected every five years by its non(tax)exempt citizens. The only restrictions placed upon candidacy is the establishment of nonexempt citizenship in the City and Guild nomination with the official seconding (as formal, public endorsement) from five other incorporated Guilds. Functionally speaking the citizenship requirement is redundant as the nominee is normally an active or pensioned member of the nominating guild. (Guild pension is legally defined as taxable income with the tax rate upon all guild pensions set by law at 0% since the guild has already paid tax upon its income disbursed in pension funds.) However, that is not a requirement and a guild can in fact nominate any nonexempt citizen. Those few nonexempt citizens who are not members of a mercantile guild can still reasonably seek the nomination of a church or order with which they have ties of some sort. Nonexempt citizens likewise are enfranchised to vote for the Mayor. The distinction between exempt and nonexempt citizens is important in this regard as families tend to consist of both.
The primary prerequisite for basic citizenship is the determination of an individuals 'free' status as recognized by the city's laws and initially defined in the terms of its establishing charter(s). As in most such cases, free status is acquired by an individual of another status through confirmation of a year's continuous residency in the city proper or within the boundaries of such contiguous territory as falls under it's ownership governance, legal jurisdiction and management in public trust under the terms of the founding charter(s), i.e., the Salis River itself (regarding those who actually dwell continuously upon it by means of watercraft) the boundary of which is defined by how close to the open water of the river proper an individual or animal can actually walk from the solid ground beyond, outlying agricultural and pastoral real-estate ceded by one or the other of the Twin Kingdoms in (or subsequently added to) the city's charter(s) for the purposes of necessary subsistence, and the wilderness enclave of the Salis Swamp defined as all such territory concealed from view beneath the shadow of its forest canopy from any external vantage point. The last case of course is almost impossible to prove satisfactorily, but so long as an individual in question remains within the swamp it will never be challenged either. Children of citizens are acknowledged as basic (tax-exempt) citizens at birth, regardless of place of birth and any potential dual status which may arise from it.
Salis residents, prior to the definitive establishment of free status, fall under the obligations of governing city civil (especially including tax) and criminal laws along with the city's jurisdiction in their enforcement, but are not yet accorded the rights to protections under them as provided its citizens. Once such free status is legally established it constitutes basic citizenship in Salis Freeport with its accompanying rights to legal protection from the city. This is also explicitly recognized under the terms of the city's charter(s) by the Twin Kingdoms. Other foreign powers are under no explicit obligation to honor this status with regard to the preceding or continued status under the laws in their own domains of former nationals and/or citizens who have emigrated from territories which they govern and subsequently established Salis citizenship. Most do and such agreement is an explicit and absolute prerequisite to the City's honoring any terms of reciprocal agreements such as requests for the extradition of criminal fugitives, free or merely resident. The most obvious case in which such does not entail, as usual, is the Malenorian Empire. Attempts by Imperial agents (or those of any other foreign power) to forcibly repatriate its illegal emigrants directly violate Salis law and sovereignty and will be actively opposed with extreme prejudice by the City Watch and all other legal entities immediately upon discovery. Additionally, such (surviving) agents face severe, up to and possibly including capital, criminal penalties subsequent to arrest and capture. While extraterritorial sovereignty within the bounds of a foreign consulate or other agency formally established within the two Districts of The Verge will be honored by all city officers and citizens with regard to any granted refuge within its sanctuary, fugitives from Salis law are immediately subject to arrest, capture and subsequent prosecution should they at any time step beyond the formal boundaries of such extraterritorial demesne. However, except in cases of nonresidents (which in these cases will only be recognized as such should they enter the city's demesne explicitly, formally and openly in the predeclared custody of officers legally representing the agency) and properly extradited Salis residents and citizens held against their will, city officers will revoke this sovereignty in order to recover and free any citizen who's right to the city's protection has been violated by the foreign agency. The city further retains the right to exercise such overriding priority of sovereignty in order to accord such protection, at their discretion, to any resident who cannot yet claim the right to it through citizenship. (Again, with regard to the Malenorian Empire they city will almost invariably do so.) Any attempt by that agency then to forcibly obstruct city officers in the execution of such responsibilities and duties, whether by physical, magical or other means, explicitly constitutes a declaration of war against the city by the agency's formal representatives. Geographical considerations make the actual prosecution of such a war impossible (without at least first invading one or both of the Twin Kingdoms), the formal state of war then caries with it further significant ramifications including the revocation of diplomatic immunity to arrest and prosecution of such representatives and their functionaries for crimes of war (such as espionage or the illegal detainment and any other violation to person of anyone accorded the city's protection whether by right or discretion) and the expulsion of any and all such aliens not so detained.
Beyond basic citizenship then the status of exempt or nonexempt citizenship is determined by taxation of income and/or property. The gainfully employed, that is those receiving monetary compensation either for work and/or services performed, or goods produced and/or sold, are subject to payment of income tax. Unemployed citizens and residents, such as children, and those occupied solely in subsistence level employment, such as guild apprentices, most pastoral, agricultural and many unskilled laborers, or some domestic servants residing in poorer households are exempt from income tax as they receive no financial compensation from which to assess or pay such tax. Those who own taxable property such as real estate, domestic chattels, e.g., livestock and beasts of labor, etc. are also determined to be nonexempt. Without additional gainful employment as defined above then, these must either be independently wealthy or have their property tax obligations met on their behalf by proxy through another (gainfully employed) member of their household or some other benefactor such as a guild, church or order or else face confiscation of such property for default of their obligation, rendering them exempt should they retain no further taxable property once the debt has been settled.
From this nonexempt status then, the right of a household to vote as well as the weight in terms of the number of votes which the household as a whole may cast in the mayoral election is primarily determined by a rather complicated scale of tax revenue received from each household for both income and property levees. Functionally, the wealthier a family, the more votes it has. Votes arising from extensive family business branches or other taxable assets (quite common) can either be parsed by name of family members holding separate deeds (cousins operating various shops, warehouses, caravans etc. in their own names) or incorporated under the head of the extended House over all '" ultimately the number of votes the family and its households exercise works out to be the same. In order to actually cast the vote(s) to which they are entitled, a nonexempt citizen must have real access to a guildhall, temple or order's chapter house (normally exclusively reserved to formal members there-of) which serves both as their registered polling place and the tax auditing and collection point which calculates the number of votes to which they are entitled through that agency. Citizens can only then cast the number of votes at any given location to which the agency's auditing records show they are entitled. Nonexempt citizens are entitled to at least a single vote at any such location to which they can claim real access regardless of whether or not they have actually incurred any real tax-obligation according to its audit records during the preceding five years. That is, a member in good standing of more than one guild (such as an illusionist who is employed as a member of the Theatre guild but continues to pay the required dues and receive the concomitant benefits of membership in one of the magical guilds) or a nonexempt citizen who volunteers time and service to a temple as a church deacon outside of their gainful employment is entitled to an additional, single vote at any such polling place which permits them access. Usually when such an agency serves as the benefactor paying property taxes as proxy on behalf of a nonexempt citizen, any votes which that citizen would receive according to the audit for those property taxes are likewise cast by proxy by the head of the agency in question. Finally, any nonexempt citizen who cannot claim benefit of membership in any of the above Guild status agencies does not necessarily have to accept functional disenfranchisement. For this, and numerous other reasons, a number of non-profit benevolent societies, in the form of neighborhood Fraternal Lodges have been formed. While not accorded the full legal status of Guilds, most notably a seat on the Guild Council, Fraternal Lodges can petition the Guild Council for, and usually receive, formal city charter to incorporate as non-profit halls for purposes of providing their members with the same tax auditing, collection and payment services, including by proxy, and associated polling access performed by full-fledged Guilds as well as other benefits usually received through Guild membership. These Lodges of 'odd fellows' are entirely owned their membership and function solely upon funds received from them in the way of dues and any donations received from their fellows or other sources. If the Lodge itself pays tax on any collective property (such as its hall) through its dues, that Lodge as a whole will be accorded electoral votes as determined by audit in the same manner as an individual nonexempt citizen (possibly providing quasi-enfranchisement of exempt citizen and resident non-citizen members through the office of Lodge representation). Most however are housed within private property donated to the Lodge for its use with the associated votes then exercised by the actual owner paying taxes on the property. In all cases therefore, votes follow taxes and whoever pays the taxes has the right to cast the associated votes.
All guilds under city charter have a single seat and vote in the Guild Council. For many legislative and other purposes, all churches and orders functioning by city charter are defined as guilds, therefore likewise having a seat and vote. While some have argued that the inclusion of orders functionally gives the churches they're affiliated with an extra vote, this really becomes insignificant in light of the number of churches active in any given order which, while obviously having common interests, do not necessarily agree in all matters '" nor do the attitudes and agendas of the various orders always coincide with those of any given constituent church. Slightly more problematic (and arguably evident) is the influence of the Order of the Ladies Hand through the numerous Arts and Entertainment Guilds (the Courtesans' Guild being numbered among the latter) constituting chapters of the order in the city. Given the city's mercantile focus these, the Entertainment Guilds in particular, initially encountered a great deal of resistance to their chartering from those guilds providing more readily, and objectively, quantifiable goods and services. In regions where these are collectively subsumed within a single Bardic Guild as a whole they have significant influence. However in the handful of larger metropolitan locations which actually support the numbers warranting separate Guilds of Troubadour's, Thespians', Theatre (these two are not the same), Acrobats, etc. they often face significant opposition to the establishment and pursuit of their different arts and needs as separate concerns. Here (as in some other cities) the Order of the Ladies Hand provided the necessary influence, incorporating the various guild interests alongside of the Courtesans' Guild as separate chapters of the Order. Although each such chapter/guild maintains its own properties and finances, officers, etc., it can't be denied that the Order holds considerable sway over these subsidiary organizations. The balancing factor which has made the situation acceptable is the diverse interests of the five different churches constituting the order itself. Undoubtedly, in matters where all, churches, order and guilds, are in agreement together they wield far more influence than any other collective of churches and orders, including even the vast network and the interwoven interests of the churches and orders associated with The Friends and the other Enlightened and Ascended Masters. (Given the activity of Melanar's church among many of the first group and the interaction of the Ascended Masters' churches with the colleges and arts through which they achieved and foster ascension, ultimately these all can be seen in many cases as even serving to strengthen The Ladies Hand still further. . .) Still, the bulk of the council by far is composed of representatives of the crafts, trades, professions, services and merchants from the numerous mercantile guildhalls.
Although a council seat formally belongs to the relevant guildmaster, prelate, abbot or lodgemaster, virtually all are functionally filled by a delegated officer, curate or other proxy as those who hold the chairs are already employed in seeing to the responsibilities of leading their specific organizations. Presence of an actual chair-holder in a given council session then is usually indicative of an issue of great importance to that chair. Notable exceptions at present are the Abbess of the Ladies Hand (the Convent and the Order in general being very well organized and operated internally, the Abbots and Abbesses of the Salis See have usually taken a very direct role in the Guild Council), the current Dean of the University and the current Salis Chapter Signet of The Hands of Peace. These latter two prefer a more direct interaction with the Council and are present some 25-50% of the time as duties permit. More notable is the representation of the church of Behldamh. The individual serving in this capacity varies from day to day, sometimes differing even between morning and evening sessions. Evidently the formal canonical title for this acting church officer really is 'The Only One Crazy Enough to Care About This Mind-Numbing Crap,' and the function can evidently be fulfilled by virtually any church member, whether clergy, monastic or lay. Surprisingly (except to those with extensive experience interacting with the Lady's Children), the acting proxies are always in fact remarkably well informed of ongoing concerns, debate, factional maneuvering, etc.. As a result, over considerable time in the (long) past the Council eventually came to recognize that the most effective way of dealing with this situation is to ignore the fact and address whoever sits the chair at any given session as 'Your Immanence' (sic), treating them all as if they are in reality the same person. Representatives invariably refer to themselves in the first person plural in a fashion of explicit continuity, e.g., 'As we told you yesterday, our position in the matter continues to favor the interests of. . .' While personality and temperament of these representatives can vary widely, (including between different appearances by the same individual at different times,) through them the church itself is extraordinarily consistent in its stance on the the various issues arising in council. (Some find this fact and its implications far more disconcerting than the associated variation in appearance and behavior of the churches' officer.)
All told there are some ### [yup '" it's a 3 digit number and nope, I haven't determined the exact value and probably won't need to for any functional game purpose. It's low for the range '" I may cap it around 100, but I can readily imagine up to 200-250 distinct, active,] chartered guilds incorporated in Salis Freeport. These are loosely defined as falling into 5 general categories of Craft, Trade, Profession, Service and Merchant. (Churches and Orders are commonly categorized as Professional and/or Service Guilds.) These categories do not constitute any sort of legal definitions, rather serving simply to view the various guilds in terms of type of activity and corresponding interests. Clearly some can be classified in more than one category '" the prestigious Cartographers' Guild for instance practices a distinct craft and profession, whereas the associated Forthright Brethren of Visitor's, Traveler's and Wilderness Guides provide a distinctly professional service. Various guilds then tend to refer to themselves in such terms where doing so serves to clarify common interests or associations. Such a large number of guilds of course has produced an equally large council which displays a variety of partisan and factional divisions within it. Incorporation of a new guild is now quite rare, requiring the sponsorship of not less than five separate guilds (generally expected to be one of each type) and the assenting vote of at least 2/3rds of the seated Guild Council chairs, as such incorporation will produce yet another chair within the council. Unwieldy as such a governing body might seem, for the most part the council enacts civic law and policy quite readily and effectively. It should be noted that, various intervening personal interests notwithstanding, the vast majority of individuals who constitute the council membership subscribe to an extremely and immanently practical, pragmatic and productive perspective and frame of mind. It is not at all uncommon for a majority members to run out of patience with excessively long, drawn out wrangling and debate regarding some proposal and readily cast the requisite 2/3 (or often much greater,) vote upon a motion to force an immediate vote on the legislation being debated. Such a motion has in fact come to be formally termed as a 'Motion to Get the Work Done;' such that when a council member having been recognized by the Mayor declares, 'Mistress (currently) Mayor, I move that we get the work done with regard to. . .[the proposed matter at hand],' if five clear seconds are called, then the mayor immediately ends all debate and calls the motion to vote. Should 2/3 of the council assent to the motion then the business which was being discussed is immediately put to a final vote and the matter closed, permitting the council to move on to other business.
Disposition of tax revenues, used to pay for public works and services '" such as materials required for maintenance of the bridges, roads, levees, storm drains and sewers and the wages of city employees performing these and other city services and civic functions as well as any services contracted by the city from private and semiprivate entities, e.g., the City Watch contracts negotiated and serviced by the Mercenaries' Guild, are determined by the Guild Council. Functionally speaking, all of the above are answerable to the mayor who oversees their management by numerous agencies, who in turn is held accountable for that oversight to the Guild Council which s/he chairs. While the day to day practice of revenue management and accounting are largely transparent to those not actually engaged in the activities, theoretically at least they are held entirely visible to any and all nonexempt citizens on whose behalf the tax monies they provide are managed and spent. Guild Council members, singly and collectively, always have immediate access to any and all pertinent records through the civic agency maintaining them, and this is routinely provided to the Council as a whole through the office of the Mayor. Through their representatives then guild members likewise have access to these records. Additionally, through hir Guild representative nearly any nonexempt citizen can petition for an appointment to access such records directly, although in practice this process usually takes too long to be of any significant use. In spite of that, given the overall mercantile nature (some would say obsession) of the city, by now it is no doubt obvious that all bookkeeping and accounting in Salis Freeport, from the Office of the Mayor down to the lowliest Fraternal Lodge, is meticulously and painstakingly (the same would say compulsively) conducted and maintained. The Honest Fellows of the Talliers' Guild hold notably greater prestige, status and influence than their counterparts of the Bar of Just Solicitors, surpassed only by those who practice as active members in good standing within the purviews of both. When all is said and done, the misappropriation or misuse, much less outright embezzlement, of city revenue is exponentially more difficult to conceal than any other crime imaginable; ultimately requiring the widespread collusion of such scope and magnitude that the conspirators would practically outnumber the victims!
You didn't think taxes could be that simple did you? Okay, the taxes are, but the licenses are another matter entirely. Here's what happens when guilds actually control commerce:
City revenue is derived from a variety of sources. Income and property taxes have already been referred to. In should be noted that in nearly all cases income and sales taxes are functionally identical. Virtually all real income is derived from the sale of goods and or services. In many cases this sale is actually handled by the associated guild, e.g., the guild takes the commissions for various products and farms them out to their members, collecting payment from the customer for the completed item from which they subtract the taxes and a percentage the guild itself keeps then passing the balance on to the craftsman who produced the item. Numerous licenses produce further revenue. Some master craftsmen will open their own shops and take commissions directly, setting their own prices. Doing so requires a merchant license for the sale of the specific crafts which they produce. Acquiring the license is handled through the guild itself which may set criteria for issuing such a license (controlling both the number of independent shops, the quality of work which can be sold and setting minimum prices for it). An additional license is required for such a master craftsman to accept and train apprentices and journeymen (which the guild may likewise places restrictions upon) as this is the specific purview of the guild. In such cases then the guilds act as city agencies, eliminating the need for separate governmental bureaucracies to issue and monitor the necessary licenses and to collect and record the fees and taxes (in addition to the voting mechanism already explained). Selling any other goods outside of the guild license terms requires separate membership and licensing through the Brotherhood of Shopkeepers (distinct from the Commodities Trader's and other merchant guilds).
Sale of any goods or services by means of any form of exchange other than barter in the city requires some form of appropriate license. (Conducting Unlicensed Commerce as Civic Offense resulting in minor criminal penalties and expensive civil compensation. Policing of this generally falls upon the affected guilds who may call upon the City Watch for its enforcement as necessary. The Watch however, at its discretion, may demand to inspect licenses and detain those in violation.) In particular, all three market squares constitute separate guilds which oversee and manage the markets themselves. Market licenses vary in cost according to size, and location of the market stall, as well as additional factors, e.g., operating a forge in a market stall. Smaller district street markets serving local residents and workers directly constitute a separate Peddler's Guild with a chapter in each Quarter which also oversees street hawkers selling goods from a mobile cart or kept directly on their persons as well as determining and managing their territories. Market streets which the guild directly regulates are established surrounding the district's well with public house streets where prepared foods and beverages are sold for consumption upon the premises (taverns, canteens, etc., regulated in a similar fashion by the appropriate guilds) are established radiating from the well. Guild quarter-chapters usually maintain offices (often shared) on the corners of intersecting market and public house streets. These frequently host the Ward's Fraternal Order as well where one is present. Other independent guild shops (such as a master cobbler's as described above) are usually located on other streets to avoid the additional guild membership and licensing to locate the shop's front on a district market street.
Visiting merchants bringing goods to sell in the city must first receive temporary membership and license for the specific goods they intend to sell with the Brokers' Alliance. Incoming caravans are inspected and inventories on the bills of lading confirmed at the weigh stations on the Caravan Highroad just outside the city. Containers holding any goods banned for sale in Salis are sealed at this time. The Brokers' Alliance collects any tariff charges which may pertain to the goods licensed for sale at this time and the merchant is responsible for keeping a receipt to reclaim any tariffs on unsold goods which the Alliance inspectors will inventory and seal when collecting taxes on inventory sold prior to the merchant's departure. Exiting the city is usually a simple matter then of presenting the Alliance's Writ of Transport at the weigh station when leaving to demonstrate that all fees and taxes have been paid. Guards and customs agents may, at their discretion, inspect the caravan to ensure that the goods and any contraband sealed upon arrival are in fact being carried out of the city. This is to prevent them from being stored or sold illegally within the city or moved by river to be smuggled back in later in the same fashion. Tariffs are normally imposed to protect the business of a guild within the city and 1/2 of them are remanded to the appropriate Guild as compensation, with the Alliance keeping 1/3 of the remaining half and the balance going to the city as tax upon both guilds' income from the process. Banning import of certain goods is usually a more stringent measure serving the same purpose (Indefinitely Scheduled Trade Contraband), although some are banned for other reasons (Indefinite or usually Permanently Scheduled Trade Contraband) and a few may not be brought into the city at all. These latter (Permanently Scheduled Illegal Contraband) are simply confiscated at the weigh station without further penalty unless someone is discovered repeatedly trying to smuggle such goods.
Finally a significant amount of revenue is generated directly by the city through the minting and issue of local specie. Like virtually all sovereign entities issuing their own coins, the face value of the coin is determined by fiat, exceeding it's actual value, usually about 30 to 50% of face value. (Coins are all actually alloys with less valuable metals.) Salis Freeport's coins are minted displaying the Cathedral of Commerce and a carriage on the obverse, the bust of Duerndel Racjak and a wagon, or the bust of Addlebright Onestoned and a cart on the gold, silver and copper coins respectively. They are commonly referred to as Carriage 'Ports, etc. Because of the unusually advanced skills in metallurgy and availability of common metals in the city, these are actually produced at around 20 to 30% of their value with the seigniorage from their issue going directly into the city's coffers. The coins of the Twin Kingdoms are readily accepted and all three are treated as of equal value throughout the city and both kingdoms. Other coins require exchange at varying rates.
This next bit follows immediately after the discussion of Masquers and dueling and continues regarding weapon laws in the city. Similar magic laws are still being worked on. . .
Regarding specific statutes, the following cases are stated as applying to residents (including temporary) in general, regardless of status, within the city proper. It should be recognized beforehand that virtually anything which is generally restricted or prohibited by law is usually permitted with fewer or no restrictions through the acquisition of the appropriate license. As with various mercantile licenses, these will normally be regulated and issued by one or more relevant guilds. Arms however constitute a slight variation in that most licenses are regulated and issued specifically by the City Watch, rather than the Mercenaries Guild outside of those required to fulfill service contracts directly brokered by the guild (e.g., warehouse security, bodyguards, etc.) These licenses are quite specific in terms however and permit, even of Mercenary Guild members, to bear general arms in the city (beyond contractual requirements) must still be granted by The Bronze. Most such licenses save, for a few as detailed below, are very easy for most, especially temporary, residents to acquire. While technically this also applies to the streets and other public areas with The Verge, it is rarely enforced by itself, but rather as coincidental to the enforcement of some other statute, particularly crimes involving the use of an unlicensed weapon. As usual, exceptions to this specifically involving Malenorians are the norm. (See notes on daisho below.) Carrying a concealed weapon is not in and of itself restricted, so long as the bearer is permitted to carry it legally. However, if a restricted weapon is discovered without proper license it is defined as Contraband Concealed With the Intention of Smuggling. At this point the bearer faces not only criminal charges related to carrying the weapon without license but also civil fines, import tariffs when applicable and compensation to the relevant guilds just as if the person had carried it into the city with the intention to sell it, and rarely is the perpetrator a licensed arms merchant or member of the craft guild which produces such a weapon. . . The preceding requirements hold true with regard to the casting of militant magics (those that can injure or kill the target(s) or damage property. While it is impossible to enforce prohibitions upon knowledge, use of that knowledge is another matter. While magic in general is regulated and licensed by relevant guilds, permit to use militant magic within the city is handled in precisely the same fashion as bearing of arms '" essentially the spells are treated as weapons for all intents and purposes as detailed below.
Outside of the Armorial Ward the bearing of arms is severely curtailed within the four quarters of the city proper. (Martial liberty is granted to all within the Ward for obvious practical reasons.) Bladed weapons are limited in size to those with an edge no longer than the length of the bearers forearm from elbow to wrist. Other edged melee weapons (e.g., axes) are prohibited. Thrusting weapons are limited in total length to not longer than the height of the bearer's armpit from butt to tip and shafted weapons in particular further limited to those mounting a single head no wider than the bearers open hand and length from wrist to middle fingertip. These two definitions are critical to understanding the legality of fencing hangers. These are primarily thrusting blades with little or no sharpened edges. The hangers carried by masquers are frequently sharpened on both edges to the permitted length from the tip. In the lower quarters and among the less affluent of the Market Quarter (such as porters, dockworkers, etc.) short swords and other close-quarter blades with similar partial edges are frequently carried, most commonly brawling or teamster's dirks with blades of precisely the length permitted their user. 'Dress Blades,' hangers worn by the more affluent for personal defense are rarely sharpened beyond a hand's span, merely enough to facilitate initial penetration when lunging. Light, or fencing sabres are rather uncommon and although the length of their edges typically exceeds the statutory limit, these and the even rarer 'elven bucklers' of the edged variety are generally ignored when encountered, unlike the highly unpopular wakazashi; the edge of which is usually slightly longer than permitted. Of further note in this regard, Malenorian Servants may not wear their full daisho or their katanas separately in public without very expensive licenses. No-dachis are forbidden for non-citizens to possess within the city. For citizens however, this is the cheapest of all weapon licenses to acquire. The Bronze will invariably make a point of checking and enforcing these restrictions, even on the streets of The Verge itself. Bludgeoning weapons are restricted to 'unwrought and unmodified' clubs, sticks and staves not longer than the bearer's actual height. Adding any spikes, studs or metal bands violates both defining terms while nunchaku and sectional staves are modified. Note that the handle on a typical gentleman's walking stick will usually violate both definitions should it be used as a weapon, however a small sword concealed within one typically won't '" with the cane itself then wielded offhand without any modification! Flexible weapons, e.g., whips and chain weapons (including gusari-kama) are typically unrestricted with the exception of spiked chains which are permitted only to those Lyricists who train with them. (The Bronze rarely bothers to check, individual Lyricists tend to be easily recognizable and well known. Besides, if uncertain, simply greeting someone will elicit a response which, from a Lyricist will be both highly poetic and utterly incomprehensible. . .) Of further note, flails fall under the category of 'wrought bludgeoning', not flexible, weapons.
so heavily revised I'm just putting the whole thing here. I'm giving serious thought to including some canals through the city - sunk below road level (except during monsoons. . .) allowing additional freight movement, river overflow, and waste dumping further away from the river itself. I'll have to work out how to actually carbonate the water of the soda fountain - periodically it is refreshes alchemically and jets high into the air.
Civic Division
The city is divided into four distinct Quarters by the river and Caravan Highroad. These are known by the general nature their overall activities as the Professional, Trade, Craft and Market Quarters. The quarters are divided administratively by the various main roads and boulevards into specific wards as detailed below. The wards are subdivided further into various districts. By virtue of the surrounding terrain in which the city is located, the water table is quite high and well fed, so that numerous wells and fountains have been easily located throughout the city. These smallest (formal, administrative) divisions are each centered around the district's well. Fountains are situated at the approximate corners of the districts creating a rough grid upon which their boundaries are based. Many fountains in the northern part of the city are simply springs where the water table is right below the surface, with low enclosures creating small public ponds. Surrounding the fountains are small parks or public gardens (watered by the fountains). The size, care and appointments of these are direct reflections of the relative affluence of the adjacent districts. Counterintuitively (at first), the largest are located in the poorest parts of town. The gardens surrounding them are subsistence gardens tended by the districts' residents around springs having their overflow diverted for irrigation.
Dominated by the broad Council Hill, the southwestern Professional Quarter of the city harbors the Manor, Civic, University, Temple and Consulate Wards (the latter two comprising the heart of Salis Freeport's infamous Verge). These support extensive business among the many Professional and Service Guilds of the Professional Ward itself as well as the wholesale and retail of imported and specialty products such as materia magica, foreign spices, dyes and fabrics, books, scrolls and other texts and artwork, etc. to be found mingled among the inns and guest halls throughout the adjacent Dragoman's Ward. Between the quarter's many enclosed shops and the countless stalls of the open Market Bazaar virtually anything can be found or acquired given sufficient time and money. As one travels further south upriver and onto the plain the urban Wards give way to the estates of the city's wealthiest families. Civil and contract law formulate far more of the legal concerns within Salis Freeport since so much business is conducted here. Below (directly down river from) the University Ward, the Professional Ward ends among the stationers and clerks shops lining the High Road at the western foot of the Caravan Bridge. It is said that the riverside paper mills and presses never cease printing nor the scrivener's quills of The Artery pause in their records. The city's courts, civil and criminal, lie on the northern end of Council Hill, above the Civic Garrison on Courier's Way, facing the Arc of the Magistracy. Situated at the southern edge of the Dragomen's Ward, the Civic Garrison constitutes nearly a third of the Watch personnel and patrols the Professional Quarter and Market Bazaar, sending a single squad per shift through The Verge, while the remainder of the city is patrolled from the Watch Garrison on Gaoler's Bluff (jokingly known in the city as The Battery).
In the Trade Quarter north of the Caravan Highroad which crosses the river via the Wagon Bridge, the numerous inns and taverns lining the river and road surrounding the Theatre Ward give way to the homes of the Populous Ward and then warehouses, stables, cart and wheelwright yards and caravanserais of the Teamsters' Ward supporting the Market Bazaar. Further north at the heart of the Populous Quarter are the middle class human and gnomoii residential districts upon and within the twin hills of Jester's Heights. (Since the construction of the large complex of the Temple of Behldamh with its Hospice of the Lady and adjacent Alchemist's Guild Hall at their base, these northwestern landmarks have become commonly known in the city as the Fool's Tits, or simply The Tits. Among more polite company they are usually referred to as The Heights.) Between the Tits and the river the small Red Lantern Ward can be found just north of the Theatre Ward, bounded by The Tenderloin and the Butcher's Cut.. Sandwiched further north (beyond the Butcher's Cut) between these, the river and the edge of the swamp, the more courageous or desperate will find the often partially flooded (and rarely patrolled) tenements and slums of the Abattoir Ward. Finally, encircled by The Wagon Wheel of the Wagoners' Loop are the corals, pens and market of the Stock Ward.
On the Eastern side of the river the Craft Quarter covers and surrounds Gaoler's Bluff and Salis Undertown on the north side of the road. Lining the riverbanks are the docks, warehouses and halls of the numerous craft guilds which rely upon the metals shipped down river to the city. Packed between them and the sheer face of the honeycombed limestone bluff can be found the bustling Crafts Ward with its numerous guildhalls, shops, and taverns. Just below this, the city's Penny Market provides common goods to many of the city's inhabitants.
just above the flood plain of the slums and shanty town of the Tannery Ward crowded up against the edge of the swamp. Crowning the bluff is the principal garrison, barracks, administrative offices and gaol of the City Watch which gives the Garrison Ward and it's principal landmark their names. The broad western slope of the hill is covered with residential districts extending eastward onto the plain. The Cart Wheel of the Porters' Loop at the north end of Gaoler's Bluff encloses the kaleidoscope of tenements and travel wagons making up the Wayfarer's Ward. Part transient slum and part foreigners' ghetto, because of the constant flow of halflings making up nearly a third of its temporary occupants the ward is frequently referred to as Footers' Hollow. Not surprisingly, a great deal of the property here is owned by the Open Wayfarers. Further north between the Wayfarer's Ward, the Penny Market and the swamp, the slums of the Tannery district sit upon the river's eastern floodplain. Finally, on the plain to the east of the bluff lies the Armorial Ward which houses the facilities of the Mercenary's Guild and the Regimental Headquarters and Prime Battalion of the famous Harak Shyz'n (Khurorkh) Infantry Brigade. Numerous security firms can be found here recruiting personnel and contracting their services both within the city and as caravan guards throughout the region. By separate contract the Mercenaries Guild also staffs, supplies, equips, billets and maintains the city's watch and its ancillary facilities. To avoid conflicts of interest, all personnel servicing the city's contract, from the top level administration to the lowest rank and file, must terminate all other contracts, sovereign or private before swearing their oath to the city. Functionally then, the guild proper simply performs recruiting and contract brokerage services for a separate, quasi-private law enforcement corps in the same fashion it does for associated private mercenary units and security forces.
On the edge of the Market Quarter south of the Carriage Promenade, many of the noble families of the Twin Kingdoms maintain estates in the Manor Ward. Lining the Caravan Highroad beyond the Market Close of the Porter's Loop are the extensive warehouses, stables and caravanserais of the Porter's Ward associated with the expanse of the Commodities Market. Between the Market Close and the Market Run of course, is the Commodities Market itself divided in half diagonally by the Market Cut which is anchored at the entrance to the Market by the Pushcart Pram circling the Font of the Martyr, a soda fountain and large wading pool surrounding the statue honoring the city's savior (and incidental inventor of the carbonating process), Addlebright Onestone. In the middle of the Warehouse Ward, bounded to the west by The Vane, rises the low hill with its distinctive weather observation tower called The Finger. (Yes, it is on the Vane [in the opposite position across the river from The Artery,] and yes, it is the middle Finger. This is what happens when gnomes found a city, and if you haven't figures it out by now, gnomes just love this shit.) Finally, between The Vane and the Revenue Parkway sits the Financial Ward.
A little bit about law enforcement and how the work gets done at the local levels. Still not sure whether the Ward Aldermen should be elected the year before the Quarter Constables or the year after. . .
Additionally, each quarter elects a Constable every five years (these elections rotate so that every year a single quarter or city election is held) who are answerable to the City Marshal (appointed by the Mayor). This latter, and the City Justicier constitute (with other appointed officers) the Mayor's Cabinet. The City Justicier appoints the City's Judges serving the courts on council Hill, while the City Marshal appoints Magistrates presiding over lesser matters in each Quarter as well. Answerable to their Quarter's Magistrates, the wards also elect their own Aldermen a year after the Constable who form the Constable's staff and are assisted by the Ward's Bailiff (appointed by the Constable) who is supported at the district levels by Beadles whom the Ward's Alderman appoints. Voting weight is established in Quarter and Ward elections with an additional vote established by residence in the relevant city division. This ensures that those who live in a predominantly residential ward and are employed in another (or, rarely, even a different quarter) still have a say in the local administration where they live. Single, residential votes are cast and tallied in the offices of the District Beadles for Ward Alderman's elections, and in the Ward Alderman's offices for elections of the Quarter's Constable. Other votes determined by tax are handled as usual. This means someone may vote in multiple elections, one vote where they live, and others at their guildhall. Those active in a particular church or order may end up voting in Temple Ward (and Professional Quarter) elections entirely separate from residence or employment. Votes still follow taxes but in these cases can only be utilized where the agency paying the tax is located in the same city division (Quarter or Ward) in which the property for which the tax is being paid resides. i.e., Temples cannot cast votes in other parts of the city based on property taxes they pay on behalf of someone living there. This also holds true regarding guild pensions '" pensioners still have a vote regarding administration of their guildhall's location (nonexempt tax assessment of 0) but any properties covered by benefits must lie in the same division in order to exercise any votes derived from their taxes.
The purpose of these local offices is primarily administrative and judicial, providing oversight and communication regarding city works and activities at these levels as well as handling resolution of many minor civil disputes and lesser criminal matters within their precincts. Constables, Bailiffs and Beadles further play a significant role in law enforcement, having the authority to investigate, enter and search, and detain suspects if necessary until The Bronze arrives. Arrests are made solely by The City Watch who are also responsible for further detention and incarceration of convicts. Charges however, are pressed by the Beadles in the Ward Alderman's courts for minor offenses, by the Bailiff in the court of the Quarter's Magistrate for more serious charges and in the City Justiciary Courts on Council Hill for major offenses. The most significant function of these officers is really their direct interaction with those in their precincts. All work closely with the City Watch, but Bailiffs, and to an even greater degree, Beadles, are far more aware of what is actually going on in their precincts than the patrols of The Bronze could possibly be. Ultimately, they are the ones who make the final calls regarding law enforcement, as a Beadle can choose not to press charges, letting for instance, a day in the Gaol suffice for a drunken fist fight or a few days awaiting arraignment for theft of a couple of Wagon 'Ports or their equivalent value. This level of course is where most petty corruption occurs as well '" local sets paying a Beadle to drop or go lightly on charges, etc. This is part of why there is such an odd 'leap-frogging' of appointments and elections of what essentially constitutes the local district courts and DA's offices, with all appointments below the Quarter Magistrates being made by someone who is elected. Bribery can only be carried out effectively at lowest levels, since chains of corruption are harder to establish and easier to break, possibly even breaking of their own accord every few years as result of an election.
"The Guild Council shall pass no laws infringing upon the rights of the certifiably insane to keep and arm bears." (Ammendment 23 to the Governmental Charter of Salis Freeport, Article i, section e, paragraph pi.)
While most cities ban the discharge of arty muzzles(1) and related volatile alchemical ordinance and devices within their boundaries, (under the circumstances they are rarely comfortable banning their simple possession,) under a much greater degree of the same circumstances Salis Freeport is even more reluctant to ban them in any fashion. Like virtually everything else, the city has farmed out the registration and licensing of any volatile alchemical ordinance and associated engines of delivery to the agency which is most concerned about the availability and use of what is being licensed, in this case the Temple of Behladamah. Somewhat more unusual, this also includes any other alchemical preparations (other than poisons) which pose similar physical or magical dangers necessitating their scheduling as hazardous materials; the city (correctly) viewing that church as likely to act more responsibly with their regard than the Alchemist Guild which produces them. Essentially, Salis' (and many other governments) treat the Alchemist Guild as a discretely incorporated chapter of the Church, much like the Guilds sponsored by The Order of the Ladies Hand, in this case however placing responsibility for the guild's oversight directly upon the sponsoring agency. It was the church which petitioned for (and received) the city's indulgence to construct the Magazine and Test Range outside of the city proper as the Powder Bluff Proving Grounds rather than storing and testing such materials within the city confines of the Temple Compound itself (proving yet again that while they really are crazy, they're anything but stupid. . .). Problems arising from the discharge of devices employing volatile alchemical ordinance within the city have consequently been extremely rare (although invariably spectacular), and most residents are already inclined to give wide berth to anyone who would openly carry such in any case. . .
(1) In spite of numerous (real) improvements over recent centuries in accuracy, range, safety and reliability and general ease of use, gunnes, whether personal or siege engine class, are still universally viewed as artillerist's weapons, only (barely) suitable for delivering indirect and suppressive volleys of limited range and employed at greater risk to the artillerist(s) than their targets. (The massive raw destructive potential of alchemical siege-canne ordinance is at least recognized but rarely considered to be worth the perceived risk to crew personnel. Consequently they have rarely been employed save by volunteer slave and/or convict crewes in exchange for freedom or pardon to those who survive until the end of the siege. Even then, the cost of training combined with the absence of any real loyalty or moral makes the practice quite dubious, especially considering that any survivors will essentially constitute criminals and former slaves now at large with both a serious grudge and the rather rare and valuable knowledge and ability to properly utilize some extremely dangerous weapons. . .) Considering the effects of alchemical flame-bores already deployed on some oceanic and aerial naval vessels to be bad enough, the church of Beldamh considers the world much better off in continued ignorance than with such destructive devices proliferating in the hands of the sane. Further, they have actively, albeit quietly, discouraged the Alchemist Guild's research attempting to develop a stable 'damp poudre' which will reliably maintain its properties when exposed to moisture. As a result, alchemical ordinances are employed far more for fun than profit. As they say, Addlebright's last party was a blast. . .
Just starting this portion, but want to get the opening passages posted. As a free city, rather than actual independent city-state, developing its own intelligence network I believe is pretty unusual, but seems rather necessary in certain regards, largely trade and commerce related. Priorities at present I think would be: 1) The Malenorian Empire and its relationships - esp. with the Twin Kingdoms, followed by the Kingdoms themselves and other regional powers; 2) broad (global) ripples from effects of activities in the Verge, 3) Church conflicts (essentially reflecting conflicts between deities for the most part) in terms of the churches as political powers and 4) advances and developments in physical and magical technologies, especially regarding industries/crafts/trades significant to the city's commerce, i.e., cuprous metallurgy and manufacture and advances in transportation and shipping. Actually, the highest priority would essentially focus around determining who is watching the city and watching them in turn along with related counter-intelligence measures. I do have a nagging feeling that I'm overlooking something obvious and important in this. I'm not sure yet what other espionage activities would eventually develop beyond intelligence gathering and analysis though. Any ideas for any of these things here would be very helpful.
Under the circumstances, it is not too surprising that the city itself eventually began to perceive a need for intelligence assets of its own, if only to have some awareness of what was going in the intelligence community it harbors and avoid any truly nasty surprises. While there is certainly a large pool of top level professional talent operating in the city, some of which is available for hire on a temporary contract basis, the difficulty in establishing an effective covert bureau lay in acquiring personnel whose loyalties could be trusted, especially without it becoming known that they were doing so in a city crawling with the elite agents of the world's finest intelligence agencies. Further, the bureau had to be remain stable regardless of changes produced by mayoral elections and appointments. While changes in appointment of the City Marshal and Justiciar require approval by an absolute 2/3 of the Guild Council, placing this under the Marshal's purview was still too vulnerable to changes which could severely hamper its effectiveness in addition to forcing (potentially resentful) former Marshals in possession of critical, sensitive and highly 'classified' knowledge regarding its structure, membership and activities out of the bureau. Eventually (approx. 150 years BP) a mayor hit upon a means of overcoming these problems by placing the matter where no one would ever expect or even think to look: in the hands of the city's real (though unofficial) patron and protector.
While it is uncertain precisely which mayor initiated this, it is believed to immediately precede the next steps, well known to have been established early in his second term by Szandroess Halemmenash of the Stonecunning Clan, a Rimenoshan priest of Zelatrix who had previously served as Master of the Stonemasons Guild before heading the city's Department of Structural Services in the Catwalks. He was extremely popular, both among the guilds and the city's administrative and public works divisions, appearing in public festivals and functions as mayor adorned in gifted finery which put the Malenorian delegates of the Order of the Bright Suns easily to shame in their most lavish and elegant court raiment (deliberately calculated to impress and awe the targets of Malenorian diplomacy in a display of Imperial splendor '" a ploy they had learned well from Fehladurh ambassadors of the church of Shaliah), which only served to heighten his popularity. (By his third and final term in office it had become almost a contest among many guilds to present him with even more lavish gifts precisely for this reason. The Imperial consulate nearly bankrupted itself in just attempting to keep up.) It was in part this public image as well as the general consensus which it served reinforce, i.e., that the dwarven cultural mentality is simply incapable of this sort of subtlety and misdirection, which both made this brilliant combination of maneuvers initially so successful and ensured their continued effectiveness.
By way of a 'double blind,' he chose at the same time to organize in the hands of the City Marshal those sources of intelligence the city was already assumed to be utilizing through connections with the Gentlemen Freetraders and its associated Noonday- and Shadow-Market commerce in the city and swamp, the Open Wayfarers, The Order of the Ladies Hand, further networks from Undertown and whatever petty criminals they could lean on productively. Additionally, once this official 'Office of Domestic Intelligence Oversight and Undercover Services' was fully established and staffed, he directed the Marshal to prioritize the further development of cooperative foreign contacts throughout the city's quarters in addition to the Verge itself. Since a great deal of the surface interplay and dealings were already open secrets to those paying attention to such activities, it was a fairly simple matter of identifying suitable agents with whom to quietly negotiate the exchange of general favors and consideration on the city's part for assistances rendered 'in kind' by friendly operatives of similarly minded powers. Essentially this also merely formalized and expanded what was assumed (in part correctly) to have been going on all along anyway. Of course, soon the whole matter was likewise a public secret among the city's intelligence circles, quite in keeping with their overall analysis and predictions regarding the city and it's current administration.
Lots of people working together feel stretches believablity. I could believe that there would be some competing intelligence sources, especially with the gentleman freetraders. Maybe that's where you are going.
I don't see them as working together - merely the city farming the various groups that they have significant interactions with to begin with - many on the council are Freetraders, the heavy gnomish population creates greater interaction and favorable relations with the Open Wayfarers and halfling population in general than most cities would heave, etc. - the official office just makes a point now of taking more advantage of that - asking specific questions rather than the city passively waiting for whatever info and rumors to trickle to them when a merchant decides its in his best interest to share something. Those groups are essentially separate sources of info with minimal interaction beyond what they would have anyway totally outside of city bureaucracy. Actually *not* doing a particularly great job is part of the point in the public exercise - the real intelligence agency has not yet been discussed and exists virtually entirely outside of the official city administration, being run by the church of Beldamh on the city's behalf.
Got nothing written this weekend and very little tonight beyond the really bad acronym. (Is there a formal term for that particular compulsion? Oh yeah, government.) This is actually going kind of slow since I'm having to think very carefully about how they'd actually put the bureau together - definitely some unconventional approaches in the mix.
All the while, the actual Bureau of Advanced Diplomatic Affairs, Secret Services and Espionage Sciences was slowly and carefully developing the city's real intelligence behind the screen of overwhelmingly plausible deniability of the Church of Behldamh. (While the clergy of She Who Cares are well aware of the fact that no amount of definitive proof could ever convince anyone in their right mind that they were in fact seriously and comprehensively engaged in such activities, they have nevertheless conducted these affairs with such impeccable discretion that to date no suspicion has been raised that Salis Freeport is served by any agency other than the incredibly amateur formal Office. . .) The Bureau developed its network very cautiously, taking decades to reach its full scope, but it is fairly certain that by the end of his third and final term Mayor Szandroess had begun to receive reliable reports regarding various covert activities and developments in not only the neighboring Twin Kingdoms but from within the Malenorian Empire itself.