Between the Serpents of Smoke & Steel - The Undying City

 

Background

The Undying City wasn't always called that, of course. It was renamed after the fall of the empire as a move of political propaganda, as the city was one of the last to actually fall.

Back in the days of the Empire the city was on both sides of the river, however war, raids and other devastation has made the rulers of the city pull back and concentrate things only on the southern bank. 

The other side of the river is now a vast field of ruins, often crawling with scavengers from the poor side of town, as well as barbarians, travelers and various nasty things that go bump in the dark. 

General Description

A view from the north side of the river into the Merchants' Quarters

Buildings are mostly made from adobe and mud if poorer, or bricks and stone in the wealthier parts of town. The entire city is surrounded by very tall and sturdy brick walls, doted with towers at regular intervals. There are two main gates that enter and exit the city, along with the so called Eternal Bridge that offers connection into the ruins of the old city. 

All but the poorest of slums are at least whitewashed, with richer buildings being covered in ornate patterns painted on their facades. Most people who can afford to have gardens or greenery around their house or on their roofs, which help with the hot sun of the dry season. 

In all areas except the Noble District and around the Great Temple, things are very cramped. The city maintains a population about 3 to 5 times its actual capacity. 

Key Areas or Locations

1 - Riverside or Poortown

A vast slum of tenements, cramped houses and shanties makes up this part of the Undying city. The majority of the population of the Undying City live here in misery and squalor - the few who get enough money to leave usually move into the merchant quarters, or buy out and fortify some of the old larger houses that still stand in what used to be the more prosperous part of Riverside. 

With all of that said, the people living here are still citizens of the city and as such at least have the benefit of being on the inside of the great city walls, as well as having access to clean water wells - a benefit people living in the slums reserved for outsiders rarely get.

2 - Merchants' Quarters

Most of the traders, merchants and free artisans of the city live in the two districts surrounding the grand central market plaza. The area is a curious sight, a mixture of modest one story buildings sitting next to opulent complexes with multiple houses belonging to rich members of the Golden Fraternity. 

If you want to purchase anything beyond simple food or livestock, the Merchents' Quarter is where most of the markets that offer such things are located.

3 - Central Market Plaza

The heart of the Undying City is taken up by the vast Central Market plaza, which is where most of the weekly markets are held. The poor citizens rarely go there to shop, at most just selling their wares in the smaller stalls. The plaza is also where the larger roads in the city converge. Because it is located right next to the internal gates that lead into the Noble and Great Temple districts, violence anywhere around the Plaza is ruthlessly punished and suppressed. 

4 - Noble District

The nobility of the Undying City spend their days in a walled off part of the city living in decadence, leisure and pursuits of fighting and occultism. The entire district houses vast mansion complexes, each of them walled off and surrounded by lush gardens. The entire district is itself walled off from the common parts of the city, the nobles preferring to not see the squalor and overcrowding in places like Riverside. 

Anyone who is deemed to look too poor or like they don't belong will never be allowed through the gates of the Noble District, and carrying a weapon without the explicit permission of a noble is not allowed. Weapons are confiscated at the gate, and anyone found sneaking a weapon will be promptly attacked and put to death by the various bodyguards and mercenaries that work for the nobility. 

This doesn't mean that fights and violence are rare in the Noble District, mind you. It's just that the nobles are very specific about who gets to do it. 

5 - Great Temple District

This walled off district houses the true power in the Undying City - the sorcerer-priests of the Great Temple. Very few are permitted entry into the district, the internal gate leading to it being even more heavily guarded than the gates to enter into the city itself. 

The Undying City has firmly pledged itself with the forces of Law, coming under the protection and patronage of the Lord of Order known simply as The Pale Stillness of Justice. Statues of this benefactor can be found everywhere around the city, and offering of worship, sacrifices and devotion to them is mandatory. The old gods of the Empire are still worshipped, of course, but their religious organizations have dwindled in relevance. 

While the Nobles would never allow for it to be publicly stated, everyone in the Undying City knows that the High Priest of the Pale Stillness is the true ultimate ruler of the Undying City, along with his lesser temple priests. The sorcerer-priests are easily recognized by the pale alabaster masks they wear whenever outside of the Great Temple District - a practice of veiling and masking that has been common among the religious castes even back in the heyday of the Empire. 

Attached to the south-eastern part of the city is a walled off district that can only be entered through the Great Temple district itself. Nobody has any real knowledge or idea of what is housed there, as so few have even seen it. 

6 - Visitor's Quarters/Slums

Just outside the gates of the city are vast sprawling slums filled with hovels, tent cities and the occasional fortified and walled tavern or inn. This is where Outsiders, people who have not been granted citizenship, are allowed to stay. Anyone who travels to the city along the road and not the river must stay in one of the two Visitor's Quarters during the night. During the day people are allowed to enter the city to do trade or to travel through of course. 

In general the north-eastern Visitor's Quarters is much safer and less slum-like, as it is located near the Merchants' Quarters and thus often caravan people, mercenary companies and others tend to stay there instead. 

7 - Old Bridge and Tower Ruins

This used to be the second bridge that spanned the Serpent of Smoke river in order to connect the two parts of the old city. On the sizable island in the middle of the river was located a guard tower which would defend against attacks by ship, along with buildings that housed bureaucrats that kept track of the ship traffic. 

About 20 years ago or so the tower was abandoned and the bridge was demolished, leaving only one single entrance into the Old City. This was done on the command of the Priesthood, with the safety of the city being cited as the reason behind the act. 

More recently, people from Riverside report that sometimes in the night they can see lights from the buildings on the island, however nobody has dared really do much about it. 

8 - The Eternal Bridge

The second of the old bridges that connected the two parts of the city, it was renamed the Eternal Bridge by the priesthood after it withstood a ferocious attack by northern barbarians and their strange beasts. It is now the only way to cross into the Old City (except of course by boat). There are guard towers located on both ends of it, and anyone going into the Old City must be catalogued by the guards there. The main traffic into that dangerous area consists of Scavengers and adventurers, both of which must pay a toll of 10% of any treasure or money they find in their expeditions, before they are allowed back into the city.

While it's absolutely possible to simply cross the river via boat, doing so is dangerous for two reasons. Firstly, boats like that often get attacked by bandits or other scavengers as soon as they reach the other shore. Secondly, crossing into the Old City through any other means besides the Eternal Bridge is technically a criminal act. 

9 - The Old City Ruins

A vast sprawl of ruins from what used to be the old city, along with the various smaller towns and villages that were close to it. A lot of treasures, rare materials and other things are still left there, as going into the ruins is dangerous. They are full of bandits, barbarians, as well as other more inhuman things like dangerous animals, monsters and even demonic forces, keeping an eye on this established stronghold of Law. 

The majority of the citizenry of the Undying City simply refuse to even look at the ruins, let alone go anywhere near them. The only ones to go there are people exiled for various crimes (a punishment often equal to a death sentence), adventurers willing to make their fortunes, and the Scavengers. 

The Scavengers tend to be poor members of the citizenry who make short ventures into the ruins and back. They often are looking for old treasures or valuables left behind, along with precious resources they can sell to the merchants. It is a desperate career with a very short life expectancy, however plenty of the richer people in the Merchants' Quarters actually made their fortune by leading Scavenger bands, and plenty of them still do. 

This is also where most of the initial dungeons and other locales will be. None of them are easy to reach - the closer and safer ruins have long ago been stripped of any value by the Scavenger bands, but deeper into the ruins there is plenty of forgotten things just waiting to be claimed!