City of Raskot
The city of Raskot, capital city of the Duchy of Raskot, is a walled city surrounding a central keep. Over 50,000 people live and work within or near the walls of the city. Only about 1,000 of them are allowed to enter the central keep, where many of the noble families of the area maintain additional residences.
The city is located within the Royal District, the largest contiguous (approximately) land mass in the delta of the River Ormur upon the Gulf of Bazón. One branch of the River Ormur within the delta marks the rough northern edge of the Royal District. The surrounding land is considered part of the County of Turel.
Thanks to the breadth of the River Ormur and its proximity to the gulf, Raskot is a thriving port city. Most boats that dock here have traveled along that river or through the various navigable canals; very few come from the gulf. Plenty of trade arrives by overland routes as well, often assisted by a fleet of boats and barges dedicated to crossing or navigating rivers.
This cluster of residences, farms, orchards occupies much of the land to the east and southeast of the city walls. It is roughly bounded on the north by the Dromos Lofos, the main road from the northeast. The easterly Dromos Anatol, the southeasterly Dromos Korafi, and the southerly Dromos Notos all run through it. Local historians claim that this is where the settlement that eventually became the city began.
This neighborhood dominates the southwestern portions of the city. If you can afford to live within the city walls, but you are not affluent, you most likely live here. There are some small clusters of shops, eateries, and market stalls, and a few places of worship that are officially tolerated by the city and the crown.
This neighborhood is the center of the city’s scholarly pursuits. It is in the northeast portion of the city, inside the city walls. The various buildings of Valacordia College reside on the outer edge of the square proper, which is not even a quadrilateral anymore. The center of the square contains a smaller temple to Naënta and a library of texts recommended by the current Dean, Olavo Menezes.
Many of the scions of the various noble houses in the Duchy are sent here to round out their education. Here they study the natural philosophies, history, languages foreign and/or ancient, and the performing arts.
Upstream of the neighborhoods of Lordswharf, spanning both banks of the river, is a neighborhood where the residents and the laborers practice fishing, aquaculture, boat building, and the textile arts and sciences. More commercial and industrial establishments tend to cluster closer to the river; the residential ones are set back some. The locals cross the river so frequently here – both with and without boats – that they don’t regard it as a border, just a particularly wet area.
Much of the river’s bounty is sold fresh off the boats here, where merchants haul it to the other market areas in and around the city in attempts to resell it at a profit without losing too much freshness.
A public park, arboretum, and manicured garden between the Tinariv and the southeastern city walls. Vigorously patrolled by the Crown’s Watch. Technically administered by the city government, when the crown doesn’t overrule them. (Which is more often than the city government would like, but they’re the crown, and you usually can’t tell them no.)
The arboretum and garden contain as many varieties of the Duchy’s celebrated agricultural products as they can muster. The only people allowed to harvest from the grounds must have the official blessing of the crown, and may only do so during daylight hours while guards are present.
When a city dweller refers to “the Orchard,” they are most likely discussing this are of the city, just outside the northeast gate of the Tinariv and almost in the exact center of the walled city. A larger rectangular plaza on the south is ringed by 50 evenly-spaced palm trees, surrounding a statue of the current Duke Volusian Gregoras. A smaller rectangular plaza on the north is ringed by 50 evenly-spaced palmetto trees surrounding a statue of the current Duchess Valeria Psella. Between them is the imposing columned edifice of the Halls of Principle, the largest house of worship in the city. It is a temple to Naënta, a deity of civilization and justice, who is the favored deity of the current rulers. The footprint of the temple is roughly rectangular, its longer side three times its shorter, save for an outdoor plaza carved out of the middle of the north side.
For many years ocean-going vessels that cannot navigate up the river have docked here for easy access to the capital city. Many a beast-drawn cart has worn ruts upon the one-league journey that joins the Dromos Dytika, a stone’s throw from the oft-malfunctioning drawbridge at Angoussy. Many people who haul goods back and forth between the piers and the city are willing to take a few silver sultans in exchange for a seat on their wagon and a quicker trip.
While physically separate from the city, it is within the Royal District and administered as if it were the city. Many people work here, but few live here.
One of the pilings at the end of the southernmost pier has been carved so that it appears to have a sea serpent coiling around it. Small offerings are often left at this shrine to the sea goddess Zmeyana, in the hopes that she might bless the petitioner…or perhaps curse a rival.
The northern part of the area is home to much ship repair and a little bit of ship building. The Raskotian navy actively use the area for their vessels and personnel, sharing space for ship maintenance with civilian concerns. Most civilians and are refused entry to areas meant exclusively for the naval personnel.
This area on the banks of the broad River Ormur, northwest of the city walls, sees quite a lot of trade move through it. Trading, shipping, and export/import guilds make their homes here and employ many of the workers.
Two major roads move through this area. They are broad and well-maintained, eventually reaching the wall of the city where both people and goods are inspected. The Dromos Varaam is the more westerly of the two, coming from the northwestern counties of the Duchy. Its bridge over the Ormur is called Vitrollon. The Dromos Vorei, coming from the north, crosses the river at Bourlès. Both bridges are stonework viaducts that allow barges and some sailboats to pass underneath. Larger vessels cannot pass safely, so there is some money to be made in short-distance logistics here, whether by land or water.
The two major roads and the River Ormur divide the area roughly into six neighborhoods.
Huge docks and huge warehouses are the most prominent features of this neighborhood on the north bank of the river immediately downstream from the Vitrollon. The biggest ships that can navigate the river from the Gulf of Bazón will tie up here to move cargo and the people who care about it.
The largest shipping and trading guilds are headquartered here, and some of them have legitimate noble backing. Loose associations of teamsters and dock workers, advocating for better working conditions, have sprung up in recent years. Business that protect cargo and people in transit, both physically and financially, can also be found here. More than a few physicians and veterinarians, of varying levels of competence, have established practice here.
The only ship builder in the entire duchy maintains some facilities here; it is well known to be backed by the Count of Sardar.
The huge docks immediately upstream of the Bourlès on the north bank of the river see a lot of large cargo moved across them, either on to or off of the larger sail barges that travel along the River Ormur. Adjacent to the docks is a sprawling arrangement of mostly residential buildings and a few market stalls and squares. Many of the people who work anywhere in Lordswharf live here, if they can’t afford to live elsewhere. The portions closer to the Bourlès and closer to the river bank are generally working-class, and some of the locals even call it “Upper Dalazar” to distinguish it from the working-class and poorer neighborhoods further away.
On the north bank of the river, between the two major roads. All the goods that want to move along the river but can’t make it under either of the bridges move through this district of large warehouses and offices. Anyone who wants to make a name for themselves in trade, import, or export has a facility here, but it is not likely to be their headquarters. Many people and much stuff moves through here, but it doesn’t necessarily stay here for very long.
All the traffic of beast-drawn carts and wagons has inspired the more civic-minded people of the area to form a neighborhood council that keeps the streets clean of waste, humanoid and otherwise. They also operate in the neighboring areas of Anchorside and Dalazar.
Below the Vitrollon on the south bank of the river is a neighborhood of docks, small warehouses, and offices, and a few residences. Smaller goods bound for the city itself, or to be carried quickly into, out of, or through Twin Bridges, pass over these docks. Businesses that maintain offices here often work with specialized and artisanal goods and wares rather than staples and raw materials. It may not be a boisterous neighborhood, but many of the locals consider their work vital to the city’s welfare. (And of course, their own!)
The various companies and guilds of greater Lordswharf have established the a chamber of commerce and a court of arbitration here. Any business in or near the city that can pay the nominal monthly fee to remain in good standing may call themselves a member and may avail themselves of the organization’s services.
The Dromos Dytika exits the west wall of the city and forms the rough southwestern boundary of this neighborhood. Eventually it crosses the River Ormur at the Angoussy, a massive wooden drawbridge operated by a sophisticated system of gears, pulleys, and chains, powered by teams of oxen. Arguably the drawbridge spends more time broken than operational; some day they hope to use it to allow more ships to move between river and ocean.
Squeezed between the south bank of the river, the city walls and the two major roads is a few of the liveliest blocks in the city. People and smaller goods move through these relatively narrow streets at all hours of the day, and more than a few entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the situation to make a little more coin here and there. Eventually this turned into a very compact shopping, dining, and entertainment district catering to those of reasonable means. The truly affluent are sometimes seen here, but the nobles themselves are generally not. (But perhaps their servants are.)
Above the Bourlès, between the south bank of the river and the city walls, are a few smaller docks to mirror those found in Torif Landing, and a market district less posh and less pretentious than Twin Bridges. (At least according to the locals.) If Lordswharf could be said to have a middle class, then many of their number live here. The border of the neighborhood is roughly the Dromos Lofos, a road that reaches the northeast gates of the city.
The choicest produce available to the common folk, a few exotic foodstuffs, and many hand-crafted goods appear at the shops and stalls here. Many of the local merchants think that proximity to the Dromos Vorei or the city walls allows some degree of prestige and possibly markup on prices, so competition for space as well as sales can be fierce, sometimes underhanded, but seldom uncivil.
This neighborhood lies between the two northern roads, extending inwards a few blocks from the northern walls. A few art galleries can be seen here and there in this neighborhood, but the bulk of the artistic expression to be found here is performed and experienced, not merely gazed upon. Many talented individuals are drawn here, gently competing for the attention and the coin of passers-by, hoping to attend the various schools in the area. Many aspire to gain the attention of the crown, a noble, or some other wealthy patron. (Some engage in outright chicanery, knowing that such attention is a long shot at best. The coin is just as good and you get to be your own boss!)
A shanty town outside the southwestern city walls. Common folk who work in the city but can’t afford to live within its walls live here. It is also a popular destination for those who prefer to avoid the gaze of the Crown, the Crown Watch, and the City Watch. Subsistence and survival are usually the orders of the day; those who thrive in this area often do so at the expense of others.
The southwestern road, called the Dromos Ksehas, is well-maintained from the city walls through Tiraz and eventually to the Kedetz Orchard, but largely neglected by the authorities in charge outside.
“The Plate,” as the locals sometimes call it, is a roughly circular plaza a few blocks north of Kedetz Orchard, containing a great number of of plinths for monuments and statues. A few are occupied; the one closest to the center portrays Naënta, favored deity of the crown, engaged in public speaking. Statues of rulers both past and present stand at various distances from the center; presumably the empty plinths are reserved for statues of future rulers.
The largest building on the plaza is City Hall, a functional building of hewn stone standing on the east. Mayor Strymo Arkheanassa and six councillors engage in the daily business of running the city within its walls.
The administrative building of the Reimosh Compound, headquarters of the City Watch, dominates the northern parts of the plaza. It has the facade of several other nondescript civic buildings in addition to its own more obvious entrance.
Within the walls of the compound are a training yard for watchmen, a barracks, an armory, and separate prisons for nobles and commoners. The outer walls of the the rest of the compound are not given any sort of facade, and have visible elevated guard towers at intervals.
The City Watch are charged with both policing and defense of the city. Their relationship with the Crown Watch can vary from day to day and from task to task, depending on what is being asked of them.
The current leader of the City Watch is Cyrus Dabri, who was promoted from within. He does not have a vote on the city council, but he has the ear of the mayor.
The eastern gate in the city wall is a genuine work of art and architecture, featuring statues of a crowned man and a crowned woman, standing in royal garb, on either side. The main road to the east, the Dromos Anatol, passes through these gates. It is well-maintained out to the border of the city’s Royal District, and then it becomes the responsibility of the County of Turel. Within the walls, the road is broad and smooth enough for royal processions between the gate and the Tinariv.
A posh neighborhood inside the northwestern walls where those who have money but lack noble title often live. Most guilds not specific to trading try to maintain headquarters here. Artists are more visible here than in other neighborhoods, as long as their works don’t ruffle the wrong feathers.
The central keep where most functions of the duchy’s government are performed. All the noble families in the surrounding County of Turel, and many of the noble families from other counties, keep additional residences here to be close to the crown. Only merchants who have been specifically granted permission by a noble of Count(ess) or higher rank may operate within the walls of the keep. Only merchants who have specifically received permission from the Duke or Duchess may have a permanent place of business within the keep, but they may not reside there.
The duke and duchess are often out and about within the formidable walls of the Tinariv, pursuing duties official and otherwise. They are seldom seen beyond those walls, and if they are, their ostentatious and heavily-armed entourage goes with them.
Since they ascended to the throne in 675 E.P., Duke Volusian Gregoras & Duchess Valeria Psella have made their residence here.
The palace has always been opulent. The details of its decoration are left to the royal family. The current rulers have earned something of a reputation for ostentation.
The lower-to-middle-class commerce district, just inside the southwestern walls, where nearly anything for daily living can be bought or sold. Nominally patrolled by the City Watch, who often have more important things to do than discourage petty thievery (a term they define very broadly). Crafters and artisans who can’t afford to set up shop elsewhere often end up here. At least there are plenty of customers!
- Angoussy
- a massive wooden drawbridge where the Dromos Dytika crosses the River Ormur
- Bourlès
- a stonework bridge where the Dromos Vorei crosses the River Ormur
- City Hall
- center of city administration, on the east side of Platei Dimos
- Dean’s Library
- a library of texts favored by the current dean of Valacordia College, in the center of Damulem Square
- Dromos Anatol
- a major road leading east
- Dromos Dytika
- a major road leading west
- Dromos Korafi
- a major road leading southeast
- Dromos Ksehas
- a major road leading southwest
- Dromos Lofos
- a major road leading northeast
- Dromos Notos
- a major road leading south
- Dromos Varaam
- a major road leading northwest
- Dromos Vorei
- a major road leading north
- Haklamah Park & Royal Garden
- public park, manicured garden, and arboretum, showcasing regional agriculture
- Halls of Principle
- largest temple in the city, dedicated to Naënta, in Kedetz Orchard
- Raash-Terek
- eastern gate of the city, flanked by regal statues
- Reimosh Compound
- headquarters of the City Watch, on the north side of Platei Dimos
- Royal Palace
- opulent residence of the Duke and Duchess of Raskot, within the Tinariv
- Tinariv
- exclusive district for nobility within the city
- Vitrollon
- a stonework bridge where the the Dromos Varaam crosses the River Ormur
- Centurion Oceanside Ltd. (C.O.)
- A trading and logistics company operating throughout the central and northern Duchy
- City Watch
- Protectors of the city and enforcers of its laws
- Crown’s Watch
- Protectors of the nobles in general, and the crown in particular
- Great Tazieu & Eastern Trading Company (GT&E)
- An import, export, trading, and logistics company operating in the central Duchy, and along routes to foreign neighbors to the east
- Mazar Benerese & Company (MB&Co.)
- A trading and logistics company operating in the central and southern Duchy and the Gulf of Bazón
- Valacordia College
- A prestigious scholarly institution
- His Grace Volusian Gregoras
- Duke of Raskot since 834 E.P., of House Palamas
- Her Grace Valeria Psella
- Duchess of Raskot since 834 E.P., of House Palamas
- Strymo Arkheanassa
- Mayor of the City of Raskot
- Cyrus Dabri
- Captain of the City Watch
- Olavo Menezes
- Dean of Valacordia College
- The Most Reverend Diomedes Solon
- Archbishop of Naënta at the Halls of Principle
- Samirah Kehyani
- Harbor Master at Khosrow Piers
- Bakhtiar Deek
- Deputy Harbor Master at Lordswharf and Dalazar
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