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 Post subject: The city of Targrove
PostPosted: Sun May 06, 2007 1:54 pm 
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Prismatic Pangolin

Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:50 pm
Posts: 2283
Targrove is a smallish trade city located on an island slightly to the east of the middle of the Circle Ocean. It is, however, notable for a number of reasons.

First, it is the least piratical of the free ports. It is said that anything (and anyone) can be found for sale in its markets. And that, unlike other cities that can make that claim, there's a good chance you'll live long enough to make a purchase.

Second, it is (excluding the supposed high kobold home city), the wealthiest independant city-state. Thus, despite its small size and complete lack of navy, it is a formidable power in the world - or at least that portion of the world that abuts on the Serpent Ocean. Kingdoms can (and have been) won or lost on the basis of who had the most favorable trade agreement.

Thirdly, it is ruled by a powerful warlock. And, unlike most such places, it is not a den of demons, undead, and other such vile creatures. Indeed, its laws regarding such things are rather harsher than elsewhere - anyone found to be involved in, for example, creating undead, is subject to immediate execution by whoever happens to be around and capable of doing so.


Last edited by Wyvern on Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun May 06, 2007 4:56 pm 
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Prismatic Pangolin

Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:50 pm
Posts: 2283
The city has a roughly circular layout.

At the bottom, from about eight o'clock to four o'clock (imagine a circular clock face here), is the docks district. This area gets rougher the farther clockwise you go; most honest traders try to stay in the "upper" (easternmost) half.

Continuing north from there, the ground slopes up throughout the market district, which extends from four o'clock to about one-thirty.

After that is the general district; by this point the city has reached the top of the plateue that forms most of the island. The general district is where much of the permanent population of the city lives, and where you find shops that cater to the locals rather than to travellers. It stretches from one-thirty around to ten-thirty.

Beyond the general district is a rather solid, if somewhat poorly maintained, wall. On the other side is the chromatikin district - refuge for those too poor to live elsewhere, and of course anyone who, like the chromatikin, are not considered "people" by the city's legal system. Unlike many other cities, this district is not a complete disgrace, however. The chromatikin have a few powerful champions, and in general are merely looked down on by the humanoid population. This district extends from nine to ten-thirty.

Last around the circle is the dwarven district. Though it appears the smallest on conventional maps, extending only from eight to nine, the southern face of the district is a sheer cliff, and the entire area is riddled with tunnels. This district also contains most of the city's manufacturing capability - dwarven or not.

In the middle of the city is the palace: a circular block of seamless stone set with arrow slits that rises a good thirty feet above even the highest promontory of the dwarven district - and towers about eighty feet above the docks below.

There is also a small elven district to the north of the general district, and two old and more or less abandoned fortresses that extend out from the edges of the docks and frame the exit to the bay.

The last region of note is the tidal caves under the city. Once a popular destination for adventurers, these have been picked clean over the past several years. Nobody goes there now, except maybe some smugglers - though tariffs in Targrove are deliberately set to never be high enough to make smuggling really worth the risk.

Oh, and then there are various farms across the rest of the small island. Important economically, of course, but not very interesting.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun May 20, 2007 11:15 pm 
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Sane. VERY Sane.

Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:32 pm
Posts: 610
Here's a (very) rough map, not yet sanctioned by the GM, based on information in this thread. May be updated periodically. Please post comments about it in General Discussion forum instead of cluttering this thread.

Image

Thick lines are walls.
Districts are labeled, colors are fairly random.
Dock district has a gradient to show the "bad" section in the west.


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 Post subject: Re: The city of Targrove
PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:19 pm 
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Prismatic Pangolin

Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 8:50 pm
Posts: 2283
Assorted places in Targrove:

The Flying Dog (tavern). The tavern of choice for city regulars who aren't looking for a fight. It's somewhat out of the way, and a bit hard to find if you don't already know where it is.
Located at the top edge of the market district.

The Leering Mermaid (tavern and whorehouse). Caters to nobles (who think that they're slumming), and wannabe nobles (who think that it's posh). Is also one of the few establishments in Targrove to make extensive use of slave labor.
Located near the bottom of the market district.

The Kraken-on-a-Spit (tavern). Somewhat similar to the mended drum of discworld fame. You could go there and have a peaceful drink... but why? Bar fights here are generally fairly cheerful affairs, and serious injuries are surprisingly uncommon.
Located a bit marketwards of the center of the docks.

The One-Eyed Fox (tavern). A hive of scum and villainy. Bar fights here are typically short, brutal, and (often) lethal. Not recommended for the faint of heart or the inexperienced. This is the standard meeting place of thieves, assassins, and smugglers. (While there are relatively few things that are actually illegal in Targrove, the city does have a thriving trade in stuff that's illegal elsewhere - so there's plenty of above-board work to be had for those specialized in evading the law at other ports.)
Located where the docks reaches the southern finger fort, beyond the edge of the dwarven district.

The Yellow Scale (tavern). The oldest operating tavern in the chromatikin district; this place is as much of a quiet social nexus as the flying dog, though it caters to a rather different crowd. It's also more or less ignored by most of the humans in Targrove; people who go there looking to pick a fight often just disappear. Besides, it's clearly not important.
Located roughly in the middle of the chromatikin district.

Stewart's Tower. Bunker might be a more accurate term; it looks like it was built to withstand attacks from siege weaponry. This building is also relatively small for a wizard's abode - a mere two stories tall and about thirty feet in diameter. Local rumor claims that the basements are quite extensive, though.
Located at the north west corner of the general district; adjacent to both chromatikin and elven districts.

The Coliseum. Most notable for its use of magic to grant participants limited regeneration; it is very difficult to actually kill someone in the arena (no matter how thoroughly you disembowel them) - and all methods capable of doing so are banned from use in normal combat. Hosts a variety of games ranging from simple "deathmatch" combat, to complex team-based blood sports. Also hosts the occasional public execution.

Temple of the Eternal Storm. The local temple to Avoden; a towerlike structure whose upper levels are wreathed in its own private storm cloud. (The cloud is real, though the thunder and lightning is largely illusory - due to complaints about fire hazards and noise pollution.) A popular temple among the sailors; most make small donations prior to heading back out to sea.
Located just about dead center in the Docks, on the edge of the water.

Temple of the Stricken Hart. The local temple to Artemis. It's relatively small and out of the way; a single story stone structure surrounded by trees. There's not much call for a goddess of the hunt in a major city. Oddly enough, the dwarves seem to show up here fairly regularly - perhaps they're just impressed by the stonework. While its construction looks crude at first glance, as if someone had simply tossed together a pile of whatever boulders were handy, careful examination reveals that it was merely crafted to resemble natural rock, and that most of the apparent holes have been filled in with transparent glass.
Located on the eastern edge of the elven district.

Temple of the Sun. The local temple to Marris, and the local headquarters for the order of paladins. Fairly standard cathedral style building, lots of sun motifs, stained glass windows, and glowing golden bits.
Located at the top of the trade district, poised at eastern edge to get the best possible view of the morning sun.

Temple of the Blazing Clarion. The local temple of the Harbingers of Light (aka the Shadowflame Cult). It's a bit on the small side; the locals mostly prefer other religions. Best known for an experimental war construct (the aforementioned "blazing clarion") that is often submitted for battle in the coliseum - where it's one of the favorite "bad guys".
Located on the eastern edge of the trade district, tucked in just under the cliff face, and only a few blocks south of the Temple of the Sun. The site is in shadow for most of the day, though the temple itself is well lit by magical flames.

There are a large number of other temples, as well. Most major religions have at least a small shrine somewhere in Targrove - though, as following any vile god or demon lord is illegal (punishable by death), any shrines to such dark powers are well hidden.

The Circle of Ash. When Malika first came to power and chose to enforce order on the streets of Targrove, several of the street gangs of the time banded together against her. The circle of ash is where she obliterated them. These days it is walled in on all sides, with no windows, and only a single narrow alleyway leading in. It is a forty foot diameter area of featureless grey ash. The air is still, and silent, and far too hot - typically hovering around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Every step brings up puffs of ash that seem to swirl into screaming faces as it drifts slowly back towards the ground. Lingering in the area is said to cause people to go insane, or just plain disappear.
Located in the middle of the general district.


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