City of the Steel Lotus

History

The City of the Steel Lotus is a relatively new city by the standards of An-Teng, built in the wake of the Usurpation as an administrative capital for the region. Difficult to defend and with a placid population who made for poor soldiers, it remained for the most part a vassal province rather than seat of power for a daimyo. In the wake of the Contagion, Steel Lotus briefly fell under control of August Steel Pheasant, and upon her death her chosen viceroy was dragged from the Palace of Threefold Magnificence by the soldiers of the Scarlet Empress and quartered by elephants to the cheers of the locals. The city became the seat of the Imperial Satrap, and has remained so ever since.

Layout

The City of the Steel Lotus is located on the banks of the River of Queens , where it passes from the Middle Land principality into the Shore Land principality.

Queens District: The riverfront area of the City is known as the ‘Queens District’, an area of docks and warehouses for vessels sailing along the river. While larger ships keep to the deeper ports at the river mouth, their cargoes make the journey by shallower trade vessel from Salt-Founded Glory and Dragon’s Jaw, with similar vessels bearing cargoes downriver from the rest of An-Teng. Dynastic pleasure yachts also ply the river to reach the docks here, as do luxury tour boats and passenger ferries carrying travelers along the river. There are even a few river boats for hire to explore less-travelled waterways on expeditions into the jungles of the country’s inland reaches.

Great Market District: Beside the Queens District lies the Great Market District, where the bulk of the city’s commerce takes place. The most expensive areas of the Great Market supply wealthy tourists with culinary delicacies from across An-Teng and beyond, with teahouses and restaurants eager to service both tourists and locals as they take breaks from hard days of shopping. Other shops provide luxurious ivory and teak, drugs produced from the Coca Bush and Soaring Hemp, and of course Maiden Tea. Bronzes from Blood River , Fragrant Rice from across the Southwest, Ananate Berry wine and Agwa Liqueur are amongst the products sold here in bulk for export across Creation. Given An-Teng’s popularity and good repute as a luxury vacation spot, the sale of native crafts and artwork appeals to some visitors seeking to display mementos of their travels. While forgeries and cheap imitations can be found in the Great Market, Dragonblooded shoppers are safe from such attempts at deception, as their anger can be highly destructive (and sometimes fatal). Mortals must be more cautious. As An-Teng is a land of tradition and stability, the bargaining seen amongst merchants in many areas is rare here… the value of goods is admitted, and fair prices known to buyers and sellers through traditional framework rather than individual inclination.

Some shops of the Great Market also see use fencing items captured or smuggled by the Lintha family. Several experts in forgery dwell in the city to give such goods supporting documentation so they can be sold with proper legal appearances.

Street of Sun-Kissed Flowers: A district bordering the Dynastic District and the Royal District, the Street of Sun-Kissed Flowers holds dozens of Houses of Courteous Attention, where beautiful courtesans of both genders await to entertain and satiate the desires of the wealthy tourists.

--- Courteous House of Jan of the Red Stone: The most famous (and expensive) of the Street’s courtesan houses, renowned particularly for the cultured skill of its attendants.

--- Courteous House of Dusk Caress: A rising star of the Street, known for the skill of its dancers and readiness to satiate darker appetites. The House secretly shelters several members of the Seven-Stranded Vine cult.

--- Courteous House of Silk-Bound Hair: A scool where orphans of unknown families or born out of wedlock are raised from a young ager to be proper courtesans. Those who fail are expelled into streets, where they typically become cheap prostitutes serving unExalted tourists.

Dynastic District: Walled luxury district containing a number of vacation homes and villas leased to visiting Dynasts, as well as the House of Blossom’s Rest, a large resort establishment for wealthy visitors planning short stays, or poorer Dynasts and patricians who cannot afford the lease on a private villa. The two gate-bridges leading into the District are garrisoned by the local detachment of the 15th Imperial Legion.

Garden of Tigers and Elephants: Large public garden, constructed by the Realm and the Three Princes. At the center of the garden is an open square sometimes used for public executions or duels. The four corners of the park are each dominated by a large elephant statue of carved stone.

Dwelling Districts: Districts containing the housing of most Tengese city residents. There are a number of these districts, organized by profession and containing family villas and tenements. Amongst them are the Merchants District, the Scholars District, the Foreigners District, the Courtesans District, the Ivory-carvers District, and the Woodcarvers District.

Slum Districts: Districts around the outer edge of the city, home to poorer Tengese families residing in the city, as well as criminals, those Tengese who are without family (and thus have no true property ownership), and those forced out of the more-travelled districts for causing some offence to the Dragonblooded.

Royal District: The Royal District is located at the center of the city, housing the major temples and government buildings.

--- Palace of Threefold Magnificence : At the center of the District is the Palace of Threefold Magnificense , a luxurious building of three wings and a triangular central tower domed in gold. The building itself is primarily of expensive teak, with ornaments of lapis and pearl. Its North Wing is a residence of the Shore Prince, the Southwest Wing a residence of the Middle Prince, and the Southeast Wing a residence of the High Prince. Typically the princes only dwell in their wings when they must meet to discuss matters of state with their peers or the Imperial Satrap, but Prince Laxhander of the Shore Lands has taken up permanent residence there with his family, rather than dwelling in the capital of his principality. He is sure to invite visiting Dragon Blooded to dine in splendour and luxury nearly every evening, and often has his own family attend them… their inevitable attempts at seduction revealing his hope of obtaining Terrestrial blood and links to the Great Houses.

--- Temple of the Golden Lord: Located on the Eastern side of the Royal District, the Temple of the Golden Lord’s massive golden dome dwarfs that of the Palace. A large priesthood and cadres of temple dancers dwell in the temple. Its abbot is Foulu, who has long been a vocal opponent of the Immaculate Order.

--- Temple of the Pale Mistress: Located on the Western Side of the Royal District, the Temple of the Pale Mistress is a dark and empty edifice, which the local Tengese do not enter and which has no priesthood.

--- Convent of the Immaculate Vow: Immaculate temple and monastery, whose simple whitewashed exterior and low construction leave it somewhat overshadowed by the Temple of the Golden Lord. The one bit of ornamentation permitted is a massive bronze drum, whose sound can be heard across the city when it sounds out festivals and calls to prayer. The Nestor is Flowing River , formerly Mnemon Santeris, a conservative water-aspect who is known to frown upon the extravagant excesses of Dynastic tourists to An-Teng.

--- Maze of Rivers: Occupying the northern end of the Royal District is the Maze of Rivers, a simple-looking structure surrounded by a maze of canals and serving as residence of the Imperial Satrap.

Population

The bulk of residents in Steel Lotus are Tengese, attracted to the massive wealth flowing from Dynastic purses. The majority are little different from their fellows elsewhere, holding close to family, class, and tradition, but their attitudes are sometimes more cosmopolitan. They are also prone to political extremes around the edges… some embracing the Realm’s presence for the wealth it brings them, others hating it for its offenses against An-Teng.

Steel Lotus is also home to a class of Tengese social refugees… those without family such as children born out of wedlock or those found to have engaged in premarital sex. Facing hostility and sometimes even violence from the rest of An-Teng, such people travel to Steel Lotus because the Dragonblooded care little for Tengese traditions, and those without family are treated simply as servants and barbarians… truly a blessing compared to their status amongst the Tengese.

An-Teng is home to the single largest concentration of Dynastic Exalts outside the Blessed Isle, and nearly all are to be found in the City of the Steel Lotus. Not including ship crews and the 15th Imperial Legion, upward of one hundred Dragonblooded can be in residence at any one time, the number greatest during the Wood and Fire seasons and lowest during the Water season monsoons, but only perhaps a dozen reside in the satrapy for more than a few years. Besides these Exalts, up to one thousand unExalted Dynasts and Patricians may be present in An-Teng, vacationing or involved in business and the Thousand Scales. By and large, those from the Realm associate socially only with themselves in a rather closed society, with the occasional Tengese noble or royal.

Religion

The Immaculate Faith has taken a firmer hold in the city than it has elsewhere, likely due entirely to the absence of spirits and gods actively meddling with the lives of its residents to extort prayers. The Golden Lord is recipient of several entries in the local prayer calendar, and even the Pale Mistress receives prayers of thanks for fulfilling her duty to NOT unleash her purview.

Politics

The City of the Steel Lotus is the capital of An-Teng, technically not within any of the land’s principalities. As such, the city is administered by the three Princes together, the veto system ensuring the Imperial Satrap operates with essentially direct control. Day-to-day administration is undertaken primarily by two large noble families of An-Teng. The Noble Peony family is currently ascendant, with close connections to the Thousand Scales and the patricians of the Realm. The Peonies are more interested in money than in tradition, and have protected those without family to join the local labour force. The other family is the Righteous Urn family. The Urns are known to dislike the manner in which Dynastic tourists treat An-Teng, though they have little power to stop the insults which perturb them. Their connections with the royal family of the Middle Land and the old merchant families of Salt-Founded Glory provide significant pull and make their removal difficult.

The City of Steel Lotus is the center of the Thousand Scales in An-Teng, home to the Satrap and most of the bureaucrats under his command.