Difference between revisions of "The Imperial City"

Revision as of 00:26, 19 May 2012

Suzaku Boulevard

Central Boulevard of the Imperial City. One hundred metres in width, paved with marble tiles. In places, tiles have cracked or weeds are springing up. On Suzaku, and

the other Five Boulevards, the Empress banned Dynasts from moving on foot: they were required to take rickshaws or palanquins (an exception was Legion officers). It

was said that the City’s labour force of bearers was riddled with agents of the All-Seeing Eye, so the Empress always knew which of her nobles had gone where.

The Five Boulevards

Like Suzaku, these are marble-paved, fifty metres wide, though the marble is showing many signs of wear and tear… on Higashi, there are even tiles missing where

thieves have pried them up at night. Their names are mysterious, with legends saying that they are named for the Shoguns of old.

The Districts

North Districts The north districts house the private manors of the Dragonblooded, along with the most wealthy or powerful Patrician families.

East Districts Patrician houses and high tenements for the urban poor.

West Districts As the East, but on average a higher proportion of peasants and the impoverished, as the land tends to be more swampy and damp. In the spring, the stench of the West

District keeps many away.

Eastern Market The Merchants’s Market. Open from noon until sunset, with opening and closing marked by the striking of a large drum three times. Thieves and criminals are subject to

public flogging in a squarehere, which can be witnessed regularly throughout the day. The Empress, in a move to force House Cynis out of its traditional holdings in

the East District, restricted the buying and selling of slaves in the City to the East Market.

Western Market The Farmer’s Market. Open from noon until sunset, with opening and closing marked by the ringing of a large gong three times. The Empress, in a move to counter some of

House Ragara’s banking dominance, restricted all banking and moneylending in the city to the West Market… though the House has attempted to improve conditions for its

new holdings, the stench and filth still irks them to no end, especially as the city’s slaughterhouses are also found in the Western Market.

Five Dragons Courtyard Pentagon-shaped space, paved with multicoloured jade tiles depicting a giant mosaic of the five Immaculate Dragons intertwined. The Courtyard is home to dozens of

different temples, both to the Immaculate Dragons and to lesser deities. Sometimes called the 'Temple District'.

Red Lantern District Part of the West Districts. A place of brothels and bordellos, where any carnal lust or delight can be satisfied. Massive braziers burn sweet incense to cover the

stench of the West District, while the area is illuminated constantly by ten thousand red paper lanterns. House Cynis has fingers stuck deep in many of the District’s…

err, pies.

Kuwanan District The Kuwanan district lies on the Northeastern edge of the North Districts, in close proximity to the Imperial Palace and the main boulevards leading to the City gates

and Deliberative. Those who manage to secure dwellings here are usually of substantial influence.

Seven Sages District Part of the North Districts, near the Gate of Tranquil Rest. Home to the residences of many Imperial City sorcerers.

Rokkaku District Part of the North Districts. Cathak Okubo was killed on the edge of the Rokkaku district.

The Deliberative Senate of Exceedingly Judicious Nobles

(this is the second building of that name, the first having been burned to the ground four centuries ago).

The Deliberative building itself is a massive structure of polished white stone set amidst immaculately manicured grounds in the Imperial City. The palace and its

attendant gardens are patrolled by the Guardians of the Deliberative, and by custom, all who enter must leave behind their weapons and accouterments of sorcery once

they enter the palace proper. This gesture is widely regarded as a symbolic one, yet the ceremonial surrender of one’s arms to the home of the laws of the Realm does

emphasize the putative nature of the work performed here. The interior of the Palace of the Deliberative Senate is laid out to facilitate contemplation of the weighty

matters of state, and as such, it features innumerable small gardens, pools, private chambers, baths, steam rooms, residential quarters, libraries containing every

debate the Deliberative has ever held, and kitchens. All of this is constructed around the two largest rooms in the complex: the Hall of Contemplative and Prudent

Debate, where the Lesser Chamber is seated, and the Great Hall of Most Inspired and Noble Lawmaking, where the Greater Chamber performs its labors.

Hall of Contemplative and Prudent Debate: The Hall of Debate is furnished entirely in wood, with the benches of the Senators surrounding the debate floor on

three sides. To the north are the seats of the officers of the Lesser Chamber. The benches themselves are plain wood and extremely uncomfortable. Officially, this

discomfort is to remind the Senators that they are present to perform a difficult labor and not to aggrandize themselves. In reality, it is to ensure that the

legislative process is as uncomfortable as possible for the lawmakers and that their workdays are short and their attention scattered. The walls are completely bare of

decoration. The Hall of Debate has nine doors leading in and out, for a reason no one has yet been able to adequately explain.

Great Hall of Most Inspired and Noble Lawmaking: The hall of the Greater Chamber is arrayed much like its Lesser counterpart, save in stone instead of wood. The

benches are equally uncomfortable, though Senators here are permitted use of pillows to mitigate it somewhat. The walls are adorned with tapestries, one representing

each Great House, beneath which sit the senator’s of that House. There are five doors into the chamber, each representing one of the Five elements: senators are

expected to enter and exit through the appropriate door for their aspect.

The Long Corridor: The ten-yard long hallway connecting the Greater and Lesser chambers.