Scarlet Prefecture
Geography
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The Imperial City (1): Capital of the Realm, seat of power for the Scarlet Empress. Home to the Imperial Palace. Headquarters of the Sesus 4th Legion (formerly the Cathak 1st)
Vatamu, Primary port town of the Imperial City (2): Known colloquially as ‘Dragonsmouth’, Vatamu is a large township with a large port, housing numerous pleasure craft. The town is the unofficial seaside component of the Imperial City, and maintains a substantial garrison (the 2nd Imperial Legion, controlled by House Cathak), as well as the summer mansions of many Dynasts.
Toribeno (3): The tomb city. Seven ancient stone tombs, labyrinths of traps and demonic guardians, in which Anathema of old have been interred. Surrounding them are Dragonblooded Dynast crypts, family catacombs containing their own treasures, guardians, and deceased. Less majestic are patrician family gravestones, granite pillars marking the communal plots for the wealthy families, carved with the names of generations of dead. Peasants are even less distinguished: buried in mass grave-pits, filled every few days, marked with piles of wooden sticks called ‘stupas’. The stupas decay and erode over time, leaving pits of bones often being dug up and refilled with new peasant corpses. Robed tenders pass amongst the graves… for a few coins they lay flowers, sing mourning songs, or light incense at funerals... they might offer this service to the already-buried, save for the presence of monks who pace the City of Tombs in search of ghostts and heresy in need of righteous punishment.
Citadel of Purifying Flame (5): Immense House Cathak manse and fortification, home to many Cathak Dynasts, and the expansive Library of All Heroic Deeds, containing the great Cathak archives of military history (the most extensive in Creation). Headquarters of the 1st Imperial Legion.
Cathedral of Stars (8): An ancient structure, controlled by the Immaculate Order as a dwelling and temple for high-ranking Immaculates and their secretaries. The Cathedral is usually under substantial guard, leading many to suspect it houses some of the great wealth and treasures of the Order.
Farm of Blessed and Eternal Chains: Slave farm just outside the Imperial City, controlled by Cynis Akabar.
Sentinel’s Hearth (6).
Fortress of Solitary Contemplation: Cathak manse to the south of the Imperial City, close to Sentinel's Hearth.
Villa of White Lilies: Country villa near the Imperial City along the Bay Highway, controlled by House Cathak
Enlightened Moment in the Blessed Journey (23): Inn and teahouse on the Great Coast Road, where it meets the Path of Pleasant Hills. The Teahouse has an excellent reputation as a place of calm and relaxation, with guests often served in private groves of tall trees and beds of moss. It is a frequent stop for those traveling between the Imperial City and Yolin Am, and further afield to Pangu or the northern Blessed Isle.
Garden of Ten Thousand Blades (24): Country manor and lands controlled by Cathak Mardus.
Flawless Rill Freehold (29): Manse, renowned as one of the most beautiful on the Blessed Isle. It is crafted from translucent rainbow obsidian, over a bubbling spring, its essence channeled to light it from below.
Glorious Haven (7): Located at the southeastern edge of the Scarlet Prefecture,
Glorious Haven is a tourist town for those who wish to enjoy the Jade Coast but cannot afford to lease their own vacation homes there. Its small population is matched by an equal number of visitors at any time, staying in one of the dozens of lodges and hotels in the town. The largest, the Jade Auberge, meets Dynastic standards of quality, but the majority of rooms and chalets are priced to suit a less affluent clientele, making it the destination for poor Dynasts and patricians, or artisans and merchants who wish to experience a taste of a richer lifestyle.
Yolin Am (4): Yolin Am is located off the Great Coast Road, connected by the Path of Pleasant Hills. The town itself is is set atop a towering wall of cliffs, offering its wealthy inhabitants a spectacular view of the Inland Sea. The green sand beach below, unlike most Jade Coast beaches, is accessible from the clifftop (via an artifact-lift known as the Gracious Ascent), and a ring of islands around its shallow waters keep it warm and calm, free of wayward ships and strong winds or currents. This makes it a popular destination for Dynasts seeking rest and relaxation… it is home to a number of vacation manors, as well as fine inns and restaurants which charge exorbitant prices. The expense of living here, and strictly-enforced exclusion laws, mean that Yolin Am is free of beggars and peasants.
While ships cannot reach Yolin Am itself, the islands ringing the bay house a set of docks capable of receiving seagoing vessels, whose passengers and cargos may be ferried across to the beach and then up to the town. The massive expense of this route means it is used by Dynasts seeking to flaunt their wealth, but certainly not for merchant goods.
Nachin (25): Large farming township along the Bay highway, home to inns and teahouses for both common and Dynastic travelers.
Ostle (9): A small farming village, producing fresh vegetables and apples for the Imperial City.
Arrosa (10): A village near the border with Juche, home of many craftsmen and smiths whose workshops create too much pollution to remain near the Imperial City or most Dynastic manors. The village is headquarters of the 6th Imperial Legion under House Ragara.
Metaia (12): Village. Home to a small stable for horse-breeders and traders, mostly middling stock, as well as cattle farmers sending meat and dairy goods to the City. The village is located in the shadow of the massive manse-fortress known as the Bastille of Thirty Faces, headquarters of the Sesus-sponsored 3rd Imperial Legion.
Small (17): Least populous settlement of the Prefecture, a hunting village which sends fresh game daily to the Dynastic kitchens of the City.
Vala (11): A trading town on the main trade route to Juche, famous (to the rest of the prefecture) for its breweries, from which a number of ales are produced.
Creus (13): A small port town near the Prefecture's southern border, on the Great Coast Road heading towards Incas. Sees mostly fishing traffic bringing fresh seafood in for the City kitchens.
Riverside (15): Small farming village on the road between Vatamu and the Imperial City. Home to a small inn and caravan bivouac ground, but little else.
Crescent Mills (26): Large farming township along the Great Coast Road, home to inns and teahouses for both common and Dynastic travelers.
Juxu (27): Small farming village, primarily producing sticky, short-grain rice for export to the Imperial City.
Clear Creek (28): Small farming village, whose orchards supply fruit (durian and caimo) to the Imperial City.
Qutang Gorge (18): Gorge on the road between Sion and the Imperial City, a bottleneck for those seeking to move quickly between Incas and the Scarlet Prefecture. Site of occasional banditry or political ambushes.
Thousand Waterfalls Creek: A clear current flowing eastward down the slight slope between the Imperial Mountain and the coast of the Isle. Partway through its course, the creek changes character, diving below ground and passing under the streets of the Imperial City, to become an inseparable part of the sewer system. When its waters eventually reach the sea near Vatamu, it is in a sludgy, filthy state. It’s as if the creek has two personalities, and its resident god is said to reflect this schizophrenic character.
Strong and Flowing Throat of the Dragon (21): Colloquially known as the Bay Highway or the Wood Dragon Road. A well-maintained paving-stone highway, linking Vatamu with the Imperial City.
Great Coast Road (19): Road which follows the coast of the Blessed Isle, turning inwards to reach the Imperial City. Its surface is a continuous length of pebbled grey-black stone.
Earth Dragon Road (20): A well-maintained paving-stone highway, linking the Imperial City with Juche and the Imperial Mountain.
Path Of Pleasant Hills (22): The Path of Pleasant Hills connects the rich town of Yolin Am to the Great Coast Road, and the Imperial City beyond. The road is flanked by landscaped grounds, arranged flowers and bamboo, reflecting pools, and resting pavilions. It underlines the exclusivity of Yolin Am for those making the journey.
Scarlet Span (16): Massive bridge rising high above the Imperial River on huge, black spans.
Carthan’s Wasteland (14): Desolate, rocky expanse, supposedly surrounding a First-Age ruin. The Empress banned entry to all, on pain of death.
Bowing Reeds: Farming village midway between the Imperial City and Citadel of Purifying Flame, home to an Imperial Post station and the Inn of Dashing Dragons, a teahouse fit for Dynastic guests.
Manor of Tumbling Stones : Small manse-estate on the edge of the Qutang Gorge, controlled by House Mnemon.
Politics
So close to the capital, the Thousand Scales exerts significant influence in the Prefecture. All acknowledged Dynastic Houses have influence here, with House Nellens the most limited and House Cathak the most extensive.
Prefect: (formerly Mnemon Bata before his assassination at the Planting Ceremony RY768).
Guardians of the Realm Chief Constable: Nellens Birane (includes the Imperial Force)
