Civilization - Cities

"Our fair city is an example to the world of what wonders may be wrought with a focused mind and a willingness to build the unbuildable."
- Parthang Iridius Sol Kunorak

Ruler	Parthang Iridius Sol Kunorak, Voice of the Senate
Population	84,700
Demographics	Saridian 83%, Human 7%, Vaullian 7%, Other 3%
Adjectival/Demonym	Kurebayen/Kurebs
Languages	Saradda 78%, Vaulsk 16%, Chaddi 6%
Nationality	Sarid
National Colors	Blue, white and grey.
Year Founded	1749 CY
Currency	Saridian Credit Vouchers
Natural Resources	Sandstone, shale, lead, iron, tin, timber, herbs, upine trees, oranges, bananas, numerous tropical plants, chavus beans
Manufactured Goods and Major Exports	Lumber, bricks, iron and tin ingots, iron forged goods, medicinal herbs, fruits and vegetables, seeds, plant fiber woven textiles, spices, paper, ink, chavus
Wealth	Average
Government Type	Democracy
Government Stability	Very stable.
Allies	Vaul, Chaddamar Theocracy
Enemies	None
Walled	None
Crime Level	Low
Technology Level	Middle Ages
Primary Religion	Aerism
Other Religion	Chaddamar, Vaullian Mysticism, Vadalahaj
Climate	Sub-tropical
Terrain	Rainforest, Grassland, Hills

Overview

Kurebay is the capital and largest city of the natiion of Sarid in southeastern Aggradar. It is the home of the saridians. Kurebay is a unique city because of its relationship between its architecture and the unique geology of the terrain. The city is built in an area with immensely tall rock formations. These jagged pillars of rock everage about 120 meters tall and 30 meters in diameter. The city has 187 of these geological oddities. The city is a combination of stone chambers within the pillars and a complex web of platforms, balconies and suspended bridges between the pillars. Kurebay is, very much, a city of three dimensions. To the saridians, up and down are just as important as north, west, south and east.

Kurebay is also a crowded and bustling city... a city of motion and activity. Complex rope and pulley contraptions move materials and people up and down the pillars while people criss cross over the suspended bridges and enormous cranes lift cargo off ships.

History

Government

Kurebay is home to the saridian national council known as the "Council of Thought". Here some three hundred councilors debate and discuss social problems, law and culture. The main council is divided up into dozens of smaller, specialized councils.

A dense, architectural hive of chambers built into the largest of the geological stone pillars. This is the central governmental building of the nation and home of the Council of Thought. This stony pillar towers over the city with a height of 140 meters.

Law

Saridian law, like everything else in their society, is complex. They have a law for almost everything. It is easy for a first time visitor to make some minor transgression against a city statute or regulation. However, the saridians are lenient with their punishments, especially with foreigners. If a foreigner violates some minor regulation, they oft times will get just a warning. Minor crimes usually illicit only a minor fine. More serious crimes may result in hefty fines, imprisonment or forced labor. The saridians have no stomach for torture or other forms of corporal punishment. They are likewise averse to execution. Serious criminals or repeat offenders are marked with a tattoo upon their hand (which identifies them as a criminal) and banished.

Military

The city of Kurebay is patrolled by city guards who work in pairs. City guards are only lightly armed and armored. They act more like advisors, helpers and, when necessary, urban pacifiers. They try to solve problems on the spot and only drag people off to the nearest jail when absolutely necessary.

Religion

Because the saridians are such a diverse group when it comes to religion, there is no central temple. Rather, the Temple Complex has shrines to dozens of different religions and philosophies that are all equally respected. At the center of the Temple Complex is the Stone of Memories.

Economy

Kurebay has an active and complex economy that involves a bewildering array of taxes, tariffs, joint economic agreements, specialized contracts and so forth. Sarid conducts a great deal of trade with Vaul and the Chaddamar Theocracy. While there are roads connecting all three of these nations, most trade is conducted by ship. Kurebay has an active port and ships from Vaul and the Theocracy are constantly coming and going.

A vast platform suspended between four pillars of rock some 40 meters (131 feet) above the ground. It is connected to the rest of the city via a number of suspended bridges. The platform itself is square and 90 meters (295 feet) on a side.

Guilds and Organizations

The saridians are social creatures who love to congregate and socialize. As a consequence, Kurebay has hundreds of guilds and organizations devoted to every conceivable social, economic, artistic and practical pursuit imaginable.

Housed within a tower that is drapped in vegetation, flowering vines, sprouting bushes and crowned with trees, the College of Alchemy is easily identified at a distance. This college is quite popular as it appeals to the saridian love of tinkering with recipes and formulae. This college has more than 30 separate alchemical labs and teaches more than 400 students each year in the science of alchemy.

At the far east end of town is a squat rock pillar which has an observatory built in the dome. A large, but crude, telescope has been constructed allowing the saridians to view the heavens above.

Important People

The Senate is presided over by Parthang Kunorak, an ancient saridian who served as an ambassador to Vaul in his younger days. Those years have tempered him with vaullian logic and wisdom. He now rules the Senate with a steady hand and confident demeanor.

Velamos Chahule is an artist, an architect, an inventor and a writer. He is the designer and architect of much of the cities moving machines and greatest architectural works. His two selves have different specialities.

A well known saridian famous for being rather heavy set and also for being one of the wealthiest men in the city. Kimley Tessar is a business man who has made his fortune in the twin businesses of ship building and mining. His two personalities each look after one of the businesses. The Tessar Mines in the foothills bring huge quantities of iron, lead and tin into the city which are used in building construction and all manner of inventions. The Tessar Shipyards are responsible for almost a third of all ships produced in the nation.

Culture

City Districts

Monuments and Public Spaces

This 200 meter tall rock pillar stands slightly apart from the rest of them that cluster together to form the heart of the city. This pillar is more inland and at a slightly higher elevation. It overlooks the entire city. Over the past eight centuries, thousands of artists, sculptors, engineers and craftsmen have come here to meditate, to learn and, eventually to leave their mark upon the Stone. This place is part temple, part library and part work of art. It is many things to many people. Most who come here do so to study a craft, to pursue some fragment of philosophy, to decipher a dream, to meditate on life or simply to learn. Dozens of chambers within house class rooms, meditation chambers and storage rooms. The custom here is that those everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn. It is a place of learning, but one that is exceptionally informal. It is also a place of mystical enlightenment and religious faith - a place where aerist priests hold mass, where sages pour over dusty tomes in great libraries, where warriors seek forgiveness for the blood they have spilled and where artists strive to achieve immortality through their art.

It is tradition that, after having spent some time at the Stone of Memories, be it days or years, upon leaving, upon some inspirational moment, that one carves a work of art into the Stone. At any time of day, any day of the year, dozens of workers and sculptors can be found scattered all over the face of the Stone of Memories... carving their memories with simple stone cutter's tools. In this way are memories preserved, stories told.

Architecture and Infrastructure

This unique city is built to take advantage of the geography. Tall rock formations (like standing stones only much bigger, pillars of jagged rock) have formed geologically here. A softer stone has worn away over the eons revealing these standing pillars of hardened rock. The average pillar is roughly 100 meters tall (328 ft) and 27 meter (88 ft) in diameter. The city has 187 of these geological oddities. The height of these stony pillars decreases gradually as one gets closer to the coast. Much of the city is built into the sides of these pillars of rock. Many tunnels and shafts are bored into them with chambers and halls hidden within. On the outer surface of the pillars, carved stone, forged iron and crafted wood form a complex architectural network of balconies, buildings, platforms, bridges and ladders wrapped around the pillar. Dozens of sky bridges stretch between pillars, linking them at different heights to form a complex web. Kurebay is, very much, a city of three dimensions. To the saridians, up and down are just as important as north, west, south and east.

Kurebay is also a city of motion and activity. Complex rope and pulley contraptions move much of the goods and people around. Kurebay has muscle powered elevators that carry people up the sides of the great pillars, sky trolleys that ferry them from pillar to pillar and enormous cranes that lift cargo off ships.

Crime

A number of thieves guilds, criminal groups and bandit gangs prowl the streets of Kurebay and the lands around it. A large number of Saridian thieves operate alone or in pairs, allying themselves with no group.

Inns and Taverns

Name	Description
The High Hearth Othar Arun Brek Rutal	Inn/Tavern- A huge four story stone and timber built inn and tavern that has 60 rooms to rent and four common rooms. At the center of this large building is a monstrosity of a fireplace. Large enough for six saridians to stand inside it. It opens in all four directions. Each face of the fireplace faces a separate hall. It is possible to see through the roaring flames and look into one of the other halls. On more than one occasion, a wanted criminal has leapt through the fireplace to reach the safety of another hall on the other side and make good his escape.
Sunrise/Sunset Atira Poulong Kursk Merrat	Tavern- Sunrise/Sunset is manned by a staff of 14 people. The proprietor is either very friendly or very standoffish depending on which self is dominant. Poulong loves being a tavern keeper and has a friendly word for everyone. Kursk loathes his profession and dreams of the day when he can be free. Kursk is actually the stronger of the two selves, but lost a bet to Poulong long ago. He is required to allow Poulong to play barkeep for another two years.
Chain and Bucket Ethard Siam Haenn Unaydon	Inn - The Chain and Bucket is a large, clean, well organized gathering place with a dozen rooms for rent and one large common room. The central hall is decorated with chains, buckets, gears and machinery of various design. It is frequented by engineers from the local university. The Chain and Bucket, like most taverns in Sarid, maintain two separate tabs for its regular customers - one for each self.
The Raven's Roost Thoth Sarwon Drigoli Felain	Tavern- This popular tavern is located at the end of the top tier of the northern sky bridge system and offers a breathtaking view of the city. At least once a year, a drunken patron, in the midst of transitioning selves, will accidentally fall to his death.
The Bobbing Cork Brewery Bramos Kej Ubon Ciridar	Brewery - This building used to be a distillery and winery. They kept the name, Bobbing Cork, the same. They have a particular brew which was very popular. Only one case left. It used a secret ingredient/process which is known only to one of the brains of one of the brewers. However, that "self" refuses to emerge and give up the secret.
The Coin Edured Loth Panis Koredon	Gambling Hall - This popular establishment is a large gambling hall that serves a variety of drinks and some finger foods. Although not an inn, they do have a room in the back for gamblers to sleep it off if they have imbibed too much. Many saridians have gotten their "other half" in trouble here. This is a frequent hangout for thieves and cutthroats.

Shops

Name	Description
The Stone Spire Miratz Khar Roauk Britan	Iron Mine - One of the larger stone columns in the city of Kurebay is rich in iron ore and orichalcum. Over the last two centuries, huge amounts of both have been mined leaving a stone spire riddled with tunnels and caves. The mining continues to this day with no end in sight. The Miratz Khar Corporation owns the mining rights to the Stone Spire and has become very wealthy from the metals obtained thus far. Many of the upper level caves have been gated off and are now used as storage. The Miratz Khar Corporation keeps many of its offices in this spire.
The Ringing Hammer Alira Ferran Tirac Vireseth	Smithy - The Ringing Hammer is run by Alira Vireseth. Formerly an adventureer, Alira Vireseth has settled down with a wife and family. He spends his time mending armor, fashiong blades, making nails and horse shoes. Alira likes to chat with customers while he works and will tell them of the dangers he encountered when he wore a blade on his belt. He will warn young ones away from the adventuring life. His work is good quality and his prices are reasonable. But any adventurer coming to him to have the dents pounded out of his chestplate will have to put up with Alira's lectures.
House of Letters Galawain Kav Gale Aderakan	Library - An immense library atop one of the tallest pillars in the city, this establishment features the nation's largest collection of Self Journals, the most dominant art form of Sarid.
Broken Gear Parts Hall Amenda Yris Taniv Melkomova	Junk Hall - The Broken Gear Parts Hall is run by Amenda Melkomova, an ancient and heavyset woman. This shop was formerly run by her husband until his death. She now runs the shop. Her first self, Yris, is a pleasant matron who runs the shop out of love and respect for her lost husband. She is a skilled mechanic and tinkerer who can fix just about anything. The second, Taniv, is an old fat, ornery woman who feels the shop is a loathsome burden. However, Taniv is a skilled bookkeeper and cunning haggler. This establishment buys and sells almost anything.
Hoj's Antiquariam Hoj	Museum/Trading Post - A vaullian named Hoj runs this small establishment. This place is a museum of antiquities, but also a scholarly place where ancient scrolls and dusty tomes are kept. Hoj has been known to trade relics, books and others with like minded scholars. His most prized possessions are not for trade, only display. Hoj offers many services - besides tours of his museum and history lessons, he also transcribes documents, copies maps, translates ancient texts and other scholarly services.

The World Of Khoras - Civilization - Cities