KAIPHEN
(wip)
Kaiphen is a city on the edge of a vast, unnamed desert. She straddles both forest and dune, has existed since time immemorial, and stands isolated and independent. Her people are often proud, self-centred, and embroiled in their own petty struggles with power. However, like most places, there are people that live within her walls that are kind, good-natured, and open-hearted too. The city is able to function without any outside agents, which means it has its own means of producing food, power, resources etc.(wip)
City Layout
North : The northern edge of the city is home to some of the most beautiful and impressive buildings in all of Kaiphen. It is here that the old palace is located, in all its finery, along with the Stone Library, and the nobles' houses. Kaiphen's budding government rules from buildings connected to the old palace. Anyone who thinks they're anyone wants to be in the north of the city, and as such this area is a thriving hubbub of high society. Despite (or perhaps because of) this, there is also a darker side to the north of the city, where one can find any number of shady side alleys, disreputable stores, and pleasure houses offering the delights of the flesh to any and all that can afford it. The city's militia is also based in the north of the city.
East : The river Syl creates a pleasant edge to the east of Kaiphen. Many bridges, both made of stone and of wood, cross the meandering river back and forth. Small boats and barges carry the forest's many plentiful supplies to the city proper, and the city dissolves from rigid permeance to homesteads and cottages dotted throughout the forest. Like the desert to the west, the forest is thought to be endless, and endlessly dangerous. Despite this, much of the city's meat is hunted under it's dark boughs, and traded in the bustling markets that are dotted through this sector.
Central : The centre of the city rises onto a hilltop overlooking the surrounding landscape. It is a criss-crossing warren of houses, shops, green spaces, and caves that lace the stony hilltop. Here, workshops create and maintain the buildings and entrappings of the city. Furniture, glassware, metallics... art, sculpture, music... the whole gamut of human creativity lives and breathes in the centre of Kaiphen.
South : To the south, the city walls are low and sturdy. Long ago, much of the forest in this section was burnt, and the land transformed into farmland. The people of the south of the city are the least respected, but ironically they are the most important to the overall functioning of the people, as the majority of the food is produced by them.
West : The desert lies to the west, and cuts a ragged line that serves as a barrier to the western part of the city. Here, the city wall is tall and constantly degrading from sand damage. Doors, arches, and vestibules dot the sandstone walls, leading to the harsh land of the endless desert. A lot of the city's industry happens here, with rough homesteads standing shoulder-to-shoulder with workshops spewing smoke that is swept away by the ever present desert winds. However, there is a strong sense of duality in the west of the city. To the north-west, the homesteads become stately, their gardens well-tended and housing some of the most well-off people in the whole city. The Kaiphen mint ties the north-west to the south-west, combining industry with wealth.