Itis

Profile¶

Kind: Capital
Founded: Old (≈1,000 years)
Population: Large (≈100,000)
Environment: River-side
Ruler: Elected council
Overall condition: Decent
Known for: Magical grass and the crater of an old meteor

Geography & Layout¶

Fortification: Light
Underground: Sewers
Outside Features: Training site of the Branching, the Exploratory Guild of the Maze

Districts¶

Civil districts: 5
Plus a separate industrial district

District 1 – Slums¶

Condition: Far worse than the city overall
Entry: Lightly guarded
Crime level: About the same as the city, with more frequent trouble
Housing: Limited, few houses, very few residents live here permanently

Locations:

Barber – shows favoritism to certain clients, good quality, not associated with any guild
Club – notable social meeting place, very poor quality, not associated with any guild
Club (entertainment) – important entertainment venue, good quality, not associated with any guild
Butcher – quality unspecified, not associated with any guild
Inn – quality unspecified, not associated with any guild
Tavern – quality unspecified, not associated with any guild

District 2 – Upper Class¶

Condition: Impressive
Entry: Guarded, strong watch presence
Crime level: Almost none
Housing: Limited, only a few residents live here

Locations:

Bathhouse – exciting/thrilling, fine and regarded as the best, not associated with any guild
Bank & Exchange – good quality, guild-affiliated
Baker – best quality, not associated with any guild
Tailor – best quality, guild-affiliated
Luxury Furnishings – good quality, guild-affiliated
Doctor/Apothecary – good quality, not associated with any guild
Barber – best quality, not associated with any guild
Barber (second) – good quality, not associated with any guild
Soothsayer – good quality, guild-affiliated

District 3 – Botanical¶

Condition: Far worse, squalid
Entry: Lightly guarded
Crime level: Equal to the city average
Housing: Extensive and very crowded

Locations:

Doctor/Apothecary – famous for their history, good quality, not associated with any guild
Magic Shop – sells magical jewels, customers are effectively coerced into buying here, good quality, not associated with any guild
Cobbler – everywhere in the district via huge marketing/signage, good quality, not associated with any guild
Alchemist – good quality, guild-affiliated
Outdoor Recreational Area – quality unspecified, not associated with any guild
Inn – quality unspecified, not associated with any guild
Stable – quality unspecified, not associated with any guild

District 4 – Upper Class (Second)¶

Condition: Far better, magnificent
Entry: Lightly guarded
Crime level: Far worse, crime is frequent
Housing: Extensive, very heavily populated

Locations:

Rare Botanical – famous for top-tier marketing, incredibly high quality, over the top, not associated with any guild
Cobbler – very good quality, guild-affiliated
Inn – superb quality, not associated with any guild
Bank & Exchange – superb quality, not associated with any guild
Butcher – great quality, guild-affiliated
Baker – good quality, guild-affiliated
Tailor – exceptionally good quality, guild-affiliated
Luxury Furnishings – great quality, guild-affiliated
Doctor/Apothecary – great quality, guild-affiliated

District 5 – Administration¶

Condition: Better than the city, impressive
Crime level: Less crime than the city
Entry: Fully open
Housing: None, only workers operate here

Locations:

Hired Help – crossbowman, has a significant history, guild-affiliated (internal guild), about to expand, poor quality due to rapid enlargement, dedicated to a ruler deity
Inn – famous for its marketing, great quality, associated with a hidden deity, not associated with any guild
Courthouse – poor quality, not associated with any guild
Chancery – great quality, guild-affiliated
Town Hall – poor quality, not associated with any guild
Treasury – great quality, associated with Arral, not associated with any guild
Hired Help – scribes and clerks, very poor quality, handled by a single person, not associated with any guild
Academy/University – good quality, associated with a knowledge deity, not associated with any guild

District 6 – Industrial¶

Condition: Magnificent
Entry: Guarded, with a strong guard presence
Crime level: Far worse, driven largely by dissidents
Housing: Limited, some residents live on-site

Locations:

Tavern – incredibly exciting, poor quality, part of a guild of entertainment
Thatcher – great quality, guild-affiliated
Carpenter – good quality, not associated with any guild
House of Leisure – great quality, not associated with any guild
Smith (Large Foundry) – big foundry, good quality, not associated with any guild

Government & Power¶

Leadership:

Elected council
Unity: thinly veiled discord, barely disguised hostility, but not yet open violence or shouting

Governing Priorities:

Focus: Industry and innovation
Approach: Moderately aggressive, enforced externally, usually without open force
Success: Barely successful

The powers that matter:

Bracks: distinguished, a large house in the city, do not actually desire this level of luxury
The King: distinguished (barely), the Great Palace in the city, too accustomed to this life to imagine an alternative
O'Eh Sisterhood: respectable, a large estate within the capital, actively prefer and embrace this way of life
The Temple (the Plaza of the 3 doors): ostentatious, highest status, a huge palace outside the capital, revel in being at the top

Military:

Exists, but "disbanded and ready" (inactive structure, can rapidly re-form)
Recruitment: mandatory, only of elite citizens
Size: insignificant
Specialty: none
Facility: a simple military structure inside the capital

Nobility:

Hereditary, by blood, five primary houses
Supportive of the leadership, disliked by the people
The friction: the nobility approves of the leader, while the people do not

Espionage:

Spy network: modest in scale but highly effective, with a few spies abroad
Infiltration: immersed and seeking deeper connections. Caught spies are executed, and ultimatums issued to the nations involved
Counter-intelligence: modest, with some agents inside the borders
Watchfulness: wary, diligent and concerned but not extreme

Economy¶

Market:

Ample, centralized marketplace
Only sponsored merchants may open a stall, no stall fees
Selling outside the market is banned to limit crime

Trade & Resources:

Produces: the magical grass that grows here, and Itian, the mineral the old meteor left in its crater
Exports: Itian, sold since the city's early days, never a rich trade, but a steady one

Society¶

Culture: Self-improvement, pursued moderately (likely stronger in the past)
Population density: Populous, almost dense, plenty of people but rarely cramped
Demographics: Wide distribution, ~20% Algeronians, many other groups present
Wealth: Impoverished, could be much better off, but bad stewardship (which they blame) keeps them down
Visitors: Arrive in droves, locals are unfriendly toward newcomers, viewing them with fear, contempt, or suspicion
After dark: Active, inns and taverns always open, several services run at night. The gate closes at night, but guards are eager to open it
Law & crime: A robust city watch (the Bracks could deploy it far better, but stewardship is incompetent or corrupt), crime uncommon, no organized crime

Religion¶

Dominant faith: the Four Sires, the state church, worshipped at the Plaza of the 3 doors
The O'Eh Sisterhood, keepers of forbidden magic, serve as an official counterweight to the church, based at the O'Eh Tower
A minority Achan presence keeps a convent at the edge of the city (the Distillery)

Relations¶

Nevaria – hated enemy
Red City – enemy, but almost friendly
The Islands – enemy, with some reservation

History¶

Short summary. The full timeline lives on the History of Itis page.

Founded as a mining camp by an envoy of Queen Itis at the meteor crater, Itis won its independence under its first Podestà, Astergius, then rose to capital of Algeron after the Voltan dynasty and the O'Eh sacrifice. It later fought two wars with Nevaria.

Notable Locations¶

(named places from the map)

The Great Palace – the King's seat
The Mausoleum – for the victims of the founding sacrifice
Ludum – the sealed meteor mines, now a prison behind a circle of runes
The O'Eh Tower – seat of the Sisterhood
The Plaza of the 3 doors – the Four Sires' main temple
House Bracks – the guard-keeping house

Notable People¶

The Master of the Wild – oversees the maps, surveys the lands beyond, watches for outside threats, and regulates hunting. Very fat, incredibly competent, and overqualified.

Secrets¶

A group of feral animals secretly roams the city. Only one public incident has surfaced, and the authorities are working to keep it quiet.
Word is spreading that the chiefs are not great.