Notes for a New Campaign City, Parsantium

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I've posted some cool images I found on the internet on my livejournal. These link to a small gallery where I'm going to put any other suitable pictures.

Cheers


Richard

[Tonguez]

Here's a picture of Old London Bridge circa 1600 showing the gates and buildings which covered it these might be appropriate on either or both of your bridges (especially I think the Imperial city side.

Also if you really want to make the divide between the two cities an issue you could restrict access across the Imperial Bridge. ie the Imperial Quarter is usually off limits to the commoners unless they have 'special business'. However the gates are opened during the Chariot races as the whole city comes into the Imperial Quarter to celebrate itis during this time that lots of intribue is possible.

I also like the idea of the old docks being used by smugglers, pirates and other conspirators...

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Tonguez

Also if you really want to make the divide between the two cities an issue you could restrict access across the Imperial Bridge. ie the Imperial Quarter is usually off limits to the commoners unless they have 'special business'. However the gates are opened during the Chariot races as the whole city comes into the Imperial Quarter to celebrate itis during this time that lots of intribue is possible.

I also like the idea of the old docks being used by smugglers, pirates and other conspirators...

I like both of these ideas -- maybe some kind of pass is needed for the Old Quarter residents to come to the Imperial Quarter, but not vice versa. The Old Docks could be quite an atmospheric location and there are obviously pirates and other vagabonds sailing in the Corsairs' Sea.

Happy New Year!


Richard

[Leif]

Originally Posted by RichGreen

I like both of these ideas -- maybe some kind of pass is needed for the Old Quarter residents to come to the Imperial Quarter, but not vice versa. Richard

To pull that off well, you'll obviously need a way for the guards to recognize, at the merest glance, who "belongs" to what quarter. Perhaps they just make a quick assumption based upon a person's cleanliness and manner of dress? That could lead to some clever burglar-types getting all "duded up" and infiltrating the Streets of the Rich and Famous, which might lead to all manner of useful scenarios.

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Leif

To pull that off well, you'll obviously need a way for the guards to recognize, at the merest glance, who "belongs" to what quarter. Perhaps they just make a quick assumption based upon a person's cleanliness and manner of dress? That could lead to some clever burglar-types getting all "duded up" and infiltrating the Streets of the Rich and Famous, which might lead to all manner of useful scenarios.

Since many of the residents of the Old Quarter will be Sahasran in ancestry and therefore darker-skinned than the Batiarans of the Imperial Quarter, some of the guards may well make some racist assumptions about who lives where.


Richard

[RichGreen]

Hi,

Here's an update to the city overview. More to follow:

Parsantium
Metropolis, Conventional, AL LN, 100,000 gp limit, Assets 380,000,000 gp, Population 76,267 (racial mix tbc but includes dwarves, half-orcs, halflings, gnolls; few elves or gnomes)

The Free City of Parsantium stands astride the wide and slow-moving Dolphin Strait where the Griffin Water joins with the Corsairs’ Sea, and is thus at the crossroads of two continents and more importantly, four trade routes. Parsantium and its surrounding countryside and farms is ruled by Basileus (“sovereign”) Corandias XVIII the Lion-Blooded, direct descendent of the famous Batiaran conqueror and mighty general, Corandias I the Magnificent. Corandias’ wife, Thecia, is often referred to by disgruntled citizens as “that scheming enchantress”. The Basilieus is advised by his loyal vizier and wizard Arridaeus, himself a descendent of Corandias the Magnificent’s vizier. The day-to-day administration of the city is delegated to a Prefect, the coldly efficient and uncharismatic Bardas.

The city is divided into three quarters, each governed by a tribune and reporting to Bardas the prefect. The Imperial Quarter is on the north-west side of the strait, the Mercantile Quarter is on a central island, and the Old Quarter is on the southeast side. These quarters are further divided into wards: eleven in total. The layout of the city and the fact that the Batiaran rich tend to live on the northwest side of the strait while the poor (many of Sahasran or Akhrani origin) live on the southeast side makes Parsantium a divided city. This is made worse by restrictions on commoners from the Old Quarter visiting the Imperial Quarter – they need a pass which is only issued for those on “special business”. Unsurprisingly, there is a thriving black market dealing in stolen or forged passes, and many would-be burglars disguise themselves as nobility to sneak into the Imperial Quarter. However, since many of the residents of the Old Quarter are Sahasran in ancestry and therefore darker-skinned than the Batiarans of the Imperial Quarter, some of the guards are known to make racist assumptions about who is a commoner and needs to show a pass.

The three sections of Parsantium are joined by two vast stone bridges, built many centuries ago in the Sahasran style. The southeast bridge has apartment blocks lining each side with an arcade and small shops beneath. The northwest bridge is grander and lined with sculptures of past rulers. Made out of copper, these have turned green with age. Both bridges are crowded from dawn to dusk; street food stalls have sprung up along each to take advantage of the passing trade. Parsantians can enjoy kebabs on skewers, squab-on-a-stick, cheese pastries, thick hunks of bread smeared with tomato paste and olive oil and stuffed vine leaves.


Life in the City
- Each city ward is walled with arches and gates (locked at night) separating it from its neighbours and contains a communal well, at least one khanduq (walled marketplace) or market, and a watchtower. The ward’s mark (a symbol) is set high on the walls, facing in.
- The south-east gate is a chaotic jumble of camels, bullock-drawn carts, crippled beggars, snake charmers and eunuch/transvestite hustlers. By contrast, the Victory (north-west) Gate is much more peaceful and organised. What few beggars (mostly kids) are chased away by the guards whenever a noble is carried past on her palanquin.
- Outside the coffee shops, old men sit grumbling about the state of business, smoking sheeshah and playing backgammon.
- Throughout the city are numerous bathhouses where men and women can bathe and exercise. The grandest of these are in the Imperial Quarter and are decorated with beautiful mosaics and sculptures of poets and mythical heroes.
- Currency is the gold piece, known as the bezant.

Any comments or suggestions?

Cheers


Richard

[Leif]

Your city sounds GREAT!! I wanna spend my next vacation there, pllllleeeeeease???? Seriously, if you have an open slot for a player, please consider this my application.

What races will be permissible for pcs besides human, dwarf, and halfling? The reason I ask is that a Gnoll fighter or rogue sounds very intriguing to me... If that won't fit then my second choice would be either a human or dwarf rogue, preferably multi-classing with a touch of fighter here and there.

[Evilhalfling]

hmm if your using three quarters where is the last one?
is it hidden? perhaps underground? or shunted to another plane? Is the fourth quarter only social affiliation, like prostitutes or a secret guild that protects some dark secret, from the cites past? Or a class affiliated quarter? mages, psions and thieves are all good candidates.
Or quietly controlled by monsters such as Rakastas, a dragon or a lich?

Endless possibilities really.

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Leif

Your city sounds GREAT!! I wanna spend my next vacation there, pllllleeeeeease???? Seriously, if you have an open slot for a player, please consider this my application.

What races will be permissible for pcs besides human, dwarf, and halfling? The reason I ask is that a Gnoll fighter or rogue sounds very intriguing to me... If that won't fit then my second choice would be either a human or dwarf rogue, preferably multi-classing with a touch of fighter here and there.

Thanks! I would be delighted to have you as a player but geography is going to be the issue here - I'm in London! I haven't really got any experience of pbem but maybe this is something to think about?

Need to think about races. This might end up being my first 4e campaign so I'd like to make all the 4e Player's Handbook races available but I don't see why a gnoll wouldn't be possible. There are some in the city although there would be a fair amount of prejudice, particularly in the Imperial Quarter.

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Evilhalfling

hmm if your using three quarters where is the last one?
is it hidden? perhaps underground? or shunted to another plane? Is the fourth quarter only social affiliation, like prostitutes or a secret guild that protects some dark secret, from the cites past? Or a class affiliated quarter? mages, psions and thieves are all good candidates.
Or quietly controlled by monsters such as Rakastas, a dragon or a lich?

Endless possibilities really.

Thanks! Some really good ideas here. There could well be a Hidden Quarter and having a connection to the city's past would work with one or two of the ideas I've had about the Sahasran refugees who founded Parsantium centuries ago. There are going to be rakshasas in the campaign, definitely.

Cheers


Richard

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Evilhalfling

hmm if your using three quarters where is the last one?
is it hidden? perhaps underground? or shunted to another plane? Is the fourth quarter only social affiliation, like prostitutes or a secret guild that protects some dark secret, from the cites past? Or a class affiliated quarter? mages, psions and thieves are all good candidates.
Or quietly controlled by monsters such as Rakastas, a dragon or a lich?

This is an example of exactly what I meant about the definintion of "quarter." But I agree that there are some great ideas here! I've always loved Raksashas! (as a DM, not a player!)

[Leif]

Originally Posted by RichGreen

Thanks! I would be delighted to have you as a player but geography is going to be the issue here - I'm in London! I haven't really got any experience of pbem but maybe this is something to think about?
Need to think about races. This might end up being my first 4e campaign so I'd like to make all the 4e Player's Handbook races available but I don't see why a gnoll wouldn't be possible. There are some in the city although there would be a fair amount of prejudice, particularly in the Imperial Quarter.

I had been thinking all along that this would be a play-by-post game here at ENWorld, so I didn't think geography was an issue at all. If it is, then I guess I'm out of luck, huh? Oh, well, thanks for sharing the ideas anyway. 4e would be ok, but 3.5e would be, too. What I was thinking about was a gnoll tough-guy, rogue type, but another possibility that now occurs to me is a c/n gnoll snitch who is pretty much on the outs with gnollish society, and prefers to operate around the fringes of low-class human society where he has found some rare human outcasts who don't mind his gnoll heritage. Maybe he even knows a cleric or two who can tolerate him because, hey, a convert is a convert! He'd be very careful not to commit fully to any one deity, though, at least not yet. He's more interested in maintaining good relationships with several priestly types until he's totally convinced that one can offer him more than the others.

Listen to me! Am I carried away here, or what? Please forgive my presumption. I'll wait until you're ready to move forward and decide who is going to be in the game for sure. If you need to reach me:

drop me a line

leif_hamman@yahoo.com

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Leif

I had been thinking all along that this would be a play-by-post game here at ENWorld, so I didn't think geography was an issue at all. If it is, then I guess I'm out of luck, huh? Oh, well, thanks for sharing the ideas anyway.

Listen to me! Am I carried away here, or what? Please forgive my presumption. I'll wait until you're ready to move forward and decide who is going to be in the game for sure

Hey Leif, I'm flattered you want to play in a pbem game in this setting! I'll have a look at some of the others running on ENWorld and think about whether this is something I'd like to do -- I'm running three regular tabletop D&D games at the moment (one weekly, two monthly-ish) so finding the time will be the issue. In the meantime, I'm going to keep posting stuff here and would value your feedback and anyone else's.

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

Here's some info on Parsantium's three main districts:

Imperial Quarter
The basileus’ Great Palace and the Holy Basilica of Pelor are located in this quarter on the north-west side of the city which is also home to the decadent and wealthy noble class, many of whom claim to be descended from the Batiaran emperors of old.

The impressive Hippodrome stages gladiatorial contests and chariot races which are very popular amongst rich and poor alike. An obelisk recovered from the desert ruins of Khemit to the southwest by a previous basileus stands in the centre of the 300m long U-shaped track. The chariot races are a city-wide obsession and fanatical support amongst the citizens for the Blues, Greens, Reds and Whites has been known to lead to rioting. Residents of the Imperial Quarter tend to support the Blues while Old Quarter inhabitants favour the Greens. Eight chariots, two per team, take part in each race. On race days, the restrictions on movement from the Old Quarter to the Imperial Quarter are lifted and the supporters of the Greens and Reds pour across the bridges to the Hippodrome.

The Royal Docks were built here by Corandias XVII thirty years ago to encourage wealthy traders from the Caliphate of Akhran to sail into this part of the city. The basileus succeeded in his aim and the Old Docks across the other side of the Dolphin Strait are in decline. The Imperial Quarter also houses the Great Library and the dwarven district.


Mercantile Quarter
The Mercantile Quarter is home to one of the world’s largest markets: goods arrive here by sea from Akhran to the south west, from Tingao to the east overland on the Silk Road, from the city-states of the now-fallen [Batiaran Empire] to the northwest and from the kingdom of Sahasra across the Pillars of Heaven mountains to the southeast. As you might imagine, almost anything can be obtained here as long as the buyer can afford it. A bronze colossus, 100 feet high, depicting Corandias the Magnificent stands in the centre of the marketplace.


Old Quarter
The southeastern quarter of the city is nearly as cosmopolitan as the market: here there are temples to gods of Sahasra, Akhran and Tiangao, as well as coffee shops and teahouses. Also located here are dojos teaching the fighting traditions of the mountain temples, and the mysterious Esoteric Order of the Blue Lotus (an arcanists’ guild with wu jen and sha’irs as well as wizards and sorcerers as members). This is also where most of the poorer districts and slums can be found, including the homes of the Sahasran poor, half-orcs and gnolls.

Seven Chalices Caravanserai
Merchants visiting the city invariably make their way to this welcoming caravanserai near the south-east gate. In this walled compound, built around an extensive courtyard with , weary merchants and visitors can raise their tents and pavilions. Here the smell of coffee and spices mingles with the dung of camels, horses and even bullocks being housed, fed and watered for the night. In addition to the large guest house, traders can store their goods in the warehouse before taking them to the market.

Old Docks
Once the main docks for the city, the Old Docks are mostly used by fishermen and by smugglers, pirates and other shady characters these days. The section of the docks bordering the poorest ward of the quarter has become an extension of it: shacks have been built on the wharves while others live on stationary houseboats joined to the piers and each other by rope bridges and planks. Here crime is common and life is cheap. The decline of the docks is another reason for the rift between the northwest and the southeast quarters of the city.

One of the most popular spots in the Old Quarter with both visitors and resident young lovers is the white marble Garden Mausoleum of Hulieman -- a beautiful domed building set in tree-lined grounds which survived several attacks on the city and now serves as a public park.


Any comments?


Richard

[Leif]

Originally Posted by RichGreen

Hey Leif, I'm flattered you want to play in a pbem game in this setting! I'll have a look at some of the others running on ENWorld and think about whether this is something I'd like to do -- I'm running three regular tabletop D&D games at the moment (one weekly, two monthly-ish) so finding the time will be the issue. In the meantime, I'm going to keep posting stuff here and would value your feedback and anyone else's.

Now, listen, Rich, if you're trying to get sympathy because THREE D&D GAMES take up too much of your time, you're looking in the wrong place! I can count on ONE FINGER the number of live-action games I've been invited to play in the last year! (And even that wasn't D&D, it was HERO System, but, hey, I was just happy to be playing.) (That game is ordinarily played here at enWorld -- Mowgli's Domhani Bardeir game.) If you want to see the kind of game I'm involved with, check out the Constables of the 14th Ward thread here that I run with Scotley, or Whirtlestaffs Wizards Academy that is my newest baby. Also check Scotley's Island Empire game. At one time, I used to know how to put links to other threads in my messages, but I've slept since then, so the knowledge has left me!

I'll look over your latest, long post when I get a chance. I'm sure much praise will be forthcoming.

[RichGreen]

Originally Posted by Leif

Now, listen, Rich, if you're trying to get sympathy because THREE D&D GAMES take up too much of your time, you're looking in the wrong place! I can count on ONE FINGER the number of live-action games I've been invited to play in the last year! (And even that wasn't D&D, it was HERO System, but, hey, I was just happy to be playing.) (That game is ordinarily played here at enWorld -- Mowgli's Domhani Bardeir game.) If you want to see the kind of game I'm involved with, check out the Constables of the 14th Ward thread here that I run with Scotley, or Whirtlestaffs Wizards Academy that is my newest baby. Also check Scotley's Island Empire game. At one time, I used to know how to put links to other threads in my messages, but I've slept since then, so the knowledge has left me!

LOL! Found your play-by-post threads -- I'll have a proper read through when I've got more time.

Cheers


Richard

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I'm happy to stick with all the country and other place names I've stolen from various sources apart from Zakhara which is the setting used in Al-Qadim. Any suggestions what to call the Arabian land to the south west of Parsantium?

Cheers


Richard

[Piratecat]

Man, you just KNOW that obelisk is going to cause all manner of problems, probably right in the middle of a fully packed chariot race...

[Tonguez]

Originally Posted by RichGreen

Hi,

I'm happy to stick with all the country and other place names I've stolen from various sources apart from Zakhara which is the setting used in Al-Qadim. Any suggestions what to call the Arabian land to the south west of Parsantium?

Al-S'hra (a contraction of Sahara)
Qahira (Arabic form of Cairo)
Indehan
Tukiye
Kem

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Tonguez

Al-S'hra (a contraction of Sahara)
Qahira (Arabic form of Cairo)
Indehan
Tukiye
Kem

Wow! All of these are great names! Are a few of these original? If they are, may I swipe them, too?