But wait- there is more!
On the layout of the city of Fossice:
Part 1- the city:
The City of Fossice:
The city is made up of several distinct districts- there are five “official” districts and one “unofficial” one; each of the larger districts has contains several smaller neighborhoods of varying repute. As mentioned previously, the city is built on a delta at the mouth of the (?) River, where it flows down from the Celestina mountains.
The major districts of the city are:
1. Central Fossice: this is the portion of the city which is actually built on the islands of the delta. The islands are fairly low ground, but not often prey to flooding (the river tends to spread outwards, rather than upwards)- the islands are, for the most part, connected by well-made permanent bridges. Most of the city’s residences (especially for the so-called ‘middle class’) and many shops and businesses are all located in the Central district. There are even a few more expensive shops and residences here. The more exclusive islands tend to have few bridges connecting them to the city- and those bridges may be closely watched or guarded (either by members of the city watch, or by private guardsmen, depending on the area). The majority of the city’s offices and official buildings are also in this district. There are only a few docks attached to the Central district, and most of them are used for official city business- though there are some private docks which serve islands of the nobility and the very wealthy.
2. Northbank: as the name implies, this district is located on the northern bank of the river delta- it is a very stable area, and slightly higher ground than the center of the city. This district is the center of operations for the local branch of the Church of the Maker. In addition to the fairly new architectural masterpiece that is the city’s cathedral, it houses a large number of church buildings- including the Academy and the Grand Library. It also hosts a number of workshops, warehouses (especially right along the riverbank itself, and closer to the harbor) and a reasonable number of residences- especially for those craftsfolk who maintain a workshop in the area. Northbank is a very quiet, settled district- while the city watch does operate here, it is mostly the Church who keeps the peace in Northbank. North of Northbank, along the harborside, are the shipyards and drydocks, one of Fossice’s primary craft industries- the open end of the Hook lies close to this area, so larger ships can pass this far, but not further into the inner harbor.
3. Southbank: this district lies on the southern bank of the river- it is somewhat less stable, and more prone to flooding than Northbank or the Central district. Southbank is home to many of the less-reputable or poorer people and businesses in Fossice (but not the truly destitute or criminal elements), as well as some ‘working class’ sections. As a general rule, the closer one is to the shoreline (or the bank of the river), the less well-off or less-reputable one is. These lower areas tend to have wooden walkways between buildings or blocks, which can function even when the district does see high water- some of the building are built up on stilts, or have open lower floors with more solid structures above. The docks of Southbank are primarily working space- this is the main destination for rafts bringing in goods from ships docked outside the Hook, and smaller merchant craft that can traverse the inner harbor. As one might expect, there are a large number of warehouses in the area to serve the heavy merchantile traffic- it is no surprise that much of the city’s crime takes place in Southbank.
4. Hillside: the Hillside district straddles both banks of the river, and runs inland from the Central district all the way up to the crest of the ridge, where the coastal hills join a spur of the Celestina mountains- this is a distance of several miles. While the land is fertile, the slopes and geography make it ill-suited for large scale farming efforts. Instead Hillside is made up of gardens, orchards, and vineyards- and of the smaller estates claimed by the wealthy or powerful citizens of the city (or, at least, the wealthy and powerful who do not have a noble title). While not as vast or as grand as the estates of the true nobility (located on the far side of the Celestina range), some of these compounds are quite impressive. While a great deal of traffic through this area is carried by shallow-draft riverboats, there are two roads which run parallel to the river, one on the northern bank and one on the southern bank- these roads climb all the way over the crest of the Celestinas and to the estates and lands beyond.
5. Harborside: the Harborside district encompasses all of the individual islands in the bay, as well as any structures (like the docks and gantries) built upon the sheer wall of the Hook. There are about twenty islands, of various sizes, in the harbor area- some of them are rather small and only house a single building or two (though the very wealthy have recently started to build clever or ostentatious private ‘retreats’ on some of these islands). A number of the islands are larger, and deserving of individual mention. Most prominent, of course, is the Great Hall of the Guilds, where the ruling elite of the city meet to do business, enact laws, and conduct major ceremonies. This island is the only one which is directly connected to the Central district, by way of the glorious Long Bridge- one of the most impressive architectural marvels of the modern age. While less outwardly impressive, the Old Tower is also a marvel in its way- though it is hardly as old as its name might suggest, having been build only about 100 years ago. While the Church of the Maker does maintain a library as part of the operations in Northbank, the Old Tower is also a library of sorts- it is a repository of arcane knowledge. All of the spellbooks, scrolls, and treatises on arcane theory that the Church possesses are stored here- and the island is guarded appropriately. For the most part, it is said that such works are stored here for protection- in case of some accident or mishap, no one wants such dangerous materials in a populated area, after all. Of course, the isolation also helps the Church keep such works secure- the Tower has only one small dock, and a series of security precautions. Attached to the Tower is a small facility run by the Guild Arcane and staffed by trained researchers (all appropriately authorized by the Church) who can assist those in search of a particular scrap of knowledge. There is also a similar facility, staffed by Church scholars who catalog and cross-reference the works stored in the Tower, making sure that newly-obtained works are rated and stored properly- while these folk are not wizards, many of them have well-developed knowledge of arcane matters, including theory and history. For many of them, it is a lifelong pursuit…
In addition to the official districts of the city, there is one more area of note- “Downstream”. Also known as “the Swamp” or, tongue-in-cheek as “South Southbank”, this ‘district’ lies along (and occasionally underneath) the worst parts of Southbank- it is, in fact, a terrible place. Even in the dry seasons it is muddy and fetid- and parts of it flood even if the rest of the city doesn’t. It is, at best, a slum, and the destination of the worst travelers and criminals that Fossice has to offer. While no pirate ship could cross the Hook and enter the inner harbor, some of them can make port outside the Hook- and if they do, the crews come here… The ‘official’ guild hall for the city’s thieves guild is somewhere in Downstream (though the conduct their real business elsewhere). The only honest folk that inhabit the district are the small-boat fishermen that ply the inner harbor- and they tend to cluster on the edge of Downstream where it abuts Southbank. Very little good news ever comes out of Downstream- but there are glimpses of goblins, orcs, kobolds and the like, and other beings that would never be seen in the more civilized parts of town.
