Hellianoptis

Location and Description

The city of Hellianoptis is located on the southwestern coast of the island of Ilkara. The city is a major sea port and has a harbor capable of handling several dozen trade ships. Hellianoptis is often called the "city of bronze" because of a pigment mixed with plaster used to cover nearly all of the houses and buildings in the city gives them a bronze color. The city has a thriving trade and industrial base and visitors of all lands are welcome. Taverns and Inns are located between the harbor and the local bazaar.

Political System

Social Structure

Religion

Military

Trade

The city of Hellianoptis have a trade monopoly on 'Jingu', which is a locally made fish sauce that is very savory. The city also has a monopoly on a locally made purple dye, and it is imported as a dye and as bolts of dyed cloth. Other locally made products (common throughout the Island) include locally grown crops and spices. Honey is a commodity that abounds in Alkara and so is sugar made from sugar beets. Wine, vinegar, olive oil, pickled beets, roasted almonds, lavender oils and soaps, cloves, saffron and Indara (lemonade) are some of the more valued local commodities. In addition to local goods, trade items from all reaches of the world can be found if one searches hard enough.

The market is open every day from mid-morning until mid-afternoon.

Architecture

The majority of building are made of stone and mortar construction and covered with plaster inside and out. House types differ by social status and wealth. Poor residents of the city have a one room dwelling with access to a covered roof and a cellar for storage. The roof is used as the main activity and sleeping area except when the weather is to cool or raining. Wealthier citizens such as craftsmen and artisans usually have a two story house with a work shop or store on the bottom level and living quarters on the second floor along with a covered rooftop. The wealthiest citizens and nobles of the city live in multi-story houses that have a courtyard with greenery and a pool that collects water that is stored in a cistern. Generally these houses are two stories but some of the larger homes can be 3 or even 4 stories high.

Clothing

The Hellianoptis citizens love bright colors as a general rule and dress accordingly. The common dress for male citizens is the (???), an ankle length robe dyed with inch wide, alternating vertical stripes. These stripes come in various colors and color combinations, with white (undyed) as one of the colors is the most common among the poorer citizens, as it is less expensive.

Rural peasant men wear plain white or brown kilts and headbands while working in the fields or tending to their herds. On special occasions they wear a knee length tunic of bright colors tied at the waist with a sash.

Women both urban and rural wear long light weight dresses tied at the waist with sashes and scarves to tie back their hair. They often mix and match as many bright colors as they can afford.

Footwear is for both men and women of all social ranks is a leather sandal.

Hair Styles

Commonly men of Hellianoptis and surround rural areas wear their hair short and shave off facial hair. Women wear their hair long and tied back or covered with a scarf. Soldiers and priests can be easily identified by their unique hair styles. Soldiers shave not only their faces but their heads as well. This custom is common among all Ilkarian soldiers regardless of their city of origin. Local priests grow their hair long and keep them in dreadlocks and grow their beards long.

Education

Education is a highly prized asset among the citizen of Hellianoptis. Their is a library and university located within the city that receives boons and grants from wealthy merchants to help feed and clothes the scholars as well as pay for supplies. The library contains hundred to thousands of scrolls many written by local scholars on many subjects such as philosophy, astronomy, plants, animals. Perhaps the most interesting are the scrolls written by merchant ship captains detailing their explorations and dealings with foreign cultures.

As part of their repayment for their grants and boons the scholars of this university must teach the young children of the city how to read, write and do basic math. Sessions are held three times a week for several hours and children must attend between the ages of 7-12. After the age of 12 most children enter into apprenticeships and discontinue any further education. Only those children who show a talent for scholarship are taken on as students at the university and allowed to further their education.

Legal System

The Hellianoptis court is held once every two weeks in a special building called the Vala that is located near the market. Disputes of all types are presented here. Both the accused and the defendant of each case has a chance to plead their case, as well as calling on witnesses. Court cases can sometimes take up most of the day and anything not heard before sunset is postponed until the next Vala court. After hearing all arguments, rulings and punishments are made by the Valan, which is a group of representatives selected each time court is held in the Vala. The Valen is made up of one of each of the following (all male), a farmer (or shepard), citizen (craftsman), soldier, priest, Noble man and a scholar. Each of them must be over the age of twenty. A scribe is on hand to record the preceding and all punishments are carried out and fines collected within the week.

The selection of the Valan is supposed to be kept secret so that they cannot be bribed or influenced by the people have their cases tried that day. It has been possible from time to time to bribe the Vala scribe to get the names of the upcoming Valan.

All fisherman and sailors are exempt from serving on the Valan.

Sports and Leisure