Editing Landsoftheblacksea:Main Page/realms/athervon/settlements/avis armois

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[[File:Avis Armois.jpg|600px|right|sub|The City of Avis Armois]]
== Statistics ==
'''Population:''' 5,000

'''Allegiance:''' Kingdom of Athervon, Province de Armois

'''Ruler:''' His Excellency, Archbishop Averroe DeMarre, Compte de Armois, Lord Protector of Avis Armois

'''Military:''' Garrison (The Black Lions)

'''City Watch:''' Militia (The Southern Legion, aka Red Swords)

== History ==

'''AY869:''' Jhonian naval and land forces lay seige to the city, which falls several months later, the first victory of the Jhonian invasion.

'''AY966:''' Athernian forces lay seige to the city, which falls within a month, ending Jhonian rule over the reformed Kingdom of Athervon.

== Government ==
Feudal Autocracy, supported by City Council (one member from each Ward, wards select their representative as they choose to, + members from select Guilds)

== Organizations ==

=== The Fenwalkers ===

The [[Landsoftheblacksea:Main_page/organizations#Fenwalkers | Fenwalker's Guild]] is headquartered in Avis Inia, although chapters of the organization can be found around the border (and sometimes even within the confines) of The Dire Fens.

== Surrounding Area ==

=== Village of Muckmire ===

==== Alcalde Estates ====
This large, gated compound of buildings was constructed not long after Athervon re-took the city from the Jhonians in AY966.  The owner is an Anidan, Nalencampa Orellana-Alcalde de Peña, who by now must be a very, very old man.  Little is known about this mysterious resident, who seldom enters town himself, relying on a rather strange staff of servants.  The compound was the height of luxury when it was built, but in the last decade or so has started to show signs of decrepitude, with some maintainance and upkeep lagging.  Rumors withing the Village of Muckmire and the City itself are rife about the place and the owner.  What is known is that no one has ever been inside that was not explicitly invited by Nalencampa.  Huge Bakulan mastiffs patrol the grounds inside the high iron fence; one of the thieves’ guilds sent operatives in shortly after the compound was finished to scout the place and see what goods might be stolen, and none of them ever returned.   

==== The Old Arena ====
A leftover relic from the city’s population apex just prior to the Jhonian invasion, the Old Arena was the home of gladiatorial shows, circuses, travelling fairs, jousting and other sporting events.  It was severely damaged during the Jhonian conquest, and the Jhonians decided to build their own complex inside the city walls (see Colosseum District).  The Old Arena has been abandoned now for nearly two centuries, and the locals avoid it completely, as the structure is unsafe (but too expensive to tear down).  Local children tell stories of ghosts and monsters that reside there, and local toughs challenge each other to spend the night within its walls.   At least three people have gone missing and presumably drowned visiting the place since the reconquest of the city, and the local authorities impose harsh penalties on anyone they learn has been visiting the place.

=== Town of Eastshore ===
Eastshore is a bustling town just outside the Outer Docks District, connected by two gates into the city proper.  Eastshore sports its own docks, which offer lower mooring fees than those in the city proper; the city evens things out by imposing steep taxes on goods brought into it from Eastshore.  Thus, economics dictate that much of goods flowing through Eastshore end up travelling by road or river up into the interior of Athervon.  The town is a “work hard play hard” type of settlement, with business and industry all that can be seen during the day, but with rowdy taverns, drunken sailors, and entertainment to rival Torchtown during the evening.  The nightlife is fueled in large part by two Bardic Colleges, one a classical Athernian school focused on music and song, the other a recently established Jhonian society that emphasizes scholarly research and poetry.

==== Shúj`id-al-Alrakh (College of the Arts) ====

==== Dravedi College ====

=== Village of Foghollow ===
Foghollow dominates the land traffic into and out of Avis Armois; The West Gate is very low traffic as few venture into Mistwood and the Fens beyond; Eastshore is responsible for much trade, but little of it enters the city proper.  Thus the great King’s Gate entrance to Avis Armois that is accessed from Foghollow is the main source of land traffic in and out of the city proper.  It is also the closest gate to the higher ground to the north of the city where agriculture can be practiced reliably, and thus much of the food and raw materials for the city pass through King’s Gate.  The Village itself is a riot of cart vendors hawking food and other sundries to the lines of people waiting to get in (or the ones that got out and are looking for cheaper prices than they could get inside), and simple businesses in the buildings.  The city rents out several of the buildings in the village to house their clerks and scribes, and much of the paperwork and taxes for goods being brought in or out of the city are taken care of here, where there is space and room to do so.

== City Districts ==

=== Westshore ===
The Westshore is a quiet district comprised mostly of craftsmen – carpenters, leatherworkers, bakers, and the like.  The district is also the home of a few guild halls, including the Teamsters/Cartmasters, Bakers and Brewers guilds.  The building’s in Westshore are generally newer than those closer to the city center – the District was heavily damaged during the Jhonian invasion of AY869 and the subsequent reconquest by the forces of Athervon in AY 966, and only now has started to fill back in.  Most of the buildings are wood, but occasionally one can find an original black stone building that has survived the fighting.

=== Lowtown ===
Lowtown is the home of the majority of the Halfling population of the City.  As the name implies, the buildings in this section are designed for the small stature of the inhabitants, and Humans will find the ceilings low and the quarters cramped.  The Halflings keep it that way to discourage the big folk from tarrying overlong.  There is significant traffic between Lowtown and Longnose, as the Gnomes & Halflings get along well and the height differences are less obvious.  Lowtown is home to tanners, carters, teamsters, clothiers, woodworkers, bakers, butchers, shearers, and a variety of agrarian and trade shops.  Some of the finest cooks in the City can be found here, as well as the best tobacco shops in the province.  

=== Weaverspoint ===
Weaverspoint is a District that has a mix of folk of Jhonian, Athernian, as well as a smattering of other pedigrees.  It is a working-class district, relatively peaceful and productive.  The name comes from the fact that the area has historically been home to the best weavers in the Province, who produce beautiful cloth using methods from across the lands.  Journeymen weavers from across all of Athervon have been known to travel to the City to try to obtain an apprenticeship with a professional from Weaverspoint, which are not easy to come by.  

=== Skullshore ===
Skullshore’s name derives from its original use: after the Jhonian’s sacked the City in AY869, they constructed mass pyres and burned the bodies of their foes here; when the Athervonians retook the City in AY966, they returned the favor and dug mass graves for the fallen Jhonian’s, which are interred here by the hundreds.  The City has thrived and expanded since this time, and now the land has been built over with a variety of buildings for housing as well as trade, with livestock and animals trade being the dominant business.  The District is not rich by any means, and most folk that have other options for a home in the city take it – it is a step up from Mudwalk and several up from The Maze, but it runs a close third in terms of poverty, crime, and the associated ills.  The smell of animals is pervasive and inescapable in the District.  And to this day, it is not uncommon to come across bones of some long-dead unfortunate protruding from the earth, or to see the gleam of an ivory skull revealed by the gently lapping waves of the nearby water.  

==== The Heathen Pond ====
This pool of water between Weaverspoint and Skullshore is infamous for its role in the retaking of the City from the Jhonians in AY966.  Having pinned the last remaining soldiers and their clerics between the water and the City walls, the advancing Athernian forces made a final demand for surrender.  The highest-ranking cleric, a fanatic, refused, and called down a rain of mystical fire on the advancing troops, killing many, including their beloved leader.  The Athernians became enraged and stormed the District, killing indiscriminately.  The drove the remaining Jhonians toward the pool, and forced over 200 men, women and children into the water at the point of sword and spear, where they sank and drowned.  

=== The Maze ===
So named due to the warren of streets, alleys, dead-ends, and twisting paths, the Maze is the last resort District where one can find the poorest of the poor of the city, as well as the most vile criminal elements that prey upon them.  For all intents and purposes, The Maze is unpatrolled by law and order elements of the city normally.  Occasionally, if the disorder spills over into riots or (more importantly) neighboring districts, then the City Watch and City Garrison, augmented by hired mercenaries, will swarm the District to passivate the unrest.  But the King’s justice is not to be found in The Maze.

==== The Feeding Pond ====
The macabre name for this filthy pool is based on the fact that so many bodies have been dumped there that it is now the home of any number of aquatic carrion eaters who feast on those unfortunates that take the plunge into it.  The cry of “Feeding Time!” is regularly heard from the Inns & taverns that sit on its perimeter whenever a loud splash is heard, regardless of the cause.  The water of this area is sluggish and strewn with filth and debris – anyone still alive who finds themselves in its inky expanse is likely to contract one or more diseases or parasites – if they live at all.

=== The Embers ===
The Embers is the District that was appropriated by the Jhonians after they captured the City to be used for nobility as their residences.  When the City was liberated from the Jhonians in AY966, the native Athernian populace rioted in the aftermath of the military victory, and set fire to this section.  The flames spread quickly, and it was only the efforts of the armed forces that stopped the fire from spreading to other quarters.  After law and order was restored, the local government decreed that any Jhonians wishing to stay in the city “could do so without persecution so long as they dwell amongst the embers of their former abodes, that they may well remember the price of their wickedness and blasphemy.”  Thus did the district get its name.
The burned-out hulks were gradually torn down, and new structures rebuilt.  Empty stone shells were rebuilt with new floors and roofs, and the district is now a bustling Jhonian quarter.  But the soot and scorch marks from the great fire can still be seen on the stone old enough to have been in place when the fire occurred, and local legend states that on the anniversary of the liberation of the city, the Embers Quarter fills with the stench of the burned flesh of those that perished in the flames. 
Jhonians are now permitted in most districts, the old prejudices having slowly faded as the generations passed and tensions eased.  Weaverspoint, Mudwalk, and Skullshore both have significant Jhonian populations.  But the Jhonians in the city view The Embers as “their” district – much like the Holy Symbol of A’Salam, the District itself has risen anew from the flames and thrives.

=== Mudwalk ===

Poor district.  Heavily foreign-born who cannot afford to live in the Foreign District.  

=== Stonedocks ===

The Stonedocks District is the oldest, most secure, and most heavily regulated of the ports of the City, with virtually all of its traffic of an official nature destined for the Castle or the Cathedral of the Holy City.  A number of wealthy merchants pay large fees and bribes to bring their wares through the Stonedocks – primarily to avoid complications and/or theft from criminal organizations that operate out of the other ports.  The area is heavily patrolled by both the City Watch and the Garrison, and only the most skilled or desperate thieves try to ply their trade here.  The area has plentiful taverns for sailors to spend their pay, but other low-brow forms of entertainment, such as brothels or gambling houses, are frowned upon.

==== Ill-Water ====
The prison of Ill-Water is spoken of in hushed tones by the guilty and innocent alike in the City – indeed, even in the lands beyond, the reputation of this hulking stone structure that sits beyond the walls of the city causes sailors passing it to mumble prayers of protection on the way in, and of thanks on the way out.  Ill-Water is home to the most vile, notorious, dangerous, or hated persons that fall afoul of the authorities of the City.  The structure has three above-ground stories, as well as at least two below-ground donjon levels, the lowest barely above high tide during normal weather, and decidedly below it during storms and tempests.  Most criminals plead for a quick death after hearing they will be sent to this bastion of torment.  No one has ever escaped alive from Ill-Water in the 250 years it has been used as a gaol, and there are only two cases of inmates escaping at all, both of which ended in death – one from drowning, the other eaten alive by the creatures of the swampy harbor while passengers in arriving and departing ships looked on.

=== East End ===
The East End, much like North Wall, is a respectable, high-end district that prides itself on being upper-middle class.  Many of the buildings here are residences of some of the wealthier folks, mostly those who gained their wealth via toil or expertise rather than hereditary titles or family lineage.  The businesses and commerce of the East End tend to follow the interests of its inhabitants – quiet, expensive, and of high quality.  Bookstores and antique shops do particularly well in this part of the city.  The Golden Lions patrol the district, as they do all of the Inner City, but they spend more time south of the Boulevard Royale.  Nonetheless, crime is very minimal in the East End.

=== Civic Quarter ===
The Civic Quarter is primarily filled with various official offices associated with either the Kingdom, the County (Comte), the city, or the Church of the Holy Faith.  Numerous clerks, scribes, and sages fill this section of the city, and the buildings house many of the records of the city in them.  The quarter also is home for many who work in these positions.  The district tends to be less expensive than others in the inner city, but is still a fairly low-crime area due to the presence of the Golden Lions.  There are few commercial businesses in this district – primarily papermakers, inkmakers, and the like, providing the tools of the trade to those working in the district.  An popular insult in the city is “more boring than a Civic Quarter tavern!”

=== Bishop's Gate ===
Named for the gate that the clergy take from the Holy City when travelling to Seld Dieudonné, the Bishop’s Gate district is a district of wealthy private residences, mostly walled and gated and many with private men-at-arms and bodyguards on patrol.  The residents of Bishop’s gate are primarily nobles, members of the court of the Archbishop, high-ranking members of the hierarchy of the Church of the Holy Faith, as well as city residences for a number of the landed nobility of the surrounding region for when they visit the city on business.  Bishop’s gate is not welcoming to “nouveau riche” – those who are wealthy due to labor, trade, or skill.  The district has virtually no commercial activity within the streets that form its borders – an area that vigorously patrolled by the Golden Lions, who will question anyone who looks like they do not belong, particularly after dark.

=== Noble Quarter ===

=== Holy City ===

=== North Wall ===

=== Golden Quarter ===
The name of the Golden Quarter is self-explanatory: one should not be here unless one is laden with gold.  A business district that caters to the well-to-do from Nobles Quarter, Bishop’s Gate, The Holy City, and sometimes even from Seld Dieudonné itself, the Golden Quarter’s shops set the bar in the city for extravagance and expense.  There are few taverns; the inns in the Golden Quarter are for those who want to flaunt their wealth by staying in the most lavish of places.  The businesses tend to be those of luxury – jewelry, clothes, and the like.  The area is patrolled ruthlessly by the Golden Lions, and despite the wealth, street crime is virtually unheard of.  There have been a number of burglaries in the past where the thieves made off with fantastic sums, but these are balanced by the severe punishments metted out to those who have tried and failed (typically, a life sentence at Ill-Water).

=== Embassy District ===
Embassy Circle is named as it is home to the bulk of the foreign diplomats that deign to have representatives in the city.   There are not many – most countries keep their representatives in the Capitol of Avis Inia, near the King’s court; but as the Kingdom’s second largest city, and due to its location at the far southern end of the Kingdom, several realms choose to have operatives here as well.  In particular, the Kingdoms of Anida, Ypasi, and Ivepia have representatives in the Archbishop’s court.  Perhaps the most famous resident is the most recent – Lord Rôzher Ÿrü, a representative of the dwarven Fane of Fhyldhrmudhrm, who came here less than three years ago to begin oversee arrangements for sea transport of dwarven goods from Avis Armois to points south, as well as to see that imports to the udhurm coming through the city were properly accounted for.  Notably, the Amir-al-Emir of Jhon has a representative in Avis Armois, primarily dealing with mercantile issues but also attempting to ensure that those of Jhonian blood receive fair treatment to the extent that is possible; but this individual lives in The Embers, most likely to be among familiar surroundings.

=== Foreign District ===
The Foreign District is, as the name implies, the home of may ex-patriates of foreign countries, some near, some far.  Any ethnicities or nationalities that haven’t formed a large enough population to make it in one of the other districts end up being lumped together in the Foreign District.  Here, one can find Ugarians from the archipelago of the Forbidden Isles trading with Iruzhinians, Chandrahaari snake charmers entertaining Issyrian dock workers, and on and on.  None of the groups is large, and they find commonality in their outsider-ness to the Athernians in the rest of the city.  The foreign district is loosely patrolled by the Red Swords, but halfheartedly.  Despite this, there is less crime than one would expect here, partially due to the fact it is a fairly poor district, with little to steal.  The people who live here are lower middle class to lower class in general, and the population tends to be itinerant, as many foreigners come for a time before returning to their homelands, or moving on to a new destination.

=== Outer Docks ===
The Outer Docks is a primary hub for mercantile shipping and receiving for the city.  It handles the bulk, ordinary goods coming and going into the city – things that must be traded in large quantities to make a profit, such as food, cloth, raw materials, and the like.  The Outer Docks are incredibly busy during the day, abuzz with ships landing and departing, and large loads of goods coming in and leaving by carts and caravan into the many warehouses located here.  At night, the Outer Docks transform into a nonstop party, with the many inns and taverns along the waterfront offering a way for the dock workers, sailors, and barge drivers to spend their hard-earned coins.  There are no permanent brothels in the Outer Docks, but freelance prostitutes (both male and female, and sometimes non-human) are known to frequent the area in the evenings, scurrying about to avoid the occasional patrol of the Red Swords.  The District has significant criminal activity – during the day, pickpockets and the like are common; at night, activity turns to larceny, muggings, or smuggling of illicit goods.

=== Bronzechapel ===
Bronzechapel District represents a middle-ground between the lower-class Outer Docks beyond the gate, and the Middle to Upper Middle-Class Guildhall District.  There are a fair number of Guild Halls in the Bronzechapel District itself, notably the Alquemiste’s Hall, the Butcher’s Guild Hall, and the Mason’s Guild all call Bronzechapel home.  The district name comes from an ancient, pre-Jhonian conquest temple, originally dedicated to some pagan Tuathan diety, that was transformed after the reconquest into a beautiful church of The Holy Faith – the chapel of St. Antelmo di Sennuli.  The building is fronted completely in thin bronze plates, and the windows have been constructed entirely of yellow, white, and orange stained glass.  The effect is quite stunning from the inside on the rare days when direct sunlight shines through the windows, casting the interior, which also heavily uses bronze decoration, in golden-red hues.

=== Guild's Quarter ===
Guild’s Quarter is home to the bulk of the Guild Halls for the professional societies of Avis Armois.  The Quarter itself does not sport many businesses that cater to the general public – that is what King’s Gate and Market are for.  Guild’s Quarter caters to professional merchants and the craftsmen of the Guilds.  There are a large number of clerks and scribes that base their businesses out of Guild’s Quarter, as well as accountants, messengers, and the like.  There are no shortage of taverns or inns in the quarter, most catering to travelling merchants or guild members.  Many of the streets in the Guild’s Quarter are named after the professions present there (e.g., Rue des Cuirs, Rue de Savon, etc).

=== Market District ===
Market District is, as the name implies, home to the city’s largest open market, with booths and stalls practically filling the large open paved space.  An apparently acceptable holdover from the Jhonian tradition of the bazaar, the market here is year-round, though considerably diminished during the winter.  It reaches its most fevered pitch in the peak harvest season, followed closely by the first offerings of spring.  As is to be expected, Market is a favored haunt of many a pickpocket, and one must watch ones purse carefully.  The Red Swords do what they can to keep the thieves at bay, but the press of people only allows so much.  Nothing illegal is allowed to trade in Market, although it is said that if one looks carefully there, one can find traffickers in illicit goods – but the actual transactions are conducted elsewhere, at appointed times.  The edges of the Market area are rife with taverns and public houses, though full-fledged inns are less common.

=== Fishtail ===
Fishtail is home of the Inner Docks, where much of the traffic is related to the sale of fish and other foodstuffs from the nearby sea; commercial traffic of other kinds tends to be handled by the other docks in the city, although some does pass through here.  The entire district is filled with the smells of seafood – the salty smell of fresh fish that makes one’s mouth water, and the rancid smell of rotting fish, as most creatures are gutted and butchered here, and the entrails dumped into the Inner Pond to slowly flow out to sea.  This tradition is the source of the name of the district, and the tails of hundreds of fish are seen in piles around the fish market before they are dumped off the docks.  The district does not have much commercial business besides the fish market, although there are a large number of warehouses, salt-packing facilities to prepare goods for travel inland or by sea, and a number of accounting and clerk offices.  There are taverns and inns in large numbers here, catering mostly to seafaring patrons.

==== The Inner Pond ====

=== King's Gate ===
The stereotypical visitors first experience with Avis Armois is the raucous scene just inside The King’s Gate that leads into the city from the [[Landsoftheblacksea:Main_Page/realms/athervon/settlements/avis_armois#Village_of_Foghollow | Village of Foghollow]], and which gives this district it’s name.  In the large open circular forum, carts and vendors hawk all manner of goods, and singers and performers ply their trade.  The circle is ringed with shops selling a wide variety of goods, although the district is most well known for clothing, and many goods that are made in [[Landsoftheblacksea:Main_Page/realms/athervon/settlements/avis_armois#Weaverspoint | Weaverspoint]] District end up being sold by retailers in Kings’ Gate.  The District is heavily patrolled by the Red Swords, and criminal activity is kept to a minimum.  King’s gate is also where public punishments, including temporary structures such as stocks or gallows, are erected when the King’s justice so dictates – a fitting warning for visitors that crime is not tolerated and is punished severely.

=== Torchtown ===
Torchtown is the city’s entertainment district – while music,  dancing, and the like can be found elsewhere, even the most discerning nobles will admit that the productions of Torchtown are the most elaborately produced, well-acted, well-sung, and highest artistry affairs in the city.  Torchtown is one of the districts where all walks of life can meet – the poorest of the poor crossing over from The Maze to beg from the richest of the rich, enjoying a night on the town before returning to their estate in the Noble’s Quarter.  This mixing includes races as well as social classes – one can find groups of Gnomes from Longnose, Halflings from Lowtown, all mingling with humans freely here.  A number of the venues here are in fact owned and operated by proprietors of non-human races.   The district name harkens to the fact that torches burn here all day and all night, enticing people to take in the shows, plays, music, and other forms of entertainment.  Torchtown is the city’s center for brothels and prostitution – while strictly speaking illegal in the Kingdom, enforcement in Torchtown is extremely lax, so long as the businesses bill themselves as something else to the public, with taverns and inns being the most common fronts for courtesans.

=== Longnose ===

Home to the City’s largest population of Gnomes.  The Longnose district (originally named after the shape of the slip of land, but now commonly thought to refer to the size of the Gnomish snout) is a bustling hub of activity ranging from jewelers, metalsmiths, woodworkers, glassblowers, mechanics, machinists, and any number of other trades that Gnomes traditionally excel at.  There are also performance houses that utilize the Gnomes skill in both mechanical props & sets as well as illusion to put on shows that rival the productions of Torchtown (much to the chagrin of the leaders of that area).  Longnose tends to be the most tolerant area of the city to other non-human races, and there are a large number of Halflings, less Dwarves, and fewer still Half-Elves & Elves that make this area their home.  Longnose tends to be one of the most peaceful and law-abiding sections of the City, but it is rumored that is due to the Gnomes having their own syndicate that zealously keeps other criminal organizations out.  The City Watch patrols the outskirts of the area, but the interior is patrolled mostly by volunteers, who rarely have any need to engage in matters. 

=== Colosseum District ===
After the Jhonian conquest, the new rulers of the city decided to build a new arena in one of the districts that had been ravaged by fighting.  The imposing new structure was completed in record time, and the architecture is a mix of the Athernian and Jhonian styles – graceful keyhole arches and mosaic tiled patterns of Jhon mix easily with the beautiful woodwork and artful masonry of Athernian origin.  The new arena was used to host shows to help keep the masses entertained (and thus not plotting revolt), as well as to offer lessons for those who resisted the new rulers.  Exotic creatures from Jhon, Issyria, and the Forbidden Isles were imported, and the wretched individuals who were found guilty of treason against the Amir-al-Emir were given a jambiya and shoved into the pit, to be torn to pieces if guilty or to emerge victorious if innocent, according to the will of A’Salam.  After the reconquest, the arena was renamed, and is now used for tourneys of jousting, sword combat, races, and the like.  The building dominates the district, which is full of taverns that cater to those that fight, and those who support them.  Many of the best horse-traders have shops here, though the animals are usually kept outside the city or sometimes in Skullshore.  This district is more cosmopolitan than the nearby Irontown district – ethnicities are less of a problem here, although non-humans are generally visitors and not residents.

==== Arène de Cirque Royale ====

=== Irontown ===
Home to the bulk of the metal-working craftsmen and the businesses that buy and sell metals and related goods, Irontown is a mixed district of the professionals and craftsmen who provide these services, the unskilled manual labor that provides them with the raw materials and muscle involved, and the customers of such businesses.  The folk of Irontown pride themselves on being hardy, no-nonsense folk, who speak plainly and expect the same from others.  The district is predominantly Athernian – other ethnicities and races come to visit, but rarely to stay, and are usually not made welcome.  

==== La Tour de Auson (Prison) ====