Aripasts City in Central Funnundia

The “Old City” was built on a rectangular artificial island, encompassing several hundred acres and surrounded by a moat nearly 200 yards wide.  The moat is crossed by bridges at the corners, each leading to a gatehouse generally in the form of a massive crowned head.  The “mouth” in each head gapes open, large enough to allow the passage of mounted riders and wagons two abreast.  The ruins of hinges indicate that gates used to be set behind the mouths, but there is no practical way to bar traffic now.  

There was originally a wall some 15 feet high set just back of the moat, but it is largely in ruins, and in many spots has simply fallen into the moat.  The moat itself is not intact along its entire length; the Viratha River, which flows by the city into the sea, has shifted close enough to the moat to make it a de facto oxbow, and there is a large breach in the northeast corner (by the Govatharna Gate) where the moat has dried up.  For all practical purposes, the city is currently indefensible.

Generally, the city’s architecture is very florid, with innumerable bas-reliefs, garland and wolf motifs carved into virtually every square foot of every stone surface, as well as rippling effects designed to mimic flames, feathers, leaves and other patterned surfaces.  Much of these are weathered to the point where it is not always easy to tell what more subtle exterior bas-reliefs depict.  Staircases are steep, 45 degrees or more.  Surviving construction is of sandstone and limestone, with some rare granite.  

Nearly half of the city has not yet been cleared of the thick forest that covered the island in the forgotten centuries, and it is illegal to do so without supervision by the Company of Guards, the Upuaut priests and the College of Mages; pockets of the Unlife still emerge from newly unsealed and opened crypts and other fissures deep in the forgotten earth.  In consequence, the Old City is patrolled around the clock by guard detachments augmented by priests and the occasional Witherer of San Guiskwain, an arrangement leading to much tension.  A number of groups sponsor archeological digs on the site, and great riches - and great horrors - are still unearthed, over 30 years since Telmora’s rediscovery.

Herewith a list of some of the more significant landmarks.  The names given to them are modern-day, and not contemporaneous; almost no paper records have been unearthed in the sub-tropical climate.  

Wendelin Gate: The gatehouse in the northwest corner is of sandstone wrought in the shape of a massive crowned head - large enough to drive a wagon or ride a horse through the “mouth” - with an observation chamber set behind the “forehead.”  Restored inscriptions indicate this is of the Empress Wendelin III.

Flaring Gate: This is the southwest gatehouse, the one leading to the “New City” and therefore the principal current route into the Old City.  The flanking towers are surfaced with giant weathered heads and impassive features.  It is unknown who these represent; they do not match any mythological representations or dignitaries known to the era.  Restored arches over the towers are of tiled flames, with restored silver and brass inlay.  The bridge itself is heavily decorated in dragon motif, with carved rippling scales set into the sides and the pediment itself.

Victory Gate: This is the southeast gatehouse.  Unusually, the head’s crown is depicted with tines of swords, something not found in contemporary depictions.  The restored inscription indicates this gate is in honor of “the mighty victory over the barbarous Ferotiri,” from which people have given the gate its name; no indication as to the ruler depicted has been found, and there is considerable scholarly dispute as to just who the “Ferotiri” were.  The causeway and bridge are in ruins and have not yet been restored.  It is possible for a nimble (and reckless) person to cross without a dunking, although breaking an ankle is more of a risk than getting wet.

Govatharna Gate: This gatehouse, in the northeast, depicts the Emperor Govatharna.  It is in ruins and has not yet been restored; only rubble remains of the causeway and bridge.  Since the bulk of the uncleared forest is in the northeast of the Old City, the priority for repairs is low.        

Plaza of the Elephants: A great, round plaza in front of Palace Mount, with perfectly fitted butcher’s block pavement of white marble (with a few sections plainly repaired with a slightly different color).  Weathered sandstone statues of elephants rim the Plaza, from which solar rays etched into the marble lead to the Cenotaph.

Cenotaph: A tall, hollow obelisk of granite sheathed in limestone, marked with bas-reliefs so faded as to not really be able to make out what they represent.  A broad archway leads into the interior, which has been recently hung with old battle banners and Upuaut religious iconography.

Palace Mount: This was fully restored a generation ago by the current Prince’s father, at great expense.  This has led to widespread (and ongoing) rumors that the Prince plans to relocate his capitol to old Telmora, a scheme heartily disliked by the bulk of the populace and decried as vainglory run amok.  The palace building itself is in three stories, in heavily reliefed gypsum-clad sandstone.  The towers are all clad in gold leaf, but that was done a generation ago too, and the leaf is wearing a bit thin.  The roof edge is surrounded by an intricate brass grillwork, which is duplicated slightly higher up on the roof for a terraced effect.

The great mound on which the palace rests has been reshaped and resurfaced, with a fresh facing of glazed yellow brick to replace what’s believed to be the original facing.  The two stairs leading up from the Plaza of the Elephants are very steep, nearly at a 45o angle, and are heavily weathered; traversing them is difficult when it’s raining, something that happens a good bit in this damp climate.

The vast throne hall is decked in black marble with crimson velvet hangings and a gallery rebuilt in rose granite, with one of the great surviving treasures of ancient Telmora before the throne dais; a life-size alabaster bull with gilded horns.  The Governor’s seat is set two steps down from the peak of the dais, so as not to presume imperial airs.  The original throne is wrought of pale green jade and is largely ruined, although there are plans to restore it; it is heavily carved in ancient elven runes and is thought to be elven in origin.

The Governor is Lady Filti dy Portain, an influential socialite entering her middle age.  She is long widowed, and prefers the social butterfly life of the capitol - the finest of foods, the most brilliant of entourages, fine music, exquisite plays, dazzling levees.  While she is popular among the few aristocrats for her (calculated) largesse, the poor and unfortunate are well beneath her sight line.  She took the post in the first place expecting it to be a plum, has found much less scope for graft and her pleasures as she fancied, and hopes for a recall to the capital soon.

The Governor’s chief administrative officer, Sir Horgil Pinnath is an ex-military man who dresses to perfection, stands as straight as on a parade ground and holds strongly to tradition, regulations and precedent.  While he doesn’t look the part - he has an open, friendly face and a superficially pleasant manner - he’s a sour old man far before his time, patronizing and condescending to anyone he fancies is beneath his station.

The commander of the eighty-man Company of Guards, Captain Lord Drak dy Mytham seems like just another pretty-boy town clown, leaving most of the military work to his offended lieutenant and sergeants.  However, as the “Revenant,” a masked night rider in navy blue active these last two years, Drak is a highly skilled bladesman and rider.  The Revenant has a near-folkloric reputation as a champion of the common folk, and is more than willing to wield his rapier against those who offend against decency and honor.  He is notorious for a skewed sense of humor, which he unleashes on his foes, leaving them with mocking limericks ringing in their ears.

House Of Fire: The original Upuaut cathedral is in ruins - just stubs of walls and towers beyond the foundations are left, all in heavily weathered sandstone - heavily bas-relieved, with the ruins of a double gallery surrounding the raised mound.  Set into the mound face are tombs, desecrated in the original fall of the city and reconsecrated just twenty years ago; it is considered a tremendous honor to be interred in the crypts.

Chantry of the College Of Mages: Intact from the original city (and protected until just a few years ago with one of the most powerful Forbiddings ever encountered), the outer wall is sheathed in glazed deep blue tile.  An inner tower of seven stories, likewise sheathed in glazed blue tile, is the city’s tallest structure beyond Palace Mount.  The College has reclaimed the old chantry for use, and in consequence this is the smallest city in the world by population to have an active chantry of the College.  The first two floors of the tower are lounging areas, the third has small cubicles as work and study rooms, the fourth is the library (with largely contemporary works, the treasures of olden days eagerly scavenged and passed to the College’s current headquarters), the fifth contains offices, the sixth the original Great Council hall (used for Moots and other meetings) and the seventh an observation deck and a magical Gate to the current headquarters.

There are a great number of Master-class wizards and, in particular, an unusual number of Witherers of San Guiskwain attached to the College, most brought in to deal with (and/or study) the Unlife in the area.  This creates a good bit of friction with the Upuaut worshippers in the area, who are very unhappy and suspect collusion, with some justification.  Keeping the peace caused the College to dispatch one of the world’s leading Masters to be the local Guildmaster.

Sana Marakal Gheleng - A temporalist with few peers in all the world, Sana Marakal is a devoted scholar, the author of over two dozen works on various technical and theoretical aspects of magic.  Although she is near his ninetieth year, she moves with the energy and grace of a much younger woman, and claims she ought to be good for a century more!  For the most part, the Chantry is governed with a light hand, but she does not expect to be gainsaid when she does speak ... and she is not.   

San Hondo ham Berigan - San Hondo is a nobleman from a great nation to the north, one where the lore of undead is potent and strong.  By studying the ancient texts found in this Chantry, this Witherer has learned lore sufficient to create more potent zombies than ever were known before.  He is the creator of the now-widely-known Intelligent Zombie spell, although few people have learned this, save for Marakal.  San Hondo is seriously ill - the damp and heat do his lungs no good - but is unwilling to leave his rich researches for drier and cooler climes.

Sana Ayella the Lakewalker- Hailing from an almost forgotten tradition (and, in fact, from another dimension altogether), she uses the bones of humans for her magical rites.  She casts knucklebones for purposes of divination and wields bone handled, bone-bladed longknives which contain the willing mortality of people of her homeland and is useful against certain types of Unlife.  Her practices have long engendered dark rumors about just how she gets her bones, although she hotly protests that she is not at all a necromancer.  Ayella is middle-aged and more athletic than attractive, with silvering auburn hair drawn back into a very long braid; she eschews traditional wizard robes for leather vests, longcoats and trousers, often weathered and worn.   

San Tandar dy Mytham is a noted alchemist specializing in medical elixirs and potions which confer great physical prowess.  Not many know he is the brother of Lord Drak (the “Revenant”) - Tandar is a largely cloistered scholar who doesn’t use his surname on the rare occasions he appears in public - but the brothers do have occasional dealings.  Drak secures a number of alchemicals he uses in his deeds from Tandar, and for his own part Tandar has pretty much figured out that his brother is the masked night rider.

Hall Of Dancers: The original use of this broad colonnaded hall is unknown, but the bas-reliefs are uniformly of dancers, both in ritualistic rows and folk dances.  It is most often used to stage plays.

“Libraries:” These small structures are found throughout the city, raised nearly two stories over street level, with steep pediments leading up to the “floor” level.  Many are restored, with cleared stairs leading down into the interior of the structures.  No writings have been found in them, or could have survived the long centuries, but the bas-reliefs are overwhelmingly of scholarly pursuits and the scribing of books, and their purpose is conjectural.

Temple of Bronze: This temple, consecrated to Mitra in the olden days, was sheathed in heavy bronze plates, fantastically etched, which never weathered or tarnished.  Some of the plates are missing, but the remainder make the temple difficult to view during sunny days, and the interior is very hot during such days.  The space has been reconsecrated and is tended by acolytes, but is not in regular use as a Mitraic temple.

Prasavya Temple: This restored edifice is believed to have been a temple, and has been consecrated to Upuaut as an active parish.  A stunning, grey marble statue of the god stands at the right-hand side of the entrance.  With its arched pillars, a nested dome at the center, and a fine collection of statuary - some restored, others imported - in alcoves along the interior walls, it is an exceptional piece of architecture.  A huge silver-plated wolf, fully twelve feet high, stands behind the main altar.

The chief priest, who bears the unusual and resounding title of Grand Capitalis of the Imperial City, is Mother Verena, a Steel cultist, and is assisted by four junior clerics and seven acolytes.  A grim woman despite her youth and prone to hellfire sermons, she is thought to enjoy the particular favor of the Matriarch of the faith in far-off Lanax, and is being groomed for exalted rank.  She is also head of the Temple school, run by Steel cult monastics; many of the children of Telmora are educated here.

The “Chess Board:” This pediment, set in alternating blue-grey and mauve 4' granite squares and bounded in copper (somehow brightly burnished and lacking a patina), is one of the rare examples of granite architecture in the city.  It is ruled just like a chess board, and is believed to have been used for Blood Chess, where the live “pieces” contested every square to the death, bearing the arms and armor customary for their pieces.  It was completely restored just last year, and talk is to stage live chess matches ... if without the bloodsport.

Pit Of Glass: Much of the northwest corner of the city is taken up by this broad depression, shaped roughly like an ant trap and some sixty feet deep and a couple hundred yards wide.  It is entirely surfaced with a mottled dark green glass, rippling from the center of the pit outward, somewhat unevenly; at the edges, the glass is several inches thick.  Even in the glory days of the Empire, such a mass of glass would represent years of output, and it cannot have been a planned feature - the Pit slightly impedes traffic from the Wendelin Gate.

The “Mace:” A long gallery with a rounded chamber at one end and a cruciform chamber at the other and reminiscent, from the air, of a mace, this relatively intact building is used as the Old City’s public market; its original purpose is unknown.

New City: There are some businesses that have set up in the Old City, mostly clustered between the Flaring Gate and Palace Mount.  More have arisen in the so-called “New City,” a wooden quasi-shanty town springing up between the river and the Old City moat.  The living conditions in the New City are, to put it charitably, “not good,” and this was exacerbated by a fire last year that torched a full third of it.  The so-called “Burned District” is as yet largely unrebuilt, with expansion encroaching on the jungle in different directions.

Adventure hooks:

1)  Pretty straightforward; there’s almost always some archeological dig in the city, and however much they take care, eager workers open up forgotten crypts and chambers looking for loot, and undead and curses come out.  More problematic are the illegal digs, started by treasure hunters unwilling to wait for official protection and completely unwilling to pay the large tax collections imposed on any treasure find.  (That being said, the party might be some of those illicit hunters.)

2) Beyond the city’s eastern edge, the jungle is still there ... and if Telmora was found here, what other wonders - or terrors - might rest just a few miles beyond?  A number of treasure hunters penetrate every year (unlike for digs within the Old City, there is no official restriction on them, nor the manpower to enforce any that might be enacted) ... some come back.  More often, zombies wearing their visage are seen.  Who or what still makes those zombies, and what if they assault the city in force?

3) While the Witherers - practitioners of necromancy and, it is said, even darker magics - are not precisely illegal in the Principality, they are not welcome, and the region’s domination by the anti-necromantic faith of Upuaut makes the tensions that much stronger.  Sana Marakal has a relatively tight rein on the wizards, but Mother Verena doesn’t particular want to exercise a tight rein on her militant cultists, and the Governor isn’t concerned for much short of embarrassing dispatches forwarded to the capitol.  No one imagines it would be comfortable to be between dueling factions of flame priests and zombie conjurers ...

4) The New City is a seething cesspool of degradation and graft, where fortunes are made peddling drugs to the common workers, and even larger ones in smuggling art objects and other treasure out past the Company of Guards and the naval presence at the river’s mouth.  Now if some party would only be willing to take a shortcut with these sacks of loot through just a dozen miles of jungle ...