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Geography of Ranavir

Ranavir is a tightly-packed city, radiating around a central spoke. The exact centre of town is a hilltop, upon which sits the half-finished Manse that will become the Namesake, the royal palace. The hill slopes gently, and is covered with light grasses and bushes, just enough to create a pleasant garden ring while allowing passage. This region, the Royal Garden, is free to anyone in town, but there are heavy fines for those who damage the plants here. A road leads up the western face of the hill, wide enough for large wagons and carriages to pass each other going by, and it leads directly to the main gates of the Namesake. Castle Road leads all the way from the Namesake to the Dragons' Gate, which lies in the western wall; one of the three gates out of the city, it is used by travellers readying the long journey towards the Lap and (eventually) An-Teng, and is the most-used of the city's gates.

At the base of the Royal Garden, arranged along Castle Road, is the Great Market. It is here that any travelling merchants receive permits to set up tents and stalls, and it is here that the people of Ranavir come to do most of their shopping. By the standards of a cosmopolitan city such as Chiaroscuo, the Great Market is a shadow, a poor imitation, but the people of Ranavir find it exotic and enjoyable, and the sound of good-natured bartering fills the air on every market day. Further west, the Market slowly gives way to the inns and taverns that surround the Dragons' Gate, where merchant caravans and would-be explorers stop to rest and prepare for the next stages in their long journeys.

To the north of the Great Market is the Narrows, named for the claustrophobic streets and two to three story buildings, leaning towards each other so close that those on the top floors can often hand objects across to their neighbours across the way. The Narrows are a poorer district, built with poor brick and thatch roofing, where the peasantry of the city lives. The Narrows cover a quarter of the city, and stretch all the way to both sides of the Mendicant's Gate; this gate, to the north, is the one that the peasants use when going out to work the fields, and although it is the most lightly-guarded due to its high daily traffic, it is also generally considered to be a dirty place to live.

East of the Narrows is the Stormbreak. When the rare summer storms rage out of the East, they strike across the eastern wall of the city, sending wind, sand, and occasionally rain down on that area first. While the difference is fairly marginal, it is enough that families prefer not to live in the Stormbreak. Instead, it is the chosen residence of the hunters and trappers, those souls who travel out to the desert to trap sandswimmers, gather firedust, or who spend weeks at a time working in the few quarries and mines that Ranavir owns. The Stormbreak is a wealthier district than the Narrows, but not significantly; its people tend to own their own houses, and single families will live in a given house. The Narrows surrounds the Hunter's Gate, used primarily by the local hunters and by intrepid explorers; there are no established trade routes to the east.

South of the Stormbreak, filling in the southeastern portion of the city, is Lakeside. This small area is not walled off seperately, but many of its residences are. Here the wealthy of the city live, catching cool breezes off the lake and enjoying their privacy and relative comfort. Lakeside is easily the smallest neighbourhood, but it still stretches to the Great Market; Hazel Way, the main street, connects directly to Castle Road. At the moment, until the Namesake is complete, the King lives and holds court in Lakeside.

Finally, there is the Dreaming Lane. Despite its name, this is actually a large number of streets and alleys, centered around the neighbourhood's namesake, which borders Lakeside and the Market. Here is where the city's artisans, blacksmiths, and entertainers tend to live, and where people can go to relax - or to commission themselves something from the workers. Dreaming Lane is also where the small slave markets of the city remain - they were put in place by the former rulers, but while King Bastion has reduced the size of the markets and given slaves more rights, he has not shown any interest in removing slavery as a concept. The guards are known to spend a great deal of time here, both relaxing and ensuring that the district remains peaceful and orderly.

Kyube Lake

South of the city lies the Kyube Lake. This large freshwater lake is roughly cylindrical, stretching the entire length of the city and then some, and traveling over a mile southwards. The area directly around the lake is extremely fertile, and small streams from it feed a number of ponds and pools around the city, as well as providing irrigation for the city itself, and for the fig and nut farmers that help supply the city. The lake also has sewers that filter into the city, and then from there to the northern farms, using the city's sewage as fertilizer for the cacti to the north. The Kyube Lake has a small fish population; enough that a few fisherman ply the waters, but not enough for doing so to be a profitable venture.

According to ancient legend (possibly created by the Tyrant when he shaped the city), the underwater caves deep at the bottom of the lake lead directly to the Great Western Ocean. A Wyld Zone in the middle of the caves compress the distance, opening into the Western Wyld, and a massive clam sits at the bottom, filtering out salt and grime and purifying the lake. No one has ever proven these legends true or false, as the caves are very deep and difficult to reach, and both law and custom forbid entry.