• Information • Yithiral Linkmap

[Squirrel]

Yithiral Map and Linkguide

To enter the city from anywhere outside, one must first enter one of the five main gates.

The World Gate - The most commonly-used gate, leading directly into Utheridge from the outside world; this is the first gate that any travelers from outside of the Empire will visit.
The Ocean Gate - Exclusively for boats and leading to the docks of Penkath, this Gate is one used by workers and foreign merchants, designed to allow numerous large-hulled ships to enter and exit at once.
The Sky Gate - The least-traveled of the three external Gates, this is by far the heaviest-guarded of the three, as it allows instant travel to Maldar, but can only be accessed by air travel and attempting to use the Gate without proper authority will always end poorly.
The Mortal Gate - The most-frequent of the internal gates, this opens immediately onto track routes heading north and west, towards both Ethelanum and Talonir.
The Immortal Gate - The second of the two internal gates, aimed southwest towards Cathirus.

Once passed, the city awaits. Yithiral is by far the largest and most populated city in the Ivorian Empire. As such, to cope with the massive volume of residents and regular visitors, it has slowly segregated itself into six districts, each with their own purpose to the city and holding their own representatives in a council held by the Senate.

Utheridge.

The largest region, and the first place that the World Gate opens out onto. The region is a scrum of cheap housing and cheaper stores and markets, all crammed together and sometimes overlapping one-another. Above all, Utheridge functions as a giant marketplace, with as many shops set up to appeal to potential customers from the moment they step through the gates, but between all the money-grabbing are simple families struggling to live among all the passing travellers. Military presence is heavy, patrols near-constant and guardhouses often hidden behind stalls and buskers, but still very functional.

The First Market - A marketplace filled to the brim with sellers and buyers, providing all manner of goods for weary travellers at affordable prices to those who know how to haggle for a bargain.
Serpent's Kiss - A much-renown brothel where the speciality is muscles - on all the pleasure workers.
World's Beginning - An inn with affordable rooms and relatively good food, seen by many as exotic due to its foreign nature.
Rakath's Hammer - Smithstore owned by a veteran Ithecal who now sells his tools to travellers and wannabe warriors.
A Healing Touch - A simple herbal store, offering helpful tinctures and feel-good medication for the road.
Nice To Meat You - A butcher selling imported meats of all rarities.
Performer's Plaza - An open space used by buskers and performers to entertain for pennies.
The Alley - An alley leading into an underground space used for brawling matches. Taking all bets.
Snakefang Bows - Maker of bows, arrows, crossbows and all other manner of ranged weapons.

Penkath.

An industrial region sharing a wall with the Ocean Gate, made mostly of warehouses and markets for the exchange of goods intended to be sent off to Ethelanum for proper use and distribution. Very little here is aimed at pleasing the public, but a few coins in the right hand can often gift some surprising bounties.

Thaldor's Warehouse - A storehouse that holds all furniture and sells it on across the Ivorian Empire at a profit.
Salna's Warehouse - A storehouse that takes all manner of weapons and armour and redistributes it across the city, and the rest of the Ivorian Empire.
Wakgan's Warehouse - A storehouse that takes all manner of produce from Uthelridge and the rest of the city, packaging and selling it for the rest of the Ivorian Empire to enjoy.
The Sandalanba - A company that makes its profits moving its goods to and from Ethelanum and other parts of the Ivorian Empire, using its small fleet of horse-drawn carts and boats. Also offers its services to those wishing to make a quick journey across the Empire.
Nalda's - A dark tavern built in the corner of a small warehouse, with very cheap drinks and a rowdy atmosphere worthy of the thickly-scarred sailors that visit it regularly.
The Raised Tail - Barely a brothel, barely legal, barely ladies, but business wouldn't be booming unless it hit someone's buttons.
Tinctures and Trinkets - An alchemists lab dealing in all manner of strange things on the side, a place of curiosities.
Arm Nautica Shipyard - The private shipyard of the Arm Nautica, dominating the majority of the region and responsible for mass-producing all the ships of the Arm Nautica. Heavily guarded by members of the Arm Nautica.
Saltwater Set - Cheap rented apartments above the warehouses on offer.
Lest He Forget - A bar guarded by soldiers wearing far more elaborate armour than they should be.
Rylath's Rest - A seedy fortune-teller. Every city needs one.
The Underforge - An underground bar hidden under an abandoned smithshop.

Itherium.

A gated region higher up in the city, accommodation here is costly and the stores all only deal in the higher class. Directly overhanging onto Utheridge and literally looking down its nose at the lesser regions, it is the most wealthy region of the city and makes sure everyone else knows it.

The Majestic - A high-end tavern, dealing in expensive beverages and offering a warm and comfortable environment.
Stalwart's Sanctuary - An inn with more guards that it knows what to do with.
Rose and Thicket - Even the rich and powerful need a brothel to visit.
The Prince's Cup - A winery hosting regular events, complete with entertainment and beverages.
Silk and Sophistication - The finest tailor in Yithiral, making all your custom outfits at very unreasonable prices.
The Bakers Field - A bakery that also makes delicious cakes.
The All-Spice Bazaar - An assortment of exotic tents and shops selling all manner of goods from across the globe.

Thalmart.

The smallest region but one of the most-visited apart from Utheridge. Home to a majority of scholars and intellectuals within the city, it is one of the cleanest regions, with an air of dignified respect. The large volume of guards regularly passing through it also helps.

The Church of Ethelynda - The public temple of worship for Ethelynda, offering sanctuary and care for all those who need it.
Yonder Wonders - A shop specialising in old books and rare alchemy goods.
Arm Magister Library - A library exclusive to the members of Arm Magister. Not available to the public.
The Astronomicum - A place of higher learning and hidden knowledge.

Maldar.

Dominated by govenment buildings and sat at the highest point of the city's geography, all buildings are heavily-guarded and only a select few do not require express permission to enter. Any found wandering where they do not belong will be punished without a second thought.

The Pantheon of Shields - The official home of the Immortal Ethelynda, and her official place of worship. Not open to the public.
Ministry of the Integrum - Headquarters and first meeting point of the five Arms of the Integrum. Not open to the public.
Arm of the Militum - Headquarters of the Arm Militum. Not open to the public.
Arm of the Ecclesia - Headquarters of the Arm Ecclesia. Not open to the public.
Arm of the Magister - Headquarters of the Arm Magister. Not open to the public.
Arm of the Iuris - Headquarters of the Arm Iuris. Not open to the public.
Arm of the Inquiria - Headquarters of the Arm Inquiria. Not open to the public.
The Master Garrison - The forefront of the entire region, a garrison post designed to hold thousands of soldiers at a time.

Lattarsh.

The rear end of the city, the final stretch that forms the keep to both the Mortal and Immortal Gates. Considered the older brother of Utheridge, its shops are more than satisfactory and it offers the most when it comes to performance and artistry.

The Lucky Smith - Stable and horseshoe fitter.
Empire's Arms - A comfortable little inn offering warm beds and good food.
Rainbow Plaza - An entire plaza dedicated to artists and their work.
Fluffs and Luffs - A surprisingly large pet store, with its very own stable.
Ethelm's Forge - The forge of the Mortalborn Ethelm, first-born son of Ethelynda.
The Locked Fountain - Some kind of art display that attracts visitors.

Map of Yithiral Surroundings

On the outskirts of Yithiral exist a small scattering of smaller satellite regions and clinging villages, technically outside the city walls but still connected in some way to the city itself.

Mithiral.

The small island that sits before the city gates is filled to the brim with military grounds and is entirely out of bounds to the public. It acts as a large-scale training ground, armoury and secondary personal shipyard for the Arm Militum, with special buildings entirely dedicated to the Arm Ventus and Arm Nautica.

Nautica Shipyard Exter - A shipyard pointing outwards and away from the city. Considered to be a 'first response' emergency shipyard, stocked with supplies and with ships equipped to be immediately released on the first message from the towers.
Nautica Shipyard Inter - A shipyard pointing inwards and towards the city. This is where new members will first arrive, and where the bulk of repairs and maintenance on the Arm Nautica fleet around the island is done.
Training Fields - Wide fields where drills and exercises are performed by all Arm Militum garrisoned soldiers.
The Armory - A storehouse of all the armour, weapons and other equipment of the Arm Militum garrison.
Foreground Garrison - The forward-most garrison of the Arm Militum, housing all soldiers present in Mithiral.
Forgemaster Plaza - Where all armour, weapons and gear are made and modified by the official smiths of the Arm Militum.
Ventus Stableyard Exter - A stable pressed to the outer edge of the island. Made to be a 'first response' emergency stable, stocked with supplies and rapid-travel mounts to be immediately released on the first message from the towers.
Ventus Stableyard Inter - A stable sat in the middle of the island, considerably larger and responsible for the care and management of the majority of mounts on the island.
Tower of the Mouth - The watchtower of Mithiral. A grand structure designed to watch all ships coming and going from the mouth of the Ivorian Empire, and send rapid signals to the rest of the city in the case of emergency.

Carvellum.

One of two smaller towns hugging the outer walls of the city and a direct result of the rapid overpopulation of the Empire capital, Carvellum has grown naturally into a sprawling mess of a residential complex. With much less regulation than the capital, it's become a hot-spot for a slightly less lawful atmosphere and hidden caches of illegal goods.

Johnny's Knee - A dark seedy inn with a secret back-door connecting to an "abandoned" blacksmith next door, hiding one of the largest collections of unsanctioned weapons in the Empire. Prices are considered extortionate, but you never know when one will come in handy.
Zafra's Folly - A statue dedicated to Zafra, built in his prime. Once known as Zafra's Pride, it's since fallen into some disrepair, although a chosen few do still leave offerings at its base, and it is a frequent stopping point during any manner of celebrations of the capital.

[Squirrel]

The First Market

The First Market is a dense sprawl of thin alleyways and wide-open plazas filled with items collected from all over the world. The space was once designed to be a fanciful region for only the most esteemed veterans to spend the rest of their days, but as the wars and battles dwindled, so too did veterans considered worthy of its apartments, and soon the city's own arrogance became its downfall, and the abandoned space was left free for new folk to occupy, haggling their goods and services in the hopes that they'll one day climb above the bottom rung and make something of themselves.

Most of the trade comes from sea-traders looking to make a cheap easy buck offloading all their goods before they sail on the morning; it's often dirt-cheap and no-questions-asked. Some few honest folk have hung around long enough and made a good reputation of themselves, and have bought out the buildings to turn into true storefronts, with finer goods for the average passer-by. The richest of all are those that don't actually sell anything at all; semi-official trade officers calling themselves 'the Fingermen', made up of four different lesser Merchant Families of various states of ill repute, who use their influence, their small armies of collectors, and no small amount of money to control what comes in and out of the First Market. They keep everything running smoothly and mostly-legal, and make a pretty penny out of a small commission charge they levy on anyone selling on their land in return for keeping the stalls safe, from both common thieves and more organised crime.

Be careful though; in the narrow streets clogged with goods and potential buyers, the city guards can offer little more than a cursory glance. Don't worry about being murdered, but keep your eye on your wallet and try not to get ripped off, if you can.

The First Market is not really a single market, but a collection of many separated out into three plazas and a number of odd spots and alleys.

The Plaza of Pleasure
Bolts of cloth of every texture and quality hang from some stalls; dyes collected in stoppered glass bottles sit in the next. Here one can hope to buy clothes of any shape, size and stitching at jaw-droppingly low prices, though most will find a good price for any purchase, including the tools to equip any budding seamstress.

The Berry Plaza
Filled to the brim with food, the Berry Plaza is by far the most busy of any of the major market venues at any one time, and boasts entrances wide enough to fit four fully-laden wagons abreast. More often filled with imports from the far reaches of Ne'haer and Desnind, with stalls populated by traveller's looking for a rare taste of home, the stalls actually dabbling in more home-grown produce most often come across as either horribly overpriced, or slightly stale.

The Sparkling Plaza
Sparkling Plaza doesn't actually sparkle... it sparks. If a weapon exists in Idalos, it can be found here, with a number of stalls offering exotic metals for smithing, fine grips and crossguards, even all the tools of a blacksmiths trade, for both a seasoned apprentice and a simple adventurer looking to keep his sword from dulling.

Memory Lane
An alley often found with antiques and oddities, most commonly washed up from around the world. Often sparsely populated, this is the first place those will go with something specific in mind that few other ordinary shops will cater to.

Snakestreet
A long, winding road that has earned its name through both its shape and its questionable wares, including items that may be magical, cursed, or otherwise beyond the mundane. If their purveyors can be trusted on their word.

Underbridge
An unfortunate breeding ground for fencers and vagabonds seeking to sell ill-gotten gains with no questions asked. Illegal weapons, dangerous poisons and other items can most commonly be found here, but Underbridge is not as secret as it might seem; anyone seen visiting will almost certainly find a shadow or two following them as they leave again, if the merchant themselves isn't an Inquirium officer in disguise.

[Squirrel]

The Serpent's Kiss

Very few clubs that deal in the pleasures of the flesh brazenly parade their identity with such blasé. The Serpent's Kiss is one of them. Though it caters to such a niche audience, it's raucous streetside displays have made it just short of a household name, most commonly used in jokes or playful mocking. However, this has also led to a large amount of mislabelling. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a brothel, though it does cater to carnal desires. Rather, it chooses to describe itself as a pleasure-house open to all who wish a taste of their lifestyle. One thing even a complete stranger can tell, though, is this isn't your ordinary everyday pleasure-house. Every single member of staff, from the receptionist to the rent boys, are Ithecal with muscles sculpted from stone and almost seem to relish the looks they get for it.

This is one brothel that never has an issue with rowdy and unruly customers. The ornate carved-oak door is guarded by no less than four guards at any one time, day or night, though none of them are armed... or dressed, for that matter. They don't need to be. Each one is ripped with biceps larger than most men's heads, and can overpower an entire team of horses, and they make sure everyone knows it by wearing nothing but a knotted white skirt around their waists just long enough to hide their groins (and in the case of women, a tight sash to cover their breasts). Past them lies a small but comfortable reception room with padded chairs and hidden alcoves for customers to wait to be received, while scantily-clad and irresponsibly-ripped servants offer water and wine, depending on their preference.

The building itself consists of four floors and a basement. The first floor is the best choice for the 'light' visitor, often for one-off visits or first-timers. A lot of time and attention has gone into creating a fully-functioning artificial hot spring in the middle of the room, made from a single piece of carved stone large enough to comfortably fit up to six people at any one time and richly decorated with a mixture of well-tended tropical plants and glass sculptures. Around either side lie wooden and padded massage tables with silk privacy screens, with masseuses trained in a range of disciplines, from Hot Stone Therapy to Deep Tissue Therapy. No less than three different sauna rooms populate the far side of the room with padded benches to rest on and free towels provided, and the entire floor is treated with exotic blends of spices and aromatherapy.

But none of the regular patrons stop at the first floor.

The second floor is what The Serpent's Kiss is really all about. The muscled body is a thing of beauty and for those who wish to treat it to the true worship it deserves, it can be hard to find someone really willing to let you embrace those desires. That's why the central platform of the second floor is filled with a deep square alcove filled with plump silk pillows and any manner of thickly-muscled workers, often wearing nothing more than a silk sash around their hips and more often less; dense privacy screens litter the room to give plenty of privacy for those who wish it, and a small number of private rooms with beds are available upon request. However it should be noted that the men and women found wandering the halls and sprawled across the floor are not prostitutes; though you'd be hard-pressed to find one that wouldn't object to some fun while you're around.

The third floor caters more towards the exclusively carnal requests, though it shares much of the same design as the second floor, with a large padded alcove in the middle for groups or the simply unashamed, and private rooms ringing the sides and backs for the shy clientele.

The fourth floor requires up-front payment and pre-booking, and caters to any and all patrons... for any and (nearly) all requests. What actually happens up there is something that nobody dares kiss-and-tell, but one can be assured that if they wish to find out for themselves, whatever happens on the fourth floor, stays on the fourth floor.

Finally, the basement can only be accessed upon special request, and is by far one of the biggest surprises of the building. The cool, dim underground is where many of the staff come to train, and holds a large assortment of personalised weight-training equipment. For most aspiring weight-lifters and strength enthusiasts, there can surely be no better place to work out, especially with plenty of guys and girls with plenty of knowledge on the subject of bodybuilding, as long as you don't mind performing a few favours and getting a few casual gropes and leers... they've even been known to cover the entrance fee for particularly cute guys and girls., though nobody can say exactly why...

[Squirrel]

World's Beginning

Of all the inns found in Utheridge, the World's Beginning is likely the first that any visitor will find, simply because it stands front and center outside the World's Gate. The mountain of stone was once the Captain of the Gate's barracks in the days before the Reformation, and its pristine white-stone exterior, all sharp angles and high walls, still gives off that same menacing air as it did back then. However, since being bought off and refurbished, its arrow-slits have been knocked out and replaced with coloured glass with flowing red curtains, and new wooden awnings stretching cheap canvas hang over the double-door entrance to shelter the long lines of weary travelers from the cold and rain.

It is a warm and inviting place, most often filled with exotic scents brought by distant travelers, often with several fires running in several hearths, fresh if humble food prepared daily and left for their spicy and sweet scents to tantalize eager customers, and with no shortage of music played by the owner's wife on her flute. That being said, it is still Utheridge. The bar is humble, no fancy meals or expensive ales can be found stocked on its shelves. Ales and beers are served from wooden jugs, not glass - and, on top of being frequented by a number of off-duty soldiers and city guards, there are plenty of burly bouncers, arms folded and cudgels hanging at their waists, stood and sat cross-armed throughout the establishment and outside as well, to keep out any rabble that try to cause a hassle.

Found upstairs are twenty rooms spread across three extra floors, each coming complete with a stocked hearth, a cozy double-bed, and all the other amenities one could expect from a small business such as this. Rooms come with hearty meals provided twice a day with the costs included in the room price.

[Squirrel]

The World Gate

Because of the unique structure of the island, all visitors who wish to enter Yithiral, and by extension the Ivorian Empire, are funneled through a single gate. Security is paramount, and all applicants are searched thoroughly before admittance. Armed soldiers enforce the moving columns of people with strict codes, and anyone found disobeying or attempting to smuggle goods through the gate will be met with immediate dismissal.

No Poisons: Anyone found with poisonous plants or potions on their person will have them summarily removed and a full investigation conducted into how they obtained such goods.

Peace-Bonding All Weapons: All edged weapons, such as swords, daggers, axes and polearms must be peace-bound - meaning they must be sheathed, and a special spool of silver wire wrapped around the sheath and the hilt of the weapon to tie the two together. All soldiers are adept at peace-binding, and once a weapon has been peace-bound, unsheathing the blade becomes exceptionally hard to those under expert-level strength. Through this method, not only is combat discouraged within the walls, but those without peace-bound weapons are immediately arrested on suspicion of crime.