Guide to Talen'sul

[Darastrix]

Culture
Infrastructure
Maps
Villages
Places of Business
Noble Houses
Foreign Relations

[Darastrix]

Temperament and Trending Traits
Although Talen’sul is in reality a very crowded metropolis, it has managed to retain the ‘small village’ feel in many aspects (at least for the natives). This is most evident in the lower-class rings, where everyone is crowded together. People are encouraged to get to know their neighbors and to befriend them. In this way, in times of trouble, any given citizen often has at least one acquaintance, if not friend, nearby that they can reliably call on for assistance. More often than not, people befriend several neighbors, creating a tight and friendly social network.

Being so close together has its drawbacks as well. While most people do their level best to keep a friendly status with those nearest to them, some people find that they absolutely cannot stand their neighbors. As moving to a new location within Talen’sul is highly unlikely, individuals find they must either reconcile or simply put up with the annoying idiosyncrasies of those around them. This breeds a sense of patience and diplomacy in many citizens of the city.

For those few situations that cannot be simply ignored or dealt with personally, people always know that they can take their problems up with the local liege lord. Rarely is a somewhat agreeable solution not found. Sulans (people of Talen’sul), have deep patriotic faith in their leaders. Little in their recent history has given them cause to feel any sense of mistrust; the prior Ladies and Lords of the Winds always had a council on-hand to keep him or her in check and vice versa. Although the council sees little use today, the liege lords have done excellent work in continuing to prove the faith of their people in them. Sulans, therefore, tend to be strongly patriotic of both the local government and their monarchs.

The city is in most parts open to the sky; the grander buildings, such as the Palace of the Winds and the homes of the upper class, have ceilings with many parts made of glass or stained glass to give the illusion of an open sky overhead. There is not much in the way of cover or shade except for the shadows of buildings and the trees within the orchards, but as it rarely gets overly warm in the mountains, this is not a concern. Winds experience life in Talen’sul with a great sense of endless open space above them. The rising cliffsides of the mountains on all sides help to cement this feeling. As a result, Winds are very uncomfortable when put into a position where they must travel underground or be forced to be in a dark and enclosed space for long periods of time. Many Sulans develop claustrophobia.

Finally, being a crowded city, individuals often grow restless and long to experience life in solitude or at least with fewer people around in general. It is not uncommon for a Sulan to develop wanderlust and embark on frequent journeys or adventures. The lure of home often brings them back, however. Just as there is a pang to separate oneself from so many people, there is a void when those people are taken away.



Jobs
Jobs can be found with relative ease, though some professions have a more difficult time filling vacancies than others. The most popular jobs are mining, mercantile, and craft-related; with such a large population, there is a great demand for goods. Service jobs are also popular. Least popular are jobs in the military (until trouble brews) and guard. Farmers of either animals or land will also find a hard time in store for them. Individuals wishing to take up work that involves the land itself will often find themselves settling in Zephyr Heights, the village located at the base of the mountain upon which Talen’sul is set. Scholarly jobs are seen as luxurious and wasteful; the poorer citizens tend to shy away from these, for work can be sparse and unstable, and income as well. This is not to say that Talen’sul does not appreciate scholars; merely that there is not a great demand for them outside of what’s necessary to teach the populace.



Education
Schooling has had a turbulent history with Talen’sul, experiencing periods of rigid mandatory education to lax, nigh nonexistent public schooling. These changes generally occur due to popular opinion as well as the personal views of the Lord or Lady of Winds at the time. At Talen’sul’s founding, education continued as it had for everyone at that time - individuals would learn their trade or craft from their family or neighbors, and that was it. After the War of Love and Evil, when peace began to reign, education flourished with schoolhouses being erected within the city for children to attend lessons. However, once the initial crowding within the walls occurred and space began to be looked at more and more greedily, the schoolhouses were converted into homes and all pretense of public education was abandoned. If an individual wished to learn, they had to seek a tutor or mentor on their own.

Talen’sul currently has been making a steady revival of the schoolhouses. The Council building is often used as a schoolhouse. While no formal or official teachers have been established, several individuals have taken it upon themselves to offer courses there. There has been recent talk of establishing mandatory lessons in reading and writing as well as sums (although most children learn this the old fashioned way; from a parent or neighbor.) All crafts and trades are still learned on a master-apprentice relationship, save for bards, who get to attend an actual school within the bardic buildings, and alchemists who have their guild headquarters established in the caves of Elysium.



Food
Talen’sul does not bring much to the culinary world of Naruta. They do, however, make excellent fowl dishes. Pheasants and geese, expertly prepared, are common dishes amongst the middle and upper classes. This is usually supplemented by a fine wine (supplied by the noble House Fell, who runs a very lucrative winery in Talen’sul.) For treats, Sulans prefer berry-goods, and pies rank high on the list of most desired desserts.



Fashion
Due to so many of the population being winged, fashion in Talen'sul has changed a bit. Many dresses, shirts, and blouses are sleeveless and backless to accommodate a woman's wings. For the more modest ladies, dresses and blouses exist with panels of fabric that rest between the wings and are laced, buckled, or buttoned to where the garment rests just below the wings. Lacing can be a two-person job, so clothing with laces is seen worn most often by the middle-to-upper-class, who may have a servant to assist in dressing. Men's shirts and jackets are much the same, though more commonly seen with buckles and buttons than lacing. A lower-class winged man may opt to forgo a shirt altogether when working.



Leisure
The most popular leisure activity of Talen’sul involves music. While not everyone can or desires to dance or learn an instrument or sing, the vast majority of the population highly enjoys at least listening or watching such entertainment. Taverns are often filled with music, either of the patrons’ own making or by a hired bard. Women will often hum, whistle, or sing in the town square or while doing chores. Dancing is strongly encouraged at celebrations and events, and with the ability to fly, aerial dancing has become popular to attempt or watch.

Others enjoy flight as a form of entertainment on its own. Most individuals who enjoy flying will do so now and then for leisure, though amongst men and younger people, flight racing is even more appealing.



Family
Families are of traditional and standard style as the rest of Naruta. Men are in charge of the household and women typically do not work, instead staying home to mind the house and children. This may be different in the lower classes, where extra income is needed, especially if there are no older sons to help bring in money. Marriages are generally not arranged, though it is not unheard of in the upper classes. Elopement amongst the lower classes is fairly common. Most families have two to four children.

On the account of sexual preferences, there are no laws against homosexual lovers, however the society frowns on open flaunting of such preferences. Defiant lovers who display their affections in public may find pressure to cease or leave.

In the upper classes or with any case where property is owned and passed down to future generations, the firstborn son is generally considered the ‘heir’ to such goods. If no sons are produced, the daughters are allowed to inherit the estate. If there are no children at all, the property falls to the dowager. If there is no wife still living, the property then goes to any surviving siblings. Finally, if nobody else of blood or marriage can be found to inherit property, it falls to the liege lords to do with as they will. Generally, lots of land and homes are sold to the highest bidder.



Religion
Sulans take a very peaceful view of the Forces. Their favored Force tends to be Etaf, though the current head priest is of Efil. Sulans also prefer to be cremated as opposed to buried and their ashes scattered on the wind. Widowers of both sexes will wear a gray or black veil to mourn. They can wear this for however long they want, though the average time is from two weeks to a month.

The temple of the Forces in Talen'sul is one of the prominent structures that features the stained-glass roof style seen on the Palace of the Winds. The architecture runs towards white stone with designs and motifs favoring soft, curling patterns often with strong resemblances to clouds. The primary statues of the Forces are depicted as follows:

Etaf stands with an older, more matronly look. She looks down upon supplicants with a thoughtful gaze and the hint of a tiny smile. At her feet is a tiny horse rearing on its hind legs.

Efil appears as a young woman, not quite fully adult, of an age that seems to be somewhere between fourteen and sixteen. She looks wide eyed and innocent, with flowers in her hair and ribbons that stream back in the wind. She is standing straight but her hands flare outward slightly as though she is contemplating skipping or balancing on one foot.

Taed is hunched down in a crouch upon some sort of rock formation. Fangs peek out from under his lips and he has a solid, firm stare that confers a sense of judgment. He has a faint scowl but his posture is somewhat relaxed, not quite ready to spring, but with every hint that he could at any moment.

Worg takes a strong masculine appearance as always, but in one hand she is holding a thick walking stick and she too seems perched on some kind of rocky formation. Scars adorn her body and her posture is tense and a trifle weary as she carries a bucket. She seems to be toiling at some task, but her head is tilted slightly upward with a look of determination and the start of a smile that implies contentment or satisfaction.

Thuoth stands holding a tablet in one arm and a quill in the other. He frowns in concentration. Tucked in the crook of an arm is small sack of something - grain most likely - and few more piled at his feet, indicating he is hard at work in a counting house or perhaps inventorying his wares as a merchant.

Soahc seems somewhat twisted or else merely caught in a frenzied moment. One foot is in the air and the other stands on tiptoe, while his body twists to the side. He appears caught in mid-jump or something similar. A bottle of wine is firmly clutched in one hand and a lyre in the other. The statue grins with manic glee.

Info by Kender Bard

[Darastrix]

The Wall
Talen’sul’s wall is its military pride. Although not nearly as formidable as the walls of Sensatia, Talen’sul’s wall is of an impressive height, reaching nearly fifty feet, sixty at the towers. The crenelations are of sufficient size to allow a single archer to use it as cover while shooting arrows from around it. The towers contain murder-hole slits for the elite archers to shoot in relative safety.

At any given time, there are six guards at the gates and five “walking the walls” in peacetime. "Walking the walls" means to pace along the walkways of the walls in order to get a better view of the city. As almost all guards are Winds, if a crime is spotted, they can simply jump down and use their Wind signs to land softly or fly to the trouble. In times of threat or war, the guards are kept in the cities and military is posted at the walls; generally eight to ten at the gates and fifteen to twenty on the walls.

There are some areas of the wall that were built to allow rolling ramps to be placed up against it from the inside. This is to allow any large siege weapons to be moved up to the top of the wall, such as cauldrons of boiling pitch.



Lower Class Ring
As Talen’sul's capitol is a circular city, the districts are broken down into ‘rings’. The closest to the wall are the homes of the lower class peasants. The homes here are made of stone with very sparse amounts of wood used where needed (such as furniture) and usually with a straw thatch roof. The homes are close together, as Talen’sul is cramped for space, so privacy can sometimes be an issue.

As you get closer to the center rings, there gets to be more space between homes. These families tend to hover somewhere between lower and middle class, and their dwellings reflect this. They sometimes have small yard space, which is considered a luxury amongst the lower class.

Within the Lower Class ring are four circled off areas. Starting at the southern main entrance and going clockwise, these areas are the town fountains and what is jokingly called the ‘town circle’ (in reality, the town square), the Council of Four Winds building, the few fields and farmland that enjoy the protection of Talen’sul’s walls, and a secondary farmland circle that’s dominated with orchards.

The town square is where most of the washing and entertainment go on. Taverns and a few inns set up shop around the circle (vying for space amongst the lower class dwellings), but this is primarily where people come to gossip and loiter. The fountains allow for almost all of the washing to be done and there are several wells here as well (though hand-pumped wells aren’t uncommon in the higher class rings). Often, speeches are made here.

The Council Building is where the Council of the Four Winds meet and where most official government business takes place. When nothing is going on, this building is often used as a place for people to gather and hold private celebrations.

The Fields and Farmland circles, including the orchards, are prime real estate. Set up when Talen’sul did not have so much of a population problem, the majority of the lower class rings used to be farmland, as the city is built on one of the few soft-soiled valleys in the mountains. Unfortunately, as time went on and the need for living space increased, these farms were built over until only two circles remained. The primary argument that has kept them in existence (rather than used for more housing) has been that in case of siege or other disaster, the city will always have a small supply of food for itself within the safety of the walls.



The Market Ring
As the name implies, this is where the marketplace is located. While at first glance, it may seem that there’s no order to the ring, there is a system that determines who can sell what and where.

Merchants are encouraged to keep close to other merchants selling the same or similar products. Therefore, all the spice merchants will be found in one spot and just a little ways down from them, one will likely find the fresh meat market. While not all the pairings necessarily flow harmoniously, there is a sense of order imposed.



Upper Class Ring
Nestled between the Palace of the Winds and the Marketplace, the Upper Class ring holds the most coveted space in all of Talen’sul. Since there is not a huge surplus in noblemen, the homes here are large and sprawling, luxurious in their size and finery. These homes also often sport large lawns and sometimes even small courtyards. The homes themselves are separated by hedgerows.



Palace of the Winds
Also known as the Castle of the Winds (though its original fortification purpose has long since become outdated), this building is where the Lady or Lord of Winds would rule. Since Talen’sul merged with Maelstrom to become the Kingdom Caelium, this building does not see a great deal of use. The Liege Lord, Saph Calder, and his wife, Lady Laura Calder, prefer to work from the comfort of their own home in the upper class district. Although Queen Lya and her family does stay in the palace when visiting Talen’sul, the building sits mostly idle; home only to the servants that keep up its daily maintenance and the courtiers who choose to swap their gossip here rather than the town square.

Info by Kender Bard

[Darastrix]

Skyheort Map by Kender Bard

[Darastrix]

Skyheort
The capitol city of Talen'sul. The largest city.

Zephyr Heights
This village is rather quaint and small. It appears that everything here is newly made, though there's hints of older, burnt things in some places. It's located near the very base of the Talen'sul mountain, with a winding trail leading to, and from, the village. The houses are mostly in the Wind style, but there are a handful of scattered buildings that are reminiscent of the homes found in Maelstrom.

There are not a great deal of guards here. The locals all appear to be cheerful to each other and newcomers. There is little crime, but there is a bit of a poverty problem and people beggared by past attacks on the city can sometimes be seen begging in the street. Virtually everyone here is of peasant rank if they are not a guard. There doesn't appear to be a main temple building here.

Eresserod
This is a monastery of monks for all elements, tucked away in their own crevice of the mountain, far away from Talen'sul's capitol.

Bellima Village
This is an average-sized village that hugs close to the Anarlina/Talen'sul border. The guards here are relaxed and easy going, only truly alert when there is trouble or a shipment of precious metals is going out. Because their livelihood depends on the ores and metals mined from the mountains, the people are generally open and cheerful but treat any strangers found near the mines with deep suspicion. Thieves can sometimes be caught trying to pilfer some of the precious metals to fence or make false coins with.

Elysium
A mighty, sprawling cave system, reaching deep into the Talen'sul mountains. Many of the caves have been carefully carved into living spaces for any and all who wish to come.

Village info by Kender Bard. Elysium concept by Natane Tsuyu.

[Darastrix]

Name	Type	Owner	Rank
Double Dove	Restaurant	NPC	***
The Feather Dance	Inn with Food Service	NPC	****
The Queen's Hat	Restaurant	NPC	**
The Red Roc	Tavern	NPC	**--***
Silver Streams	Riverside Cafe	NPC	***
Tripping Goose	Tavern	NPC	*

Key:

*--Very cheap, and you get what you pay for.
Inns and taverns with this rank are usually dirty. You could end up with lice or fleas from sleeping in the beds, and really, you'll stay cleaner if you DON'T use their washbasins. The food is suspect. If you want to eat, go ahead, but the less you know about the food's origin and how the it's prepared, the better. Remember, you get what you pay for, not what it's advertised as. (Just what kind of meat is in that pie, anyway?)

**--Still on the cheap side, but sanitary conditions are better. The place may not be much to look at and may have dirt here and there, but it's generally "just good, clean dirt" as they say. The drinks may be watered down, and the soup more broth than meat and veggies, but it's pretty much safe to eat.

***--Average. Not too pricey for some peasants, and not too cheap for some of the local higher-ups to deign to come visit. Neat and clean, if not elaborate. These places have simple, hearty food, good drink, clean linens, and comfortable beds.

****--These places are a bit more expensive than what your common Narutan will want to pay, but the price is generally worth the service. These attractively decorated inns often include extra amenities, and the beds are softer and have better quality linens than are strictly necessary. Food and drink ranges from just better versions of what you may find in an average establishment to dishes made with rarer, more expensive ingredients, such as an ocean shellfish dish in Ilyamen or Reave.

*****--The favoured haunts of nobles and rich merchants, these places will put a sizable dent in a common--middle class citizen's purse. Some are simply establishments with 4-star quality and inflated prices, while others are truly worth the high cost. Decor is often elegant and elaborate and the food and services offered are of the highest quality.

[Darastrix]

Want to play a Sulan noble? Great! You can either adopt an NPC Noble from below (PM Kender first), or you can create your own Minor House. Note, however, that you can't create a Major house out of thin air.

Major Houses

House Name	Head of House	Colors	Symbol	PC/NPC
Aquilinus	Lord Tanith	Brown/White	Eagle carrying a sword in its talons	NPC
Calder	Lord Saph	--	--	PC
Fell	Lady Jane	Dark Purple/Silver	Crescent moon wrapped in a grape vine	PC
Furinko	Lord Cobalt	Blue/White	A fist holding a rose	PC
Penrose	Lord Noel	--	Two crossed feathers	PC
Graywind	Lord Devon	--	--	PC

Minor Houses

1. House deBourgh (PC)
2. House Tynsho (PC)
3. House Everhart (NPC)
   

Criteria

Minor House: Petition the queen, send in your lineage for as far back as you can accurately trace it for scrutiny, and pay a sizable fee for 'consideration' (which is actually just a show of wealth really.) Minor Houses will be expected to pay a sizable tithe each year for the privilege of their status. These tithes cease upon reaching Major House status.

Major House: Maintain noble house status for 10 years, produce a viable heir, and be able to maintain either a specific wealth threshold or hold a political office.

[Kender Bard]

New Anarlina - Neutral
Khelek Crystalands - Neutral
Ekaitz - Tense
New Morilanta - Tense
Ronduin - Neutral
Sensatia - Neutral
Humontis - Neutral
Beastlands - Neutral
Naurorod - Neutral
Reave - Neutral
Ilyamen - Neutral
Celentia - Neutral
Grandisle - Neutral
Second Hope - Neutral
Fireteeth Isle - Neutral