LateNightHacking Louis My Writing

Auth

City Sketch

Written 2/4/98. Revised 3/13/98, 10/2/98

The city was nestled in a valley, between two mountain ridges forming a V that opened to the sea to the south. A sheltered cove was formed between these two fingers of rock, making it an enticing harbor for trade ships. A small river ran down the valley, near the eastern ridge. The river was not big enough for navigation, but it provided a good source of power for the factories that were lined up along its bank.

At the water's edge was where the hardest work was done and the hardest lives were lived. Inlandwards from the warehouses and sweatshops were the taverns and tenements that supported them. The merchants' shops were next. Clothes, jewelry, weaponry, food - everything one could want was available for purchase. Mercantile Lane ran west to east along the coast, ending in Market Circle. Main Street started at Market Circle and headed north along the river. On the inland side of these primary streets lay the offices of the wealthier merchants and money lenders. The police department was there, near the docks, while the fire station was further up the valley so that the road would be all downhill for the pump wagon.

A few Minor Houses had built their family mansions to the northwest, the northernmost of which was not minor at all. The sprawling estate of the Third House of Kaju was a testament to the power and wealth of the Kaedo that ruled this city.

Mercantile Lane continued westward, skirting the tip of the western range along the top of the cliffs where the mountain plunged into the sea. The road provided a link to the high, fertile plains on the other side of the ridge. Main Street ran north until it reached the City Park. Set apart over a century ago by the Kaedo of the time, the narrow northern end of the valley was off-limits to industry. Instead there were fields and forrest glades for the citizens to enjoy. The park had no northern boundary, rather it continued upward until it became indistinguishable from the forrest that covered the mountains. A wrought iron arch over an opening in a low stone wall marked the transition from Main Street to the network of gravel pathways that led into the park.