Negav's Lower Tier
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Under construction
The lower tier of Negav can be considered Negavs' outer ring. It spans between the giant wall and the inner wall, which separates this tier from the middle tier region and in times of crisis may even somewhat serve as part of Negavs defense for the better situated people living deeper inside the city as the tight streets and alleyways form mazes that serve to confuse anyone unfamiliar with them, as well as natural choke-points that make it impossible for large groups or creatures to traverse them safely.
As the name suggests, the lower tier consists mostly of people of a low to medium class standing, although in felaryan terms, that is still a relatively good life. The outer walls and heavy defenses, not to mention the presence of the Isolon eye, covering Negav and a large area around its walls, provide excellent protection against the dangers of the jungles, and grant what one would consider a relatively regimented life.
For the Negavian citizens, life quality is simple, but sufficient. Most citizens live in houses built from clay and Takrit, a stone that is being mined deep underneath in the Negavian quarries, and serves as Negav's main building material: Cheap and readily available, the dense sedimentary stone features a quality and properties mostly resembling that of sandstone. Even though brick buildings can frequently be seen, especially close to the inner wall, many more buildings of the poorest people are homes made of of less durable materials, such as wood, or even woven cloth.
The poor district takes up the vast majority of official Negavian citizens, but due to the fact most buildings are little more than being squeezed in-between two others, streets are unorganized and buildings rarely have more than two floors, causing space to be a major problem, and homes to be relatively expensive, forcing many less fortunate people to live on the streets, or underground. Some of the negavian middle tier merchants make a small fortune by buying houses and renting them to the poorer afterwards, leading to a sharp separation of luxury and income even in the outer ring, with parts of the city nearly falling apart with crime and neglect, while on the opposite side of the city hired guards patrol the street, checking on anyone that doesn't look like they belong to there.
The Lower Tier is frequently visited by virtually anyone who dares to set foot on this world via the dimensional gate just outside the city gates. Traveling merchants seeking to peddle their wares and adventurers who caught wind of Felarya's rumored treasures and wonders all find temporary residence in this Tier, and in some districts, it is believed that the number of outsiders often surpasses the number of actual Negavian citizens. Due to the fact that Negav's Lower Tier stands open to anyone that is able to endure the Isolon Eyes warding powers, it is notoriously overcrowded
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The Gates of Negav
There are two entrances to Negav. The Victory gate in the north is the main one. It crosses the large Asianas bridge across the Motamo river and lead to the dimensional gate, the Motamo docks, and the Inn of heroes further north. The gate is very heavily defended, with massive guard towers standing on each sides, full of soldiers armed to the teeth and manning several heavy cannons. Less visible but perhaps even more efficient are all manner of detection devices and identification spells, to ensure that nothing sneaks in that isn't welcome. The massive gates can be sealed off in an emergency, with massive reinforced doors able to close very quickly. The bridge and the road leading to the dimensional portal are always crowded, even by night, by travelers and people selling all sort of wares and trying to take advantages of new arrivals.
In contrast, the Watchers gate in the south sees much less traffic as it leads directly to some farmlands and to the wilderness of Dridder forest further south. It's even better defended than the Victory gate against giant predators though, as they typically represent the only menace on that side of the walls. Very large cannons are pointed toward the jungle, ready to fire the second a target is spotted and to obliterate it.
Adventurer Guild
The Guild is housed in a long, low building with a distinctive red peaked roof. Inside are shops selling equipment, a bar and meeting lounge and various offices of specialist Adventurers. The Guild was set up by a group of seasoned adventurers who were concerned with the high death rate among people outside of Negav. They created the Guild to impart the knowledge of the oldest Adventurers on Felarya. There are various ranks of these "Masters". The highest level include some adventurers that are over 100 years old! Ranking is determined by age and/or distance traveled from Negav. The Adventurers Guild is a well respected institution, known to build some of the best survival gear, often modified to be more effective in Felarya.
Jaslow Arena
Once forbidden by the rulers of Negav, the Jaslow Arena's activity remained clandestine for years, under the command of the now defunct Amundis Jaslow, former head of one of the big criminal group in Negav. The Arena started from a a hidden room with a pit under a tavern and thrived, growing bigger and bigger. It became popular to the point where the authorities thought closing it would cause too much of a backlash and decided to legalize its existence. Now directed by Amundis' s daughter Faydea Jaslow, the arena is today one of the most popular venues in Negav. The Arena itself comprises a wide open-air circular fighting area, with walls all around. These "walls" are more series of arches, set in levels, stacked on top of each other, where the crowds sit to watch the spectacles. Aside from this, walkways connect to a smaller seating area with a glass floor that literally hangs over the arena - only the richest are able to get a seat in this observation deck. The arena also has an extensive underground area, with training rooms, a healing complex and a holding center for animals . There are many scheduled fights, though the arena is open to booking in off hours. It's the scheduled fights that really bring in the crowds. These are usually either ranked fights between the best arena fighter teams, or "novelty" matches that usually involve monsters or beasts of some kind. Some duels take place there as well, and when two people decide they want to publicly settle their score, they sometimes do it here. The spectacles the Jaslow Arena provides aren't nearly as violent and cruel as they used to be in the past, but the fight are still brutal, merciless and dangerous. During the novelty matches some inexperienced fighters occasionally get swallowed by the "beast of the day", and are only rescued by the beast handler if the crowd think they deserved it.
Interestingly enough, the entrance to the arena is free. Magiocrats seem to believe the intense and sometimes gruesome spectacle provided is a good way to canalize the anger, agressivity and frustration of the Negavians people, and that the access to it should be encouraged, not hindered. More than the spectacle itself, Negavians are fond of all the characters involved, the personal drama, and challenges. Some famous names such as Vyand Nagaslayer, Stethros, Halig the bold etc.. make the heart of many negavians resonate with passion.
Hydromancer Guild
As Negav grew in size, so did the danger of various hazards such as fires. Firefighters were, at first, a loosely assembled group, made up of volunteers. It was led by the now defunct Hortlin Fisk who, interestingly enough, was also a mob boss. Under his control, the firefighter guild progressively turned into a shady and thriving group, suspected of actually starting more fires than it extinguished them and blackmailing the population. The group was dissolved in 1970 A.U. by the Ps'isol magiocrats, who wanted to "modernize" it. They took advantage of the unpopularity of the organization to create their own, comprised of certified hydromancers coming directly from the Isolon University of Magic. At first, their Vishmital rivals challenged the notion that mages should be in charge of firefighting but, after a few years of its activity, they had to reluctantly recognize the hydromancers guild was extremely efficient at extinguishing fires in record time.
Hydromancer vigiles, as they are called, are mages specialized into manipulating and controlling water, using the nearby Motamo river to draw moisture from it that they turn into water above the fire. The process is quick and require no more than a small team of well trained professionals. They are often completed by a Telekinesis adept in order to sweep away debris or prevent a structure from collapsing. They form today a very effective and solid force, well respected by the citizens for their courage.
Felaryan tourism Guild
The Felaryan tourist guild has been recently founded by a group of merchants with the desire to make Negav -and Felarya as a whole- looks more attractive to visitors in order to increase business. They are known for putting an outrageously positive spin on things, with double-meaning words and carefully crafted innuendos. Their various guides to Felarya are distributed in other worlds, depicting an almost heavenly world of "Savage and untamed beauties", and beckoning visitors to come here. Needless to say the guild have been attacked numerous times by angry visitors discovering a rather different reality after they arrived in Felarya. However, the leader of the guild and author of the main guides, Malki Greenbeard, is a true genius when it comes to manipulating, stretching and twisting words to their limits, and take extreme caution to never outright lies. His collaborators and friends say affectionately in private that he could beat a genie at their own game.
The Neko's Tail
A small bar located right between the Low and Middle Tiers. Seemingly only memorable for the rather lewd sign and the frequent shows by neko dancers. However, the bar is known in the underworld as a meeting place of various neko gangs, who plot crimes here for profit or to strike back at their human oppressors. It's also rumored that the barkeep can get nekos in touch with the illegal tinies market... for a hefty price.
Cremona maze
The Cremona maze is a poor district of Negav situated in the southern part of the city. It's a network of many narrow alleys, weathered building, twisted passages and tunnels. It's considered a dangerous and violent place where rival gangs frequently engage each others for the control of a street or a block.
Pileuda's Fried Glouteux
Not a single restaurant, but a chain of establishments very common in the Lower Tier and in the Underground. Who Pileuda is exactly is uncertain. She, however, has taken advantage of the incredible stupidity of Glouteux. Her employees man spiked pits right on the edge of the influence of the Isolon Eye . Glouteux are drawn in droves by swift neko runners and then led to tumble to their dooms. This mass hunting technique has led to a profitable industry as Glouteux is fried up and served speedily to hungry customers. It's not exactly healthy, but due to the healing factor, that matters little.
Citroise Smoothie Stands
Small and very common shops selling Citroise based-drinks. They are very popular across the city. Citroise smoothies are ever so refreshing and delicious !
- credits to Jaette-troll for the Adventurer Guild idea, the Neko's tail, Citroise Smoothie Stands, and Pileuda's Fried Glouteux, and for helping with the description of the Jaslow arena.
