On the city of Shokahar, part 1
Shokahar, the trade city, the sun city, the jewel of Raum. Of the three pretenders to the imperial throne, The Sun Emperor is the wealthiest. Shokahar’s army is small, but its vast wealth can hire mercenaries from across the continent, and beyond, keeping its riches safe. But here we will focus on the city itself, and a particular portion of it; the Foreigners’ Quarter.
It is located outside the ancient city walls, which isn’t saying much; Shokahar has expanded far beyond the circle of stones, a herculean effort to combat the curse of Taneyin.
At first, Shreyan architects and builders were brought in, at great expense. The state of Shreya is far to the north, at the foothills of Meikugan, and its people are dedicated woodshapers. They have built large cities among the trees by shaping the trees themselves into towers, bridges, turrets and walls. They brought much of their architectural talent into the city, though it was altered to suit Shokahari tastes; houses with frames of living wood were faced with the burnt umber colored stone favored in the city, their roofs tiled with slate. It was the work of generations, and the Shreyans built their own living spaces in their preferred styles, initially as camps and inns, then as homes. Thus the oldest portion of the Foreigners’ Quarter is a wedge of living trees, fading seamlessly into the surrounding jungle.
The Shreyans are mostly descended from the intermarriage of human and djabali. Many of them have green skin and exhibit one or more djabali traits; horns, a tail, a forked tongue, reptilian claws. However, few possess all of these traits. They know nothing of the ancient djabali arts, though their style of henna painting reflects the way djabali magi of old would inlay their donbe currents with precious medals.
Now, the Quarter is itself divided into boroughs. Beside the Tree Borough is one made of cool blue stone and coral, the Sea Borough. By ancient treaty with the sea kingdom of Samudrapuram, the Samudra were given a square mile of land within the city limits. The shrewd emperor of the time gave them a plot of parkland that was far inland, so they would have to swim up the river and into the city’s canals, requiring them to pay a toll. Thus, technically, this borough is an enclave of a distant nation, albeit so far distant that it is effectively an independent polity within the city. Entrance into this borough is regulated, requiring the payment of a toll or the possession of a pass for ordinary citizens. It is known for its vibrant nightlife, including a floating night market. Often called the Little Port, as many travel into Shokahar solely to visit the Sea Borough.
The Samudra are aquatic hanyou, and the demographics of the Sea Borough reflect this, though centuries of intermarriage with locals have left them rather mixed. Tolls are waived for all aquatic hanyou and their families. The Samudra worship the Nagaraja, that is, the royal family of their distant homeland. These are sea snake hanyou. A branch family serves as regents.
A few families of spice dragons from the Spice Islands have set up shop here, setting up import businesses. The islands have no relations with Samudrapuram, and so the only way Samudran goods get back to that distant land is through them.
The Sickly Borough’s name comes from being home to the largest community of coreless individuals in Areatam. Those that can afford it gather here, where they have access to soft things, elixirs, bland foods that they can digest, such as rice and wheat. Such a vulnerable population is ripe for exploitation, and there is a great deal of crime in this borough. Yet, there is a stark divide between the mansions maintained by foreign families to hide their weak-souled scions in, and the streets and understreets where the weak hide.
The Sickly Borough is built atop an ancient quarry turned catacomb, turned fourth borough. The Sunken Borough extends farther downward than other other neighborhood. The lower reaches are sparsely populated, but are considered a part of the neighborhood and visited by guards, taxmen and census takers same as anywhere else. Subterranean hanyou live there, as well as a population of imps, and a great many people who dislike attention.
There is something of an open secret in the understreets; many of the coreless—far from the majority but a sizable number—are worldhoppers, or the descendants of worldhoppers. There is a portal from the lower spheres deep in the catacombs. It is known to the city government, and considered uncontrollable, but somewhat regulated. Refugees from war torn worlds and prodigies of magic aiming to ascend frequently find themselves in the hands of a squad of patrolling customs officials, who take them to the nearest office, confiscate their weapons and assign them rooms in a group home until they’re acclimated.
The Sickly Borough is a hotbed of organized crime, overpoliced, and racked with disease. Yet, it is a remarkable tourist destination due to the presence of cultures that exist nowhere else in Areatam. There is a temple to the Mikado here, a small colony goblins, and the only Synagogue on the planet. There are people from New York here; ten different versions of it. One of the organized criminal gangs, the Vermilion Fist, is a confluence of Japanese Yakuza who have adopted Meikuganese and Dayoi people from Niji-O into their membership.
