A Brief Description of Lalenth
Lalenth is an orderly place. A highly fortified town it is ruled by the six great families that originally came together to build it. Under the guidance of these families, Lalenth developed from a scattering of warring factions that in their ignorance worshipped primal natural forces, to a civilised and cultured place that sought understanding based on knowledge. The city has prospered and although many of its inhabitants have risen in rank due to their success, none have yet displaced the Great Six. In fact, not once in the history of Lalenth has the rule of these nobles been contested. This is not entirely due to strong leadership and fairness to all citizens.
The nobles in the city have more than mere temporal power. Over 200 years ago the ethereal, web like, threads of power that connect all things, living and otherwise, were seen for the first time. Discovered by the Lord Evron, they were initially a subject for debate and little more until Lord Evron and a small team of alchemists found that it was possible to manipulate them. Changing the path of the Threads changed the behaviour of those they surrounded. Using the metal lalenthrium, a rare and precious substance after which the city was named, the Threads could be focussed. Lord Evron discovered that he could alter people’s memory, change their perception of him and even force them to obey a slightest whim. Evron quickly realised the danger of keeping this knowledge to himself. As an isolated city Lalenth required stability within its ruling classes to ensure its continued survival. This stability would be impossible should one family control a power that the others did not. With this in mind, he shared his discovery with the other heads of households. Soon the use of the Threads became widespread in the ruling families and was employed to aid them in their control of the city.
However all those with power fear nothing more than losing that power. The nobles were deeply concerned. What if the general populace were to start using this power? What if the rulers could be forced to obey the will of the commoners? In the year 176 and act was passed restricting all learning of the Threads to those of noble birth. The silence of the guilds was bought with threats. The nobles began to propagate the rumour that Thread Weaving was an inherent skill only possessed by the higher echelons of society. Now, 170 years later, that is considered fact by those of humble birth.
Lalenth is divided into six concentric rings. The inner four are regular, with the first and fourth surrounded by high wall. The two outside rings are far less regular in shape, as rapid expansion caused them to be built in a far less organised manner. The outermost ring is occupied by the militia and has the guild house for the Apothecaries Guild along with some lower class living quarters. It also contains the city crematorium. The 5th ring contains the lower classes sprawl of poor quality homes and less salubrious public houses. The streets are narrow and dark. People in opposite houses can sometimes lean out and shake hands from an upper window. Low quality housing built quickly merges with cheap pubs and boarding rooms. The majority of Lalenth’s population inhabit the 4th ring; also here are the bulk of the city’s taverns. The third ring is made up of the Guild houses, with the exception of the Apothecaries Guild, and trading areas, and also contains the residences of the guild heads. Also within this third ring is the Autumn Hall, a vast, glass roofed building that is central market place in Lalenth. In the second ring, the nobles live, with the six great families having their homes closest to the centre. The centre of the city is surrounded by another mighty wall. Upon walking through its gates a visitor will find themselves walking along a columned path that leads to The Great Halls and The Star Chamber. Throughout the city, are segments of ruined walls, a testament to Lalenth’s expansion. These were once the outer boundaries, each one abandoned as the city grew.
Water comes into the city via a canal from the River Mara. The river sweeps round in a large ox bow surrounding the Larkwood orchards, along the western border. The only safe crossing point is at Ruthien’s Ford. The Ford is named after the militia yeoman Ruthien Blakelock who perished at that ford whilst protecting a group of orchard workers from a Nightmare. The canal itself cuts through Lalenth, exiting at the Marsh Gate and from there, rejoining the Mara. It passes though at an angle, cutting east of the Star Chamber and the bulk of the inner two rings. As these are the wealthiest areas of Lalenth, the canal is often seen as a dividing line in terms of class and the phrase “east of the tow-path” has come to mean anything of a less than desirable nature.
Lalenth is segmented by three roads radiating out from the Great Halls to three gates in the outer walls. The western gate in known as the Water Gate, due to it’s proximity to the canal. The southeastern gate is only one mile from the borders of sprawling forests. This is the Forest Gate. From the north-east gate a raised road extends, built up on wooden stilts due to the dampness of the ground. Not far from the city the ground becomes impossibly marshy and very difficult to traverse by anything larger that a man on foot. This north-east gate is called the Marsh Gate and is only frequently used by those gathering reeds, fishing or maintaining the canal.