A Brief Description of Lalenth
By Herald to the Star Chamber, Robert Martin
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 Jase 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 that which 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.
Despite the excitement engendered by this discovery, the nobles were deeply concerned; what if the general populace were to start using the Threads? What if the rulers could be forced to obey the will of the commoners? In the year 176 an act was passed to restrict all learning of the Threads to those of noble birth. The silence of the guilds was bought with threats. The nobles and their servants 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.
At present Lalenth is divided into six concentric rings, which are referred to as "Arches". The inner four are regular, with the first and fourth surrounded by high wall. The two outer Arches are far less regular in shape, as rapid expansion caused them to be built in a less organised manner. The outermost Arch is occupied by the militia and has the guild house for the Apothecaries Guild along with some small number lower class living quarters. It also contains the crematorium. The Fifth Arch contains the lower classes sprawl of poor quality homes and less salubrious public houses, including the infamous Iron Skillet. 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 Fourth Arch: also here are the bulk of the city's taverns including the Fresh Leaf, the Hind's Leap (popular with hunters) and the newly established White Throat. The Third Arch is made up of the Guild houses (with the exception of the Apothecaries Guild) trading areas, the Theatre, and also contains the residences of the guild heads. Also within this Third Arch is the Autumn Hall, a vast, glass roofed building that is the central market place in Lalenth. In the Second Arch, 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 settlement 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, named after the militia yeoman Ruthien Blakelock who perished at that ford whilst protecting a group of orchard workers from a Nightmare (his family were later ennobled in gratitude and changed their name to "Holdfast" in memory of his deeds). The canal itself transects Lalenth and exits at the Marsh Gate and from there rejoin 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 is known as the Water Gate, due to it's proximity to the canal. The south-eastern gate is only one mile from the borders of sprawling forests and is hence called 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. As such it is the least well guarded.
Of late momentous decisions have been reached by the Council of Six to commence the construction of a Seventh Arch. This fantastically ambitious undertaking seeks to enclose and drain a large area of marsh, that the area can be used as protected arable land. The produce of this land will be distributed by appointed merchants with fixed low prices to ensure even the poorest man can afford a loaf of bread. Needless to say there are many barriers to be overcome, the most pressing being the cost of the initiative. Announcements have been made that in order to pay or the construction a great tax will be levied during the spring and that every last individual will be required by law to contribute. Although the Council of Six have waxed lyrical about the abundant benefits to the entire population there are unsurprisingly discontented mutterings from those who know they will not live to see this project completed.