This old city displays its history of slow expansion with various walls and more crowded construction in the older districts. As the capital of Tajarat, this city not only sees the flow of traffic between two major roadways and the river, but also the rise and fall of political tides over the centuries.
- City (Capital)
- Population:
- Country/Region: Tajarat
- Governance: City Lord
- Notable Locations:
- Ervix Castle
History
Ervix Castle, renamed from Tamlin’s Hold, and Tishnashi Square (including parts of present day Malarly Plaza) are the oldest regions of the city, along with the Firewall Dig and The Castle Moat. They were built by the Chealain Empire before falling into some disrepair after the Destruction of 501. However, as a highly defensible position, neither were left like that for long.
Between 501 and the founding of Bakianna, Tamlin’s Hold and its lands traded ownership between leaders – some claiming nobility while others enforced dictatorships. During these centuries, the city expanded northwards. About the time Selmer District was officially recognized, construction on the City Wall began, later to be called the Old City Walls. In their original form, they stretched from the intersection of the Firewall Dig and the Castle Moat to present-day New Square.
Bakianna claimed the castle in the early 8th century, with the, then current, Lady Ervix acknowledging and pledging to Bakianna‘s throne. During the first few decades under Bakianna‘s rule, the City Wall was finished, and work began on the Last Moat. Construction ceases from the 9th century into the early 10th century, even as the city’s population grows past the City Walls.
Shortly after Tajarat declared independence in 918 C.E., Reodrin became its capital, and the castle was renamed from Tamlin’s Hold to Ervix Castle in honor of the royal family. Over the next century, the city experienced a huge population boom causing new housing to be built outside the City Wall. From these changes, new construction projects were implemented. With present-day regions of Dashiell Hill, White Stag Square, and the northern region of New Square expanding, construction began on new walls by the southern intersection of the Castle Moat and the Firewall Dig. This wall, to be known as The Southern Wall took only a few years to complete and runs from the southern point of the Ancient Walls all the way around to meet the City Wall, now being called the Old City Walls, by the intersection of the Last Moat with the Betel River. A new moat followed this construction along with the official work of building White Stag Square, the first of the districts beyond the Old City Walls to be recognized. In a few years, Dashiell Hill is recognized as a district. Malarly Plaza is then built and the surrounding area splits from Tishnashi Square to become its own district.
Less than a century later, when Camantha was founded in 1010 C.E. and land tensions increase, New Square was under construction. Due to fear of external threats, New Square never got the same amount of attention that the other district centers did and remains less populated to this day.
After the brief tension with Camantha died down, Reodrin’s population began rising again, once more beyond the city walls, this time next to the Darfur Rill. The area became known as the New District. When Innarea started to act power hungry to the south in the early 12th century, the residents of New District petitioned and were granted the rights to begin construction on another wall – thus The New Ramparts and the moat known as Rill’s Refuge were constructed.
Locations
Districts
Dashiell Hill is a residential district mostly populated by trades people, merchants, Langston Dock workers, academics and mages, and some lesser nobility. It is fairly quiet except along The Azur Road and by Basher Gate where traffic is high as people travel through the district to either the market and tavern centers of White Stag Square and Malarly Plaza or to the residential district of New District.
Ervix Castle is the oldest portion of the city, and houses not only the Royal Family of Tajarat (after whom it was renamed from Tamlin’s Hold), but most of the city and national administrators. While most of the offices, and daily duties, are located in Tishnashi Square district, just north of the square itself, most of those who work for the government at housed in the castle itself. Guests of Tajarat and visitors calling on the Royal Family are often housed within the Ancient Walls too. It is one of the quietest and more powerful sections of Reodrin.
Malarly Plaza is the center of the markets and almost the direct center of the city. There are a few residents who live in the area, often enough these are trades peoples. Much of the area, instead, is given over to shops, taverns, inns, and the market center itself, located in the open plaza. It is a very busy region, being the intersection of three major roads: Gates Way, Lowrance Road, and The North Road, and often the last to slow down at night.
New District is the newest of the recognized districts and is almost all residential. Some private and public establishments, especially those directed towards socializing, are scattered throughout the region, but for the most part, this is considered among the quietest places to live. Most who live here are wealthy merchants, lesser nobility, mages, well established academics, and some trade people.
New Square is both a residential and market district. Most who live here are trades people, Shoxeum Dock workers, and merchants. It boasts some of the best inns in the city, possibly due to its location with the Lealem Highway cutting through the center of the area and being just south of Lowrance Road. While fairly busy in the north regions of the district, where it abuts White Stag Square, Malarly Plaza, and Tishnashi Square, along with the area around the square itself, the rest of the district is quiet with fewer people. The streets tend to be wider in this district, with fewer alleyways.
Selmer District is the oldest of the residential districts and is home to the wealthy citizens of the city and noble’s houses. The central portion of the district, reaching as far north as the Old City Walls often is considered the most influential, wealthiest, or simply nicest area. Closer to the Gates Way, the district is a little more mixed, with some very wealthy merchants, famous academics, and powerful mages. The areas around Gates Way and The North Road see the most traffic and trades people and merchants on their way through the city. The North Road sees a lot of farmers also traveling through on their way to market.
Tishnashi Square is the oldest district of the city, next to Ervix Castle. Tishnashi Square began as a residential area with a market square. Over time, while maintaining some who live in the district, it has transitioned to a more commercial area. Those who live here are typically administrators for the city or nation who forego the option to live in the Ervix Castle, some merchants and trades people, and a smattering of others. The region has the administrative center of the city, just north of the square. The district also has the most complicated set of roads, side streets, and alleys.
White Stag Square, of all the market districts, has the fewest residents. It is the closest the city has to a true downtown, though the other market districts are quite popular, White Stag combines both the traditional day markets with drinking establishments and places of interest to socialize. It is, similar to Malarly Plaza, one of the last areas to quiet down at night and often one of the first to be busy in the morning.
Walls, Gates, Rivers, Bridges, and Roads
Beyond the Walls
Barretts Ford crosses the Lanesboro River just south of Marshwood Gate between the Shoxeum Docks and the Beamult “District”. While beyond the city walls, it is lumped into the New Square region. This is a well maintained, narrow stone bridge across which most of the southern trade into the city crosses. The history as to why it is called Barretts Ford is lost, though it is believed to have originally been a ford before the bridge was built.
Basher Gate, located in the northeastern region of the Southern Wall and connects the districts of Dashiell Hill and New District. This gate is fairly narrow and long. Unlike any other gate, Basher has no portcullis or actual doors and the bridge spanning the Betel Moat is a permanent, stone structure. The history of the gate is fairly unique. It was built through careful destruction of the portion of the Southern Wall that currently existed at the time, shortly after New District was recognized as a district and began construction on the New Ramparts. It was named after the act of ‘bashing’ through the Southern Wall.
Blaire Ervix, the oldest gate and sometimes called the “BE,” is the only way through the Ancient Walls, allowing passage between the Ervix Castle and Tishnashi Square. It is a long narrow gate, barely wide enough for a single cart through. Because of this, the guards, in addition to monitoring those entering and exiting, also direct traffic. The gate also has two portcullises and a heavy wooden drawbridge. While the drawbridge remains down at night, in case of late-night travel, at least one portcullis remains down from dusk to dawn. The only passage after dusk through the gate is by the Guard’s Way which passes through a region of the guard tower next to the gate. Unlike all other gates, the BE is monitored not just by the Army Reserves but also the Royal Guards. The BE, historically, was just Blaire’s Gate, named for the famous mage who helped to construct the Ancient Walls and Ervix Castle. It was renamed, along with Ervix Castle, to the Blaire Ervix Gate, after Tajarat declared independence from Bakianna. The BE has a magical veil set up and maintained which suppresses all magical effects as they pass through (i.e. magical disguises) and sounds an alarm if a magical item passes through – there is a special area through which declared magical items are sent through after being examined by two mages.
The Castle Way runs from the Blaire Ervix Gate through Tishnashi Square to the Enirith Gate. Originally, one of the widest roads in the city, it no longer holds that distinction. However, it is famous for the offices, shops, and sights along its length. Once a year, Tajarat’s Royal Family and a selection of the highest standing nobility tour through the city, always starting and ending with the Castle Way. The road was named for being the major highway to the Blaire Ervix Gates.
Daydon Gate, situated in the Old City Walls closest to the Castle Moat as part of Selmer District, it sees mostly farmers passes through on their way to and from market. The Daydon Gate is small but not particularly well guarded since it mainly serves as a way to and from the city markets for the nearby farmers and villagers to the northeast of Reodrin. An old gate, it was named for a wealthy patron of public works when Reodrin was part of Bakianna.