“Nothing stinks quite like Sel-kai in Summertime.”

-Canaler Saying

THE REALMS OF SEL-KAI AND ENVIRONS

Following is a summary of the lands under the control of the Prince: seven islands and a long, fertile peninsula.

TEAQUE ISLAND

Furthest west of the lands claimed by Sel-kai, Teaque faces the long atoll known as the Black Snare. The narrow straits between Teaque and this great barren stretch of rock and reef have been the death of many a ship through the centuries. Teaque has more rocky shores than the other isles, and while there are several plantations scattered across it, it is the only isle of Sel-kai which is still primarily given over to forest.

MURINI ISLAND

The southern shores of Murini are calm and the beach smooth, while the northern face of the isle takes the brunt of storms from the north. Shipwrecks are common - as are treasure-seekers hunting through the broken hulls of vessels tossed upon the shore. Fortunately, the cliffs along this face protect the inland areas, and the island is populated with a number of farms and country villas.

SEL ISLAND

Home of Sel-kai City and the heart of the realm, Sel is also the largest of the islands. Just over 100 miles in length, Sel is roughly starshaped, with five peninsulas. Sel-kai City is located at the head of the long, narrow Sharhya Bay, in the heart of the river delta, fed by numerous mountain streams. Above the city of course hovers Eidolon, somehow protected from all types of inclement weather.

RESENDA ISLAND

A long, narrow isle north of Sel, Resenda is furthest north of the cluster, and suffers the fury of storms from the turbulent Melurian Straits. As a result, the northern coast of the isle is not densely populated. However, several sugar plantations are located on Resenda - mostly in the southern foothills. In addition, Resenda is the location of three important naval bases: part of the defensive perimeter about Sel-kai.

QUENTE ISLAND

Quente lies furthest east of the isles (though the Kai’sa peninsula does curve further towards the sunrise, it lies far to the south). This island also has a naval base, and at the tip of that eastern spur there stands a tall slender tower, an important navigational beacon for sea and air pilots alike. At the pinnacle of the two-hundred foot tall spire burns a brilliant blue light, visible for miles through all but the thickest clouds and fog.

TRAVII ISLAND

Smallest of the Seven Isles, Travii lies within the sheltered Moon Bay, the northeasternmost enclosure of the Sea of Tears. Travii boasts many palatial villas and a small naval base, as well as a sizeable town on the northern point. All coasts are fine black beaches (testament to the volcanic origins of the islands) and a temperate clime is the rule almost year-round.

WHALENA ISLAND

Another sheltered, pastoral environment, Whalena supplies a large corn crop to Sel-kai City, as well as spices and medicinal herbs. Less rocky than her sisters, this island has the greatest percentage of arable land.

THE KAI’SA PENINSULA

From the northern tip where it faces the Sharhya Bay to its roots on Silaar, this twisting tongue of land extends nearly 200 miles. It supports a checkerboard of bountiful fields and plantations, and its shores are rich with seafood. Along the south there is a stone wall manned by Sel-kai troops, guarding this spit of lands from incursions by barbarians of the northern Silaar mainland.

LIFE IN SEL-KAI

In a metropolis as large and complex as Sel-kai City, it is difficult to capture the essence of day-to-day life in a few words. The lower classes labor in sweatshops or on the canals most of their waking hours to make a scant living. The wealthy spend their time in leisure activities such as conversing, studying, and creating works of art and literature. Between these extremes are thousands of artisans and those in service professions who make a fair income yet lack the wealth to have real luxuries.

While there is little ‘heavy industry’ in the city itself, still the air is ripe with a cacophony of smells. The reek of fish, tanning agents, fabric dyes, sewage, smoke from cooking and smelting fires, incense, oils and perfumes all fill the atmosphere in Sel-kai. Sometimes a visitor feels inundated - as is often the case with rural peoples coming to a large city - but after a few days the nose grows accustomed to these strong odors.

POPULATION AND HEALTH

Sel-kai, like any city in a medieval environment, owes much of its growth to the influx of people from rural environments rather than genuine internal population growth. Even with healing herbs and magical disease-prevention techniques, living conditions for the majority of inhabitants in any large city are rather unhealthy. Medicine is delivered inconsistently. The concept of a ‘doctor’ is virtually unknown; there are a few Lay Healers who serve the wealthy, bu the majority of Sel-kai’s inhabitants turn to herbalists or apothecaries for remedies to their ills. Herbs and chemicals are available to those with the money, so the well-to-do are generally a healthier group than those who live in the poorer districts. Healing of wounds and certain diseases is available through a handful of religious orders, but such is only administered to the devout, or after a considerable monetary gift is given.

RELIGION AND ‘SCIENCE’

Despite the relative intimacy of the Kulthean pantheons, and the very real effect gods can have in the day-to-day lives of mortals, the very multiplicity of religions has limited church powers as a force in most Shadow World societies. Only in certain areas where one faith or cult dominates do religious leaders carry considerable political and cultural authority. Otherwise they are limited to a secondary importance, called upon only when more pragmatic means of solving a problem are exhausted.

In Sel-kai, religion has seen a continuous slow decline in importance from even this unsure footing. With the advances of ‘technology’ (many introduced by the Loari Elves of Námar-Tol) and a growing humanistic, artistic community funded by wealthy merchants, religion - as real as it is - finds itself increasingly in a position as a superstition, recreation or minor inspiration. This is not to say that the names of various gods are not on the lips of virtually every citizen every day, usually as part of an angry or surprised oath, however.

Currently there are perhaps a dozen religions recognized on an equal footing with lesser guilds. In addition, the Cult of Andaras and Church of Neela are each of sufficient following and importance that they have seats on the Privy Council.

EDUCATION

As with so many things in Sel-kai (and in any mediaeval to renaissance society), the wealthy and privileged continue to maintain their supremacy not only through raw wealthy but through the additional power that a superior education can give them. Laborers (sailors, boatmen, casual laborers) rarely know more than the rudiments of reading and writing (those that are ‘learned in letters’ are fiercely proud of it); they are taught by parents at home. Domestic servants are sometimes better educated. Interestingly, the skilled laborers (artists and artisans) are becoming better educated in some ways than the merchant nobility. This is due to the well-organized guild system and excellent schooling provided by guildhouses.

The wealthy range from extremely knowledgeable (those who attend universities and learn several languages, science, literature, mathematics and extensive history) and somewhat educated (some skill with mathematics, careful training in the Shay language and a smattering of Erlin).

ANATOMY OF THE CITY

Sel-kai City is over forty-four centuries old. Think about it. Four thousand, four hundred years is ancient by any standards. It has survived floods, earthquakes, fires, attacks, and just about every political upheaval imaginable. Certainly it is not the same city it was even five hundred years ago, but it has about it a certain atmosphere of great age, a half-forgotten scent of a lost era… or perhaps it is just rotting fish under the piers.

Built upon hundreds of platforms of varying stability, Sel-kai is literally a vast maze of small islands in the river, and most of her major streets are in fact canals. The City rests in the Sharhya river delta, a fan of waterways which rise and fall, sometimes inundating Sel-kai, and sometimes leaving the city squatting upon a stagnant mire. These events are fairly rare, however, and the water level seldom dips or surges more than three feet away from its usual summer height. Thus the Sharhya provides transportation and sewage - and the flowing waters also supply power to the innovative waterwheels scattered through the city. But one does not drink from the Sharhya below the First Bridge far upriver from the City. Popular lore says that one sip of ‘canal water’ spells a grisly demise.

TRANSPORTATION

Sel-kai’s intra-city canal system is virtually unique on Kulthea - certainly there is nothing to rival it in size. While most important cities are situated on the banks of a river because of the trade advantages, few have brought the river into themselves with such intimacy. Horses in Sel-kai city are illegal; the only carts are handdrawn. This makes for a quieter and (in one way) cleaner environment, and has allowed the builders of the city to make streets far more narrow than possible in other urban environments.Two basic kinds of craft ply the narrow, twisting waterways of Sel-kai: narrow, agile skiffs used for passenger travel, and flatbottomed barges used more to carry cargo and merchandise. Smaller barges can still be operated by one person, but most have at least two crewmembers. These craft are all operated principally by poling, as the canals are rarely more than ten feet deep - and some canals are literally too narrow for long oars!

Hundreds of bridges span the canals, linking islands on more than one level. Some spans are of stone, but most are of wood with elaborate truss structures. Sel-kai’s bridges are not only beautiful but often wonders of structural engineering. Designers have come from continents away to study the bridges of Sel-kai.

Periodic dredging of the canals and riverways adjacent to the city is necessary to prevent them from silting up.

FOOD AND WATER

Virtually all of the city’s food is brought in by boat, supplied by the surrounding countryside and nearby islands. Some drinking water is obtained from a few deep wells, but potable water is primarily secured from rain, collected from the roofs and held in cisterns. All larger buildings have gutter systems to trap rain and divert it to underground cisterns. From there it can be pumped back up when needed.

SEWAGE

Sewage is a simple matter in Sel-kai: dump it in the river. But while the Sharhya River is constantly flushing away undesirable material, there are still disadvantages to this system. After all, one is essentially living above one giant open sewer. In the hot, late summer when the river grows sluggish, the smell in the inner canals can become unbearable.

The more well-equipped homes and palaces actually have interior plumbing, including a sink, bathtub and toilet. Hot running water is not available (but there are servants to attend to that for the wealthy). Less prosperous households use either the more common chamberpot or often a privy.

HEATING/COOLING

While snow is not very common in Sel-kai, there can be bitter cold snaps, made more penetrating by the ever-present dampness. Residents heat their homes by burning wood and charcoal in small stoves and fireplaces.

Sel-kai has the advantage of some of the best glassblowers and cutters in the known world, allowing them windows of unprecedented size and design. Most can be covered with shutters or opened to allow cooling breezes to waft through the apartments.

THE ISLANDS

Little of Sel-kai is actually built upon naturally formed land. However, at the heart of most of the districts lies an island originally formed by the flows of the Sharhya. It was upon these sandy hills that Sel-kai began. Docks were built to make access from land to water more easy, and wood pilings were driven in some areas to control erosion.

It took only a few decades of prosperity for the city to outgrow the few solid land masses in the delta. Most of the land on either side was useless marsh, so the city leaders began the project of expanding the existing islands. Deep piles were driven and the docks were extended and interlinked. Soon structures sprang up on the docks themselves. The river was dredged and the silt used to create more islands. Piles were driven to hold back the earth, and crushed rock was mixed in to create a firmer foundation. Some islands actually have stone or concrete foundations, but the former are few and the latter are all new, concrete being only a recent development.

BUILDINGS

The more important buildings of Sel-kai (and the ones on solid ground) are constructed of stone, while the vast majority are built of locally-made brick. Structures on docks are of necessity also made of wood, as any sort of stone or masonry would be much too heavy. Most of the brick buildings are faced with a stucco, either tinted or painted. Roofs are usually terra-cotta, though there is an occasional copper or tin sheathed structure. Many buildings in the city are actually made mainly of wood, a fact which makes the residents pyrophobic.

Flooring is usually polished wood, though villas and government buildings often have beautiful polished marble floors. Less wealthy homes built on solid ground have either brick on the bottom storey or even packed earth.

Interior walls are of wood, often accented with tapestries. Wood is in tremendous demand in Sel-kai, and the inhabitants have had to pay considerable sums for oak, firs and larch from the Silaari hills, and even as far north as Jaiman.

THE CLASSES

The merchant-lords of Sel-kai have firmly established their dynasties, as have most of the craft guildsmen, leaving the laborers with little chance to rise above the near-poverty level in which they have existed for untold generations. Yet the reality of the rigid class structure of the city fails to daunt the spirit of enterprise in the lower classes, and sometimes the lines of status are crossed.

THE WEALTHY AND NOBILITY

Sel-kai has always been a place controlled by coin rather than blood-right or religious authority. Although some of the powerful mercantile groups have evolved into dynasties resembling more conventional nobility than corporations, it is still wealth which allows them to remain in political power. Even the Prince of Sel-kai is usually a man chosen because of his business and diplomatic skills. As the centuries have passed, certain families have arisen as the merchant-nobility. Ullizi, Taminger, Vorhese, Baragon, Elgata, Jurgon and Tharal are all names with a lineage going back for hundreds - sometimes thousands - of years. These are but a few of literally dozens; however, the merchant class is by no means a small elite group. It should also be remembered that only the most wealthy of these families possess a life of leisure; most still work long days in offices or travel hundreds of miles to far-flung branches. Many younger members of distaff branches have little to look forward to except a life in a dim chamber with a worn barka, counting someone else’s sellini.

ARTISTS AND ARTISANS

While generally not on the same level as the merchant class, the artists and craftsmen of Sel-kai hold a special station. The leaders in this community have on occasion risen to a level of prestige which effectively makes them as celebrated (and wealthy) as their merchant beneficiaries. But artistic skill is not as easily handed down to offspring as is business training.

Current luminaries are treated with anything from awe to grudging professional respect. A few are true celebrities, mobbed when seen in public by adoring (usually youthful) followers.

In Sel-kai, Artists and Artisans are not just those who create works of art, music and architecture, but scholars, athletes (there are monthly games held in a great complex inland) and most professional spell-users. Less glamorous members of the middle-class are traders, accountants and the more skilled clothiers and various smiths.

APPRENTICES

Children (usually but not exclusively boys) enter apprenticeship at about age 12. They are employed as semi-skilled workers by a Master Craftsman for 5- 7 years. Apprentices work in larger shops and guildhalls, often performing support chores and running errands. As they grow older and more familiar with the craft, they are permitted to do simple, repetitive operations disdained by Masters and Journeymen. When a youth is deemed ready, he is elevated to the rank of Journeyman.

JOURNEYMEN

Each journeyman serves directly under a Master Craftsman for 2-3 years; at the end of this period he is required to take a test to prove his skill. This examination often takes the form of an actual work of craftsmanship, judged by a committee of Guilded Craftsmen. Assuming the Journeyman passes, he is elevated to Craftsman and given full Guild membership.

MASTER CRAFTSMEN

These are the most accomplished in their field, recognized by their peers as true artists. Whether these men (and sometimes women) work stone, gold, steel or cloth, they are respected members of Sel-kai society. While their trade does not usually convey the same ‘elitist’ glamor as the upper echelons of the merchantmen, they have a niche which has its own stature and honor.

LABORERS

The majority of any city’s inhabitants in a society such as Sel-kai’s is formed of manual laborers - those who carry out the designs and manipulations of the upper classes.

Service Professionals

Actually, this group hovers on the class scale somewhere between the artisans and the real labor classes. Service people include those who operate taverns and inns, those who are shopkeepers but not ‘accredited’ craftsmen.

Casual Laborers

Among those who perform construction and other labor-intensive crafts, casual laborers make up by far the greater part of the work force; the skilled workers usually only performing selected tasks or in a supervisory role.

Servants

Household employees of the wealthy merchant families, these domestic servants make up a relatively small portion of the manual labor force. The more attractive offspring of labor families are often chosen for the ‘honor’ of domestic service.

Boatmen

Boatmen must be distinguished from the men who man the larger sailing vessels. These pilot small craft designed only for transport in and about the city, and perhaps up the Sharhya river. The boatmen are among the city’s most interesting groups, as they have formed a loose association amongst themselves. They are known to look out for each other, and a peculiar system of honor exists between these men and women whom the upper classes consider to be little better than vagabonds.

Sailors

These are the crewmen of the numberless ships based out of Sel-kai and Eidolon. Officers of private vessels are almost always appointed from among the merchant families themselves. The Prince’s navy has officers who have risen through the ranks, but the majority are men who came from an easier background. Most crewmen are rankless sailors and can expect to remain so for their professional lives. Sailors consider themselves a rank above dockworkers and other casual labor professions, for crews of sailing vessels are well-trained and pay is commensurate with skill and length of time on board. Crews of the glamorous skyships often make three times their ocean-bound cousins, but the training is rigorous and the risks considerable.

Dockworkers

Strong men who labor long hours on the docks of Sel-kai City, these are usually in the employ of the mercantile houses and warehousers. Many are only casual labor, hired for the day or until a specified number of loadings/unloadings is complete.

THE POOR

Every city has its indigent population and Sel-kai is no exception. (Eidolon has no such group, but as mentioned before, it is not a true city. No vagrant could afford a trip to the sky-city, and any caught stowing away would be summarily returned to the earth.)

PUBLIC SERVICE

This category includes the interior police force, the military, and the hundreds of bureaucratic public servants. These come from nearly all the classes, as younger sons or daughters in merchant families can find better-paying work in the government than within their own family. There are many positions in the mint, customs and inspections divisions, or even in palace administration. Intelligent laborers capable of passing various tests may qualify for the military or even the respected Guardians of Peace (called Wardens in the cities; Marshalls in the countryside).

CRIMINALS

While the City Wardens are not to be underestimated as an efficient and dependable protective force, there is an inevitable crime element in Sel-kai City.

Gangs

Several gangs plague Sel-kai City, especially in Canal Maze, North Delta and Sighing Docks. Youths - usually boys between 12 and 20, sons of laborers - form intimate fraternities with elaborate initiation rites and loyalty oaths. To give more acute meaning to their groups, they claim territories and ‘defend’ them against similar groups. While these gangs usually only create trouble for each other, their violence can sometimes spread to innocent bystanders. Most gangs have distinctive garments or jewelry which ‘brothers’ wear to proclaim their membership.

Upscale Crime

Smuggling is an ongoing (though not overwhelming) threat to Sel-kai’s tax revenues, as is the booming black market inevitable in any city. The government blames the boatmen, while they in turn accuse the ship captains of dishonesty. Raids occur regularly - with enough frequency to keep operations well below crisis proportions - but bootleg merchandise continues to find its way into the shadowy shops of Sel-kai. There is no sign of this status quo altering signifi- cantly.

Street Crime

By far the most dangerous threat to the visitor to Sel-kai is a random street assault. The lone, unwary and ostentatiously dressed adventurer out wandering in Canal Maze late at night is quite likely to wind up fish food in a canal, relieved of all his wealth. The more fortunate are merely robbed or knocked unconscious, but there are many in the city who would not think twice about slitting some rich fool’s throat for a handful of silver.

SEL-KAI GOVERNMENT

Since the Princeship is not dynastic, the court is (theoretically) not as entrenched as it might be were the rulership based on family. However, since Rylec Qaterris has ruled for over 200 years, his family has quite firmly positioned itself in the royal palace. While the rest of the family members have little official power based on their relationship to the ruler of Sel-kai, many of the prince’s relatives do serve as ministers, and a few hold ranking positions in the guild hierarchies.

While not an absolute dictator, the Prince is granted sweeping powers which enable him to operate with considerable freedom. He may sign trade agreements without prior approval; these can be subject to subsequent veto by the Grand Conclave, but only by a two-thirds vote—virtually unheard-of. He has the power to levy and set taxes and tariffs.

The Prince controls all real estate on Eidolon; he alone may nominate a family or guild to Inner Council status (subject to ratification by that council).

The Prince also has the power to grant pardons. Chief of the military forces of Sel-kai, the Prince may declare war, mobilize troops, and sign treaties—though all such actions are subject to Legislative review.

Sel-kai has only the Guard to serve as a standing army; her impressive navy is more than enough to dissuade any would-be invaders. Over two hundred sea vessels (battleships) and fifty skyships (warbirds) make up His Highness’ fleet, an impressive force easily mobilized from the dozen bases located about the realm.

THE PRINCE, FAMILY, and PRIVY COUNCIL

The Prince refuses to reveal his exact age, but since he has ruled for more than two centuries and looks to be no more than thirty years of age, it is clear that Elven blood flows in his veins. He is already accounted one of the most gifted of Princes, ruling with charisma and an even hand. The only question which swirls ever about his reign is when (or if) he will retire—and who will succeed him. The last Prince who tried to name his heir left his successor with a rebellious population. Rylec is mute on the subject, saying only “I think I have a few good years left in me; let’s worry about my retirement a few years down the road.”

The Prince’s wife and mother of his children, Wensia is a quiet woman now in her fifties. She is the Prince’s second wife; his first died in her eighties some one hundred years ago, never having borne him offspring.

The Prince has three children: Lord Barrin, Lady Arisia, and Lord Caillin.

The Prince’s Privy Council are Advisors to the Prince; these men and women are appointed by him and serve until dismissed, they resign, or upon the death of the Prince. They have some independent power, essentially acting as administrative assistants to the Prince.

The Privy Council currently consists of seven members; they are referred to as ‘ministers.’

• Oleg Goloran is Minister of Defense, and as such is commander of the Prince’s Fleet, the army, and all other police forces.
• Boren Alsex is the Minister of Commerce, a short little rotund man.
• The Itanian Warlock Koren Maas is the Prince’s Minster of Security, a very different role than that of the Defense Minister.
• The Minister of Justice, the Linær-elven woman, Ahni-sha Vahsai is also the Chief Adjudicator, the head of the country’s justice system. She appoints all judges and presides over the final court of appeals.
• Minister Enik Foor, a Loari Elf, is an imposing figure and an impressive diplomat.
• Kestran Valmarana—retired head of the famous Valmarana Trading Company—is Minster of the Interior. As such he administrates the resources of the land, keeping track of the small realm’s reserves of food and raw materials. He is also in charge of the Customs and Tariffs Sub-ministry and the postal service.

In addition to the Ministries, the Prince is served by a variety of other offices. There is a mayor for each of the two cities, Sel-kai and Eidolon.

MAYOR OF SEL-KAI CITY - A Laan of some breeding and no little ability, Pol Landoq has been Mayor of Sel-kai City for almost four decades. The job has aged him prematurely: Laan at eighty should not be so grey-haired.

MAYOR OF EIDOLON - The chief administrator of this airborne paradise has little to do besides preside over social occassions and make sure that maintinence services remain flawless. Mayor Soven el Kaisor has proven that he is quite skilled at the former, and knows how to delegate the latter. The handsome, charming Erlini gentleman can also party with the best.

CONCLAVE OF MERCHANTS

There are two subgroups within the Conclave: the Inner Circle (consisting of only the heads of the wealthiest merchant families and certain of the ‘High Guilds’) and the Grand Conclave, including the other guilds and representatives of the private citizens of the various districts in the city and countryside.

There is an ongoing struggle among the Guilds not allowed in the Inner Circle to be appointed so. The Prince has the power to nominate a guild, subject to a majority Circle ratification. As one might assume, it is rare that a guild is added. A Guild—or guild member—must do something quite remarkable to gain the attention of the Prince and respect of the Circle.

The Inner Circle representatives—and to some extent those of the Grand Conclave—are the ‘nobility’ of Sel-kai. Unlike the Prince, they are not elected to their post. Succession to the Guildmaster position is almost always by descendant, except in the almost unheard-of situation of a deposed head or a Guildmaster who has disowned his offspring and names another heir. Even in this case the master usually adopts the heir to maintain the family name. As can be imagined, this structure has created a group of extremely powerful and wealthy families in Sel-kai. It requires a powerful and diplomatic Prince to keep these men and women from tearing the country apart.

The following Merchant Families and ‘High Guild’ representatives make up the Inner Circle, an elite and extremely powerful organization.

MERCHANT FAMILIES: Ullizi, Gerion-Tyes, Gugulon, Vorhese, Betaran, Maari-Tasaka, Jourges al Moodh, Pharnese, Elgata, Alaxatan, Jurgon, Maledaar, Centarus, Tharal, Valmarana, Dolnegan

HIGH GUILD REPRESENTATIVES: Alchemists, Goldsmiths, Jewelwrights, Scribes, Shipwrights, Sky Captains, Church of Neela, Cult of Andaras

The membership of the Grand Conclave includes the following representatives: Actors, Animal Trainers, Apothecaries, Architects, Armorers, Artists, Astrologers, Bakers, Bookbinders, Butchers, Carpenters, Clothiers, Cobblers, Courtesans, Fishmongers, Glassblowers, Grocers, Healers, Herbalists, Hostelers, Lampwrights, Leatherworkers, Locksmiths, Masons, Millers, Miners, Minstrels, Potters, Seers, Sailors, Silversmiths, Swordmakers, Vintners/Brewers, Wainwrights, Woodwrights, and each of the remaining Sanctioned Temples.

JUSTICE

The justice system of Sel-kai is usually quick and (for the most part) just. Decisions are handed down by tribunals of judges; how elaborate the due process of law is depends on the severity of the crime. The courts of Sel-kai are overseen by the Justice Minister; Judges are appointed by the Prince to a life term. This includes the Chief Adjudicator, whose primary responsibility is policing the laws of the state (including the Prince and the Councils). Different types of tribunals judge various categories of crime (Cicil, Criminal, and Capital), from boat mooring infractions to high treason. Judges wear flowing black robes with red, blue or green sashes, depending on their field. The Chief Adjudicator wears a golden sash.

If a fine cannot be paid immediately, either property is impounded, a payment arrangement is worked out, or the offender is placed on a labor detail at 1 bp/day to pay off the debt (scheduled after imprisonment, if any). Minors are usually given slightly lighter sentences unless they are repeat offenders.
Large placards at the West Gate and all along the docks proclaim the laws in Erlin and Shay. A parchment copy may be bought at the Prince’s Lower Palace for 1 cp.

CIVIL OFFENSES

Generally minor or non-violent offenses, these have correspondingly small penalties. No permanent record of any crime is kept except for the license-related ones.

Note also that only Assault and Slander offenses are even heard in court; others are only heard under appeal. In any case there is no counsel, only the accused and the arresting City Warden act as defense and prosecution.

• Lack of boater’s license: Anyone piloting a boat, ship or skiff in the city limits (including the harbor) must be licensed. Punishment: First Offense: 1 sp; Second Offense: 1 gp; Third Offense: 10 gp and a night in jail.
• Lack of business license: All business operating (buying, selling, maintaining an office) in Sel-kai must be licensed so they may be taxed. Punishment: First Offense: 1 gp; Second Offense: 10 gp; Third Offense: 100 gp and a night in jail.
• Improper boat piloting: There are a few common sense boat operation rules for the canals. Those not following them are usually strangers or drunk. Punishment: 1 sp; repeated offenses have (rarely) resulted in boat confiscation.
• Drunkenness: Rarely enforced, this is a law against obnoxious intoxication in public. Punishment: A night in jail.
• Vagrancy: It is illegal to loiter overnight in any public square or park. Punishment: A night in jail.
• Assault (Minor): Administered to those caught fighting (usually in taverns) when no serious harm has been done and no weapons drawn. Punishment: A night in jail or 1 gp.
• Slander: Public defamation of character is a little less clear than the above offenses, but is technically illegal. Punishment: 1-1000 gp paid to victim and 10 gp for court costs.

CRIMINAL OFFENSES

All more serious crimes, these involve a trial of sorts. A defending counsel is appointed and a prosecutor presents evidence to the tribunal. The judges then decide whether the accused is guilty, and name a punishment. Permanent record is kept of all convictions, and punishment can double or triple for each repeat.

• Petty Theft: Usually property under 10 gp in value. Punishment: twice the value of the item repaid plus 10 gp court costs.
• Assault (Major): An assault becomes major when the victim receives wounds requiring medical attention and/or if a deadly weapon is drawn. Punishment: Medical costs plus any expenses resulting from injury (loss of income) plus 50-500 gp fine to victim plus 50 gp court costs.
• Tax Evasion: These are businesses or individuals who falsify records in order to pay less tax or deliberately failing to pay tax Punishment: Taxes plus 100% penalty plus interest plus 50 gp court costs. Repeat offenses may involve incarceration in addition to multiple penalties.
• Tariff Evasion (Smuggling): Attempting to smuggle goods into or out of Sel-kai without paying appropriate tariffs. Punishment: Tariff plus 100-500% penalty plus 50 gp court costs. Dangerous materials and certain deadly drugs are also fined and usually incur imprisonment. Repeat offenses may involve incarceration in addition to multiple penalties.
• Burglary: Breaking into private or government property (including warehouses, ships, boats, etc). Punishment: (can be combined on top of Assault, Theft, etc.) 20-100 gp plus damages plus 10-70 days imprisonment plus 50 gp court costs.
• Bribery: Punishment: Varies tremendously depending on the official, but usually involves a fine of 100-1,000 gp and at least ten days in jail.
• Grand Theft: Punishment: Twice the value of the item repaid plus 35- 350 nights in jail plus 50 gp court costs.
• Forgery: Punishment: Varies tremendously depending on the document, but usually involves a fine of 100-1,000 gp and at least ten days in jail. Forging currency means at least 70 days in jail and a 1,000 gp fine.
• Manslaughter (unintentional killing): Punishment: Depends on the circumstances, but unless clearly self-defense, there is at least a 70 day jail sentence and a 100-500 gp compensation to victim’s family.

CAPITAL OFFENSES

These are the highest offenses; the penalty for most is death.

• Arson: A city like Sel-kai cannot afford any firebugs. Punishment is severe. Punishment: For minor damage: Public flogging and repayment of damage; For severe damage or repeat offense: Public flogging, repayment of damage, then banishment.
• Rape: Sometimes depends on the violence of the act or if the circumstances are unclear. Punishment: First Offense: flogging; Second or Violent Offense: Death by axe.
• Murder: Pre-meditated killing. Punishment: Usually death by axe; multiple or brutal murder is punished by torture, public flogging, then death; if circumstances are unclear (i.e., guilt is not established without doubt) life imprisonment is imposed..
• Treason: Against Sel-kai can include selling of secrets, plotting revolution, plotting against the Prince. Punishment: Torture (to extract the extent of the betrayal as necessary), public flogging, then life imprisonment or death by axe.

GUARDIANS OF PEACE

The internal security force of Sel-kai, the Guardians include the City Wardens in Eidolon, Sel-kai City and all other metropolitan areas, and the Marshalls who enforce laws in the countryside. They are essentially a police organization, but generally made up of more intelligent and capable men than is the military. An additional branch is the Prince’s Guard, an elite group whose exclusive responsibility is the safety of the Prince, his family, and the Privy Council.

CITY WARDENS

Though armed with short swords, they prefer to use small clubs when subduing minor offenders. Captains carry compact crossbows. Wardens all wear grey leather breeches and boots, black tunics with red collar and cuffs, and red-trimmed grey cloaks. They are headed by Chief City Warden, Zatali Dackett over the last several years, the reputation of the Wardens has slowly changed from a trusted group of public servants into a pack of bullies and bribetakers. A rising opinion among the populace is that the “Red-capes” as they are called (now sneeringly), cannot be counted on to protect Sel-kai citizens from crime.

MARSHALLS

These country law enforcers are allowed more leeway in their methods because of the necessity of operating in a more rural environment. Most travel on horseback, and are armed with broadswords and short (riding) bows. Marshalls generally wear green and brown, with a red sash or hood as symbol of their office.

PRINCE’S GUARD

The elite of the police forces, they protect the Prince, his family and advisors from any potentially threatening situation. They wear black tunics and breeches, and carry a variety of weapons and equipment. Some of these men and women are armed with the coveted Loari dart guns.

TAXES AND CUSTOMS

The wealth of Sel-kai is dependant upon taxes and tariffs, and you can be sure that the Prince makes sure that imports and exports are carefully monitored. As with any huge trading port, there is a certain percentage of smuggling and a thriving black market, but this is kept to a manageable level.

Tax collectors collect the tariffs and taxes from the trading companies and retailers located throughout the cities of Sel-kai. All tax collectors have a personal imprinting seal which embosses documents, and wear a medallion proclaiming their office.

Sel-kai utilizes a system of elaborately printed seals to insure that trade goods are not tampered with as they enter the port prior to storage. Customs officers are constantly swarming over the docks of Sel-kai City and Eidolon day and night, armed with cases of these stickers. Like the tax collectors, all customs officials have a personal imprinting seal which embosses documents, and wear an identifying medallion.

POST OFFICE

One of the most efficient systems in the known world, the postal service delivers a letter within a week (ten days) anywhere in the realm for a mere tin piece. There are two deliveries daily in Sel-kai City and Eidolon. A letter mailed in the morning may arrive across town by that afternoon—certainly by the next morning’s delivery. Small parcels may also be delivered for an additional fee. The Post Office has arrangements with trade companies to deliver mail to selected locations outside of Sel-kai, including Haalkitaine, Lethys, and Kaitaine.

SCHOOLS

SEL-KAI ACADEMY

Eighty children from age six to fifteen attend this school in Black Oak district (#96), which caters primarily to the upper classes. Tutoring is by skilled teachers, and the education is considered one of the best fine arts programs anywhere.

COLLEGE OF VALRIS

Valris, wife of Kuor and patron of Learning, has a following among the universities, and many of her aherents in Sel-kai are affiliated with the schools. This is more then a temple (Avenue of the Gods #154), is is a school where students are educated in the arts, history, literature and even ’science’ all to the greater glory of Valris. While most teacher/adherents are female, either sex may serve Valris.

ANDASAI COLLEGE

A private college, Andasai (City Center #136) promotes the powers of the mind. Not surprisingly, it is a renowned center for the training of Mentalists. Current enrollment is about 200, with all students following varios facets of the mental arts.

UNIVERSITY OF KALINGEN

An institution of higher learning, the Kalingen University (Library Quarter #21) is primarily secular in nature, and devoted to literature, science, history and the arts. Sons and daughters of many of the wealthy merchant lords of Sel-kai and Eidolon attend Kalingen.

Though located in the city (technically considered in the Library Quarter, but actually on the Edge of Black Oak), the University has effectively achieved an atmosphere of isolation within its looming granite walls. Many students live in the university. Instructors are well-known scholars and researchers. The University library, while not as large as the Sel-kai library, has more practical texts dealing with arcane arts and the hard sciences.

Access is usually not permitted to those unaffiliated with the University, though alumni may use its facilities, including the library. Faculty may be consulted at their discretion.

Kalingen differs from Andasai College—the other famous institution of higher learning in Sel-kai—in that Kalingen usually remains aloof from politics. Andasai is quite the opposite, frequently becoming embroiled in issues of the day. The University is made up of several ‘colleges’: schools within theUniversity which have differing focuses:

• A. Woldon College: Primarily devoted to the Hard Sciences (astronomy, chemistry, basic physics, mathematics)
• B. Ægon College: A school of Mentalism
• C. University College: Curriculum is ‘well-rounded’
• D. Jinsolden College: Focusing on Alchemy
• E. Olvisdari College: One of the best schools of general magic
• F. Malefuge College: Concentrates on business and trade
• G. College of Aldai: A premier school of literature
• H. Nalander College: Known for its curriculum of history

SEL-KAI CITY

1•Sighing Docks

A long string of wooden docks along the Whitefoam river, the Sighing Docks serve traffic coming from the inland regions and therefore supply much of the city’s foodstuffs. Most of the perishables warehouses are located along this fork of the Sharhya, and nearby are the tanners, the foul odors of their work mercifully carried out to sea (most of the time).

2•Library Quarter

Aptly named for the massive domed structure dominating this district, the Library Quarter is given over primarily to larger residences and sedate shops. One of the older districts, it is nevertheless generally kept in good repair. Many of the city’s most wealthy have villas here, and many civic buildings are also located in this quarter.

3•Twelve Bridges

Once perhaps this district sported exactly twelve bridges; now there are several times as many spanning the grid of canals which help to link the northern docks with the city center. Twelve Bridges has become an interesting mixture of trade schools, shops, midsized residences and workshops.

4•North Delta

The center of many of the crafts in Sel-kai City, North Delta embraces dozens of dyeing houses, tannerys, smithies, papermakers and weavers. There are also some docks along the northern side, though much of the river fork along the west is shunned because of sunken wreckage and stagnant marshes.

5•Black Oak

Black Oak is an oasis of grandiose beauty in an increasingly rundown city. The district is home to the Sel-kai’s tallest structure: the Baragon Palace, home of the head of the Goldsmith’s Guild. This towering villa is nine stories high, and takes up an entire island. The area gets its name - not surprisingly - from the stand of huge old oak trees ringing the central island.

6•The City Center

Encompassing the huge lagoon in the center of Sel-kai City, the adjacent isle and the Prince’s islands to the immediate east, the City center is the heart of the food market and the city government.

The Great Circle and Grand Market

Comprising much of four islands and covering the entire region surrounding the city’s central lagoon which is called the Great Circle, the grand market is one of the largest open marketplaces in the world. Proponents of Sel-kai claim that if it can’t be bought here, at least it can be ordered.

The Circle is a ring of marble steps rising directly out of the water, and above that is a great loggia supported by fluted columns. Skiffs and poleboats are constantly flitting about this market hub.

There is a star-shaped island in the center or the lagoon, dominated by a 150-foot tall white marble statue of Es Ranus Hulurian, the Prince who built the Circle. On each point of the star is a gold lamp which gleams in the sun during the day and glows with an orange light through the night hours.

Prince’s Park

This green isle stands at the eastern side of the Great Circle, a pastoral refuge amidst the towers of the city. The perimeter is buttressed by pilings, which maintain water depth right up to the edge of the isle, and prevent erosion. Dozens of trees shade the grassy island, which is interlaced with paths.

The only structure on the island (aside from several stone benches) is a 150-foot bronze statue of Gartus Hegg, founder of Sel-kai City, who looks across the waters at Es Ranus Hulurian.

Lower Palace, Prince’s Isle

Formerly the Prince’s residence, this sprawling structure is now given over to administration, as the Prince himself has moved to his palatial home in the sky. While the symbol of the realm is now Eidolon, the lion’s share of administration for Sel-kai City and the country overall is still handled in the cluster of granite structures on this isle.

War Docks

Standing adjacent the the Lower Palace, the War Docks are the single largest sea-harbor for the Sel-kai navy. About a third of the fleet is here at any given time, while the rest of the fleet is on patrol. The War Docks are where all ships in the Prince’s Fleet are constructed— including Skyships.

South Isle

A tree-covered spot of land connected only to the Prince’s Isle, the South Isle serves mainly a scenic purpose. An interesting obelisk stands at the center of the South Isle; not one of the familiar, spartan black pillars of the Navigators but a grey stone needle covered with cryptic runes and glyphs. Legend says that the fifty-foot tall monolith has stood in this spot since before the founding of Sel-kai.

North Isle

Linked only to the Prince’s Isle like its southerly sister, the North Isle is a more structured environment, with carefully tended trees and shrubs, and beautiful flower beds planted along the paths.

7•Avenue of the Gods

This district includes an area from the main gate heading east along a wide promenade to the Arch of Atarnus, the entrance to the Marketplace. The promenade itself is called the Avenue of the Gods because it is here that nearly all of the principal religions practiced in Sel-kai have constructed their temples and shrines. However, the region just within the Outer Main Gate is dominated by inns, taverns and stables along the main road, and shops (many of questionable repute) in the narrow streets behind. Along the northern side of the Avenue of the Gods lie most of the religious havens of the more benign gods, while just across the road can be found temples to some of the more cruel, debauched, and brutal deities. The southern region is avoided by the faint of heart, especially after dark.

8•South Commons

Containing the city’s second-largest food market area, the South Commons is also the home of much of Sel-kai’s lower class.

9•Granite Knoll

The home of many glassblowers, metalsmiths and woodworkers, Granite Knoll is the other major crafts quarter (besides the North Delta) in Sel-kai City. However, this section of the city is thinly populated along the southern edge because of the stagnant, weed-choked water. The city dredges and clears the river periodically, but the weed grows very fast and in the summer the air is thick with foul odors… and mosquitoes.

10•Old City

A claustrophobic’s nightmare, the Old City is a tightly packed cluster of buildings along the southern arc of the Great Circle. Some of the oldest structures in Sel-kai are here, their upper stories cantilevered out over narrow streets so far that people can reach out of a window and touch someone at a facing dormer. However, the Old City has a certain charm missing from the NW quadrant or the southern areas of Burning Rock and Canal Maze. The inhabitants are fiercely proud of their neighborhoods; the streets are (relatively) clean, and crime is kept down by an vigilant group of civilian law-enforcers.

11•Canal Maze

A rough part of the city, Canal Maze is thick with taverns, rundown inns, and brothels. The division (south and east of the Southern Hook canal) is a sharp one between relatively safe Old City and this undeniably rough district. To wake up in the morning and see a body or two floating in the canals is not unusual.

12•Pushcart Vendors

These men and women have no permanent location, instead setting up shop wherever they decide to park their cart. Such vendors must have a license from the city to do business in this manner.

EIDOLON

Constructed in TE 4610-50, Eidolon is a triumph of engineering and imagination. It is the creation of the 23rd Prince of Sel-kai and floats a half-mile above the Sharhya River Delta along the eastern coast of Sel-kai. The population of Eidolon is small (about 5,000), being little more than the Prince’s palace, a few clusters of beautiful, glittering residential towers, and the most prestigious consulates, guildhalls and inns. The perimeter of Eidolon is a large ring of docks and a circle of fine shops where trade in luxury items is performed.

Eidolon is laced with tunnels and storerooms inside its structure, and balconies project from the underside to allow a stupendous view of the land below. The ‘lower city’ and seaport is thirty times the size of Eidolon, and that is where the bulk trading for the merchant realm is performed. Most of the shops of Eidolon are exclusive boutiques which cater only to the very wealthy of the realm; others are merely elegant offices where deals are made to be executed far below on the docks of Sel-kai City.

1•The City Layout

Eidolon slowly rotates at the rate of about one revolution per hour; compass directions are therefore useless for finding one’s way about the city or - more importantly - for skyship captains to locate their correct dock. Quarters are designated by a jewel name (The four designations are: Sapphire, Amber, Emerald, and Ruby), and their outer edge is lit with a string of bright lamps matching that color (blue, yellow, green, red). The designation has little meaning as far as what sort of business is located in a specific quarter; it merely serves as a navigational aid. For pedestrians within the city, the streets are paved in a mosaic of white marble with the matching colored stone in geometric patterns.

At the core of the city is a great hollow sphere of metal, covered with a sheathing of xenium. Circling what would be the equator of the sphere is a ring made of strong alloy supports and poured stone (similar to concrete, an invention of the Loari) slabs. Upon this foundation are the buildings of Eidolon constructed.

2•The Palace

In the center of Eidolon, set amidst a forest of beautiful trees atop the central sphere, stands the palace of the Prince. Although traditional defense barriers are hardly necessary, the palace is surrounded by a gleaming white marble wall punctuated by slender towers. In the center is the house, a graceful palace of stepped balconies and towers, with colorful banners fluttering in the wind.

3•Consulates & Galleries

Sel-kai is one of the handful of realms cosmopolitain enough to support consulates of several other domains on Emer. These political entities exist mainly to streamline official trade agreements, to protect and assist citizens of their own realms, and to carry official messages to and from their respective governments.

4•Mansions

Most of the mansions in Eidolon are smaller than those in Sel-kai City. They serve more as party centers, retreats and business offices than permanent residences. Most are glorious architectural monument unto themselves, all marble and granite set amid manicured gardens and groves of fruit trees.

An interesting sampling of the famous families of Sel-kai have secured properties on Eidolon. Some are no longer the most powerful in the land, but their property rights cannot be revoked.

5•Guildhalls & Inns

The next ring is made up of the main guildhalls of the tradesmen of Sel-kai, and the palatial homes of the shipmasters who have made their fortunes in trade with Eidolon. Each hall is distinctive and beautiful in its own way. They are colored to match the profession they represent, with a ‘G’ to designate them as guildhalls. Also in this ring are several very fine inns and dining houses, catering to the wealthy visitors to Sel-kai.

6•The Market

This outer ring, adjacent to the great air-docks, is made up of a great encircling colonnade, under which hundreds of vendors set up their shops. Those who deal in bulk goods also have offices here, to arrange trades which actually take place far below. Prices at Eidolon are generally a bit higher than standard city prices, but one is compensated in the wide selection of offerings.

7•The Docks

Unlike traditional sea-docks, these elegant stone constructions are buttressed like the vaults of temple roofs. These large piers are hollow, with tunnels inside used to carry goods directly from skyship holds into the vast warehouses within Eidolon.

Graceful skyships come to rest between pairs of these protrusions, where they are moored by several stout ropes. Wooden planks extend from the open sides of the piers and cranes can also be brought out to carry heavier cargo. Only men and women with no fear of heights can serve as dockworkers here, as the access planks extend over open air.