Anur-aket

Anur-aket is the last glory of Anur-tek and the capital of its successor state, Anur-teka. Formerly the university city of Roka-ket (city of theclouds), Anur-aket is located high in the central mountains, in the dryer, thin air above the cloud forests. The road breaks the cloud a few hundred yards from the great gate, suddenly revealling the great city towering up the side of Mount Arok, with the buildings on each level rising higher than the last. The grand thoroughfare forms a great, artificial valley, cutting through four tiers to the gates of the inner city, where the Great Archive surrounds the palace of the Kai-Anur.   After the rise of the Pyranoi and the fall of Anur-tek, Roka-ket became a refuge for the decimated ruling houses of the old order. With their wealth lost, but the loyalty of the Tekarjen - an honorary guard formed of the second children of high families - the Old Families established themselves as overlords of Roka-ket and renamed it Anur-aket (new city of the people.) They were no longer able to extend their influence much beyond the city, however. While the city belongs to the Old Families and the knights of the Tekarjen, the gates are guarded by the Vigil, the citizen army of Anur-teka.   Like other anurin cities, the buildings are built from wood panels closely interlocked and decorated in bright colours. Tall poles bear bright banners, and the city is sharply divided into districts of different colours, representing affiliation to one of the Old Families.  

City Tiers

• Inner City
• The Palace Tier - The library buildings of the Grand Archive, huge and ornate as they are, with small windows to protect the precious scrolls from too much sunlight and intricate networks of ducts to keep the stacks cool and dry, are dwarfed by the towers of the Kaio-ket (royal city). The Kaio-ket is a truly monumental structure, built in what was once a sacred grove and supported by the ancient spirit trees, their trunks forming living pillars. The cunning carpentry of the walls allows them to compress safely as the pillars grow. The gilded walls house the Kai-Anur (people's sovereign) and the central households of the Old Families.
  The Kai-Anur is elected by the Anur-sha. Despite its name, this 'people's assembly' is formed by and of the Old Families, and despite its aspirations, its influence is limited to the city.
• The Scholars' Tier - Once home to the librarians of the Great Archive, the second tier of the city is now home to the lesser members of the Old Families, and the religious elite of the traditional shamanic faith.
• The Knights' Teir - The barracks districts of the old Archive Guard, lying immediately behind the Inner City wall, are now home to the knights, squires and footsoldiers of the Tekarjen.
• Outer City
• The Princes' Tier - The great houses in the upper tier of the outer city belong to the lesser noble families. Those with antiquity, but little of their original wealth and influence, are called the small houses, while those with money and influence but not heritage are the new houses.
• The Merchants' Tier - The third tier of the city is a favoured residence for merchants, especially those with aspirations of nobility and dynasty. Those who live here are mostly older, successful traders who have children and agents to travel and do business on their behalf.
• The Market Tier - The second tier is home to less successful traders, including many of the provisioners who keep the mountaintop city fed, as well as many storehouses and the bulk of the city's industry. This is also where the three markets are located: The Great Market on the Thoroughfare, the Butchers' Market in the west and the Silk Market in the east.
• The Strangers' Tier - The lowest tier is home to the multitude of servants who keep the other tiers functioning, as well as the inns and taverns which serve visitors to the city.
 

The Old Families

There are seven recognised Nuramo, or Old Families, who are recognised by the grant of chambers in the Kaio-ket, their banners flying above the Palace Tier, and their colours being reflected in the walls of districts in all tiers. In addition, members of the Old Families form the Anur-sha. Each Nuram is granted one seat on the Anur-sha for every district that sports their colours, and gerrymandering to increase influence is not uncommon. The Anur-sha rules the city and elects from among the senior members of the families when the throne of the Kai-ket falls vacant.  

Family	Colours
Kireek	Red/Gold	The current Kaio-nur (royal family). Originally a banking family, they established and retain their supremacy through their ability to replace much of their lost wealth by calling in debts against the rest of the houses.
Troca	Blue/Silver	A family with a long tradition of shamanic practice, the Troca wield great theological influence as well as thedirect power of their divine magics. Thanks to their religious standing, they are the most influential of the Nuramo outside Anur-aket.
Pi-tek	Green/Black	The Pi-tek are renowned artists, although their original wealth came from mining.
Hiirrp	Red/Yellow	Unique among the Nuramo, even before the fall of Anur-tek, the Hiirrp sent all of their children to train and serve with the Tekarjen and they retain considerable influence over the city's military.
Terik-tan	Green/Red	The agricultural wealth of Terik-tan was long ago exhausted, but debts accrued in the early days of Anur-aket, when no other family had sufficient food, have secured the Nuram's position for generations.
Kroack	Black/Yellow	While they were forced to abandon their original workshops, the Kroack rebuilt their industrial might in their new city.
Cheriin	Gold/Blue	The Cheriin were formed from the most successful of Anur-tek's early arcane practitioners. Although their origins were in alchemical artifice, they - along with the scholars of the Great Archive - developed a tradition which formed the root of most Sutoan wizardry.