Camarelica
Government
Camarelica is run by a mysterious figure known only as The Master Mason. This person has overseen the city's development since its founding, and no one in living memory has seen them. There is no written record of laws or lawful conduct, but those who displease The Master Mason or disrupt city life find a small stone with an x carved into it. It appears in their home without warning. Should they continue the offending act or action, they receive a stone tablet with instructions for recompense. If they ignore this tablet, they disappear.
Defences
Presumably, The Master Mason has agents to enforce their laws and enact the disappearances the plague the lawless.
Industry & Trade
Hunting and agriculture are general poor in the region, but Camarelica supports itself on limited fishing, lichen farming in its cliffside buildings, and stone trade. It exports sandstone, shale, and limestone, comprising roughly 30% of the stone used in building throughout the Riverlands.
Infrastructure
Camarelica and its sister city, Coratillo, are built along the Great River where it runs through the Rocaroja Canyon. Camarelica is built directly into the cliff face and utilizes a system of levers, pulleys, and platforms to transport goods throughout the city.
Guilds and Factions
A collection of mages known as the Circle of Stone and Mortar are responsible for a significant portion of masonry and mining in Camarelica. They specialize in earth-shaping magic as well as alchemy to extract ore from the earth and ease mining operations.
They have a tense camaraderie with the miners and masons of the city, who do not trust that the Circle will not put them all out of work.
History
Camarelica began as a small quarry for nearby settlements, then waypoints for northward travel along the Great River. Unfortunately, the River was too far away from the canyon's edge to maintain the riverside lifestyle folks were accustomed to. People began abandoning the site and expansion slowed along the river. It seemed that the region would have to look elsewhere for building material until quarry workers cut into a natural cave system. Those that remained in Camarelica realized they could build downward to keep up with the canyon's depth.
Ultimately, this tactic spread and the disparate settlements connected to form the labyrinthine city.
Tourism
While the infrastructure itself is a draw for masons, engineers, and enthusiasts across the world, Camarelica offers little in the way of sights to see and experiences to have.
Architecture
Camarelica is full of narrow arches and curving paths. The layers of stone are a challenge to work as one cohesive whole, and masons have learned to listen to the rock; if a section seems difficult to carve, it will likely lead to collapses later on.
Without the yards and gardens of the surface, folks in Camarelica have taken to painting and chiseling beauty onto the "outer" walls of their homes. Rock gardens replace ornamental shrubbery, and mushroombeds replace flowerbeds.
The entire city is carved from the earth, giving it a strong sense of continuity.
Geography
The layers of red sandstone, yellow limestone, and brown shale create mesmerizing displays throughout the entire region. Birds, rodents, and lizards make their homes in the wind-carved natural formations and monstrous cacti that call the Rocaroja region home, while mysteries both magical and mundane litter the ochre landscape.
Natural Resources
Immediately surrounding Camarelica are rich mineral deposits and several quarries for dozens of varieties of sedimentary rock.
Founding Date
11369
Type
City
Population
20,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Camarel
Location under
Owner/Ruler
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