The City Brewick

Species & Heritage

• Divine Elves — 18% — Shimmering-skinned, silver-veined, and historically tied to the old Valerian court.
  
• Aasimars — 12% — Walking sunbeams, prominent in temples, and diplomatic roles.
  
• Aarakocra — 7% — Sky-born and wind-bound, often working as couriers, scouts, or river lookouts.
  
• Other Celestial-Blooded — 8% — Rare hybrids and gifted mortals; tend to move between communities.
  
• Humans (non-celestial) — 40% — Merchants, artisans, laborers, bureaucrats; the city’s backbone.
  
• Other Mortal Races — 15% — Orcs, half-orcs, beastfolk, dwarves, tieflings, and other folk from across Ver’Domnir.
  

Wealth Distribution

• Upper Class / Nobility — 8% — Landed families, high-ranking officials, guild magnates.
  
• Middle Class — 37% — Artisans, small merchants, scholars, bureaucrats, officers.
  
• Working Class — 45% — Laborers, dockworkers, market vendors, haulers, domestic servants.
  
• Destitute / Unhoused — 10% — Often living in crowded boarding houses, temporary shelters, or open streets.
  

Professions

• Court & Administration — 15% — Clerks, scribes, officials, advisors.
  
• Trade & Merchant Work — 22% — Shopkeepers, caravaners, import/export specialists.
  
• Crafts & Artisans — 20% — Smiths, tailors, carpenters, clockmakers, glassblowers.
  
• Labor & Hauling — 28% — Dockhands, porters, cart-pullers, canal crews, construction workers.
  
• Religious Orders & Shrinekeepers — 5% — Priests, acolytes, shrine maintainers, temple musicians.
  
• Performers & Entertainers — 10% — Actors, musicians, storytellers, acrobats, festival organizers.
  

• The Crown — The monarch holds supreme authority, advised by a Closed Council whose meetings are private and undocumented. Decisions are announced in the Palace Bell Hall, often without explanation.
  
• Council of Veils — A rotating body of nobles and high guild representatives, each serving a masked term so their influence is measured by voice, not face. Their identities are revealed only at the end of their tenure.
  
• District Magistrates — Appointed by the Crown, these officials oversee taxation, law enforcement, and infrastructure within their assigned district. They are expected to host monthly open courts, though many quietly avoid it.
  
• Palace Clerks — The true machinery of the city; record-keepers, auditors, and scribes who ensure every coin and decree is accounted for. Their archives are sealed to the public.
  

Law & Enforcement

• Laws are rooted in old Valerian codes, amended by the Crown. They value order, propriety, and discretion over speed or transparency.
  
• Minor crimes are tried within the district; major crimes go before the Palace Bench, whose judgments are final and rarely explained.
  
• The Royal Watch serves as both city guard and ceremonial presence, their armor etched with veiled motifs. They are trained to de-escalate quietly, but can be ruthless when the Crown’s dignity is threatened.
  

Taxation

• A Civic Levy is collected quarterly on property and trade.
  
• Market stalls pay daily or weekly permits depending on location.
  
• Foreign merchants are charged guest tariffs, waived only by Crown decree.
  
• “Donations” to the Crown’s coffers during festivals are not mandatory, but refusal is noted.
  

• Outer Walls — High marble ramparts reinforced with granite cores, inlaid with gold ward-lines said to repel siegecraft magic. Watchtowers are placed at regular intervals, each topped with signal braziers.
• Gatehouses — Massive arched gates fitted with gilded portcullises and double doors of reinforced oak sheathed in bronze. Each gatehouse has its own barracks and armory.
• Canal Barriers — Hidden within the water network are iron grate systems that can be raised to block ship passage during unrest. Some are rumored to be enchanted against tunneling or aquatic incursion.
• Royal Watch Garrisons — Positioned in every district, garrisons serve both as rapid-response stations and as a visible reminder of Crown authority.
• Bell Hall Signals — The Palace Bell Hall can signal specific alarms — invasion, fire, flood — using coded peals heard across the city.
• Flood Gates — Built into the lower canal locks, these can be shut to prevent flooding from river surges or sabotage.
• Palace Defences — The palace grounds are ringed by a second wall of polished marble, topped with gold spearheads. Entry is through a single causeway, heavily guarded and flanked by arrow slits masked as decorative carvings.
• Calamity Watch Liaison — A dedicated outpost in the city ensures rapid coordination with the Calamity Watch, a benefit of Brewick’s role as their largest patron.
• Southern Suns Guard Corps — Nearly half the city’s population is matched by its military strength, with soldiers hired from the Southern Suns under long-standing contracts. Their discipline and desert-forged resilience are as much a deterrent as the walls themselves.

• Artisan Craftwork — Marble carving, goldsmithing, and jewel-setting are the city’s pride. Guilds guard their techniques fiercely, passing them only to approved apprentices.
• Textiles & Finery — Tailors and weavers produce silks, brocades, and ceremonial garments for both domestic use and export to other courts.
• Marble & Stone Trade — Brewick’s quarries supply pale-veined marble to other Adrean cities, though the finest cuts are kept for royal projects.
• River & Canal Commerce — Control of key waterways allows the Crown to tax both local barge traffic and foreign merchant fleets.
• Luxury Imports — Rare spices, exotic woods, celestial glass, and enchanted curios brought in from the Southern Suns, Lacliosa, and beyond.
• Food Supply — Grain and livestock flow in from surrounding farmlands; luxury goods such as wines, preserved fruits, and sweetmeats are imported for court and festival use.
• Festival Economy — Seasonal celebrations draw traders, artisans, and performers from across Ver’Domnir, creating brief but immense surges in spending.
• Military Contracts — Long-standing agreements with the Southern Suns supply not only soldiers but also desert-hardened goods, including leather, spices, and weaponry.

• The Royal Causeway — Broad and immaculate, paved with veined white marble and lined with gilded torch pillars. Swept twice daily; no cart may pass with a squeaking wheel.
• Canal Network — Ancient Valerian stonework re-faced in marble. Edges and mooring posts are capped in gold leaf that flakes into the water during festival days.
• Bridges & Walkways — Every major bridge is an arch of carved marble, its balustrades etched with gold filigree. Even the smallest footbridges bear polished stone underfoot.
• Sewers & Drainage — The marble above hides a practical network of stone tunnels. Gold-plated grates mark the main runoff points; they are locked and sealed with the Crown’s insignia.
• Public Squares & Courtyards — Vast marble plazas with inlaid gold compass-roses. Used for markets, coronations, and royal proclamations.
• Guild Halls & Workshops — Even the practical buildings bear marble façades and gold-inset names, a testament to Brewick’s obsession with appearances.
• Palace Bell Hall — A marble tower inlaid with gold runes that catch the light at dawn. Its bells are said to be cast from a gold alloy; the sound is warm, resonant, and impossible to ignore.

They say the marble keeps the city cool in summer, the gold keeps it warm in winter. In truth, both simply keep the Crown gleaming while the mortar quietly crumbles.

— Anneas

• The Crown Vaults — Deep beneath the palace, chambers of gold ingots, ceremonial arms, jeweled regalia, and tribute from across Adrea. Some vault doors have not been opened in generations.
  
• Guild Reserves — Merchant and artisan guilds keep stores of raw materials — marble, silk, fine woods, precious metals — in fortified warehouses with their crests carved in gold.
  
• Armories — The Royal Watch maintains marble-lined armories containing polished steel arms, parade armor etched with gold, and practical gear for city defense.
  
• Food Stores — Granaries and ice-cooled cellars stocked with grain, dried fish, imported spices, and preserved fruits. Reserved rations for emergencies are kept under lock and tally.
  
• Marble Yards — Cut blocks of high-quality marble stored for repairs or new construction, guarded as closely as coin.
  
• Workshops & Smithies — Fully equipped with gold-inlaid tools, precision instruments, and specialist machinery for jewelcraft, clockwork, and ceremonial arms.
  
• Canal Fleet — Dozens of gilded barges for trade and ceremony; practical cargo craft are painted in muted marble tones to blend with the city’s aesthetic.
  
• Royal Archives — Vast marble halls of scrolls, maps, and codices; some written in gold leaf for ceremonial use.
  
• Calamity Watch Patronage — Brewick is the single largest donor to the Calamity Watch, funding fortifications, supply lines, and recruitment drives. This patronage is as much a statement of royal pride as it is a protective measure.
  

• The Oracle Trine — Three faceless statues in a marble courtyard. Petitioners secure a token and wait for their name to rise in the dreamlottery. If chosen, they may offer a question. Answers are rare. Change is inevitable.
• The Shadelit Gardens — A moonlit enclave where entry costs a secret or a memory. No truths may be spoken inside. Lights beyond the pond lead elsewhere — not back.
• The Gloamhouses — During Nightbloom, these great houses open for masked promenades where each step may bind you, each dance may unmake you. Entry without a story is forbidden.
• The Suncourts — Upper terraces tiled in gold, humming with passive wards. Local artists sketch with light instead of ink. At the ninth bell, something always changes.
• The Hollow Rest — A guesthouse with no doors, only curtains, charms, and soft-lit halls. Rooms adjust to your fears — and sometimes your futures.
• The Stillmarket — Hidden beneath the Library’s western wing, this bazaar trades in unspoken things: future regrets, unopened letters, hypothetical conversations. Currency is metaphysical, bargains are permanent.
• The Vellum House — Brewick’s oldest tea salon, built atop a former Valerian tribunal. Servers are silent; confessions are written on sugarpaper and dissolved in tea.
• The Observatory Refrain — At the Ninth Eye Spire, celestial maps refract into metaphoric predictions.
• The Echo Hours — Just before dawn, the city falls silent except for a faint harmonic hum across the rooftops. Locals call it memory. Scholars call it seismic pressure. The wise simply listen.