City Tour: The Green Hill

1. The House of Mind, Body and Soul (Council Chambers)
2. Courts
3. City Prison
4. City Hall
5. Tax Office
6. Academy
7. Barracks

You can see why it's called GREEN HILL; it's the only expanse of grass for miles. Took them years to cultivate it, and a fair amount of magic too. Trees line the main streets, bushes elsewhere, and every building has its own roof-garden. Only councillors, their assistants and families are allowed to live here; although you will note that none of these buildings, save the Council Chambers, are as richly decorated as those in the NOBLE QUARTER.

The other buildings are council-owned, where are laws are passed, enforced and the breakers of such as tried and sentenced. That grand building at the centre of the hill is the HOUSE OF MIND, BODY AND SOUL, the city's COUNCIL CHAMBERS. That's where the council of priests, nobles, and Guild Masters hold their weekly meetings to discuss the concerns of the city. They're split into three factions, each with their own area of influence and responsibility. The MIND deals with the laws of the city; making, enforcing and protecting them. Nobles make up the majority of that faction. The Guild Masters are the majority in the BODY faction; they're responsible for the health of the city, its maintenance and safety, collection of taxes, and the implementation of many of the city's laws. The SOUL is, as you'd expect, the domain of the clergy and they fill it. They're the cause of most arguments and debates, often just amongst themselves. Due to the numerous religions of the city, the faction's membership is continually changing as they are elected on a rota of seats. They look after all religious matters, and are the most powerful and influential of the councillors.

Surrounding the chambers are the COURTS, where the judges pass sentence on criminals; the PRISON, where the criminals often end up, and which are largely underground within the hill itself. The public CITY HALL is on the opposite side, where public go to moan. The TAX OFFICE is next to the Hall, and if you ever want to to see the sheriff, that's where he is based.

We even have our very own standing army, independent from the kingdom and paid from the council's coffers. Their main barracks and offices are here, although most are billeted in the IRON TOWERS that guard the walls of the city. The soldiers patrol the walls, guard the gates, and protect the outlying farms and mines. They're chiefly responsible for protecting the city from external enemies. The interior is protected, patrolled, and policed by the CITY-WATCH, whose offices are also based on GREEN HILL, under command of the sheriff. They are the guards you see manning the WATCH TOWERS, patrolling the streets, and dealing with any trouble-makers. If there's a tavern brawl, or a burglary, it's their job to to deal with it. They're easy to spot, dressed in their bone-coloured tabards, with their conical helmets and round shields. The foot-guards are known for their heavy-handedness, more than happy to belt you round the head with their maces if you cause any trouble. The tower guards are skilled archers, able to pin a man with an arrow from great distances and with deadly accuracy. The WATCH TOWERS they man are all outfitted with large bells, rung to sound alarm, and have signalling lanterns that allow them to communicate with each other.

Word of advice: don't get on the wrong side of the Watch.

Before we leave GREEN HILL and visit the TEMPLE QUARTER, I just want to show you this building here. You might have heard that the clergy take a dim view of the arcane arts, with many religions considering such magic to be the work of heretics at best, demon-worshippers and devil-dealers at worse. Most magi are barely tolerated, and throwing spells around or blatantly using magic in public is more than likely to get you thrown in jail, exiled, or stone to death; depends on which part of the city you're in. However, there is a type of magi that is licensed to practice arcane magic and conduct research, all legal; and that's by being trained or joining the ACADEMY, which is based here, in this surprisingly plain building. Or maybe that's the point, so they don't attract unwanted attention. It also holds classes for rich noble's children, has a well-stocked library, and several laboratories that they rent out.