The Peering Eye

The Hustle

The Hustle is the poorest of Bigany’s quarters. It is primarily comprised of poor accommodation, low quality storehouses and unsavoury businesses, such as slaughterhouses, alchemy labs, tanneries etc. Most of the thieves’ guild houses are hidden within. Shops contain low quality or illicit goods and have a greater focus on security than on appearance. People from the Hustle tend to be from poor backgrounds, they have less respect for the nobility and aristocracy and the law than other residents of Bigany. Half Orcs are more common here than elsewhere in the city and other humanoids can occasionally be spotted here without arousing more than a moderate curiosity. Residents of the Hustle are used to a dangerous existence as the town guard maintains a low key, if heavily armed, presence there.

The Dark
Dirty Slums that house most of the criminal elements in Bigany. Thieves, murderers and cut-throats live here in some of Biagnys's poorest slums. There are more thief-taker operations here that in the rest of the city combined.

The Waning
A series of dirty slums that house the dregs of Bigany citizens. There are still several honest and law abiding businesses here that cater for the needs of Bigany's poorer inhabitants. If you need to buy something cheap for even less than usual, this is the place to go. It won't be of good quality and it may not even be legal, but it will be cheap.

The Shallows
This area is densely packed with people, animals and houses and only rainfall can wash away the grime.

The Bustle

The Bustle holds the largest and most varied collection of inhabitants in Bigany. It contains almost all of the respectable merchants and craft works as well as housing the majority of the city’s respectable residents. Practically anything legitimate can be found for sale somewhere in The Bustle. Adventurers from the Bustle tend to have a respect for the status quo and adventure to raise their status.

Main Square
Most of the traffic entering the city comes through here, although the city guard attempt to maintain some semblance of order on the traffic. On feast days Church, Military and Guild parades sweep through the area to a throng of cheering townsfolk.

The Market
Constant bedlam resounds from this open area as it it filled with a market at all times. Different stalls and wares are sold here during the day and during the night and so the clientele changes, but the noise rarely drops. Pickpockets and cutpurses from The Dark prey on the unsuspecting mercants and wealthy customers with little discrimination.

Warehouses
These areas hold the huge quantities of cargo that are shipped in and out of Bigany City. Most Warehouses are made entirely of wood. Only a few wealthy and security conscious merchants can afford to build stone warehouses with slate or iron roofs. In Bigany, the more secure the warehouse, the more attention it attracts, so many merchants favour mixing expensive cargos with bulk items in order to bypass the attention of thieves. The Army and the King store most of their cargo and supplies in the citadels and at the Naval docks, which are well protected.

The Trade District
This is where the majority of the respectable business and markets are found. Cargo from all over Talamh is traded here side by side with goods from the local craftsmen. Taverns, inns, bath houses, brothels and other business thrive here, due to the masses of freemen, with fresh coin in their pouches.

The Docks
The level of activity along the docks pulses in perfect time with the beating of the tides. When the tides are right, the vast machinery of the bigany docks use their stored tidal power to load and unload staggeringly heavy shiploads of cargo in moments. The powerful machines can lift the smaller ships clear of the water if that is required. Ships from all over the world can be found moored at the Bigany docks. The larger and more expensive ships will be found moored at the docks along the Bustle Docks (bustleside). Less wealthy or smaller ships wil have tom ake do with a less secure mooring at the Hustle docks (hustleside). Only ships belonging to The Church, The King or the Navy may dock along The Rise without written permission from the Navy. Only residents of The Rise have any chance of getting such a permit, legitimately.

Gnome District
There is a small enclave of gem cutters in the Bigany city on Gem Street between Main Square and Kinnett Bridge. The small Gnome district surrounds this area along with the Dwarven district. The Gnomes control most of the legit gem trade in Bigany, though the Dwarves are in healthy competition. Their stores are well protected, by their owners and the guard in the area have a very good reputation for honesty and fairness. Despite their stature the Gnomes have been very successful in keeping their valuables safe.

Dwarven District
This district is just north of Sword Street which runs from Main Square to Market Square. It merges into the Gnome district. The Dwarven weaponsmiths' work is renowned and of exceptional quality. With this quality comes exceptional honesty and even more exceptional prices. The stores on Sword Street are well protected and are of solid stone construction. The Dwarves' smithies are close to the docks where they can receive supplies and dump waste more easily and where the noise and smell do not interfere with trade.

Olaf’s Supplies
This famous shop is run by Olaf Thorbersson and sells Olaf's Kit. For more information see Olaf Thorbersson and Olaf's Kit.

The Rise

The Rise is the province of the nobility and the aristocracy. Only the rich can afford to live in the sumptuous mansions of The Rise let alone purchase them. Occasionally an exceptionally successful adventurer or merchant will purchase an estate there. The Rise contains few standard shops or businesses in order to reduce the numbers of common people invading the privacy of the ruling elite. The King’s magnificent palace and The Great Temple, the headquarters of The Church of The Moons, are located in The Rise. Security is always very tight and most residences have effective, though rarely obvious, defences. Members of the King's Guards, and the Black Guard assist in maintaining the peace, with the assistance of The Church. Adventurers hailing from The Rise will be from the elite of Bigany society and will often have access to wealth. They will adventure for increased social status or simply for their own entertainment. Adventurers hailing from The Great Temple will be clerics and will be on missions for The Church.

The Palace
The Palace of the Bigany King is an architectural masterpiece. Crystal domes top most of the wings and the grand ballroom. Ivory coloured stonework is evenly interrupted by exquisite clear and stained glass windows.
The Palace is surrounded by a cold-iron railing through which the palace and it's delicately maintained gardens can be seen. There is a fantastical topiary garden around the palace itself. The creatuers are so expertly scultped the appear almost alive when the wind blows through them.
The nobility of the court are not unprotected here though, despite the open appearance of the buildings.
The grounds are patrolled by several groups of protectors, from The Black Guard to highly Skilled Coteries. Normal servants and foppish nobles of the king's court are highly visible milling about, while formiddable guardian creatures are hidden away or cunningly disguised as part of the grounds.
After the Night of Terror, while the signicant protections were strengthened, the King moved his residence back to the more cramped but far more secure Island Citadel.

The Fey Wood
The palace grounds are large enough to contain a small wood. Various fey creatures have lived there for hundreds of years. Long ago a pact was made between King Jurius Kinnett I and these creatures. The Crown would protect them and their wood, if they in turn would protect The Crown. Several of the King's most effective operatives in the thief taker's come from the ranks of the fey wood. Most notable of all is the Pixie Assassin, Azer of Fey Wood.

Military District
The dominant structure here is the grey stoned 'New Citadel'. This the headquarters of the Bigany town guard, the 1st Army and the Bigany Navy. The Black Guard also maintain some facilities here. The new citadel was built to manage the daily activites of the armies, the navy and the town guard, once the old citdel became to small for a city of Bigany's size.

Merchant District
This district primarily consists of mansions for Bigany merchants who are successful enough to escape The Bustle and who can afford the expense of a residence on The Rise. These merchants are often looking for a way to legitimately become members of the nobility. Some of these buildings are businesses, particularly highly fashionable inns, brothels, clothiers, trading houses, magic shops etc. Many merchants with aspirations of attaining nobility, would rather that no shops be allowed into this district, to avoid it merging back into The Bustle.

Noble District
This is where the elite of Bigany society reside in immense mansions. The Nobility of Bigany own almost all of these impressive, exquisitely expensive mansions. A few partcularly cunning and wealthy non-noble merchants and a few exceptionally powerful adventurers have managed to aquire property here. It takes even more effort to become a respected member of the district though, as the nobles are particluarly snobbish and the bitter political machinations between the five families lead them to attempt to ruin any potential new allies for their rivals.

The Island

Known as “The Fourth Quarter”, The Island was once home to the entire Bigany settlement hundreds of years ago. Now only the Black Guard, The Grey Force Navy and other servants of the king reside there. People hailing from The Island, will be totally loyal to the King of Bigany and will most likely be on a mission for the King.

The Citadel
Once the only power in the area, the citadel has now become a less imoprtant part of the city since the church moved to The Great Temple, The King moved to The Palace and the Army, Navy and Town guard moved to the New Citdadel. The Old Citdadel is and will always remain the headquarters of The Black Guard. It sits on and covers the entire Bigan Island at the centre of the city. No bridges connect the island to the city and the only dock is in a deep cave behind a mssive iron portcullis. Uninvited visitors are not welcome at the citadel, so say the least.
The Citdadel itself has never been infiltrated in all it's 500 years history. This is why after the capture of King Darius Kinnett XIV, the nee ruler of Bigany King Edgar Kinnett I, change his primary residence back to the Old Citdael. Only courtly affairs are attended to at the Palace by the new king.
The Black Guard Mausoleum is housed in the Old Citadel. This is where the Black Guard are laid to rest after they has completed their service.
The Citadel also contains the Royal Mint and the Kingdom's Treasury.

The Great Temple

The Great Temple Houses the hundreds of buildings and thousands of clerics that comprise the heart of the Chosen faith of Radharc: The Church of The Moons. The Great Temple is an imposing structure that towers over the rest of the city, outstriping even the citadels and the palace. Like most Chosen churches, the Great Temple is comprised of three structures unified into one, symbolising the unity of the three orders within the Chosen faith; The Cycles, Charon and Shale.
The Shale structure is a dark slender tower that reaches into the skies and whose upper stories are increasingly difficult to view with the naked eye. It 'glows' eerily dark in the day time and is all but invisible at night, save for the occasional flickering multihued lights of magical experiments.
The Charon structure is an enormous squat colisseum of brilliant white marble. Even by night it glows like the moon it represents and battles rage there constantly.
The Cycles Temple, the largest of the three, Balances these two. This enormous Bassilica could house the Kings Palace and Gardens. The staggering wealth and power of the world spanning Church is casually displayed there for all to see.
Only the incredibly foolhardy would consider theft from any part of the Temples. Mortal guardians of great power lurk there unobtrusively, trained or built over hundreds of years these guardians are incredibly powerful. And yet they are as nothing compared to the power of those who watch over the temple. The Gods. They suffer none to steal from their home on Talamh. Many believe that the Gods themselves walk among the faithful in The Great Temple, watching them first hand.
The Great Temple itself spawns hundreds of lesser building, each greater than a nobles mansion. Thousands of priests live and work within the walls of this inner city. Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the Temple every year and the services of each cult are always well attended.
The Church maintains a strong emphasis in unity communication around the globe of Talamh and amongst the Stars of Radharc, so there are many permenant gates with the Great Temple's walls. These gates lead to major Cathedrals around the world and to the moons themselves. Other gates lead into space-ports and to other planes.
The Church is always ready to dispatch overwhleming force through any of these gates but primarily these are used for travel and trade.
The orders of the church that advocate trade, generate vast welath in this way. The Church claims a Divine right to tax exemption in all nations. Few rules have thought it wise to argue.

The Hand of Jurius

The Hand of Jurius is a mysterious monastic order that appeared within the Old Citadel a few years ago. Members of The Hand have been seen in various locations around the Kingdom since then and seem to be acting under the authority of The King.

What their purpose is remains a mystery and the aristocracy has made it clear that questions about them will not be answered.

While some of the order wear simple white monastic clothes, many wear the garb of soldiers, merchants, nobles or commoners, making it extremely difficult to gauge their numbers or influence. 

Conspiracy loving sages speculate that their order was founded by Jurius himself and that they possess some Skill. This rumour is as yet unfounded.