Levent
The Red City
The capital of Vesilia. Levent is many things.
On the shore of the great Lake Ember, the heart of the country, the city rises. Nearly the entire city is made from the red clay found in the lake. The city lies atop a hill that gradually rises from the water’s edge.
The lake provides a vital lifeline for the city with its bountiful water, fish, and means of transportation and trade with neighboring regions. Beyond the city, the Great Grasslands of Vesilia expand in all directions. The surrounding plains are bountiful with agriculture and pastures for livestock.
Normality
As the sun rises over Levent, a powerful chime from the Precedent’s Court signals the beginning of trade. Other bells chime all across the city to ensure every one of the day’s arrival. The ringing may be heard for miles. As the sun sets across the orange lake the bells toll to end the trade and day. Trading and commerce are forbidden between dusk and sunrise. During the night it is not allowed to trade. It is illegal to trade insects, frogs, and rats which are alive. This is due to the increase in sickness spreading within the city.
At midday, the district court sounds a bell. One ring means business continues as usual. In the case of two bells, it announces that the court is meeting. In the case of three, it means that there will be a Victim’s Will the following day. And in the case of four, it means that the Victim’s Will is to be held later in the afternoon.
The Districts
Levent is a collection of fourteen districts. At the very bottom lies the trading districts with the start at Ember Gate. Standing at the Ember Gate one can see Main Street cutting through the entire city as it leads to the top of the hill where Riverview watches over the city.
Keelheart and Stonelake are among the poorest and most distraught districts of Levent.
Bayside Point
Bayside Point may be a place for the middle-class but it’s also a battleground of political ideologies. Residents are unafraid to voice their support or dissent for the Crown which stirs a lot of conflict. The discontent may be traced back to Stonelake and the utter lack of mercy the Crown showed those who dared take up arms during the rebellion.
Graceview
This district boasts with shops and upscale markets offering an array of high-quality goods.
Graceview features townhouses with spectacular views of Lake Ember. The streets are meticulously aligned with neat rows of houses. Although it neighbors the walls separating Riverview from the rest of the city, Graceview borrows the aesthetics of its neighboring district. The red clay buildings are adorned with ornate carvings and artwork.
Hawk's Ridge
The most devoted and loyal citizens to the Crown reside at the Hawk’s Ridge. Lawmakers, law enforcers, and military personnel live in close quarters.
Keelheart
On the former wet and rundown soil in the forgotten northeastern corner of Levent a slum known as Keelheart has sprung forth. In 414 a young man bought the mythic and haunted mansion known as Mudward. Cidron Ross bought the Mudward from Levent’s Headman Judge Dahle. Within a matter of months, a district sprung alive. Former prisoners of Nedox were hired and given shelter within the district.
Lowet Grove
The center of trade and commerce, Lowet Grove is the lifeline of Levent. The strategic location near two major gates allows a flow of goods with barges and carts. Sacks of grain, spices, barrels of ale, and textiles fill the warehouses with exciting new aromas.
Main Street
Main Street is the most narrow of the fourteen districts. It stretches from Ember Gate all the way to the walls of Riverview. Markets and merchants clutter the streets, selling their goods to the masses. As one travels upwards this district the goods increase in value.
Northrun
Northrun is a district for ordinary people. Generations have lived in the cozy abodes. The residents keep a well-knitted community doing their best to not let political strife consume the streets and cause trouble. Many of the residents are loyal to the Crown as they serve the city as guards.
Oaken Ridge
On the western slopes of the city lies Oaken Ridge. Sheep, chickens, and pigs roam free in massive pastures. Most of the animals slaughtered feed the Crown’s forces in Levent.
River's Brook
A crossroad district where the middle class thrives and merchants find respite from their travels. Inns and taverns line the dirt roads and is the most visited district in Levent due to its proximity to the warehouse district, Lowet Grove.
Riverview
At the top of the city lies the pride of the clay city. A beaming golden dome shimmers in the late afternoon’s glow, a constant reminder to all that the law never rests. This is where the Precedents’ Court stands tall.
The streets are of cobblestone, the houses made from marble and just about anything different from the red clay which makes up the other buildings in surrounding districts. Here in Riverview, people enjoy their privacy within their decorative estates. Many of the upper families of Vesilia visit the royal theater and conduct business with merchants and lawmen.
Rose Lane
Rose Lane may lack the finest living conditions but it more than compensates with a strong sense of community. Neighbors know each other by name and they share the struggles and joys of life. The compassion that radiates here even shows in the buildings. Once drab and colorless streets have been transformed into warm and inviting ones where music and stories come alive.
Stonelake
By the southern walls of Levent a run-down part of the city lies. Not quite as depraved as the sister-district known as Keelheart, Stonelake was once a prominent district. Rick Haven’s rebellion began in the back alleys of Stonelake. As a punishment for the coup, the Crown withdrew many of its operations from the district which quickly fell into decay. Where once a thriving market stood was replaced with an empty district’s square. Once decorative facades are thatched with temporary and often sloppy handiwork.
West Point
Near the highest peak of Levent, West Point holds a fortress that controls the western and southern parts of the city. No residents are permitted to stay at West Point which is guarded by the City Patrol.
Westview
Westview holds the reeking and underappreciated businesses of the city. Tanners create hides and skins for the markets. Here is also the main ground for burning the deceased.
Human waste such as urine is transported to the district for the tanners and other businesses taking up residents here.