Ar Salem Dolem
Ar Salem Dolem is the religious heart of the nations of the Jungle of Fangs. Hidden in a pocket valley at the eastern edge of the Jungle of Fangs, it is surprisingly small for its cultural and political importance. Occupied mostly by priests and bureaucrats, Fang Salzaron also holds court from the Great Pyramid there.
The two biggest buildings are the Great Pyramid itself (see below) and the Adventurer's Guild palace, formerly the home of the High Priestess. A portal node stands behind the Adventurer's Guild.
Demographics (250 AC)
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The Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid is the largest single structure in the Federated Nations, and the oldest as well. It is a pyramid of matte black stone (which is not native to the region) covering an area 1/4 mile on a side and standing 666 feet tall. Other than the entrances there are no visible openings--the whole building seems to drink the light. The inside is filled with twisting passages and rooms, some with ancient pipes and strange machinery visible in the walls. Rooms located at the exterior have one-way windows. At the center of the temple is the Stone Throne itself, a simple throne made of the same stone as the building itself, as if it grew up out of the floor. The Queen's Fang does not occupy this throne, as it is left open for the Queen Ascendant. That audience chamber used to also house a sacrificial altar where thousands of people were sacrificed to feed a demon's hunger. That practice was ended 5 years ago when the Catalysts intervened and enabled the Queen (at that point not ascended yet) to break free of the ancient bonds that held her as a living conduit for those souls.
According to tradition, the Great Pyramid dates back to the ancient aelvar empire of the 2nd age. Some scholars scoff at this, placing the construction much later during the early Fanged Kingdom about 1000 years ago. No one is sure how air and water (and waste) are handled, but they are. There are reports that some corridors reshape themselves over time.
The Great Pyramid is occupied by the senior priests and bureaucrats of the kingdom. Being assigned quarters here is both a mark of favor and a threat--it is rumored that the Salzaron can spy on any room of the temple almost at will. Many ranking priests and nobles also maintain estates in other parts of the city or in Asai'ka in the jungle below.
The temple is surrounded by a paved courtyard, containing residences for servants and low-ranking bureaucrats, stables, and storehouses.
Neighborhoods
Forecourt
The Forecourt is a small region dominated by low-class pilgrim lodgings, taverns, diversions, and other businesses that are frowned upon in the rest of the city. This and the Foreign Quarter are the only places that commoners are allowed to stay overnight. The Forked Kiss is the premier public house in this quarter, boasting a full quartet of temple-trained dancers as entertainment. The streets are narrow and the buildings made of wood with thatched roofs; they stand two or three stories tall.
Foreign Quarter
The Foreign Quarter is the area of the city set aside for those of the lower classes or those from foreign lands that have secular business in the city. Scholars, foreign petitioners, messengers, merchants--all of these are confined to this quarter after sundown. The only exception are official members of the Adventurer's Guild, who can stay at the Guild palace. Foreign visitors must wear a chonobartes, an armband of strips of yellow and blue cloth interwoven. Failure to wear this in plain sight is punished by exile and a lifetime ban on re-entry into the Stone Throne's territory. The inn Santhakar is the high-class option for visitors, while the inn Chai-ko is a cheaper alternative. The quarter has many closely-spaced buildings with small alleyways between them. These buildings tend to have brick or stone facades and the higher-class buildings have slate roofs.
Bountiful Harvest
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Jinja
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Lakeside
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Petitioner's Rest
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Queen's Mercy
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Rainsong
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Psa Poh
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Starscale
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Whitescale
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