Dragon Warriors

Ward of Piscally

The Ward of Piscally is dominated by the Fish Market, the second largest open area within the city walls. It was once a southern appendix to the larger Longmarket before that square was almost totally built over early in the century. The Fish Market escaped such development, largely because it rests in a basin below the streets that surround it. It is always damp, and prone to flooding in any heavy weather. Debate rages among the City Council as to whether the Fish Market should be left as it is, redeveloped into a new general market for the city, which would probably require engineering works to raise its ground level, or even subdivided as Longmarket itself was into new streets with new buildings along them. No resolution has been reached so far after a quarter of a century of debate. And so the Fish Market remains as both a market for river fish brought downriver from the fresher waters to the north, and sea fish brought upriver from the coast, and as a more general market - general butchers are permitted to sell along the western edge of the market in exchange for large fees paid to the Fraternity of Fishmongers and Fisherfolk, while stalls selling many other cheap goods are permitted in exchange for smaller fees. Every few months, the City Militia erects a gallows in the centre of the market and executes a few felons there in order to try and discourage pickpockets and similar, while floggings of minor miscreants, while various forms of less severe physical punishment are administered within the square on a more than weekly basis - the only permanent pillories in the city are located around the southern edge of the market, and fish entrails are sold cheap for those who want to throw them at those pilloried (although the City Militia does regard it as their duty to protect such people from harm, and any physical attack on the pilloried can lead to a person being forced to replace their victim on display - and the owners of shops and houses facing the market often strongly object to misaimed fish guts).

Besides the Fish Market, the streets of the ward tend to be have homes occupied by solid working class families, and businesses catering to their needs.

_________________
Life and Death Are Only a Dice Roll Away!

Shaun Hately
co-author A Weak Pleasure
co-author Friends or Foes
co-author Dragon Warriors Players Guide

This little project of mine was temporarily abandoned in the leadup to Conquest a few weeks ago, when I had to devote my DW writing time to getting my scenario for the Convention ready. That scenario was set in Ongus, and as part of those preparations some new work was done on the maps. Time permitting, I intend to spend this evening updating the map images already shared with images from the new maps. There haven't been any incredibly major changes but one thing I have done is take on board the suggestion of renaming some of the streets to have less 'Streets' and 'Roads' and more 'lanes' and 'closes' and similar.

_________________
Life and Death Are Only a Dice Roll Away!

Shaun Hately
co-author A Weak Pleasure
co-author Friends or Foes
co-author Dragon Warriors Players Guide

Excellent work Shaun!

_________________
co-author Fury of the Deep
co-author Friends or Foes
co-author Dragon Warriors Players Guide
co-author Cold Fury
co-author Cadaver Draconis
co-author Ordo Draconis 1 and 2.

District of Castra

The district known as the Castra occupies a sizeable part of the city, larger than some of the wards, but is not a ward because it does not return any members to the City Council. The district has only a very small permanent population. It is only full on very rare occasions when the King raises an army to deal with some threat to Albion, or to send across the seas - an event that has occurred only twice in the last century. At that time, the Castra becomes the centre of the Army of Albion. In times of peace, only a few buildings are in use by a small city garrison and a few services - such as the pension office where those granted pensions in previous wars can collect their payment each week and a hospital for such pensioners.

The Castra's streets still follow the plan of the ancient Selentine city of Ongus, but the buildings are much younger. Even if the arena at the centre of the Castra is less than a century old, replacing the Selentine structure that had decayed to dangerous levels. Any type of gladitorial games are banned from the arena despite several attempts over the years to revive such practices, but wrestling and boxing matches do occur quite regularly along with occasional sporting events of other types. It is also traditionally the place where any trials by combat within the city occur.

_________________
Life and Death Are Only a Dice Roll Away!

Shaun Hately
co-author A Weak Pleasure
co-author Friends or Foes
co-author Dragon Warriors Players Guide

What a great map and love reading the detail for each ward / district.

I would like to reinforce lionwing's sentiment and add my encouragement to you to keep at this project. I'm really enjoying reading about each district and the time it must take you to put all of this together (and, presumably, the host of content that doesn't make it onto this forum!) hasn't gone unappreciated.

Many, many thanks.

_________________
Cobwebbed Dragon (Lee)

https://www.cobwebbedforest.co.uk/
https://www.dragonwarriors.uk/
https://twitter.com/CobwebbedDragon
Now on YouTube!

Thanks. I'm glad it's being enjoyed.

_________________
Life and Death Are Only a Dice Roll Away!

Shaun Hately
co-author A Weak Pleasure
co-author Friends or Foes
co-author Dragon Warriors Players Guide

Manor of Bishop's Privilege

While the area known as Bishop's Privilege lies within the walls of the city of Ongus, in a technical sense it is not part of the city, but is a Manor held by the incumbent Bishop of Ongus. A wall and a gate used to divide this area from the rest of the city, but most of it is gone, except for a few ruins amidst parkland that marks when part of the wall one stood. In many ways, Bishop's Privilege is integrated into the life of the city but there are a few exceptions. Most notable among this is that the fact that the Manor maintains its own small Militia Force which enforces law within the Manor's boundaries. The Bishop's Militia may pursue miscreants into the city proper, and the City Militia may do the same in reverse and both will come to each other's aid quite freely, but no normal beat or patrol crosses the boundary. Any arrest that occurs within Bishop's Privilege is supposed to be tried by an ecclesiastical court, but it is quite well known that the Bishop's Militia will carry most of those they arrest for minor crimes into the city before formally arresting them. The City Militia used to try the same trick until the Ecclesiastical Court began simply acquitting such people (Marshal Mancaster, the Commander of the City Militia is too concerned with justice to take this same response in reverse). Some among the City Authorities would like to end Bishop's Privileges independence, and have pointed to the presence of a Selentine latrina within the boundaries of the manor as proof that it should be treated as a ward but the power of the Church is too strong for any serious effort to be made unless a Bishop might be persuaded to agree.

The Bishop's Palace is the dominant building of the Manor. The Take Up the Cross will supply any man or woman who agrees to becoming a Crusader with free ale and spirits and lodging for a night - but any who then reneges on that promise can face retribution by a so far unidentified group that leaves them naked, tarred, and feathered, although not seriously harmed, in some public place within the city.

_________________
Life and Death Are Only a Dice Roll Away!

Shaun Hately
co-author A Weak Pleasure
co-author Friends or Foes
co-author Dragon Warriors Players Guide

Ongus Bridge

A bridge has crossed the river here for close to one thousand years, but the current bridge is less than ten years old. It was erected by the City Council and is paid for by rents paid on the identical three story buildings that line each side of the bridge. The bridge is owned by the city but is not officially part of it. Those resident on the bridge pay no city taxes and are not represented on the city council but are allowed to run businesses from there. City guilds have a responsibility to the orphaned children of their members, and to those who were orphaned while apprentices and it is reasonably common for the Guilds to pay the rent of a bridge shop and home for such an orphan for five years after they obtain journeymen status to give them time to build up a reputation and business capital in order to move into the city themselves or to set up elsewhere in Albion. This makes the bridge a good place to locate competent but relatively inexperienced and thus cheap tradesman and artisans. City law does not allow any business operating on the bridge to take on apprentices of their own, nor to hire workers from within the city without special dispensation.

The heads of executed criminals (those hung, drawn, and quartered or nobles executed by beheading) are traditionally placed on spikes mounted above the buildings at each end of the bridge and left there until they rot away.

Small boats can travel reasonably safely under the bridge but it prevents the passage of larger ships beyond this point.

_________________
Life and Death Are Only a Dice Roll Away!

Shaun Hately
co-author A Weak Pleasure
co-author Friends or Foes
co-author Dragon Warriors Players Guide

The Stink

The Stink lies immediately south of the southern city wall of Ongus, and it has earned its name because businesses that were considered too odourific to be allowed within the city wall have traditionally set up in this hilly area, particularly along the eastern bank of the river. The discharge from some of these into the river adds to the smell of the sewerage of the city that discharges through an outlet in this area. The normal tidal limit of the river is a few miles further south but at times of exceptionally high tides, this refuse can be pushed back into those parts of the river within the boundaries of the city wall. More recently, people have started to build cottages in this area on plots of land purchased from the city authorities who own this area as simple property and a wider variety of businesses are appearing. The people living in this area are considered residents of Ongus, but the city council has resisted their calls to be proclaimed a ward in their own right. The City Militia does not generally operate in this area, but crime is relatively unusual as the locals are very ready to respond to the hue and cry. The powerful Capstone Guild of stonemasons has chosen to set up its guild hall in this area, rather than be too beholden to the city authorities.

_________________
Life and Death Are Only a Dice Roll Away!

Shaun Hately
co-author A Weak Pleasure
co-author Friends or Foes
co-author Dragon Warriors Players Guide