Maddock's Gate, Hub of the World.

History

Basic Information

A small child grabs an apple from one of the thousand fruit vendors in the trade district. He is young and small, so he gets even more lost in the crowd than the average citizen or visitor on this day, which is as busy as the last. Thousands of people litter the streets with their own interests and goals, oblivious to the world outside the Great Cities walls. The child is sprinting, he is hungry after all, but is being pursued. Another child, his job to do the very thing he’s doing, is chasing the thief. The game of cat and mouse would be exciting to observe, but people only seem to care when the children bump into them. The boy with the apple knows he is being chased, and nervously turns sharply into an alley. They exist everywhere, and everything from shady deals to homeless people call them home. Lucky break, this one is safe. Only a vendor occupies this alley, and he immediately tells the child to leave. Quick to oblige, the thief jumps onto a one of the wooden rungs on the second story of the west building creating the alley. The merchant peers at his goods, silks from the north, to make sure the child hadn’t stolen anything. The situation reveals itself to him however, when a bigger child climbs the same rung. The merchant yells something in his native tongue, every language of the realm is found in the city. The climbing child reaches the roof, and begins sprinting after the thief. The roofscape is nearly as dynamic as the ground. A sheer massive amount of rooftops can be seen, and people inhabit them, build on them, and even bridge them. Unfortunately for the thief, this rooftop was unbridged. He reached the northmost edge, and turned his bright eyes toward his chaser. For a brief moment, he felt like a normal child. Playing orcs and goblins like he used to years ago. The blazing sun was upon his burlap tunic, his belt made of rope his most valuable worldly possession. Then there was the apple. It would be so crisp. He knew the boy chasing him with black hair would beat him badly, and break his wrists if he was unlucky. But, if only for a moment, he imagined that the boy was his older brother, Finius, who had died of some plague or starvation like the rest of his siblings. Finius was rapidly approaching, and the thief wanted him to reach him. Hug him. He took a bite out of the apple, then felt too many sensations to process what had happened.

            The guard was sick of this post. All of the homeless had been purged, and as he looked at his spear and smiled, purged was a soft word indeed. The merchants were protected, and that’s all that mattered. He had recently been promoted to a city-block captain, which was still a shit title. Now he was in charge of four men, all of whom were incompetent and bloodthirsty. At least he had a roof over his head, and income. A great crash startled him from his thoughts. He turned quickly, to observe Jade’s tent fold into itself as though a large object slammed into its soft ceiling. The captain ran over, and grabbed two boys by the wrist.

            “Well, I’ll be damned. Two little trouble makers. Why have you blessed us with your presence?” the guard sneered. Both boys remained silent.

            “Can’t talk? I know why.” The guard was dragging them toward a public bench. Many existed in the city, but most had been converted into sales stands of some start. This one had two old women sitting on it, talking about the gossip of the district. “Get the fuck off the bench bog-hags.” They quickly dispersed. He slammed both of their wrists to the bench, easily out matching their combined resistance. He yelled a command above the hum of the city, and a guard appeared within seconds.

            “Yes sir, what do you need?” The guard asked.

            “I need you to remind me of the laws. These two boys are in fact halflings, and they’ve stolen. I believe they’ve stolen three times before. I also believe they don’t speak common. All of this in mind, aren’t I permitted unmagistrated temporary judgment on them?”

            “I believe you’re right sir. You can do as you please.”

            “Good to hear.” Just as the guard uttered the words, he pulled out his short-sword to assure the good city that the boys would never cause trouble again, at least not with their left hands. The thief knew how this worked. It happened to a few of his friends. Left hand gone, no work, no stealing, and no eating. Death. He knew that he was doomed, and had only one choice. He used his right hand to grab sand from the ground, and threw it in the captain’s eyes. He loosened his grip just enough for the child to break free, and begin running for his life, literally.

            The captain yelled in protest, but didn’t pursuit the boy. If he reached another district, the boy might explain the truth, and there was a few law abiding guards that the captain had no intention of disrupting. Besides, he thought, he could always take it out on the other boy.

            The thief knew that the other child was as good as dead. Somehow, as he bit into his apple, he pushed away the last feeling of remorse he’d ever feel. His youthful innocence had been slaughtered by age 9. He silently wondered if all cities did that to children, because Maddocks gate certainly does.

• Location: Center of Therra
• Sovereignty: Self Soveign City-State
• Feudal Lord: None, Ran by council
• Founder: Maddock, Captain of the Gaurd
• Year of Construction: 0 ATR
• Landmass 375 Sq. Miles
• City Rank- Size: 1
• City Rank- Crime: 5th
• City Rank- Poverty: 3rd

Statistics - Economy

• Monetary median: 1/10 Platnius (Platinum), 1 Aureus (Gold), 10 Denarius (Silver), 100 Rame (copper)
• Average income: 6g/year
• Exports: None
• Imports
• Revenue:

*

• • Toll: 45 million GP
  • Tax: 213 million GP
  • Trade Com: 200 million GP
• Spending:
  • Military: 324.3m (Gaurd force)
  • Cleanup/Repairs: 54m
  • Economic Aid: 13m
  • Prisons: 13m
• Reserve: 345m
• Debts: 133m

Statistics - Population and Trade

• Population: 2.2 million
• Racial breakdown: 42% Human, 6% Elven, 7% Dwarven, 14% half-humans, 4% Gobliniod, 3% Gnome, 4% Halfling, 20% Other (Includes nearly every race known to Therra)
• Major Trade Partners: The Three-Rivers, Waterdeep, Lutzön, Gry, Mithril Hall, Philane, Port 'o bounty, Chrace, Viyxxis, Ahneen
• Trade Restrictions: Port' O Bounty, by edict of the South, ignored for the most part

Politics

• Leaders: Elder Council, 8 members; Council, 254 member
• Guard force:
• Grand Captain: Logan Perria
  • Vice Captain: Gregory Perria
  • Vice Captain: Richmond Perria
    • League Captains:
    • Franklin Grundy
    • Jim Morreson
    • John Wright
    • Sir. Humphry
    • V.W. More
    • James Percival
    • John Dercon
    • Sean Taop
    • Redgar Truman
    • Paul Som

Guards are the only function of government that in fact function. Logan is the bloodline of the original captain, his sons are directly below him and the next to serve. League captains are in charge of a large piece of MG, roughly 5 square miles. Luitenents serve them, 50 of them, who are in charge of the Set Gaurds, which are usually around 200 in number. The Set Gaurd command basic gaurds, which are always 5 strong.

Facts

• The Maddocks Gate Guard (MGG) basically runs the city. They are both brutal and corrupt at the bottom, however very honest at the top.
• The Maddocks gate wall is considered to be the largest of its kind, encompassing nearly all of the 50 square mile area.
• Urbanis, the god of the Cities, is actually the overseer of MG. He is rumored to be Maddock himself.
• Mazic resides on top of the Gjindrick Spire. He is often cited as the most powerful mage in Therra
• If a bard exists and doesn't know of MG, he isn't a bard
• There are over 100 guilds within the walls of Therra, including the Shadow Thieves guild base.
• Flampinfen can be seen in the skies of MG once a month, as it is one of its stops.
• Drugs and slavery are illegal within the walls of MG, though are rarely punished
• The sewage system was created by grey elves, it is both complex and marvelous and nearly 30 sqaure miles.
• Within the sewage system exists an underground society, the only place gaurds will not enter. Needless to say it is a lawless scum ville.
• MG is grossly overpopulated and poor, property owners account for less than 10% of the population
• Kato Marimech runs his shop, New Horizons, in the hub of Maddock's Gate.

Guilds

• Magisters-of-Casus

• Bardic Council
• Stonemasons Guild
• Woodsmans Guild
• Maddocks Union
• Blacksmiths Guild
• Black Hand
• Anvils Union
• Streetcleaners Guild