City Image - Celedor by the River

Celedor by the River is a city of brick and river stone. The same famous brown bricks and dark brown earthen stones that built up Celedor of the Hill's famous walls are ever present here. Except for a few dockside shacks, every building here is made of the sturdy stuff. The high-pitched roofs, covered in the reddish brown native slate, help fend off the winter's thick snows and spring's heavy and unpredictable rains. Every home has at least one cosy hearth with an extended chimneys. Enclosed entryways and overhangs help to protect the warmth of the house and those entering and exiting from the extremes of weather found here.

Glass is ever present here. The city was built after the glassworks was built by the large brick works up the Rodean River (a good stonesthrow up the river, nearly halfway to Celedor of the Hill). Every house, even the most modest, has windows. Small windows dot the buildings letting in light. Most open, so summer breezes can help cool the sweltering and humid summer heat.

'No street is straight in Celedor by the River' is a quip as much about the actual streets as it is about the honesty of its officials. The cobblestone streets either parallel either river or follow the contours of the many low hills that funnel the two rivers together. The buildings are uniformly square or double wide (two squares together) and face the nearest street squarely. The property lines are just as 'wavy' and usually marked by low cobblestone walls. These walls often have moss lines showing where the most recent floods reached up to. Most of the spare space in the property are filled with well maintained gardens and small statuary. Businesses always have odd alleys between them. It is quite difficult to navigate the streets if you are not familiar with them. They bend and curve and there are no signs anywhere.

Bridges

There are five bridges in the City. Three cross the Mighty Blue Arrow. Two are north of the junction, one to the south. These were built after the destruction of the original two after the Pylarthian War. The three identical brown spans are made up of eight arches bridging the river. The size of the arches is dictated by the Prince, who uses it to determine the proper size of each river flat moving up and down the river (thus the freight tax is based on size of load, one raft for one tax token. The Middlemost Bridge has the name of the Trade Bridge, as it links to Grand Ave and most traders move good across the river on this one. Twenty large docks made of stone and wood, and dozens of tie offs are spread between the three bridges on the eastern side. There are a few tie offs on the western side, but those are reserved for city craft not trade.

The other two bridges, the incredibly wide 'Closer' and the more conventional 'Farther', link the two sides of the Rodean River coming down from the north east to merge with the fast running Blue Arrow. Closer Bridge links Grand Avenue Norte and Surte. This wide boulevard has trees and wondrous plants in the center and wide boardwalks on either side. The Doshin road (no longer just being a caravan trade route) begins at the south end of Grand Ave.

The Districts

The hilly Norte district (east of Blue Arrow, north of Rodean) is filled with fine homes of the Elites with their large sided lots. These are fine older homes, many smaller than one would expect. While wealthy, some do show their age.

The Surte district (east of Blue Arrow, south of Rodean) has the beautiful temple district as well as the Forum Hall - a greek styled theatre with 'stadium seating' enclosed in a hall, with huge glass panes set in the roof to let in the light. There are many inns and places of entertainment here as well, as travellers passing through usually first enter here. There is a Mound Field on the current south eastern outskirts of the district.

The Oeste district is all west of the Blue Arrow. Closest to the river, traders trade, workmen work, crafters craft, and the noise proves it. The Salles, the Elite Swordsmen schools (see Battle Sashes) are found here as well. A ways from the river, those that profit from the trade as well as those who can wish homes in the Celedor district but are not blue blooded enough to have a ancestral home in Celedor on the Hill or the Norte District live here. Farther out, the city begins to sprawl outward with new buildings.

The famous Towers of Celedor

All around Celedor by the River there is no wall, only Post Towers. These two story defensive posts are built on the 'outskirts' of the city at the time, often along main routes and choke points. They look like small castle rooks, or end towers: with arrow slits, crenulated tops, and stout doors. When manned, they are manned by two to four warriors. One can measure the growth of the city by seeing where the lines of Post Towers are. There are Post Towers dotting the river, especially since the river campaign that destroyed the twin bridges. There are many towers in the Northern area of the city, facing the Pythorian threat. Currently there are a few on the westernmost section of Oeste, a large line of them demarking the line of between the 'new buildings' New Oeste and the houses of the Old Oeste (those of the wealthy). There is a full line around the Norte section and much new growth along the current edges Surte, especially towards Grand Ave. Given the history of marching armies in the area, they do not disassemble the inner ones to make new outer ones like other cities do. They know the battle can be anywhere in the city or riverfront.