Harland

There has been a city on this site for centuries. Cultures/ societies have come and gone, but the city site remains as it is a crossroads. Those gone by have left their marks upon the city. The city has grown and fallen numerous times. The last time, it was nearly destroyed, yet a few pieces remain.

The Empire of the East had taken this city as its farthest border. The Lands of the West, waging war, took this city and a few farther East, enhancing their own borders. The wars were brutal and left little of the cities and very few people.

Harland is all that remains of the city before, other than the remaining pieces of the defensive wall. The survivors of the sacking of the city a generation or two ago took to this area, and their descendents are still here. The neighborhood is not marked by walls, but by a change from the Western style buildings. The buildings here are square and flat roofed. They are of the local tannish stone without plaster. The streets are crushed pavestones and quite crooked. If the streets and neighborhood were just stone, this neighborhood would be quite boring and colorless. As it is, the neighborhood is filled with color and sound.

Those of Harland (the name of the city before the sacking), protect themselves from the hot sun with brightly colored awnings and similarly colored billowing curtains. The flat roofs support tents and other awning. Those street side awning protect those hawking their family's craftwares. Since the language of Harland is the Musical sounding Qua'tan language, vendors hawking their wares sound like singers in an opera to the others int he city. The general babble in the street adds to the chorus. (The people of Harland are gregarious and loud among their family and their own kind). Women in house courtyards and roofs actually sing while doing their chores. This all adds to a festival like atmosphere to the dour neighbors in the city. Since the cooking of spiced meats and rices is a common family craft under those street awnings, it even smells like a festival here.