July 2nd is hot and muggy, until a late morning thunderstorm cools things off and drenches you thoroughly. At mid morning you leave the woods again and enter a farming area. You are starting to learn that this usually means an urban area lies ahead. Sure enough, late in the afternoon, you approach the city of Arble.
Arble is one of the larger cities that you have ever seen (pop. 60,000), and the largest in the Empire. It is also the commercial and industrial centre of Saltar, and the fief of Clarvis, now Emperor Clarvis. It straddles the Big Gator River.
As you approach the city you see that many of the fields immediately surrounding it have been turned over into military camps. There must be literally tens of thousands of troops encamped here, and they are hives of activity.
As you approach the western gate of the walled city several guards come out to meet you.
"Where are you from? Where are you bound?" a sergeant asks brusquely.
Galil defers to the other members of the party and observes the hive of activity around her with a barely perceptible amount of unease.
"Most recently from Tybol. We are headed towards Atlantia."
"Reason?"
Kadlian blinks. "To see the capital city."
"And where are you from originally? There's no elfs in Tybol."
"I am originally from Aldacan, Sergeant."
"Pay your silver piece toll and move on."
Kadlian hands him a silver piece and moves his group along.
"Originally from Dorian, Sergeant." Galil says as her turn comes to pay the toll. She pays the required silver piece.
He ignores her. A soldier takes her money, though.
Kailar pays his silver piece and moves along.
Rage tosses a gold coin to pay for her, Malvis, and anyone else who might need to have their fee paid.
Malvis nods silently to Rage in appreciation, wondering what a flick of the wrist had to do with the 'Invisibility' spell.
You move into the city.
Arble is a large city, as mentioned before. Most of the people you see, though, are human. You see tanned Saltarians, slender and delicate in their flowing robes, muscular warriors from the Small Kingdoms and the barbarian lands to the north, as well as swart-skinned traders from the Southern Islands of the Caribbean. The main thoroughfare is crowded, the stree lined with all manner of shops and businesses. You see healers, carpentry shops, tanneries, stone masons, abbotiors, weavers, armourers, jewelers, paper makers, swordsmiths, wineries and more.
At last you enter a large square where several important roads run off to the north and south along the Big Gator River. The river delineates the eastern side of the square, and a wall runs along it. It is pierced where the Imperial Road runs through a large gate, then over a great stone bridge to the east bank of the river, where the other half of Arble lies.
You pass through the gate and over the bridge. Like the street behind you, it too is lined with buildings and shops.
Reaching the other side of the river you pass through another fortified gate in a wall and enter another square. This one is even larger, its perimeter lined with temples and a large palace: Clarvis' before his ascent to the Imperial throne. You see temples devoted to Athena, Forseti, Heimdall, Ahto, Mielikki, Demeter, Prometheus, Odin, Idun, Nike, Frigga, Untamo, Dionysus, Hecate, Hel and Surma. Note that some of these gods you have never heard of before.
In this square is also an enormous market. You see stalls filled with goods from all corners of Amrica, and perhaps even beyond. You see fine cloth and strange foods from the Caribbean, iron and metal goods from Kludar, crafts from elven lands far to the north, wooden furniture from Steckdar. The elves are surprised to identify crafted items from their own homes in Aldacan and Dorian; and Niko spots furs that can only be from the far away lands of Anchorage...perhaps brought down the west coast from there in his own, now sunken, ship.
It is late afternoon.
Niko whistles a ditty and sighs. "Ah...brings back memories those furs do...I remember my first trip up to Anchorage...I was just a young lad those days...we fought through pirates, ice storms and white dragons to pick up those furs...one of our easier runs! Ah, those were the days!"
Kadlian turns to the others. "Do you want to stay the night and re-provision or keep moving on?"
Time passes.
Getting no response, Kadlian says, "Right. We keep moving."
Pausing to read the signpost in the middle of the square -
The Imperial Road: East: To Ivor, Jarl and Atlantia.
West: To Barfingham, Vandrake and Mobile.
South: To Castle Rouge and Jacksonville.
- you continue for Atlantia.
You stay that night in another coach house inn some miles outside of Arble (10sp).