A Guide to Zianna

Cities of Zianna

The kingdom of Zianna has two main types of cities. Old Zian cities (often called mainland cities), and Teltish cities (often called island cities).

Zian Walled Cities

Zian cities, as well as Deoran and Navirian cities, are all walled cities and usually they are circular (or as circular as possible given where they are built).

They are divided into three sections. The middle section is for the castle and the castle grounds, which tend to include gardens, training fields/barracks, and stables. The rest of the city is split by a dividing wall into the upper (wealthier) and lower (poorer) cities. Traditionally there is only one main road into the city, which has gates leading into the three different sections. 

Beyond the walls, there are often small settlements and farmlands. These lands are part of the city and fall under the same leadership. Soldiers from the city will patrol and protect these lands.

Zian cities are often built near water and therefore have ports. These cities rely heavily on trading to provide for their citizens.

The walled cities were designed to be easy to defend. They are evidence of a past when these cities were city-states, before they came together to form the three kingdoms. They also imply that there used to be quite a lot of warring between the cities.

Zian villages tend to be built in a similar shape, and sometimes include wooden or smaller stone walls to imitate the city style.

East Draulin (originally called Talidor) is an excellent example of an old Zian walled city. An earthquake once damaged part of the walls, which were cleared out of the way to create the large marketplace that connects the port, lower and upper cities. Because of this there is more mingling between the sections then there usually is in a Zian city. The Old Road mostly serves as a way to the palace grounds as opposed to the only route into the city.

There are two ways into the city, which is a little unusual. This is because there is a trading road that follows the coast. When East Draulin was built, it was decided that the road could flow right through the city and through the port. Before the walls fell, the trade road would not have entered the actual city. Now, it does pass through the marketplace—which is actually quite convenient during peaceful times! East Draulin's location along land and sea trading routes is why the city is so rich.

Zianna is a pretty unique Zian city. Because it was built tucked between the Cliffs of Loth, the Adymuss River, and the Bay, it does not have the typical circular shape. There are no villages or farmlands beyond Zianna's walls, because of the rocky desert.

The location is very easy to defend, but it relies almost entirely on trading because there are very few resources besides fishing. Luckily, it's location along the Adymuss river makes it easy to trade with other cities along the river such as Jak (lumber and mining), Adeno (farming), and Kitsa (freshwater fishing, farming and lumber). Zianna does own a handful of mines and marble from the Cliffs of Loth is one of their major exports.

Teltish Fortress Cities

Teltish cities all started out as large forts or fortresses. When the Teltans arrived, their first task was to set up a place to live that they could easily protect. West Draulin became the first of these fortresses. When it was safe enough to settle down, the city was built around the fort.

Teltish forts are built on the highest ground in the area. They are very large, and include the castle, barracks, important housing, churches, workshops, storerooms, gardens and stables. They are so large that if the city was ever attacked, the fortress could temporarily house all of the city's citizens.

Because Teltish cities don't have specific borders, they tend to be much bigger and wider spread than Zian cities. Their different style also speaks to the different circumstances in which they were built. While Zian cities were built for citizens to live in, Teltish cities started life as military posts before regular citizens started to live there.

On New Teltar, the three cities (West Draulin, Lothin and Vasel) each own about a third of the island. Lesser lords own villas or rule over little towns that are organized in a similar way, with a walled main house and grounds surrounded by farmlands and houses.

West Draulin is a perfect example of a Teltish fortress city, because it is the original one. Vasel and Lothin are similar but do not have ports. Pagea (on the Greater Pitten Island) is also very similar to West Draulin.

Co, a Teltish-Crelan City

Co, on Crele Island, is an odd city. Crele is covered in fishing villages, but Co was the largest and therefore when the Teltans took the island they established it as the capital city. 

Crelan villages are mostly made of wood, and are often built so close to the water that some of the village sits on docks and stilts as opposed to on land. Sometimes boats that are too damaged to continue sailing are pulled up on land or permanently built into this systems of docks to become houseboats. The villages grow and change shape frequently as people continue to build as needed. There aren't clear divides between richer or poorer people, although most of the villages have a larger house set apart where a leader lives.

When Teltans claimed the island, a large section of Co was demolished in order to build a Teltish fort. The fort is smaller than other Teltish cities, and mostly just contains the castle, barracks, a church and some housing. It does not have the gardens, grounds or space to accommodate the citizens in case of attack.