Description of West

One of the oldest cities on the isle of Lycos. West has been a human settlement for
many years, pre-dating the foundation of the Kedane Kingdom. Over the course of the
last thousand years, the city has served as the capital of the kingdom as well as being
sacked by raiding goblin armies.

The city is nestled at the end of a naturally protected bay and is gifted with a deep
harbor. One of the few rivers on the island flows into the bay through the city.

The city is walled, although the population has exceeded the confines of the walls
quite a while ago. There are seven sections to the city, some completely outside the
walls. The sections are government, crafts, foreign, old merchant, trades, school,
and south. The crafts, foreign, trades and south sections exist outside of the city
walls. The population of West is between 17,000 and 24,000. In the past, the
population has been over 30,000.

There are five major routes of trade that led into or from West. The southern road
carries manufactured goods south and foodstuffs into the city. The Red River carries
ore to the city and supplies upriver for the mines. The northern road leads to the
town of Corn and surrounding villages. Foodstuffs travel into the city and
processed goods flow north. The coast road leads to the town of Cod and other
coastal villages. Foodstuffs flow into the city and goods flow from the city.

The harbor holds ships from many locations. Several of the towns in the island chain
of Hydyr to the east as well as the Dwarven kingdoms Katakar and Matakar. Ships from
the Kingdom of Kedane can be found here as well. On rare occasions, a ship from the
far east land of Contopia will make port or an Elven ship will be in port. These
events are rare.

The lands around West are very fertile. This has led to excellent farming around the
city. The city receives mineral resources from the mines up the Red River as well as
from Kedane and the Hydyr cities. The major export is foodstuffs and leathergoods.

The city has been the home to the Phinca School for several hundred years. The school
specializes in enchantment magic although most other types of magic can also be studied
there.

The city is ruled by Prince Fabion. The prince is selected to rule the city by a vote
of the magistrates. Each section of the city has a magistrate, sort of like a mayor.
The magistrates are responsible for all of the activites in their section of the city,
this includes collecting taxes and supporting the court system. Prince Fabion has
been the ruler of the city for the past 23 years. His father was the Prince before
Fabion was elected. It is unusual for a son to succeed the father in the
princeship.

The city is well patroled and the citizens feel safe in all sections except the south.
The city gates are closed at dusk and then open in the morning. The roads are patroled
frequently. The city is divided into two distinct classes, citizens and non-citizens.
Citizens have the right to own property and they can represent themselves in court. A
citizen must sponsor someone in order for them to become a citizen.