Cinneraque

Organization and Layout
Cinneraque is divided into two sections by Tanko (the Blood River), and is the last city on the navigable segment of the river before it gets choked and silted by the desert to the north.

To the north of Tanko is the capitol complex, a sprawling set of government buildings and battlements arrayed in concentric squares. At their center is the Palace of the God-King, a 30-story Ziggurat that is forbidden to anyone but Bouros and his servants. Outside of the central complex are an array of ancilliary service buildings and high end dwellings.

To the South of Tanko is the sprawling heart of Cinneraque, located fully 300 feet above the plain upon which the capitol complex sits. A wide, ramped road is dug out of the cliff face and acts as the primary highway between the city and the Capitol. Though a person's house may only be over the river from the Capitol, he or she may nevertheless live ten miles away by foot.

At the point where the capitol highway reaches the top of the mesa is a busy plaza with trade booths set up along its edges, and a massive colliseum at its end. Vicious animals are brought from all over the world to fight each other there, and chariot races are held yearly. Gladiatorial combat is held yearly as well, and vivid operas are sometimes conducted. The colliseum is cleverly designed such that the action at the center can be heard clearly from the cheapest seats.

The Colliseum, Highway, and trade district are protected by a high wall, with numerous gates to allow for traffic. The area is heavily patrolled and regulated. Crime is rare, and punishment for even minor infractions is severe.

Radiating out from the gates are the slums. They go on for a mile or more in every direction, and are primarily populated by refugees, panhandlers, swindlers, ne'er-do-wells, and other miscreants. There are a scattering of honest businesses, but these are all subject to rampant thievery, intimidation by gangs, and simple wanton destruction. Small segments of this region know a twisted form of stability thanks to organized crime protection, but none of these regions encompasses more than a few hundred yards in any given direction.

Further out, where space is less of a premium, one can find hostels, small farms and gardens, or an occasional tradesman's shop. The land then gives way to hardscrabble farms and ranches, before giving way entirely to arid pseudo-desert, all within the space of about 40 miles.