White Willows pt12

Outside the City

The city cannot be contained by its mighty stone walls. Spilling out from the fortification are small encampments and gardens along the hills that lead up to the city

The Terrace Gardens

All along the hills surrounding White Willows are numerous terraces. Built originally for defense many of these small plots of land have been converted into gardens and are leased by the citizens within the cities walls and serve as an additional source of income and a respite from the city. The City Guard still ‘own’ the land and have the legal right to take over a garden at any time. A system of pumps and fountains runs water down from the wells in the city to the gardens.

Gate Town

Just outside the city’s south gate is a collection of shacks, lean-tos, and hovels popular with hermits, the extremely poor, and penny pinching adventures. The Town Guard makes occasional sweeps of Gate Town, each time tearing it to the ground but a few nights later the hovels are back. The semi- permanent nature of the town and the guard sweeps keep it relatively safe from large scale organized crime but it is plagued by petty theft.

The Gates

The City of White Willows has two large gates, one south facing and one north facing called quite plainly, North Gate and South Gate. The city guard keeps a patrol on each gate at all times. The guards never open the gates at night. Thanks to a legal loophole in the canton charter they can charge anyone a tax to enter the city but will rarely do so if the person is a local or poor. Foreign merchants and adventures however are more than fair game.

The Walls

Made of large stacked basalt blocks made smooth from both handiwork and erosion these 15ft tall walls are the primary defense of White Willows. The city guard makes the occasional patrol of the wall but sticks mostly to their guard towers in the city. While hard to climb there are a few foot holds and hidden loose stones, the locations of which are secreted but to a select few ne’er- do-wells

Town Center

Centered on the Tomb of the Ancestors, Willow Plaza, and The Immaculate Palace the town center is the heart of the city of White Willows.

Tomb of the Town Gods

This squat black stone building is unadorned except for some large black columns and a central bellower. Inside its polished stone halls are numerous sealed crypts, each dedicated to previous rulers and great citizens of White Willows, all of which are elevated to local deity status and referred to collectively as the Town Gods. Most people pay little heed to their minor ancestor gods here and mostly go through the motions of respect such as bowing their head when passing the building. Every resident of the city is expected to spend one day a year helping clean and maintain the tomb, but most just end up paying some indigent off the street to polish the stones.

Willow Plaza

Arranged in a circle around the Tomb of the Town Gods this large circular public space is dominated by 13 large white willow trees arranged in a circle from which the city and canton get their name. The trees are said to be planted on the junction of major ley lines and where already in place before the city was built. The parameter of this open space is kept lit with white ever burring torches and people, both good and bad rich and poor, can be found here day and night.

Bell Tower

This 60ft tall stone tower has a system of advanced pneumatic bells driven by large bells. It rings at dawn, noon, and sundown. It will also ring on special occasions. An advanced system of punch cards can be programs to play songs with the bells but no one is quite sure how it works.

The Immaculate Palace

This large building is the home of the Lord Viscount Alva, the current rule of White Willows. Once a fortress the palaces massive granite was are covered in a thick veneer of marble. Two large iron golems, posing as statues, guard the entrance. Weapons are banned in the palace and all spell casters must have null bands on at all times. Much of the palace is unused by the Lord Viscount, or has been given over to various administrative offices of the government. Long gone are the days of dandies and sycophants, the Lord Viscount has ordered whole building along with the grounds are to be kept quiet at all times. Ever since the death of his wife and child only a skeleton crew maintains the palace.