Middle City

The Donjon is a walled fortification near the shore of Lake Bral where some offenders and malefactors against the crown are held. In addition to its role as an auxiliary barracks for the Royal Guard of Bral, the Donjon is where those judged too dangerous to serve sentences working the fields on the underside are imprisoned. The Warden of the Donjon is a plasmoid boss (see Boo’s Astral Menagerie) named Warden Ux.

One of the largest and busiest taverns in Bral is the Edge, an establishment that’s popular among space travelers visiting the Rock. A chatty, philosophical thri-kreen mystic (see Boo’s Astral Menagerie) named Vikka tends bar.

Known as the favored drinking hole of flamboyent space captains like Dirck of Wildspace, Pryessant, Elrohir Amroth, or even Lady Chaos herself (though she hasn’t been seen on Bral in quite a while).

Because of this, the Edge is the fasionable place on Bral for the wealthy to come slumming (dangerous, colorful characters in a clean building with good wine :) ). Con men, rogues, and professional duelists make their living here. It is perhaps the busiest tavern on Bral.

Elmandar, a retired elf adventurer, is Bral’s most accomplished astronomer. The star charts that he and his staff of cartographers create are highly sought after by navigators. These maps don’t come cheap, each one priced between 300 and 800 gold pieces, but the owner of an Elmandar map can bring it back to the shop at any time for an update at no charge.

Gaspar’s Reclamations specializes in recovering magic items, gems, and works of art on behalf of its clients. The firm makes a living by charging a modest “finder’s fee” for returning a lost item to its rightful owner. More important in the short term is the boost to its reputation that the business receives with every successful recovery.

The Great Market attracts the curious and the greedy of dozens of spheres; it is said that anything can be bought, or sold, in the Great Market of Bral.

A chaotic expanse of small vendors, street performers, beggars, orators, merchants, and customers of all descriptions, the Great Market is the hub of the Middle City. During business hours, throngs of people swarm the area, and pickpockets dart among them to ply their own trade.

Operating behind the facade of a small backstreet playhouse, the guild of thieves known as the Juggler's Folk doubles as an acting company that puts on bawdy and crass comedies to maintain their ruse. The Underbarons known as the Juggler operates out of the theater, occasionally performing before audiences unaware of her identity.

The Red Masks are a group of violent youngsters fighting for influence on the Rock. They frequently come into conflict with members of the Juggler’s Folk. Fronted by a modest tavern, the Red Masks Guildhouse is located within a series of linked cellars beneath the streets. The tavern has no sign that bears its name, though a placard hanging over the door depicts a thrashing bull rendered crudely in red paint.

Most of the tavern’s patrons don’t suspect the establishment’s true purpose. Those who are here on guild business need to be admitted to the Red Masks’ secret sanctum before they are permitted to speak freely with the group’s leaders.

A sturdy three-story tower, the Mages’ Guildhall is the headquarters and meeting place of the Mages' Guild of Bral. All arcane spellcasters in the city are entitled to join this loose federation, either as short-term guests or permanent, dues-paying members. The benefits of membership include access to hard-to-find spell components, the use of the guild’s research facilities, and the prospect of professional discourse with others of a similar mind.

A gaudily decorated building tucked away in a cluster of residences is a branch office of the Sindiath Line, a charter service that ferries passengers from Bral to destinations throughout Wildspace, including other Wildspace systems. The captains who work for the Sindiath Line are capable and dependable.

The Smith's Coster, one of the largest and most successful companies of Wildspace, owns and operates a fleet of dozens of tradesmen with a few warship escorts. Bral represents one of their largest markets, and there are rumors that the Coster will move its headquarters to the Rock in the near future. For now, between one and five Smith's Coster ships can be found in Bral at any time. Their several warehouses are constantly active.

The Smith's Coster specializes in weapons of all kinds, but particularly in advanced weaponry. They trade iron blades to savage races for valuable furs and crafts, crossbows to bronze cultures, and flintlocks to worlds without firearms. Few people question the morality of introducing killing technology in this fashion. The Coster's Senior Agent on Bral is Niesse Hurnoc. She is a competent leader and has significantly increased the Coster's business on the Rock in recent years.

The largest group of soldiers on the Rock, aside from the forces commanded by the prince, belongs to the mercenary company called Valkan's Legion. The organization maintains a building in the Middle City as a meeting place and mustering point for its members, who reside in their own homes when they’re not on active duty.

Led by the renowned Valkan Riogan, who heads up many of the legion’s larger operations personally, the company takes on missions on behalf of the crown as well as hiring out squads of soldiers to rich individuals who need protection or security on a temporary basis.

Owned by Meredin Sandyfoot, the Trading Company specializes in Textiles. It is also rumored to be the headquarters of the Halfling Guild which runs Middle City on The Rock of Bral.

The Hellenic offers private rooms for those wishing a more individual experience, or for meetings when one wishes to impress. These rooms run for 50 gold a night, and include wine, servents, and priavate baths.

The best bathhouse on Bral, and the one most renowned for both gossip and naughty fun is the Hellenic. The Hellenic is on Park Street, near the corner of Grand Street, facing the Festival Grounds (in the most fashionable and expensive section of the Middle City, very near the High city).

It’s in style much like the Roman baths, with seperate bathing facilities for men and women, but a central steam room which is set up coed. Towels are technically required, but ‘flashing’ is a common form of flirtation in the steam room. Admission is a platinum piece, which includes snacks, towels, and a locked storage bin for clothing. For an additional fee massages, hair dressing, and other services can be provided.

The men’s and ladies wings are identical in layout. Each contains a Caldarium (Hot Bath), Tepidarium (Warm Bath), Frigidarium (Cold Bath), and Natatio (Swimming Pool).

The Hellenic is owned by an elegant grand dame called Lysistrata, who built the place with funds from an unknown source. She seems to steer a middle course between Bral’s various factions, so that the Hellenic has a reputation as neutral ground. In case the reputation isn’t enough, she keeps a dozen armed guards and a spellcaster or two on staff.

The Rock has several neighborhoods that started as enclaves for immigrants who arrived in large groups. Since then, many of these neighborhoods came to overlap as they merged into the roiling expanse of the Low City, though the name and a bit of the character of each remains. Three of these neighborhoods took root in areas immediately adjacent to the docks:

The Burrows. This lively, friendly community of halflings stands ready to greet new arrivals to the Rock by offering fresh bread, cookies, flowers, charming gift baskets, and directions.

Dwarven District. Many dwarf crafters live in this Middle City district, and their handiwork is second to none. The Dwarven District of Bral is unlike the other barrios on the Rock, in that the streets are often crowded with non-dwarves moving among the smithies and weaponshops in search of the right sword or shield. The dwarves deal with most troublemakers themselves, rarely if ever calling on the Magistrate’s guard.

The dwarves within the district come from a wide variety of different spheres and worlds, and are more then willing to help other dwarves overwhelmed by the expanse of wildspace.

Gifftown. Many of Bral’s giff residents reside in or near Gifftown, gathering in taverns to swap stories of their accomplishments. Gunshots ring out from time to time as giff challenge one another to games of marksmanship.