Bralizzar was a caravanserai nestled within the Dustwall Mountains south of the Raurin. The town began as a way-station serving caravans headed north towards cities along the river Athis, such as Pazar, Terbakar, and Phoenix. The town was greatly reduced in size after the river Athis dried up because of Amun-Re's curse, only gaining a modest resurgence due to the Sandvoyagers Guild.[1]
Description[]
Bralizzar was dominated by two streets: its main boulevard ran east to west, between the Temple of Anu and an administrative building publicly known as the Raj. In the middle of the main boulevard, a street sprang south; the bazaar was mostly in that street. A number of buildings were of special note.[2]
Geographical Features[]
Bralizzar controlled Northknife Pass to the north. Caravans headed for Durpar from the Raurin, or the other way around, would almost certainly have to come through Bralizzar. Northknife Pass was seasonally open, closing during winter and opening back during the spring.[1]
Government[]
The Hetmann's word was law in the town, and though the lancers and airlancers were not nominally under his control, they would defer to him in all situations.[3]
Defenses[]
The local lawkeepers were known as the airlancers, pegasus-riding warriors who sometimes wielded magical weapons.[3] Guardposts were established on the northern and southern passes. Visitors were expected to show their bona fides to travel in and out of the city; copper medallions were issued to visitors that came through the southern path. There was also a group of lancers, who lacked pegasi.[1]
History[]
Originally a Raurindi town, Bralizzar's Raurindi were displaced and assimilated by Durpari merchants. The Durpari of Bralizzar worshiped a god they called Anu instead of following the precepts of the Adama, but they were no less mercantile than the others. Anu's worship required them to neither worship nor revere any other gods, and thus many of the original Raurindi houses of worship were appropriated for other uses. Only the boulevard retained its beauty, lined with the homes of the wealthy and the powerful in the town.[1]
Notable Locations[]
The Main Boulevard[]
The main boulevard in town was 60 feet (18 meters) wide, with 12 feet (3.7 meters) wide sidewalks. Along the sides were several residences with decorative brickwork walls keeping all but the tops of trees and the sound of fountains from reaching the boulevard. A southern road springing from the center of the street's length led to the bazaar. [4]
The Bazaar[]
The bazaar occupied most of a street perpendicular to the main boulevard, at whose intersection, opposite the bazaar, the Inn of the Golden Palm stood. There were a number of shops around the street and in the surrounding alleyways, including the House of Mirth, an inn on the eastern side. In the alleys west of the Bazaar lay a third inn, The Swayback Camel. The proprietors were sometimes willing to share gossip.[2]
As of the mid-14th century DR, some of those traders were a seller of harnesses named Abu Bahar, a cloth seller named Adyat al Hayat, a seller of tents called Kurhur, a seller of dried meats named Pasdophilas, a seller of nuts and dates named El Nahud, a grain trader named Ban Fuka, a trinket dealer named Mitan, a rug seller named Torud, a statue dealer named Archimemlos, a trader of horse trappings named Wau el Kebir, a silversmith called Hochart Vestman, a gem dealer called Que Nhon, a blacksmith named Joachim Mullerschmidt, a camel trader named Qatrun Medrusa, and a horse trader named Aujilla.[4]
Temple of Anu[]
A three-tiered ziggurat of reddish yellow stone, the temple was tipped with a dome. There was a single flight of stairs rising to the upper circle and its only altar; dragons were carved into each step of the pyramid. The original consecration of the temple was unknown; now it was dedicated to Anu. Some throwback cultists still performed rites in it, mostly at night.[5]
House of Aman Al-Raqib[]
Aman Al-Raqib lived in a two-story house with round windows and a conical roof. A 14-foot wall surrounded the garden, broken by an onion-shaped wrought iron gate.[5]
The Raj[]
A four-floor structure of white marble, with its corners capped with minarets and onion-shaped domes. Wide stone stairs spiraled up to a central porch from the sidewalks flanking the boulevard. Cast bronze doors were bordered by intrincate carvings in an ancient alphabet. The windows were covered by intrincately carved stone screens.
Alham Pasha Burak, the Hetmann, lived on the fourth floor, and had his offices in the first, where the entrance lay. The Sandvoyagers' Guild worked out of the ground floor, and the Durpari lancers garrisoned in the third floor. The garrison consisted of 15 lancers and 15 airlancers. There were never more than 20 in town, the rest working to keep the peace, and there were always two on the front desk. Captain Ashuk Masani preferred to survey the town from the porsch on the front.[4]
Inhabitants[]
- Alham Pasha Burak
- Tasha Lal
- Muhti Pashtral
- Ashuk Masani
- Aman Al-Raqib
- Tekuna Chand
- Fuigarm
- Al Jilida
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
- Adventures
- Desert of Desolation
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter Rice, William John Wheeler (May 1987). Desert of Desolation. (TSR, Inc.), p. 12. ISBN 978-0880383974.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter Rice, William John Wheeler (May 1987). Desert of Desolation. (TSR, Inc.), p. 17. ISBN 978-0880383974.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter Rice, William John Wheeler (May 1987). Desert of Desolation. (TSR, Inc.), p. 15. ISBN 978-0880383974.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter Rice, William John Wheeler (May 1987). Desert of Desolation. (TSR, Inc.), p. 18. ISBN 978-0880383974.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter Rice, William John Wheeler (May 1987). Desert of Desolation. (TSR, Inc.), p. 16. ISBN 978-0880383974.