Quadropoli

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Nathan
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Quadropoli

Post by Nathan »

[quote]The capital city of Quadropoli is situated on the east and west banks of the Merveille River, which cleaves the country in two. All four Houselands meet at Quadropoli and own the city equally and passage between the quarters is open to all Merveillais, although residents generally remain in their respective House's quarter. The city is primarily designed by architects from House Amours and financed by the overflowing coffers of the Rubis, resulting in a truly splendid city.

Amours' Quarter - located in the southwest quadrant. Contains centers for culture such as the Artists' Guildhall, the Quadropoli Symphony and Opera Hall, Merveilles Museum of Art, and the Library of Wonders. The Quarter is also filled with coffee shops, street cafes, street performers, minor concert venues and playhouses that are placed almost haphazardly on the winding and narrow streets encouraging exploratory strolls that yield something new each day. The river has been diverted through this quadrant to create picturesque canals with quaint bridges at regular intervals. There are two straight, wide boulevards in the quadrant that runs east to west from the Sovereign's Spire to the Amours City Gate, and the second, Diamond Boulevard, runs north to south connecting the Matraques' and the Dagues' quarters. The Lord of Amours also keeps a villa along the riverfront.

The Matraques' Quarter - located in the south east quadrant. Compared to the narrow and winding charm of the Amours Quarter, the Matraques' Quarter is built on a strict grid plan with only one deviation: the diagonal Diamond Boulevard linking the Amours and Rubis quarters. It contains defensive organizations such as the Merveilles Military Academy, City Security Administration Building, the Armory, and the Society for Advanced Wonderful Weaponry. The architecture here is consistent with the rest of the city, but at the request of the Matraques has been greatly simplified. No structure goes higher than three stories for practical defensible reasons and there are very few windows except where necessary for natural illumination. The Lord of the Matraques keeps a manor here deep within a residential block.

Rubis' Quarter - located in the north east quadrant. The Rubis allowed the Amours to design their quadrant as elegantly as their own quadrant, thus the two look similar. Thanks to more private wealth and contributions, the architecture in this quadrant is even more ornate than the Amours' quadrant, almost to the point of being gaudy in some purists in the Artists' Guildhall. The streets are on a less strict grid pattern than the Matraques, but retain some winding and narrow streets at the Amours' insistence. It contains the economic centers of the city including the Bank of Merveilles, Market Square, Union of Crafthalls Headquarters, and the Museum of Natural History. The Lord of Rubis keeps a mansion on the gentle hills in the north of the city that overlook the other quadrants.

The Dagues' Quarter - located in the north west quadrant. Contains the administrative offices such as City Hall, Mayor's Office, Society for Clandestine Wonders, and the Archive of the Tetrarchy. The quadrant contains the winding and narrow streets that the Amour architects are so fond of however the traditional architecture of the Dagues was incorporated to create a hybrid style that balances the Houses' style with the uniform style of the overall city. The narrow streets are covered by the slanting facades and awnings that the Dagues prefer, creating a very shadowy and dark quadrant. The Lord of Dagues keeps several apartment complexes in the quadrant and stays at each one on a seemingly random schedule.

At the very center of the four quadrants is an island in the middle of the Merveille River. The Sovereign's Spire is built on this island, which belongs to no House. The upper levels belong to the Sovereign allowing the Sovereign to be in clear sight of the entire city, following the history of mistrust among the Houses. The ground floor contains the Chamber of the Congress which has four gates allowing direct and equal access to each quadrant.

The island is accessed by four bridges, each originating in one of the quadrants. Many other minor bridges span the Merveille River but the two major bridges are part of Diamond Boulevard, which runs through each quadrant. The Diamond Point Bridge in the north and the Diamond View Bridge in the south.

Image
A view of the Amoursgate, showing the Amoursland countryside and Amours' Quarter.
The ghost of Nathan Waffel-Paine

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