Second Ring

Delvier Quarter:
A mostly residential district of tenements owned by House Delvier. This is the location of the Bloodhound Tavern, a popular hang-out for clawfoot jockeys, supporters of the The Blue Team from the Droma (Captain: Durak 'Marsh Fox' Fogbeard and Champion: Feather Egg), and infamously the entrance to an underground bloodsport arena.

As Gandrahimm grew it absorbed the lands of more than a few barons; the Delvier's estate on the river that bears their name was one of those. Their ancestral lands have made them wealthy, and they are now landlords to a thousand tenements and a hundred shops, taverns, and inns... including the infamous Bloodhound Tavern

Bloodhound Tavern
A popular hang-out for clawfoot jockeys, supporters of the Gandra Goats ulama team, and infamously the entrance to an underground bloodsport arena (The Blood Pits under the Ruby Palace in the First Ring).

Drue and Drow mortuary
A dark wooded building with several smoke stacks out of the top. Welcomed by the two owners of the establishment. Drew (Duergar) and Dre (Drow)

'Goyle Spires:
Ostensibly a district of worship, it's skyline pierced by dozens of temple steeples and bell towers. Nearly every deity has a representative temple here, and ground traffic is so heavy that the major cross-streets are blocked to prevent passage for horses or carts.

Gargoyles perch on nearly every available surface among the towers, and change their location nightly. There has yet to be a credible witness to confirm the mechanism for this movement.

The Jade Pathway
A small district squeezed between the middle class and seedier parts of the city, a series of two parallel cracked cobblestone streets lined with jade statues of intricately carved animals. Small offerings are often left at statue's feet in hopes of good favor or a twist of luck. Small shops are clustered together along the street creating a menagerie of tea shops,fortune tellers,herbalists, produce, and fabric shops. The cramped alleyways in between are rumored to provide cover for ne'er-do-wells to conduct some small business. Fragrant smells of spices fill the air as mobile food carts are pulled by vendors loudly hawking exotic delicacies claimed to be handed down family recipes. At night the district is dimly lit by hanging paper lanterns attached to thick metal cables strung between the buildings and sparse trees, which are used to deliver covert messages if the signs are known. Most of the shop owners live with their families in small apartments built above their shop. During the evening the Jade Pathway comes alive, with hidden opium dens and gambling houses constructed underneath the quaint buildings above. With the right connections, other services may be performed at exclusive brothels unknown to most. The district is controlled by The Silk Layers.

Lighthouse-Temple of Our Lady:
An enormous, sloping v-shaped building, like two ramps meeting in a central lighthouse. Its shape shelters a large open square built around a central fountain that is the site of taverns, hostels, and stores, generally to appeal to sailors docking at one of Gandrahimm's ports.

At the top of the lighthouse is a miraculous radiant orb, called the Boon of Our Lady which is said to have been created when a faithful sailor begged for a sign of the coast on a foggy night. The Boon of Nira predates the lighthouse which was built around it.

Triton Aquarium
Different sea creatures and shows

Merfolk, saughuin, tortle

The Artisan's District
Old and modern stylistic buildings collide in a hodgepodge of twisting streets curving staircases and a Central market. Smells emanate from several stalls and lesser craftsmen's booths. Some older and more storied buildings house artisan's guilds that have been around for time Immemorial.

In the center of the district is a merchants guild where the din of coins and fat purses can be heard along with bellows of negotiation adrift on the winds.

Shadowy figures can be seen in some of the older parks and alleyways.

The faint clash of hammers and churning of millstones can be heard in the distance if you listen carefully.

If you wander too far in the dark alleys be warned, the guards tend to turn their backs presumably having been paid off from shady merchants dealing in dark corners.

Past all that on a lonely hill beyond the hubbub of the streets can be found Tanner's hill where the smell of curing hides and strange chemicals linger together.

The Brugg
The Brugg (pron: bruhj), was founded nearly 300 years ago by Sir Lester Gilleus von Brugg, to be a center of wealth and prosperity in the City of Gandrahimm!

Unfortunately, Lester caught a bad case of Bloodthroat, and passed away mere weeks after the opening of "Bank von Brugg".

Development of the district continued, under the supervision of his son, Madeus Feldo von Brugg II. Unlike his father, Madeus was wrathful and petty. He was cruel to the laborers building his father's vision; and before long, they went on strike.

The district was never totally finished, though the bank, exchange, and market square were completed. Today, it is dingy and dusty, mostly populated by criminals and vagrants. A popular spot for the city's guards to meet their quotas.

Though most agree that the von Brugg line ended with Madeus (as he was an insufferable cur), some say the ghost of Lester von Brugg wanders the streets, his vision incomplete.

Can find the House of Iskander here. As well as its most popular haunt, the Sanguine Dream.

A barony which was subsumed into Gandrahimm during the city's early days. It is one of the smallest noble families in the city, all eight members embraced vampirism in the year 238. For centuries they have ensured that the city's ordinances permit the residency of lycanthropes, faeries, and the undead. as long as they refrain from eating sentient creatures.

Sanguine Dream
The main haunt of House Iskander and other undead, lycan, and vampiric peoples.

The Droma:
The Droma is arguably one of the greatest arenas in the known world. It was an ambitious project even in its infancy, but as the centuries passed and more talented minds of craft and magic came to Gandrahimm it only grew in its size and complexity. What started as a generous track for chariot races has now become an epic dome of near mythical feats. Contests of all kinds are hosted here day and night to the elated cries of tens of thousands, and both blood and gold flow through it like a river. The Droma became so big and so renowned that the entire district was named after it for the sake of simplicity.

The Droma hosts a daunting array of contests that include, but are not limited to: Chariot/Beast Racing, Jousting, Archery, Wrestling, Beast Fights, Sporting Events, Bloodsport, and Contests of Skill. By far the most popular events are the gladiatorial fights and racing events for their high energy and high mortality rates. The Droma is large enough to host pitched battles between two small armies of 500 men each, and can even be flooded to stage sea battles and other aquatic themed challenges. One of the more recent events that has taken the city by storm is the Labyrinth, where the very floor of the Droma rises into an ever-shifting maze that contestants are forced to explore at their own peril.

While the action of the Droma is more than enough to bring in the crowds, the true genius of its design lies in its Teams. There are four established Teams within the Droma, and they constantly compete among themselves for dominance in every contest. And the people of Gandrahimm have latched on to this, bringing the rivalry and drama of the Droma into their everyday lives. This has lead to countless tavern brawls throughout the city, and on rare occasions city-wide riots when a particularly thrilling contest occurs between two rival Teams.

The High Brow
Less a packed, official district of Gandrahimm, and more row of streets, student homes and colleges that form a ring around the centre of the city, the High Brow is home to many an intellectual, arcanist, alchemist or student who cannot afford the nobler homes in the wealthier city districts. The High Brow is always bustling with students of the various colleges, as well as many a cheap food stand, carriage stops and cheap, but comfortable taverns.

Connected to the Imperial College of the Arcane Arts:

Mindweave's Mindbending Magicarium
An exhibition hall, research library, and co-working space for strange magical tinkering and experimentation run by the expansive gnomish family known as the Mindweave Clan. The Mindweaves seek to better understand the mechanics of the Weave and how it interacts with the Prime Material Plane. Using this knowledge they plan to institute themselves (gnomes) as the dominant race in the multiverse. Working closely with the Shimmershine Family to covertly fund research that further this goal, the Mindweaves have set themselves up as the defacto place to go for arcanists looking for obscure magical knowledge.

The matriarch of the Mindweave Clan, Vivian "Mama" Mindweave, and the Mindweave Clan has a whole harbor a secret that they keep from all outside of the Clan. When members of the clan reach adulthood they either begin administrative work in the Magicarium or they are "sent away" to do magical research in the lands far from Gandrahimm. The gnomes who are "sent away" do not in fact leave the city, instead they descend beneath the Magicarium into a blocked off and disused section of the sewers.

The New Docks
A century ago, a coven of powerful witches wielding Move Earth bought a barren patch of muddy shoreline next to the docks. They build a bigger, better, more efficient set of docks. Merchants flocked to the New Docks because it was cheaper, faster, easier, and safer to do business there. The witches and their ancestors now rule over this district as powerful and wealthy maritime leaders.

They do not fear Duke Brackron, the owner of the aging and rotting docks that used to serve Gandrahimm. The witches have powerful allies among the merchant class now. Surely the displaced aristocracy wouldn't do anything rash to upset the new order?

The Docks:
The smell of this district is pretty potent. The smells of fish, salt, shit, and vomit create a bizarre melange that is actually not so bad once you get used to it. The Docks are Gandrahimm's center for maritime industry and trade. Sea bound traders come and go every day; their ships reminiscent of stately swans gliding in and out of the harbor. Smaller fishing craft crowd the waters in the mornings and evenings as they leave to and return from their daily fishing.

On the streets surrounding the harbor, fishmongers loudly (and aggressively) peddle their products. Sailors from the merchant vessels roam in packs; out looking for a good time in the local taverns, inns, and brothels. The local urchins look on with keen eyes, waiting for a chance to pick a pocket or two. Stevedores/longshoremen move quickly about, keeping the flow of goods between the ships and the warehouses going.

College of Practical Magicks
A large university dedicated to training individuals in spells used for the construction and maintenance of public spaces and utilities; sewage disposal, fresh water sourcing, city lighting, garbage disposal, city security, general cleanliness, food processing and creation, and other useful applications.

The majority of students are enlisted in 1 year training programs for cantrips such as prestidigitation or other minor spells, with those showing the most arcane aptitude asked to continue their education into more difficult schools and levels of magic.

Most students attend the college free-of-charge, but are required to serve the city or kingdom for 5-10 years before taking their knowledge and expertise elsewhere.

The Mind’s Respite
Bar with a mind flayer (Thingol) as the bartender. Helps take things off your mind. Rolled up sleeves with a tattoo of an anchor, used to be in the royal navy.

The bar is a wooden building, simple on the outside with some glass windows. The tables are solid oak with many dark corners and booths for quiet discussions. You can pay extra for a cone of silence spell to keep out listening ears (50gp/hour).

Thingol often has the ear of many upper nobles and powerful individuals as one who is able to keep a secret.

Lots of knowledge and heads of state or spies gather and meet at this bar.

Often you will see members of the Fold of Seven, Webb Family, and other gangs and diplomats here.

The Forge:
The industrial heart of the city. Riddled with factories and houses made with cheap materials, The Forge exports items and corpses alike. With little security measures and complete disregard for its workers, rare is the day in which no more than 20 work accidents take place.

On the bright side, if you're looking for that document you are missing or you are unsure where to acquire unlicensed items, chances are that if you got the coin, you'll get the stuff.

The Great Oak:
The Great Oak sits in the middle of a small plot of land on the western end of the city between two streams. The “island” is a haven for druids of the city, a place full of the life of nature, dominated by the giant oak tree at the center. The Great Oak is also home to the ancient dryad Quercinius. The dryad hasn’t spoken to the humans of the city for decades, and nobody can get an answer from it as to why.

Thrifle:
A group of tiered courtyards that whirl around with several sets of steps. Each of the courtyards houses certain markets. It seems pure chaos, however some rules are present. Higher tiered squares tend to the more high-end products whereas the lower ones tend to be farmer markets, complete with livestock.

Cart Street:
Located at the edge of the city, thousands of peddlers can be found here selling goods from handcarts. What was once a simple street has turned into a winding maze of mud-thatch shanties and alleyways branching off of the main street. Local peasants sometimes walk up to three days to sell their goods here. No permits are required, and neither are fixed shops. Prices may be higher than buying straight from a farm, but still cheaper than almost everywhere else in the city.

Aside from the common fare like melons, apples, bread, and carrots, there's hardly a better place to get smoked rat-skewers, fried pig hooves, pigeon soup, grilled mushroom skewers, or stir-fried gizzard and liver. Overall, the whole street carries the savory scent of food being fried, grilled, and steamed.

However, be warned that public washrooms here are few and far between, and filthy to boot. Avoid stepping into puddles - regardless of how they may have first formed, they quickly turn into impromptu public bathrooms. Additionally, it is best to avoid dressing as though you are wealthy, unless you wish to be hounded by beggars, orphans, pickpockets and conmen. Put on your poorest clothes and you may even be able to haggle the prices down.