Orbea

Also called the Maze of Orbea, this vast network of channels, canyons, caverns and natural bridges carved by the Orbean tributary was home to the enigmatic spider-humanoids, the krig. Orbea was a cosmopolitan town of a few thousand people and even more visitors. It straddled the banks of the Zheree River and was then hugged by a series of maze-like promontories, hence its nickname, The Maze. Orbea is also the home of the spider-humanoids, the krig. All krig are born from the same progenitor-deity, the unseen Matriarch.

At any time, roughly 6,000 humanoids called Orbea home, and only a third of those were actually krig. Humans, dwarves, elves, goblinoids, Dinzer automatons, canids, orcs, and others lived and operated in the Maze. The remainder of the 10,000 or so krig estimated to be in existence lived elsewhere in Omeria. A popular conspiracy theory suggested that those krigs were an extension of the krigs' progenitor-deity, the Matriarch.

During the year 1040 AT, a gang war dominated interactions between the denizens of the wards.

Geography
Orbea was a town of wonders. Thanks to the shade caused by its massive rock formations, much of lower Orbea is bathed in darkness throughout the day. Despite the desert heat that sweeps west from the Desolation of Ditimaya the town stays cool year-round. The many marketplaces, homes, and businesses that operate in Orbea are lit by permanent continual flames and light spells plus natural sources such as glowgem that decorates the canyon walls.

Nestled between Arruqueta, Castlegrasp, and Tadju, Orbea is a popular center of commerce in northern Central Omeria. Plus, its large Dinzer-fitted airfield makes it a common stopover point for Dinzer aircraft traveling throughout the long continent.

Wards
Most Orbeans concentrated in the various wards and commons within the city.

Shirzosh Commons
The main road that pushed through the Commons became a tunnel that led into the Undermaze, the true home of the krigs. While the tunnels were not off-limits to nonkrigs, they were rumored to be dangerous. Furthermore, nonkrigs who wandered too far into the tunnels eventually got lost within the maze. Dying of starvation and hunger, the trespasser was found by krigs and brought back to the surface where they were given over to one of the temples. This was the only warning the krigs ever gave. The second time a non-krig became lost within the maze, they were left to die.

In addition to the government buildings in Shirosh, the ward was home to many of the city's finest restaurants and taverns, including the Colossal Spider Tavern and Inn, a favorite stopping point for visiting dignitaries, ambassadors, and VIPs who wish to meet the governors or the Krig Bairns.

North Ward/Zatiketa
North Ward was long-known as the middle-class residential section of Orbea before the ward  turned into the home of separatists from Arruquetta. These separatists hoped to avoid civil war and death at the hands of the Cord, Arruqueta's queen, Daria Emagavel's secret police force. As their numbers grew, the separatists began calling the region Zatiketa. Naturally, Orbea's acceptance of what Emagavel considered "war criminals" harmed relations with Aruquetta to the north, but not even the Spear of Weysevain was willing to go against the krigs and their mother. Plus, the toll on Gadran's Plateau is one of her most profitable ventures.

Along with the separatists came the Boars, a clan of criminals led by a warlock named Hogan Zul. The Boars were recognized by the black tusks they tattooed over their jaws and the thick pelts they wore over their shoulders. Hogan operated from his mother's house in a multi-tiered hovel built into the northern wall of the Yivu plateau. His mother treated visiting members of his gang like they were Hogan's childhood friends. They lovingly called her Mama Zul.

Despite their ready-to-rumble appearance, the Boars preferred intrigue over direct confrontation with the other two gangs of Orbea. Still, when pressed, the Boars' aptitude for violence was rarely contested.

Salt Ward
Salt Ward was home to Orbea's cluttered docks and warehouses. Despite its proximity to the Orbean militia's barracks to the north in Shirzosh, the Salt Ward was thick with crime. Not a week went by where a body wasn't found floating face down in the Keqrab Bay. Most of the warehouses in the Salt Ward were owned by wealthy smugglers and merchant houses from all over Central Omeria. They used Orbea as a place to store illegal wares. As such, the warehouses were heavily guarded by well-paid professionals. So brazen were the landlords, they put their clan and tribe symbols on the doors of the buildings they owned as a warning to those who would dare enter.

A narrow flight of steps climbed 500-feet up to Sevari Tower. Other than the ramp leading into the Zik'thath market, the steps—dubbed the Killer—were the only way up the plateau. Unlike the other plateaus in Orbea, there did not seem to be any tunnels leading through or even into the base of the tower.

Sevari Tower
The plateau that divided the docks and overlooked the harbor was called Sevari Tower. Once upon a time, the tower was not decorated with the red beacons that lined its walls in 1040 AT. As such, the Tower had another nickname—ship smasher. The Bay at the western front of the tower contained the remains of dozens of destroyed ships.

The Tower itself was one of the few plateaus in Orbea that wasn't hollowed out and littered with dark tunnels. Isolated from much of Orbea, there were only two footpaths onto the tower's surface. First, there was the 500-foot climb of steps from the Salt Ward. Lacking any sort of railing, the exhausting staircase had been nicknamed The Killer by the locals. The second way up was the unnamed ramp that descended at a steep angle into the rear of Zik'thath Market. Both made travel and transportation enormously difficult for anyone who lacked a mode of flight. Because of its natural exclusivity, Sevari Tower was a paradise of high-dollar casinos, inns, restaurants, and high-end shops.

Khikzux Ward
The easternmost ward north of Zheree River was Khikzux Ward. Many of the locals gave it the insulting nickname ‘Demihuman Town.’ It was home to lizardfolk, orcs, and frogfolk. Because the river was at its strongest point where it emerged from Zheree Canyon, the ward easily flooded. Mold and biting insects were common. To account for the conditions, canals had been built into the streets. Some of the residents owned gondolas, but most chose to walk along the narrow walkways or on the rooftops of the ward.

In 1040 AT, Khikzux was ruled by the Crocodile Crew, a tribe of lizardfolk led by an albino lizardfolk druid named Old Rat. Old Rat was worshipped by the Khikzuk as their prophet and savior. The glass-eyed leader often spoke before the members of the Crew—whom he labeled "disciples"—with vaguely-worded predictions, which he later used to prove his value as a diviner.

Eight Gems Ward
The well-to-do of Orbea lived in the Eight Gems Ward overlooking the Omerian Ocean. As the pinnacle of wealth, the Eight Gems was one of the only wards that had its own standing militia. Some of the guards worked for the town and were paid from taxes. Others were former soldiers hired as mercenaries. Although Eight Gems was unwalled, anyone that "didn't fit in" was quickly accosted by the ward's defenders. A non-resident better had a good excuse or better bribe. Otherwise, they might have found themselves bloodied and dragged out onto Market Road, or worse (tossed into the Omerian).

Like most people with too much money, the residents of Eight Gems spent most of their time trying to one-up their neighbors. Every year, the houses got taller and more elaborate. The parties grew more lavish and over-the-top. And the clothing was simply outrageous. A popular trend among the Eight Gems' elite around 1040 AT was to dress as a Signature Monster. For example, a dilettante whose chosen monster was a Chimera might wear a golden lion mask, and wear golden epaulets designed to look like a ram and a dragon. Or someone whose monster was a harpy might wear an elaborate cloak made of pink and yellow feathers and not much else. The more risque the better.

Azen'qod Ward
There were shrines and small temples all throughout Orbea, each dedicated to a different, unique god or goddess. However, Azen’qod Ward served as the spiritual center of Orbea.. The three largest temples in Azen'qod were the Temple of Yrena, Goddess of Destruction; the Temple of Zuton, God of Good Luck (which was more of a casino than a temple); and Usteus, God of Judgment.

Like all temples of Yrena, her temple in Azen'qod was maintained by eight blind seers known as Yrena's Witnesses. For the most part, the seers kept to themselves. Oddly, they didn't have the same freedom to perform sacrifices in honor of Yrena as other temples did. That's thanks mostly to the halfling worshippers of Usteus who made it clear that as long as Usteus' temple stood in Orbea, there would be no unsanctioned murders (aka murders done by anyone but the halflings themselves).

Thirty percent of Azen'qod's population were wanderer halflings around 1040 AT, and most are devout worshippers of Usteus. The temple was governed by Meros Scarletfoot, but Meros was more than just a holy man. He was also a criminal mastermind. By manipulating the faith of his fellow halflings, he sent them forward to commit "acts of Salvation" on behalf of Usteus. His grip on the halfling culture of Orbea made him very wealthy. Over the course of months, the Salvation started a bitter rivalry with the lizardfolk gang of neighboring Khikzux Ward. Since the first incident, fresh bodies from both sides turned up in the Zheree and Kenqrud Bay every week. The militia originally tried to get involved but was explicitly told to stay out of it by both gangs. With few resources and fewer options, the militia had no choice but to comply.

Government
As of 1040 AT, Tribunal of Orbea behaved as the ruling body of Orbea, despite Orbea being the home of the krigs. The Tribunal consisted of three governors who make all of the decisions for the city and its people. The three governors were Sress of Elsath, Clurt Justclurt, and Veronia Winterhunt. The three resided within Shirzosh commons at their own governors' mansions. Once per week, the Tribunal met at the House of Records, where they parlayed with guild lobbyists and voted on important issues. However, most Orbeans were hardly aware that the three even existed. Although they passed many laws, very few of them actually went into effect. Additionally, the three almost never made public appearances, and there are few records as to how they acquired their positions originally.

Though no one knew who the actual leaders of the krig were, the presumed leaders were the 15-20 krig who the Orbeans dubbed the Krig Bairns. On rare occasions, leaders from other nations came to Orbea to connect with the Matriarch, and understood that the Krig Bairns represented her interests and desires.

Orbea Airfield
Relatively unguarded when not in use, the airfield serviced Dinzer blimps that visit the city. It featured five or more towers.

Qlassith Cliffs
The industrial hub of Orbea hugged the northwestern cliff of the town. Not nearly as well lit as the other parts of the town, Qiassith was filled with flat, ugly buildings where mostly krig and kobold factory workers labored to build technological commodities. These goods were then carted to one of the four 200-foot-tall blimptowers along the road leading northwest out of Orbea and then transported to their final destination.

The Burning Bridge
Named from its position relative to both the eastern and western horizon, morning travelers out of the maze caught the rising sun, and evening travelers met the setting. Superstitious Central Omerians believed it was built as a playful offering to Naeyer. Others thought it was lousy engineering.

A natural divider between Khikzux Ward and Zatiteka, the bridge acted as a border between the Boars and Crocodile Crews' turfs.

The Long Shadow
Its most famous casino in the Sevari Tower, the Long Shadow, was a four-story building that hung over the tower's western edge. The minimum deposit at the Long Shadow was 1,000 gold pieces, and most games had a minimum buy-in of 100 gold pieces. Like most of Orbea's casinos, the Long Shadow's most popular game was Banzo. In 1040 AT, the Banzo champion was a Knotsider gnome named Felgim Trumda.

The casino's owner, a devilkin (tiefling) named Prayer in the Morning was loved and celebrated (and feared) by all who entered the casino's pitch black doors. She also offered a house specialty which she extended to anyone short on luck. "1,000 gp loan. Due in one hour with ten points on top. Or? You get the drop!" In other words, Prayer loaned the sap 1,000 gold pieces. The loan was to be repaid with a 10% interest on the principle in one hour. If the borrower couldn’t pay up, Prayer's pit bosses open up a hole in the showroom floor and drop the borrower over 500-feet into the Bay below. If the borrower survived, they're debt-free. There are no records of any known survivors.

In 1040 AT, a remote traveler attacked the casino owner and her friends.

Zik'thath Market
Cramped inside of the spaces of the Maze of Orbea, Zik’thath Market featured dozens upon dozens of street vendors cramped at various levels of this market. Hundreds of humanoids could be found at any given time in the market.

From run-of-the-mill weapons, armor, and equipment to curiosities from afar, anything and everything could be purchased at Zik'thath Market. Adventurers and travelers could expect to find any magic item of common or uncommon value here, as well as the occasional rare magic item, too. Most vendors were known to haggle, but they were also known to be aggressive. With minimal law enforcement, theft was common.

The Autumn Bridge
Near the mouth of the river, 50-feet above Zheree Falls, the Autumn Bridge connected the wealthy Eight Gems Ward to the thriving Zik'thath Market. The Autumn Bridge was carved to look like one hundred Ditimayan slaves holding themselves above the Zheree. Supposedly the design came from a legend of ancient Ditimayan nomads who used each other’s limbs to create a chain so they could ford the angry river. The view of the sun setting over the Omerian from the bridge was particularly enticing. It was on this bridge that many travelers passing through Orbea fell in love with the town.

Yaqut Heights
Due to Orbea’s popularity as a stopover along the Leash, Yaqut Heights was crowded with shops, bars, and hostels. It also housed the most popular inn in all of Orbea, The Married Couple, a pair of buildings connected by an underground tunnel. The western half of the Married Couple was the Restless Groom, a tavern and restaurant known for its spicy Arruquetan cuisine. The eastern half of the Married Couple was the Sleeping Bride, a reasonably priced inn with plenty of space. The Married Couple's owners, a married couple by the name of Ixaka and Ezker Arroquy were faithful supporters of Queen Dariah Emagavel. As such, no separatists were allowed at either end of the establishment. Cords looking for information on separatists often turned to the Arroquys. Both Arroquys received numerous death threats, many considering the pair turncoats and traitors to Arruqueta's freedom.

Lenora's Wall
Pressed tightly against its sister plateau, Yaqut Heights, Lenoro's Wall was the largest and shortest natural rock formation in the Maze of Orbea. Similar to the Heights, Lenoro's was a stopover for travelers entering Orbea from the west and North. Those who hoped to avoid the toll to the south also hung a left to take the circuitous route around the town's borders. For this reason, many of the shops, inns, and taverns on Lenoro's Wall had names that played on the convention: the Go Left Inn, The Shop-Lefter, and Left Arms & Armor, etc.

A small park overlooked the east end of the Wall, a favorite spot for Orbean youths to gather and watch the Dinzer blimps as they entered the town. Meanwhile, the constant churn of the Zheree raged below.

Zhalruvox Channel
The Zhalruvox Channel clung to either side of the Zheree. The shops, restaurants, and inns here were a little tamer than those found in the Zik'thath Market. That said, the Channel's shops and services were not what one would normally expect to find in any other town, village, or city. Free from the prying eyes of the town's militia and the Arruquetan garrison, a black market culture thrived in the Channel. Illegal weapons, magic items, rare animals, mercenary services, and more could be bought in the Channel, usually at a steep price.

Ref Grergaz was the mastermind behind Zhalruvox. Unlike the gangs that infest the northern wards, Ref kept his business quiet. Nearly everyone was on his payroll and he didn't cause a stir. And thanks to contracts with powerful people all over Central Omeria, he was well protected. Of course, no one could ever actually find Ref in Zhalruvox Channel. Ref lived in a quiet mansion overlooking the Omerian in the Eight Gems Ward where he tended to his garden and spent time with his grandchildren.

Garden Plateua
Sometime before 1040 AT, Queen Daria Emagavel of Arruqueta made a deal with Orbea to collect tolls from the people traveling through the Leash and through Orbea and she let them do as they pleased. The Tribunal agreed and the Arruquetan Toll was built along the ramp leading off the plateau. The toll charged 1 sp for two legs, 4 sp for four-legs, plus 1 sp per wheel. With nearly 1,200 travelers passing through the toll each day, Gadran's Toll helped fund Emagavel's continued political and military interests.

As the toll expanded, so did Arruqueta's presence in Orbea. East of the toll, Arruqueta maintained two huge barracks with 100 trained soldiers each. In addition, they equipped the plateau with mangonels and ballistas. Plus, the Arruquetans maintained a stable of 20 griffons whose riders could have them saddled and in the air in less than a minute.

Overseeing the operation in Orbea was one of Emagavel's most trusted officers, Captain Santxa Goytino. Goytino also oversaw a unit of 10 Cords, the secret police of Arruqueta, who sniffed out separatist forces in Orbea.

Laris Ledge
Also called "the Thumb" Laris Ledge was the second-highest point in Orbea, second only to Sevari. Originally, it was intended to be an area of expansion for the town. Many of the Maze's greatest developers pitched it as the new Eight Gems. A few months after residents moved into Laris, an earthquake shook Orbea. The shockwaves knocked a massive chunk off the east cliff, toppling three buildings and killing not only the families within but also twenty people in Azen'qod Ward below. Afterward, the project was abandoned. A few of the homes remained occupied, but overall, Laris became a ghost town, which was strange considering the congested nature of Orbea.