Shirekeep

Shirekeep Sxirosikx
[[Image:{{{flag}}}|130px]]
Population:	8,270,000
Predominant language:	English, Præta Sxiröþes
Main roads:	Kaiser's Boulevard, Infernal Avenue, Nobles' Avenue, Heretic's Walk
Major districts:	Raynor's Keep, The Old City, Docklands
Current mayor:
Map versions:	every map

Shirekeep is the capital and chief city of Shireroth, with a history going back over 6,500 years. Shirekeep is a part of the Imperial County, directly under the Kaiser. A Prefect (before 4290 ASC: Lord Mayor) can be appointed to handle city affairs.

Understand

An inaccurate map of the districts of Shirekeep, drawn during the reign of Semisa I.

Although the origins of Shirekeep are shrouded in legend, most people believe that the city was founded by Kaiser Raynor I after his conquest of Brookshire. Raynor built the part of the city now known as "Raynor's Keep" as a fortress guarding the Elwynn River and as a palace for himself and his successors; commoners and artisans settled to the east of the keep, on the Elwynn's west bank. During the reign of his successor, Raynor II, the city expanded northward as Shirerithian forces fought off the Elw barbarians in the region surrounding the city. During Shirerithian expansion, many of the conquered peoples of the Shirerithian Empire immigrated to the city, creating the sprawling foreign quarters of the south.

Shirekeep has been burnt down several times, usually as a result of experiments or military drills gone awry, but occasionally during wars. The city suffered severe damage during the Mog Rebellion, and much of it was also burned down during the War of the Wylthean Succession. Most recently, parts of it have fallen into decay as the Kaiser's government lacks the funds needed to properly fully maintain the city.

The Great Fire of Shirekeep in 4030 ASC, during the reign of Kaiser B'Caw I and the secession of parts of Elwynn, proved to be a disaster for the capital: fire had destroyed the whole Foreign Quarter and a lack of funds avoided that houses were rebuild. Bureaucratic affairs and simply the discontent towards the foreigners who had lived in the southern quarters, led to the decision to use the land for other goals. Several Kaisers after B'Caw approved the plans to use the gained free lands for farmland, but ignored the need of defending it. It took until Kaiser Fish XII ordered the construction of the so-called Fishian Wall, in 4136 ASC, before the farmland was decently protected against possible treats. During Kaiser Gaelen IV's reign, Fort Tempus was built.

Get In

The easiest way to get to Shirekeep is to fly. The Mattlore Devious International Airport receives flights from all over Micras. No visa is required for most nationalities, although Babkhans, Treesians, and Aerligians need a special "Certificate of Non-Evilness" from the Ministry of Immigration, which the Ministry stubbornly refuses to provide. Although there were previously some issues with nearby Shirerithian airbases using planes for target practice, especially those coming from or heading to Babkha, Aerlig, or Treesia, this issue has been mostly settled.

Travellers already in Shireroth may wish to take a Shirerithian railroad or superhighway from elsewhere in the country. A train ticket from the Brookshire or Goldshire capitals costs about 40 erb; one from Eliria costs 20. The line from Musica costs 25, but has a bad tendency to fall into the river around the area of the Isa Bridge; make sure to check on the bridge maintenance status before you go and to bring a life jacket.

For those with more money to burn, the classiest way to enter Shirekeep is by boat. Several companies run pleasure cruises along the Elwynn River; fly or sail into Musica and then take a three or four day leisurely boat ride across the Lunarian and Monty Criscan countryside. Expect to pay about 1000 erb for lodging, transportation, food, and entertainment. Probably the best known of these cruises is the Salamandro, a restored Mog-era frigate whose twenty cabins feature period decorations. Occasionally it will be assaulted by a restored Mog-era pirate ship, whose crew, dressed in traditional Mog-era pirate costumes, will kill some of the travellers with authentic Mog-era weapons. A cruise on the Salamandro costs at least 2000 erb, and should be booked at least six months in advance.

Once in Shireroth, you'll want to make your way to the St. Zor Railway Station, hub of both the city bus system, or the SARTRE (Shirekeep Area Rapid Transit Railway Express). Shuttles run from St. Zor Station to Mattlore Devious Airport and back every prime numbered minute after the hour.

Orientation

the map of Shirekeep, as in 4250 ASC.

Since the reforms during Kaiser Gaelen IV's reign, the city is divided into two larger subdivisions: the Center and Outskirts. The Center exists out of the City Districts within the Wall of Reynardine, while the Outskirts are the districts which are build outside the Wall.

Center

Raynor’s Keep

Raynor's Keep stands in the center of the city, surrounded by a stone wall. Most of the city's historical attractions are here, as well as the center of the Shirerithian government. There are only three gates into the Keep (one to the east, one to the west, and one to the south); these close at 11 PM and open each morning at 10 AM or when the guards wake up, whichever is later. Foreigners who have a Certificate of Non-Evilness will need to show it to the guards before entering the Keep.

Audente Quarter

The Audente Quarter is to the Keep's north. When Shireroth was a province of Audentior, the Audente governor, his staff, and the various office he ran were placed in the far south of the city, which quickly became, in the days before the Foreign Quarter, the international hotspot. The Jasonians congregated in the westernmost part of the area. During the secession from Audentior, much of the Audente Quarter was burned in riots, and the Jasonians, Shireroth's new masters, chose to relocate their capital a few hundred meters west into the territory which officially became the Jasonian (later the Soloralist) Quarter. The Audente Quarter now has very few real Audentes, and is inhabited mainly by native Shirerithians and by increasing numbers of Anticans, who find the old Audente architecture someone similar to their own culture.

Soloralist Quarter

The Soloralist Quarter is to the Keep's north. During the secession from Audentior, much of the Audente Quarter was burned in riots, and the Jasonians, Shireroth's new masters, chose to relocate their capital a few hundred meters west into the territory which officially became the Jasonian (later the Soloralist) Quarter. This district is currently well known as the religious center of Shirekeep.

Northshire

Northshire is the name given to the area to the north of the Keep, and was a separate village for some time until it merged with the capital around the Alexandrian Age. Legend says that the village was founded by Raynor II as a work camp for laborers constructing his greatest project, the gigantic catapult that would fling him into Heaven and make him a god. Northshire was once the capital of the region currently known as Elwynn, but was replaced by Eliria once the Kaiser's forces pushed beyond the Elwynn's North Fork.

Commercial District

The Commercial District was originally Shirekeep's main trading port, full of shipyards, docks, and the businesses that sustained them. Cheap dockworkers, usually emigrants from Babkha and Mondesia, were the lifeblood of the industry, and when these were banished from the city by Kaiser Brrapa V, the docks moved east of the river to Goldshire, where they became the Docklands.

It stayed almost uninhabited for a few decades until some of Shireroth's more enterprising businesses learned they could get land there cheap. It then became a labyrinth of glass and steel office towers, home to Shirekeep's tallest buildings.

Nowadays, a lot of companies are located in the Commercial District, which still has access to a harbour at the west bank of the Elwynn River (however, most goods are transferred to the Docklands, where larger ships can board.

Outskirts

Docklands

The Docklands sit on the Keep's east flank. The harbour is used to ship goods in and out the capital and surrounding regions. While the Docklands are popular for shipping the goods to other parts of the Empire or world, not many companies are located in this district because of the high crime rates.

Timothy’s Cliff

Just to the east of the Commercial District lies Timothy's Cliff, a precipice where a small hill makes a sheer drop into the waters of the Elwynn below. Back in the days of Kaiser Timothy II, when a thief was caught he would be brought to the top of the cliff and then, with great pomp and ceremony, thrown pushed off the edge into the river beneath. As the cliff was only about ten feet tall, the thief would inevitably plop safely into the river and swim to freedom on the other side - which suited Timothy II just fine, as he was a big softy at heart.

The Foreign Quarter

The Foreign Quarter was a collection of ethnic communities on the Elwynn's south bank. One day, in a particularly xenophobic mood, Kaiser Brrapa V banned a long list of foreigners, especially Babkhans and Atterans, from Shirekeep. The banished foreigners crossed to the south bank of the Elwynn, setting up what began as a shantytown and later became its own town, outside the capital's special administrative region but linked socially and culturally to Shirekeep both by its proximity and a series of bridges. Although Brrapa's prohibition has long been lifted, most non-Apollonian foreigners chose to live in the Foreign Quarter anyway to take advantage of the communities there that bound them to their homeland. Many signs in the Quarter were bilingual, featuring both Shirerithian and the language of some foreign country, and even the most patriotic Shirerithians cross the bridges some nights for Shirekeep's most exotic cuisine.

In 4030 ASC the Great Fire of Shirekeep happened and led to the destruction of the largest part of the Foreign Quarter. A fraction of the surviving population fled the capital but most moved to other districts. Instead of new houses, the land was used as farmland. The Fishian Wall was built by Kaiser Fish XII around the district to protect the fields in case of a siege.

Under Gaelen IV Fort Tempus was constructed to protect the southern districts in case of a siege. The artillery protects the whole Foreign Quarter, which still retains its name.

Popular locations

The capital of Shireroth has many beautiful buildings which you simply have to visit.

• Lukedu Center for the Exploding Arts
• St. Zor Railway Station
• Mattlore Devious International Airport
• Triple Towers
• Temple of Mors
• Museum of the Fine Arts
• Raynor's Keep
• The Landsraad Building
• Cedrist Temple
• Sir John Metzler III University
• The Temple of the Quintessences
• Hyperborean Temples of Truth and Beauty
• Statue of Malarborty

Buy

Most souveniers in Shirekeep are sold either in the Docklands (if they're cheap) or in Raynor's Keep (if they're expensive). The Raynor Keep souveniers include replica swords, axes, maces, bludgeons, spiky helmets, spiky shoes, armor, and other Raynor-era weapons. Kevin Darjainen runs a heraldry shop near the main tower, and will make your family a personalized coat of arms for a fee. Although traditional Shirerithian arms use goat blood for the red paint, if you bring the blood of your enemies he can substitute that instead.

Docklands souveniers tend to be more modern, and range from bobblehead dolls of Raynor I to Malarbor t-shirts to "Restore the Shirerithian Empire" bumper stickers. The prices tend to get cheaper the further you go from the waterfront.

All across the city you can buy de-activated nuclear bombs from the Lukedu Center for the Exploding Arts. MAKE SURE THESE ARE DEACTIVATED BEFORE YOU PURCHASE THEM! Generally, bombs that have been safely deactivated will have the name of the inspector on them and an LCEA stamp. Bombs sold in the Foreign Quarter are often not Lukedu items at all, and are more likely to come from the stockpiles of Attera or Col, which may not have deactivated them properly. Needless to say, the best place to buy flammable or radioactive items of all sorts is the Lukedu Center gift shop, but this is somewhat more expensive than elsewhere in the city and if you want to stay in it for more than eighteen minutes (twelve minutes for young children), you have to rent a special suit from the staff.

For the man who's got everything, why not buy a noble title? With the collapse of the Empire and the dissolution of the New Feudal system, for a few thousand erb you could make your loved one Count of Wintergleam or Countess of Shimmerspring. Although official titles with Landsraad speaking rights are far beyond the means of most travellers, unofficial counties, which can be created and destroyed at will by higher nobles, are generally easier to pick up. An office for such transactions sits just to the right of the Landsraad Front Gate on Raglan Street.

Stay Safe

Although the Shirerithians are known for their friendliness, they can become angry if you fail to properly respect their culture. Any criticism of the Kaiser is taken very seriously and should be avoided. Although Shireroth is tolerant of other religions, or, as they commonly call them, "accursed heretics", you should avoid mocking the Shirerithian faith, and if you want to preach a rival creed, go to an approved venue such as the Multi-Temple.

If you are a Babkhan, Treesian, or Aerligian, you may encounter hostility or discrimination in some areas. In particular, if the guards in Raynor Keep ask if you want to see an authentic example of the ancient Shirerithian method of execution, you should not under any circumstances say yes. If stopped by the police, be as helpful as possible and immediately present your Certificate of Non-Evilness. There are many Babkhans in the Foreign Quarter and you may find yourself more warmly received there.

It's best not to say anything along the lines of "Wow, sucks that you lost that whole big empire, huh? Guess that was pretty stupid of you."

The Docklands can be a fascinating place to shop or people-watch, but be aware that over the past few years, many con-men have started to prey on the tourists there. One popular con is the "Jaihan Snake Con", where a man will claim to be an explorer returning from the jungles of Jaiha and ask you to hold his giant tropical snake, "just for a second", while he "goes to the bathroom." He'll then throw a giant tropical snake at you, which you will feel obligated to hold for him. However, another explorer (unbeknownst to you, a confederate of the first explorer) will then come by, claiming to have a space mongoose from Jupiter, and ask you to hold that for a second, in the same manner as the first. The "space mongoose" is actually just an ordinary mongoose with antennae glued to its head, and will immediately eat the giant tropical snake, which is in fact only a regular giant snake from the marshes of Wintergleam painted in tropical-looking colors. The first explorer will then come out, act horrified that his giant tropical snake is gone, kill the mongoose in his rage, and demand up to a thousand erb in compensation. Then, just as you're ready to leave, the second explorer will come by, act horrified that his space mongoose is dead, and demand all the erb you have left. Thousands of tourists have fallen victim to the Jaihan Snake Con. Remember - if anyone comes up to you with a giant snake, tell him firmly but politely that you refuse to take it from him.