Faiyan

Faiyan
Nation	Khapesh
Ruler	Mereruka
Government	Viziership
Demonym	Faiyanite
Adjective	Faiyanian
Population	~60,000
Demographics	Highly cosmopolitan, but majority human

Faiyan is one of the largest settlements in Upper Khapesh, particularly known for the many surrounding ancient sites from the First and Second Dynastic Periods. Many smaller farming settlements are located near Faiyan, agriculturally supporting the city. The city is divided into two parts - the walled city, enclosed within a fortress, and the outer city, built up outside the walls and around the docks. Traditionally, Faiyan was governed by co-viziers, a relic of a very old arrangement to solve intra-city disputes. However, with the arrest of Zamanth following the Incident at Faiyan, Mereruka is currently the only vizier of the city.

Faiyan's patron deity is Wadjet.

Points of interest

The market square lies in the middle of the walled city, ringed by important offices and shops. Each morning, the square fills with food stalls and other merchants selling their wares, who get there early to get an advantageous spot then set up shop for most of the day. While specialty or rare goods are usually not to be found here, those searching for food or common supplies will find most they need in the square. The market square is sometimes cleared and a stage constructed in the middle for important announcements or demonstrations.

The office of the Faiyan adventurer’s guild is located on the south east corner of the market square. It is a relatively large building, about four stories tall, but otherwise unremarkable from the outside. Inside, visitors are likely to meet Aren, an oread man who staffs the front desk most days. Although Aren is almost always helpful to those that seek directions or gear, his constant jokes get on the nerves of some visitors. Those without weapons or armor can find some available to them, for free, at the adventurers guild - on the condition of their return once they are no longer needed. Condition is not guaranteed - sometimes good quality gear can be picked up, even enchanted, but more often the armor is dented or cracked and the weapons are dull.

The Temple of Isis can be found just west of the market square, on the main east-west boulevard. It is easy to spot, as unlike the surrounding buildings it is covered in a white marble facade. Banners bearing the knot of isis fly outside. Those in need of help, and particularly mothers or those in need of healing, can find aid inside in the form of food, a warm bed, and magic to tend their needs. The head priestess is an elderly human woman named Ladakh, with long white hair and laugh lines around her eyes. Priests and priestesses of Isis usually wear simple white robes, easy to spot throughout the city. The main room for worship in the temple, right at the entrance, is set up less like a typical church and more like a communal space, with circles of benches around a raised central platform.

Located on the south west side of the market square, the Temple of Wadjet is dedicated to the patron deity of Faiyan. This large building is painted in bright blues and gold. Paintings of the uraeus, or upright cobra, flank the large twin doors of the main entrance. The temple of Wadjet is home to the largest library in Faiyan, with tomes on most topics one could think of.

The home of the government in Faiyan, the palace complex is in the northern part of the walled city. Here one can find the guard headquarters and vizier’s offices - provided the guards can be convinced to let one inside, or another way around the massive walls can be located. Inside the walls, a beautiful garden is surrounded on three sides by large, columned buildings. Inside the palace itself is something of a maze, with hallways that seemingly follow no rhyme or reason. Many rooms within feature skylights, to provide natural lighting to their occupants.

Those in need of food and a place to stay can find many inns, taverns, and restaurants in Faiyan. The ones outside the city walls mostly cater to the everyman, while those inside the walls are usually more upscale with prices to match.

Individuals

Mereruka, a middle-aged gnomish woman, is now the sole vizier of Faiyan. She takes her duties very seriously and can usually be found in her office in the palace complex. She is rather uncharismatic, and speaks quickly in clipped sentences. She has long tan hair, understated for a gnome, and usually dresses in fancy but tasteful blue robes.

Zamanth, a younger half elf male, was formerly the co-vizier of Faiyan. When still seen in public, he could typically be spotted wearing the most extravagant jewelry and clothes he could find, and travelling with a retinue of city guards he had paid to be his personal bodyguards. Generally quite charismatic but also overly sure of his own abilities, he relied on bribes to get his way. Zamannth has not been seen since the end of the Incident at Faiyan - he is presumed to be confined within the palace complex.

Aren, an older oread man with dark gray skin, likes to talk about himself as if he was a retired adventurer, but in reality he has almost no experience outside the city. He usually wears a poorly-fitted but very shiny set of heavy plate armor, with a bastard sword on his hip that drags on the ground, even despite his height.

Gamal, an elderly human man, was formerly the patriarch of the village of Amarna, a short distance south of Faiyan. After Amarna was overrun by automatons, he lives in taverns in the outer city of Faiyan, trying to piece together the survivors to move back into the town.