Daran

Government
Daran is ruled by Primor Alexander and his ten-headed council. Though how it all exactly works is riddled in mystery. What is known is that the council are the only people who are ever seen in public, they announce new rules or inform the public of things that are going on. They are the ones you come to try to go to when you have a complaint and the one you will see in public feasts. The Primor, though in rule for over 200 years, has not been seen in public. Nobody knows why this is and the council refuses to comment on the situation, saying that they know who he is and that that should be enough.

The Council
The council is always composed of ten people, and all ten of them have chosen a replacement the moment they accepted the job to make sure there will never be a power vacuum. The day one member dies or retires is the day their replacement will be sworn in. To be able to become a council member there are a few things that you need to have:

-Be a citizen of Daran

-Studied at Daran Academy

-Be chosen by one of the current members

This means that technically everybody can become a council member though throughout history there have only been 3 council members who haven’t been part of the nobility.

Each council member has a specific part of the city they are responsible for. The ten positions are: While each council member oversees one particular aspect of the city, many times issues cross between them, and so they work together. At times, disputes may arise over who has greater authority for a given crisis, and to these matters the Primor makes the ruling, settling the dispute.
 * 1) Education
 * 2) Religion
 * 3) Foreign policies
 * 4) Internal Policies
 * 5) Trade
 * 6) Cultural Heritage
 * 7) Health / Medicine
 * 8) Military / Security - Isaura Kartenos
 * 9) Justice
 * 10) Housing - Althalos Fareyes

Relation to Other Cities
It might not be the biggest city In Akra Kuden but it is the most powerful. Nestled right next to the Poinital Peaks, Daran only had a limited space to grow physically, and though it’s not small by any means it’s far from the gigantic cities you can find in other places. A big part of its power comes from its stability. Having had the same monarch for over 200 years means that they have stable relations with the neighboring villages and the other city-states thanks to treaties that are older than many of the other rulers themselves. Another part lies in its double protection. One being the steel dragon who resides in the Poinital Peaks; who decided that the city is part of his hoard and will come to its defense if needed. The other being the amount of highly trained magic users who gather there for study; a gathering of people you don’t want to anger.

The Ooze Assault
In 1769AU, a Warlock of Juiblex began a campaign of terror against the city, using small, cheap gemstones to spawn oozes of the Faceless One throughout the city. Almost 2 months of attacks and investigation went into discovering him - turning out to be Icalavar Xiloscient, a person working for Councilman Althalos Fareyes. Using his position and knowledge of the city, he was able to orchestrate the creation of a demiplane lair beneath his home as well as plan out locations for his oozes to attack - using those attacks to gauge their effectiveness and work to improve them. He even had gone so far as to hire the Guardians of the White Rose to clear out the sewers of the beasts, using individuals much more experienced than the guards to further adjust and improve his creations. 

In the end, the Spawn of Juiblex that granted Icalavar’s power devoured him and attempted to put an end to the Guardians of the White Rose - who had invaded his lair in an attempt to stop him. Failing to do that, Juiblex attempted to use the last of his power upon the collapsing demiplane to devour the interlopers, but in the end he failed, managing to only damage Icalavar’s home and some of the surrounding area.

Culture
Daran is a very culturally diverse city, this comes because over the years they have attracted a lot of people pursuing magic who have then later settled down there. This made it hard for them to keep track of their local traditions and culture but they are actively fighting to get that back. This is visible in the way they started wearing the local city colors, purple and grey. It’s also paired with the revival of old harvest festivals that don’t even make sense anymore as all the farming happens outside of the city.

Religion
Daran being a cultured city has a lot of temples and allows the worship of all non-evil gods. Though that doesn’t mean that all of them have temples of their own. The city works with a finite amount of space within their walls and are not tempted to cross the safety that is guaranteed inside. They have 5 temples meticulously made and placed. On the outside the temples resemble each other closely but their real nature shines true when you’re inside.

Within the city there are temples for:
 * Lliira, Goddess of Joy
 * Azuth, God of Wizardry
 * Oghma, God of Knowledge
 * Milil, God of Poetry and Song
 * Tymora, Goddess of Luck

Districts
Daran is split into 6 distinct districts within the walls, plus a village outside the walls.

High End
A walled district within the walled city, the High End District is home to the nobility, government offices, and the Magic Academy. Residents are able to put in petitions and complaints, judicial matters are handled here. The nobles that live here have marvelous mansions and homes,

Magic Academy
The Magic Academy has restricted access. People can study there by doing a test, but failing the test means you can't study there. Members have to pay a starting fee of 100 gp and are supposed to pay for all the magic components needed in the studies. Those that excel on the test can find a promoter to pay for their teachings if they don't have the money themselves, though they will want something in return later.

Members of Magical Societies outside of the Academy - such as those from the Kingdom of Vanigar and bearing the appropriate credentials - are permitted within the Halls to use the library in a limited capacity. They require an escort, and none of the books researched can contain spells.

Residence
The Residence District contains homes for most of the citizens of Daran - mainly those of the middle class and up, such as merchants, tenured members of the Magic Academy, and less prominent officials of the city.

The outskirts of the Residence district also serve as the city center, where the largest of the city’s temples to Lliira stand, the prominent Inn the Guardian Rose is, and the town’s Clock Tower.

Warehouse
The Warehouse District offers locations for merchants to store. More influential merchants may have one or two entire warehouses all to themselves, though many of the merchants share space inside some of the other warehouses. The city itself also owns a few warehouses for storing goods and foods.

Southside
The Southside District contains a mix of middle class to poorer housing, inns, and shops. It generally is considered the “seedier” side of town.

Marketplace
The Marketplace contains the majority of the shopping available in Daran.

Arts
The Arts district has performers, museums, and features two different theaters.

Outer Village
The Outer Village has horse ranches, vegetable and grain farms, and dairy that help supply and feed Daran - though they can’t manage it on their own. Farms from further out - like Ashglade Farms to the west - help supply more of the ingredients used in the meals found throughout Daran. There are also campgrounds used by merchants and gypsies looking to avoid paying any taxes and fees for staying within the city itself - though staying in one of these camps can be risky business as one never knows if a group might actually be thieves or not.

Outside of the Outer Village are forests and fields, including a few lovely flower fields where one can sometimes find lazy adventurers with nothing better to do.