While these locations are defined and their descriptions should be adhered to, this does not prevent you from using new locations, within reason. For example, a store or residence in the city. Please do not create new cities, nations, continents, or other major entities without speaking to a manager.

The Slave Market

The slave market is the main social center in the Sovereign City (and the default starting location for chat-based RP). The market was recently reconstructed and enlarged to better fulfill its role as the social hub of the city. The main room has a dark wooden floor with many tables. Along the walls is a huge, red-carpeted stage with a large podium and five chaining posts on each side. Behind a curtain at the back of each stage, a hall runs around the perimeter of the building to bring merchandise to the appropriate section of the stage. The only public entrance is in the southeast corner.

The Castle

At the center of the Estate in the center of the Sovereign City lies the Lord Commander's castle, which has been rebuilt many times and is therefore made up of several different shades of grey, much new stone having been added over the years.

First Floor

The first floor is dedicated to the entertainment of guests and the presentation of the Lord Commander to the public. Most of it is accessible to members of the public who have been granted access by the guards.

Second Floor

The second floor is dedicated to military storage and training, and is accessible to military commanders or those admitted by a commander.

Third Floor

The third floor is dedicated to Imperial management. It is only accessible to members of the High Command.

Fourth Floor

The fourth floor contains only the Lord Commander's quarters, and is only accessible to the Lord Commander and personal guests.

Dungeons

The Execution Chamber on the dungeon level of the castle is the current home and favourite place of Lord Inquisitor Lok. Here, he resides in what was formerly a leech pit, filling the pit with the intelligent black blood that controls each body he takes.

Many unfortunates will breathe their last here. The Execution Chamber is by far the largest room in the Empire, containing nearly every kind of torture device designed by Lok and others. One of the Lord Inquisitor's strongest talents is his ability to design very specialized and innovative means of torture. Anyone sent here will quickly repent his sins against the Empire and confess to any crime before dying a gruesome death and having his flesh recycled into another unit in Lok's army. Many have entered this chamber of death expecting to be able to bear the pain of normal torture devices--only to have this idea shattered by the infinitely creative Lord Inquisitor.

Rotting bodies line the walls, blood dyes the floor. The stench of death pervades the massive chamber. Set into one wall is a massive cage containing several enormous, rabid slavehounds. Fires burn in alcoves as well as in various places on the floor. Screams of the dead echo still, weeks after death--or perhaps it is their ghosts, still screaming in pain and terror--but they are nearly drowned out by the echoes of Lok's harsh laughter.

The Sovereign City

The Sovereign City is walled even more heavily than the Empire itself, with guard towers at every kilometer mark. The City stretches for several kilometers away from the road in either direction. Once inside the gates of the City, a visitor will find himself on a long, thin stretch of green grass, which is surrounded on both sides by the outer and inner walls of the city. The road splits to the right and left, both directions leading to the open arches into the main City. Continuing straight, however, leads to the gate to great plain of the Lord Commander's estate.

Legend:

• Red - Market District
• Yellow - Entertainment District
• Green - Slums
• Blue - Residential District
• Cyan - Aristocratic District

The Central Empire

A great wall divides the Central Arachai Empire from the rural Empire. Inside the walls, the main areas of interest are the Lake, the Kingdom of Goldenspire, and the Sovereign City, from which the Lord Commander rules. There is also a very large, burnt crater in the south-east quarter, from Lok's last confrontation with the photics. This map only shows major roads.

The Arachai Empire

The Arachai Empire, known colloquially as the Empire of Chains, covers about one sixth of the continent on which it sits. The Empire is the only nation on the continent that allows slavery, and is despised by all of the other nations. The Laryxes of Cytnau especially, having had their army severely weakened by that of the Empire soon after Lok began his rule, wish to see the Empire destroyed.

The Continent

The land around the Arachai Empire is one small continent roughly equivalent to Australia in size, containing several kingdoms and empires. Just outside the walls of the Central Empire are three steadily growing soldier cities, which serve the double purpose of housing the Empire's army and creating a first line of defense before the walls.