Beyän

Beyän [bay-AHN] (arch. Bé'an, Ben Akir) is a city in central plains of the Kingdom of Trésard. For millennia it has been an important centre for trade, arts, manufacturing and governance. Uniquely Beyän is vertical city, its markets and long galleries constructed from natural caves in the plug of an extinct volcano.

The site has been occupied since prehistory, and as such it is one of the oldest sites of continuous human occupation in the Civilised Worldplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigCivilised World

The Civilised World refers to the known regions of human civilisation, notably the continent of Anásthias, the Natorn Archipelago and surrounding islands.

Gastrinimer's 3rd century BME Map of the World, showing Anásthias and the Natorn Isles. Note: old maps place north to the right.AnásthiasAnásthiasAnásthiasAnásthias. The mountain was once merely the centre of a much larger metropolis, the heart of a city-state which waxed and waned in power over millennia. The larger city was destroyed by Anretian forces during the Orphans War, its territory later becoming part of Trésard.

Modern Beyän is an unusual vertical city, housed inside a pinnacle of rock which stands alone in an arid plain. The city's streets are tunnels which spiral upward, connecting halls, many of which are natural caves. Homes have been chipped out of the rock over centuries, with shafts providing light and air. Atop the pinnacle are gardens and various civic buildings, as well as windmills which raise water from far below into huge reservoir tanks. Along with rainwater, these supply the city via a network of metal pipes.

Instead of streets and squares, Beyän has:

Halls - the halls are mostly large natural caves with an opening to the outside air, the focus for light shafts and light tubes which carry illumination and ventilation into the interior. Most have public cisterns or fountains providing drinking water for those not connected to the city pipes. Halls are also used for public meetings, socialising and entertainments. Each of them are dedicated to certain activities, such as markets, with a different functions in the evening.

Places are caverns inside the city's structure. Most have their own natural features, though all have been considerably expanded and adapted over time. All Places are the focus for light shafts and have a cistern, providing light, air and water to the local neighbourhood. Homes nearest the Place house the better off, with the poorer living in increasingly cramped and dim quarters in tunnels further from the light. The poorest homes are lit by reed lights or tallow candles, making them smoky and malodorous.

Vars are the boulevards of the city, being wide, even and well lit, with light shafts in the day and gas lamps at night. They link the halls, and together form one continuous passageway which winds upward through the city from ground level to the peak.

Tunnels - The vars, places and halls are linked by hundreds of side tunnels of various quality, some straight, bright and well maintained, many cramped, dank and winding. The heinars have to be on constant watch for new tunnels being dug, threatening the safety and integrity of the city.

In folkloreplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigFolklore

Folklore

This is in a series of articles about oral traditions, tales, folk practices, and folklore.

topics cult1, the city of Bé'an, also known historically as Ben Akir, was once an eastern city of the Realm of the Godmen, on fertile farmland fed by rivers. After the downfall of the realm the world “cracked” and the rivers drained elsewhere, leaving the city on a dry plain.

Historically Greater Beyan was once a large open city, sprawling across the plains surrounding a central rocky fastness. Throughout the ages the network of natural caves within the peak were variously used for religious purposes, storage, sanctuary for the poor, and as a fortress and lookout post.

For most of history Beyan was a city state ruling territories in the surrounding plains.

During the Long War 232 ME, the Anretian army lad sacked the outer city, so that it was utterly destroyed by fire. The surviving inhabitants fled to the relative safety of the rock and barricaded themselves inside for a lengthy seige. Since the end of the war, fear of further assault, along with reduction in the overland trade between Tresard and Anret which had once made the city rich, meant that the outer city was never rebuilt. Instead, over the past eight centuries, what was once a network of natural caves has been transformed into elegant galleries and passageways, with shops, markets and homes sculpted into a labyrinth of volcanic rock.

Beyän's ancient government long predates the Hexact, Kings and Graves. The city is ruled by a council called the Heinars, led by a senior official, the Hedrist, who is appointed from their number for a ten year term. Officially the Hedrist holds an equivalent rank to a Burgrave, although the ancient office of Hedrist commands particular respect throughout Trésard.