'Highborn of Oceansend.' This is where all the action takes place; the center surrounded by several other elements. I like to think of the story environment as a six sided gem. . .

1. First of all, there is the regular city. This is where the middle class people live and work. (And yeah, I decided that there should be a middle class in Thieves & Kings.) People here don't put much stock or belief in magic and monsters and such. For the regular folk, life is interesting enough without such added complexities. 

2. The Royal Mountain; a mountain of stone rising from the middle of the city upon which sits the palace, royalty and privilege. The mountain, as is true of much of the city, is filled with hollows, tunnels and secrets. There are thousands of years worth of history sitting beneath the surface of Oceansend, and the mountain is the crux of it all. Some say the mountain is hollow and that beneath it exist gates to other worlds. . .

3. The docks, canals and ship yards. This is a tough section of town. Sailor's lodgings and taverns, and the destitute. This is where Rubel lived and worked for much of his youth. He had to hike through town in order to visit his best friends who lived in the wealthier sections of the city, or up the mountain side to the spot where Quinton's comfortable wizard's tower sits.

4. The Sunken City. This a mystical, ruined and abandoned section of town, where nobody lives due to random and dangerous flooding. Supernatural creatures and secrets lie here, as well as one of Rubel's friends, the ghost Sara Blue, who was indirectly responsible for the Sunken City's destruction many ages ago.

5. The Sleeping Wood. The great and dangerous forest spread out to the east of the city, just beyond the city walls. This is Rubel's second home, and where the princess Katara vanished. Tremendous magic resides here, of such power that the scurrying concerns of human history go almost entirely unnoticed.

6. And finally, there is the Ocean. While I will not likely be dealing with it in Thieves & Kings, the Ocean holds great fascination for me. I love stories about sailing and high seas adventure. The Ocean is the gate of the world and you never know what will arrive one day to sit in your harbor. . .


 

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