 |
| In contrast to the rest of the City, Westwyk has adopted a distinct Art Nouveau style as can bee seen in the Royal Arcade |
Following on from the 'Old City' and Mancroft, Westwyk is the third and final 'Changeling' district in 'The Tower'. Westwyk is the district inhabited by the player characters and as such takes on a different mood to the City at large. Whereas the gothic and medieval influences of Mancroft and Connesford represent the tradition and the importance of institutions in the freeholds society, Art Nouveau which is the dominant architectural style represents the eclectic nature of the districts residents.
Art Nouveau is heavily influenced by nature and natural structures following a philosophy harmonising with the natural environment which for the citizens of Westwyk makes it a very politically charged style of art (and lets be honest here: Art Nouveau is defiantly the most Fae style of architecture).
'Westwyk' means the 'West Fort' in old English and for the peoples of the Mortal realm its residents are the first line of defence against the agents of Faerie.
Westwyk (Area Morality 7):
Sitting on the raised bank of the River, stretching from the Cathedral to the Western wall and as south as St Benedict’s street. Westwyk is the most bohemian area of the city a hodgepodge of different styles that reflect the moods and personalities of its members, though the majority of architecture is Art Nouveau. Westwyk is known for the densest concentration of hedge gates along the city walls. Amongst the Freehold it is known as a holding area for the unrespectable element of its citizenship that still clings to the notion of reclaiming their mortal identities. Unlike the other districts is lacks residential accommodation in favour of secure storage for its members various pet projects…
St Benedict's Gate
One of three gatehouses that lead from the Hedge city to the deeper hedge. St Benedict's gate is more widely known as Westwyk Gate, particularly amongst the more predominantly secular residents of the district, as a way of deflecting influence from the 'Church of Lost Salvation'. Although originally a Gothic gatehouse, following a petition to the Summer monarch and assurances the structural integrity of the walls would not suffer, the internal façade of the gate has been re-sculpted in the Art Nouveau style by Simon Pierce. The new façade depicts a scene form 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and bears the following script above the arch:
And jealous Oberon would have the child
Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild;
But she perforce withholds the loved boy,
Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy
St Benedict's gate corresponds to the crossroads at the bottom of Grapes Hill.
La Fae Verte
La Fae Verte is a business conceived by a Winter courtier call Myles as a safe place for the residents of Westwyk to meet up and socialise. Considering a large gathering of Lost can attract the attention of loyalists or other enemies to the Free Lost, the wizened Brewer reasons, having a venue where Changelings can just kick back and relax. Its interior decoration is filled with stained glass light by torches to give the effect of a nightclub and is locally famous for Myles' special blend of hedge absinthe.
La Fae Verte can be accessed from a door in 'St Lawrence Little Steps' but only if one knows the key. On the Streets of 'The Tower' it can be found on Westwick Street.
The Undercrofts
The Undercrofts are a collection of tunnels and stores beneath the streets of Mancroft and Westwyk. The provide near unrestricted movement across the two districts except for places blocked off by the occupiers of the buildings above. There is also an entrance to the catacombs below the city in winter for those daring enough to venture below while in summer due to the flooding of the hedge they can be quite dank.
The Sluice Gate
In order to protect the city, in particular the walls, from the rains of summer a sluice gate was constructed to regulate the flow of water from the hedge into the river that runs along the City. The gate diverts water away from the three 'Changeling' Districts into the docks at Westwyk, although most of this water is diverted into the Hob slums of Ultra Aquam, allowing Wherry's to dock with supplies for the city. The Sluice gate is a wrought hedge steel construction that also functions as one of the two entrances into the Hob district during the winter via a water-balance cliff lift.
The Sluice Gate corresponds to the one at New Mills yard.
Westwyk Docks
Situated between St Georges Street and Fye Bridge Street the Westwyk docks hold the various boats used by citizens to explore the Deeper hedge in summer. The docks also hold one of the two entrances to the Hob Slums of Ultra Aquam during the winter via a stone staircase. Unlike the streets across the river the docks are heavily patrolled due to the vital need for ships to gather supplies in summer.
Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild;
But she perforce withholds the loved boy,
Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy
St Benedict's gate corresponds to the crossroads at the bottom of Grapes Hill.
La Fae Verte
La Fae Verte is a business conceived by a Winter courtier call Myles as a safe place for the residents of Westwyk to meet up and socialise. Considering a large gathering of Lost can attract the attention of loyalists or other enemies to the Free Lost, the wizened Brewer reasons, having a venue where Changelings can just kick back and relax. Its interior decoration is filled with stained glass light by torches to give the effect of a nightclub and is locally famous for Myles' special blend of hedge absinthe.
La Fae Verte can be accessed from a door in 'St Lawrence Little Steps' but only if one knows the key. On the Streets of 'The Tower' it can be found on Westwick Street.
The Undercrofts
The Undercrofts are a collection of tunnels and stores beneath the streets of Mancroft and Westwyk. The provide near unrestricted movement across the two districts except for places blocked off by the occupiers of the buildings above. There is also an entrance to the catacombs below the city in winter for those daring enough to venture below while in summer due to the flooding of the hedge they can be quite dank.
The Sluice Gate
In order to protect the city, in particular the walls, from the rains of summer a sluice gate was constructed to regulate the flow of water from the hedge into the river that runs along the City. The gate diverts water away from the three 'Changeling' Districts into the docks at Westwyk, although most of this water is diverted into the Hob slums of Ultra Aquam, allowing Wherry's to dock with supplies for the city. The Sluice gate is a wrought hedge steel construction that also functions as one of the two entrances into the Hob district during the winter via a water-balance cliff lift.
The Sluice Gate corresponds to the one at New Mills yard.
Westwyk Docks
Situated between St Georges Street and Fye Bridge Street the Westwyk docks hold the various boats used by citizens to explore the Deeper hedge in summer. The docks also hold one of the two entrances to the Hob Slums of Ultra Aquam during the winter via a stone staircase. Unlike the streets across the river the docks are heavily patrolled due to the vital need for ships to gather supplies in summer.
***
As some of you many have noticed what has described in the blog differs slightly with the map from my VSS (Mancroft has got slightly bigger at the expense of Westwyk and Connesford and I drew the northern wall a little too northerly). Anyway here is an updated map to get your head around the freehold.
No comments:
Post a Comment