The City of Felsheim
History & short description
Felsheim is a very old city. It was founded by Ewona Bergen, when Felsheim still was a littel dukedom and not a big kingdom like now. When Felsheim was founded it was less more than a little settlement built of wooden houses with a little stronghold. It was the cover of the „Hochmauer“-mountains and the river Uram that might have been the reason to choose this location. With that natural wall in the back and the river as ditch Felsheim has been a well defendable city from the beginning, so it quickly grew to city and capital status while the dukedom was becoming a kingdom.
One of the oldest buildings is the citywall. It was built several years before the palace. It´s main purpose was to prevent the regular floodings from Uram, but later the wall was upgraded several times to improve city defences as  well. The wall is about 12m high and 4-6m thick (two walls with several sections filled with dirt). The wall reaches about 7m down into the ground. Only the gate-towers and the graveyard-tower are hollow and have chambers in it, all others are solid and have metal-hooks outside to be climbed. On top of the wall is a battlemented parapet witch fixed heavy crossbows every 10m and machicolations every 20m.
Many years after the foundation of Felsheim there were fields and gardens inside the wall, but later the increasing population filled up the space. It was, however, forbidden by law to build nearer than 15m - 10m in some exclusions - to the citywall .
Todays king´s palace was built quite late - the fromer residence of the ruler was situated on the place before, but as glory and gold came upon the family of „Bergen“ they built the Skypalace. A cave was digged into the mountain which now spawns over the palace like a natural dome. Angles where calculated that on the birthdate of the cityfounder Ewona Bergen sunrays (parallel to the mainstreet and reflected by the square before the palace) fall exactly on the roof of that dome where several chrystals built in reflect it in different colours and show the symbol of house „Bergen“ (Three mountains like a M with a higher mountain in the middle).
The sqare before the skypalace is layed out with big marmour-stones in black, white and blue showing a huge Bergen-Symbol again. Starting from the big staircase (called sky-stairs) yellow stones are layed like sunrays into each direction. One of them leading like a golden path along the mainstreet to the citygate.
When the kingdom grew and boarders were fixed poplulation increased quickly and many were seeking their fortune in the capital, but citizen-righst were expensive and hard to get so the „city of fortune“ in front of the citywalls grew. This part of the down - between Uram and Citywall - is filled up with huts of different sizes and materieals. Thousends of narrow streets are leading trough pure chaos. Most of the citizens here are poor and nowhere else is crimerate as high as here. But the „city of fortune“ also helds some very own specialities. As it´s not a real part of the city, it´s rules and laws aren´t valid either. So it´s possible to find every kind of „merchandise“ one even can think of here, oc course only, if the custorm manages to slip past all that thiefes, cuthroats and deceivers.
The southwestern part of Felsheim is often called „City of the Dead“.  It is a seperated part and helds the graveyard. Only the richest families can afford to be burried here and the few cryptas are for nobles only. Other citiezens are burried ouside the citywall at a more simply graveyard. That graveyard can only be entered from within the city, as it´s about 30m below normal groundlevel (- which leads to a very dim light except while midday hours and a strange echo-) and doesn´t have any staircases or ladder except the one leading to the graveyardtower. 
North to the graveyard-district is the district of the wealthy citizens. Big and beatuiful houses, expensive shops and excellent taverns could be found here. A littel bit further to the south is the district of the nobles. Only those have the right to have gardens, and all of them are closed in by big walls and are patrolled by private guards. 
East of the nobles-district is gehe mage-academy. It isn´t guardes by anything, because it´s doors can only be found and crossed by those wearing the „amulett of entrance“ or those invited by the mages. All othes can only see a black and bold wall with no entrance at all - and the walls are of course solid.
Somewhat north of it is the theatre. Expensive shows are held there as well as cheap ones and only seldomly nobody could be found here.
The big street nearby, leading from the sky-square to the western gate is called „Steet of the gods“ an is the second biggest road. It´s named so because of the temples that are all built next to it. There are temples of all kinds and by law every religion is allowed to found a temple here - if it can afford the extraordinary high taxes.
The main street, leading from the sky-sqare to the southern gate, is layed out with the same stones as the sky-sqare. However, the golden „sunrays“ are becomeing more and more worn out the nearer one comes to the gate and simple roadstones show several repaired places. The houses next to the mainstreet are all in splendit condition - and that has a simple reason. By law the owners of those houses have to take care about it, or they are heavily fined. So it´s logical that only huge merchandies-companies and rich moneylenders are living here.
The street leading from the mainstreet to the east is called „marketstreet“. It ends at marketplace, where once in a month the „big market“ is held for three days. On those days merchants from near and far squeeze into each narrow place the can find and customers hardly find paths to walk. Population icrease about one third on those days and it´s hard to find any free room - although prices are doubled and doubled again. To bring law and order guards are also doubled on „big markte“ day. A seperated „Market-court“ is installed and has a lot of rights. It´s due to the harsh and draconical punishment that most of the merchants highly respect the law. Not seldomly a merchant find himself stranded in the city of fortune without any money because he thought he could tricks the law.
But although if there isn´t „big market day“ the marketplace bursts with activity. Farmers  from the region are paying a little „seller´s tax“ to be allowed to sell their goods here. Only in wintertime the marketplace becomes more silent, but then artists and performers are populating the place.
Between mainstreet and marketplace is the „House of Hammers“. It´s the mansion of the knights of MontZobel (often called Mozo by the citizens - but only if no knight is nearby). It´s the knighthood of the house Bergen. (MontZobel is the biggest mountain in the symbol of house Bergen). New kights are taught here as well as new weaopns are forged. The House of Hammers can hold up to 100 knights with their horses and esquires. The kights of MontZobel and the Cityguards are the guarantors for law and order, but while the cityguards get thier orders from the city council, the kights of MontZobel get theirs directly from the king. Both groups don´t like each other very much, but they have to respect them.
The Cityguard have their quarters next to the south door. They have their own training places and weapon chambers. Next to that fort are the stables. One can leave his own horses here as no tavern in town is allowed to have stables. The only other place to leave horses is at the House of Hammers, but only knights are allowed to.
Next to the sky-square are three big and important building: The Court, the Goldchamber and the Council. While the Goldchamber and the Council are built solid and without much decoration, the Court looks like a second palace - as if it likes to show it´s indepandence and power. Below the Court is the official prison - and the inofficial torture-chamber. No screams could be heard outside, but that´s due to the thick walls and not because there aren´t any. Below the Goldchamer, where all taxes are calculated and collected, is the huges treasureroom of the kingdom. Lots of gold lays here, because only the Goldchamber is allowed to produce the coins. 
In the northeaster part of the town - next to the mountains wall, one can find the ordinary citizens of Felsheim. Lots of craftsmen, workers are mechants are living here, and one needs a lot of streetknowledge if he doesn´t want to get lost in the maze of the little winding streets - especially at night, because only few laterns are lit here. The more wealthy citizens live a little bit more to the east or south. Shopkeepers, Tavernkeepers and succesful craftsmen and thier gilds could be found here. Each street is stuffed with littel shops and with enough money one could always find what he´s looking for - bargaining is often possible and can save a lot of coins. The nearer somebody gets to the marketplace the more taverns could be found.
One word about canalisation: Felsheim does have a canalisation like many other capital towns. There is - however - something special about it: Water is collected in the mountains and allows waterpipes to most houses - but there is a special „water-tax“ and therefore less wealthy citizens still go to the wells, which are for free and could be found nearly everywhere. The canalisation is also flooded all the time and therefore esspecially clean - compared to other cities. That, however, doesn´t meant that there aren´t any creatures living down there. More intellegent creatures even „destroyed“ and tried some channals and several tunnels extend into the mountain. The whole mountainside has a huge cave-system which is not known by „above“-people. There is, BTW, a escapetunnel from the palace into the mountains, which is also connected to the canalisation.
Some special laws in Felsheim
Poisons are not allowed and heavily fined in Felsheim.
All weapons except knifes and daggers have to be given away at the gates! The owner gets a letter which allows him to collect his weapons when he´s leaving. Only nobles, cityguards and knights of MontZobel are allowed to wear weapons.
Casting any offensive spell or any spell disturbing others without permission is forbidden.
One has to find a room for the night, sleeping on the streets is forbidden.
Begging is forbidden as well as streettrading without permission (but due to the beggars- and thievesgild still common, just better organized)
Gambling is forbidden, if it extends 10 goldcoins per day. (But as this law only is valid WITHIN the city walls, lats of gamblers could be found in the city of fortune..)
Prostitution is also forbidden. (Again a reason to go to the city of fortune..)
Everyone entering Felsheim has to give name and occupation in Felsheim. If somebody wants to stay longer than one month he´s to registrate himself at the cityguard. (And to pay a „city-tax“, if he´s allowed to stay)
It´s not allowed to perform any arts without permission. Performing on the sky-square or at the street of the gods is prohibited.