Great Edo—
even for a monkey without tricks,
spring blossoms.
—Kobayashi Issa (tl. David G. Lanoue)
None doubt that Jibei is the most beautiful city in all Vaneha, and some say the same for the River Province, the East, the Threshold, or Creation. Aesthetics and chauvinism aside, it is inarguably an exceptional city. The splendor of the Sword Princes’ city is a product of its location and the ingenuity of its architect-geomancers who are driven always by the necessity of harnessing Ama-ni-Traya’s momentous essence flows and directing them to the benefit of the people who call it their home and the center of the world. It is both old and new, built between a manse as old as history and a lake much older still, yet rebuilt frequently in response to shifts in the dragon lines—or to being sacked in one of Vaneha’s internal wars.
Today, Jibei sprawls across terraces that spiral down from the imperial dragon-backed manse on the mountain’s northeastern slope to meet the waters of Agate Lake’s northeastern shore where it nestles long and narrow against Ama-ni-Traya. The sacred stream that flows out of the manse is directed around the city by a series of canals demarcating the city proper. It is this stream that channels the mountain’s essence safely as a protective ward. Dozens of smaller aqueducts, arranged in fractal branching patterns, guide portions of the water through the city, dividing clan residences and districts, cleansing filth spiritual and physical (this is also the city’s wastewater system), and nourishing the abodes of clan deities before themselves emptying into the lake.
Jibei’s layout can be broadly divided into four sections, plus the area outside the city proper. The more valued (or valuable) you are, the closer to the Princes you may live, looking down on those less important than you—or rather past, as Jibei’s architects are very skilled at keeping the poor and mundane out of sight or picturesquely distant. In principle, all who live in and around Jibei and not within a clan compound are members of the imperial clan, but those who are not direct relatives of the Sword Princes are still commoners and must live below clan hostages.
The Imperial District
The highest part of the city is reserved for the Sword Princes and their relatives and direct servants. Commoners are not allowed here, and clan dignitaries require permission to visit anywhere beyond the dragon-backed manse. Even the handmaidens here are low-ranking nobility, often third daughters and sons hired in their youth to instill a sense of loyalty to the Sword before going on to serve their clans. Here are the city’s oldest buildings also—even when the city has burned in the past, any warlord would think twice before razing this sacred quarter.
The Sword Prince holds court in the dragon-backed manse, in meetings that are as much banquet as deliberative session. In his absence, the court is managed by his sister, high priestess of the First and Hundredth, and his father, Sword Prince emeritus and mastermind of civic affairs.
The Inner Circle
The terraces immediately below the dragon-backed manse hold the glamorous estates of those most trusted clans who supported the current line of Sword Princes before their unification of the country was assured. Among them, the Uema and Anori estates are particularly breathtaking: the Uema, weaponmakers without peer, are ascendant in the current war, and the Anori are historic pioneers of Vanehan geomancy and aesthetics.
The Middle Belt
Beneath the closest allies of the Imperial Daiklave reside those clans who are less trusted, but nevertheless in good standing, such as the Iachi and Saoto. Their compounds are interspersed with the residences and workshops of wealthy commoners and artisans. Smiths, masons, and architects are especially respected, and those distinguished enough to serve the nobility do their work here. This quarter and the estates of the high nobility together make up the upper city.
The Low Shore
Disgraced or impoverished clans, middling merchants, laborers, and all descriptions of rabble make their homes in the stretch of city reaching from the lake’s shore to about halfway up the slope. This is not to say the lower city is ugly or shabby. Even poor clans must keep their estates up to certain standards (an expense which, not coincidentally, tends to keep them poor). Polluting the city is an offense, and building codes are enforced, albeit with varying zeal. Those who cannot afford a traditional Vanehan home of their own can find lodging in affordable if cramped rowhouses closer to the waterfront—or they move outside the city proper altogether.
Outside Looking In
There is only so much space within the bounds marked by the sacred enclosing canal, and a large portion of it is taken up by clan residences, even the smallest of which are spacious compared to the number of people living within them. Those who find no place within the city must live without. This includes the poor, but also various restricted or licensed businesses (including a sizable red light district), foreign visitors or traders who are not someone’s guest, and farmers or lake-divers who live where they work. Wealthy commoners may have estates to rival those of small clans outside city limits, but all clan head family members must stay in their compound within the city.
Agate Lake stretches west, hugging the steeper mountain slopes. Its western shores are flat and marshy, transitioning almost gradually into the river that carries its sacred waters away to the profane lower plains.