Overview
Zhūwān, Pearl Bay, is the largest city in the Àolǎng Empire and the place where all five kingdoms meet the rest of the world. The Jīnhé river empties here into a deep natural harbour, and for as long as anyone can remember the docks have been loud with the business of people who have something to sell or something to hide. Electric trams run along Governor’s Way. Neon signs hang above traditional teahouses in classical calligraphy. Ironclad gunboats of the Aldermark Commonwealth ride at anchor off the southern quays, their consuls smiling over treaties the Empire signed under duress.
Districts and Streets
The city is laid out on a ten-by-five block grid inside a walled peninsula. The streets run east-west (rows) and north-south (avenues). If you learn the grid you can find anything.
East-west streets, south to north:
- Harbour Street (row 0, southernmost): the working waterfront. Docks, the Cháohén Seafood Market, industrial sheds, and the Cánghǎi Warehouse line the Jīnhé river bank. The Dockside Boarding House is here for those who need a cheap bed close to the water. The Yānmí Opium Den sits on a corner; nobody pretends otherwise.
- Market Way (row 1): the city’s central trading spine. The Floating Market stalls face the canal here. The Zhūwān Central Train Station occupies a full block, connecting the city to the rest of Qiānjīn.
- Herbalist Street (row 2): middle-class shops, the cabaret and nightclub strip, the Bàihuā Flower Market, and the Bǎihuā Flower Market greenhouse. The car dealerships cluster toward the east end of this row.
- Embassy Street (row 3): the prestige commercial and diplomatic tier. The Jīnjiǎ and Qiānjīn embassies face each other across Lantern Avenue. St. Cecilia’s Hospital sits on a corner of Governor’s Way. The Cuìquán Teahouse mineral springs are here.
- Palace Row (row 4, northernmost): civic and institutional power. The Governor’s Palace anchors the centre. The Grand Temple and Star Order Monastery bookend the row at the east end. The two major ballrooms and the Grand Library are on the west side.
North-south avenues, west to east:
- Ocean View Avenue: the western waterfront, home to the Ocean Dragon Temple, whose oldest hall juts into the surf.
- Library Avenue: the Grand Library, and at the southern end the small dock where you board the dinghy to the Lotus Boat.
- Lantern Avenue: bookshop, teahouse, the Crystal and Pearl Ballrooms.
- Park Avenue / Garden Avenue: the Large Park fills four full city blocks at the civic-core level.
- Governor’s Way: the palace, the hospital, and several martial schools.
- Temple Avenue: the Grand Temple and the car dealerships.
- Barracks Avenue: the Military Barracks, Jail and Police HQ.
- Pearl Avenue: bank, jewellers, opera house, and the Tiāngǔ Opera House.
- East Wall Avenue: horse traders, the rural market, and the eastern city wall.
South of the river, across four bridges, lies the South Ruins: the burned remains of what used to be the southern half of the city, lost forty-seven years ago in the Fire of Zhūwān when the wrath of Shíliè, the Spirit of Honor, came down on a private murder and consumed the whole quarter. The fire was halted only by the river. The ground has been considered cursed ever since; no priest has been able to predict when the curse might fade enough for resettlement, and most residents still avoid the bridges entirely. The catacombs beneath the burned blocks produce strange phenomena and, for those willing to risk them, rare cultivation ingredients that grow nowhere else. River Road runs along the north bank of that ruined quarter, and the further south you walk the quieter and more dangerous it gets. Cinder Lane at the southern edge is for people who prefer not to be found.
The Floating Market
The Floating Market straddles the canal on Market Way, roughly at the intersection with Library and Lantern Avenues. Two bank-side walkways face each other across the water: the West Bank Walkway and the East Bank Walkway. Both are outdoor plank decks strung with awnings; each holds a cluster of stalls, with punts moored at most of them so vendors can ferry heavier goods across.
The market operates on a daily lottery. Each morning the stall roster reshuffles: who shows up, what they sell, and what they will pay changes with every rotation. You will not always find the same vendor twice at the same stall.
What sells here:
- Raw materials (ores, silk, jade, timber, and other commodity goods). Material vendors set prices by supply and your character’s relationship with the market. Use
marketto see today’s offerings and their per-unit Silver Li price, thenbuy <quantity>to purchase. - Secondhand goods. Resale-pool dealers buy used items from the public and sell from pooled stock. Run
listat a resale stall to browse its inventory. - Foot-traffic vendors. Wandering sellers with hand-baskets and small carts: snacks, tea, flowers, hot grilled food. They sell convenience, not volume.
- Specialist buyers. Some stalls want to buy rather than sell. They will pay Silver Li for specific categories of goods. Run
marketto see who is buying what today.
Key commands at the market:
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
market |
Show today’s full stall roster with prices |
buy <qty> |
Buy materials or items from a stall |
sell <item> |
Sell an item into the secondhand resale pool |
sell <item> to <stall_code> |
Sell directly to a specialist buyer stall |
materials |
List your current raw-material stacks and their worth |
The resale pool pays 20-50% of an item’s value on intake. The pool then resells through secondhand stalls at 60-80% of value. It is not a pawn shop in the traditional sense; it is closer to a consignment market with no memory of who sold what.
Cuìquán Teahouse (Mineral Springs)
The Cuìquán Teahouse sits on Lantern Avenue at Embassy Street, in the northwestern prestige district. From the street it presents an understated front: low tea tables, a calligraphy scroll wall, a tea-tasting counter with a view of the spring garden behind. Attendant Mistress Sūn sits at the Front Desk.
The real point of the place is in the basement.
Access to the Mineral Springs grotto costs 2 Gold Dollars paid at the Front Desk. That buys you an afternoon’s soak. The changing rooms (Plum, Pine, Bamboo, and Orchid) lock automatically when occupied and share a common stash space, so anything you leave in one cubicle can be retrieved from any other. The springs themselves are a large hot mineral pool with a cool plunge basin alongside; stone-tile cushions line the edges. Měi-Lán runs drinks.
The springs are the only place in Zhūwān where long-term HP damage (degraded maximum health) can be restored without logging off for six or more hours. If you have taken wounds that have not fully healed, the springs will recover them. The investment is worth it before a delve or a serious confrontation.
The Lotus Boat (Nòngshuǐ Lóu)
The Nòngshuǐ Lóu, the Water-Play Pavilion, is a many-decked pleasure craft moored in the bay south of Harbour Street. It does not appear on the city grid because it is not on the city grid: it rides at anchor in the Jīnhé river mouth, accessible only by dinghy.
To reach it, walk south along Library Avenue to the dinghy at the end of the dock. Step aboard and you are carried across the bay; the boat handles the crossing itself. You arrive at the Mooring alongside the lacquered hull, strung with red silk lanterns carved with overlapping lotus blooms.
What is on the boat:
- Open Salon (Main Deck): The public mixing area. Crowded tables, a cocktail bar, a lounge band. This is where most people spend most of their time.
- Gambling Floor: Mahjong tables, pai-gow, roulette (an Aldermark import). Chip cashier at the desk; a pit boss on a stool watching.
- Smoking Lounge: Imported cigars, pipes, floor cushions.
- Bar / Drinks Salon: Long bar, top-shelf imports, a reserved stool for visiting ship captains.
- Private Suites (upper deck): Named suites – the Crane, Lotus, Peony, Phoenix, Pearl, and Dragon.
- Open Sky Lounge (top deck): Star-watching benches and the most expensive drinks on the boat, with a view of Zhūwān’s lights across the water.
- Galley (below decks): Not normally visible, but the crab steam you smell is real.
Suites and sing-song hosts
A suite is not a room you rent at a counter. It opens when you buy a premium bottle of liquor from the bar. The bottle’s name matches the suite, the price covers the room and the company, and a twelve-hour rental begins the moment the purchase clears.
The moment a bottle is paid for, the suite is yours: any followers in your party are pulled in with you, the suite’s sing-song hosts walk in from the greenroom and bow, and the doors close to anyone you have not invited. The hosts are professional companions trained as singers, musicians, storytellers, calligraphers, poets, dancers, and conversationalists. While the rental is live they hold an animated demeanour: pouring, performing, and making the evening go.
| Suite | Bottle | Price (Silver Li) | Sing-song hosts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crane | Cool Crane Plum Spirit | 1,800 | 1 |
| Lotus | Twin-Lotus Rose Wine | 2,400 | 1 |
| Peony | Peony Banquet Wine | 4,500 | 2 |
| Phoenix | Phoenix Mahjong Reserve | 5,400 | 2 |
| Pearl | Pearl Stage Champagne | 6,600 | 2 |
| Dragon | Dragon Imperial Reserve | 9,000 | 3 |
The multi-host suites carry both genders on the roster, so a host of either gender is available no matter which bottle you choose.
Inside the suite, the usual hosting commands apply: invite <name> brings a guest past the curtain, uninvite <name> withdraws the invitation, and leave session (or pay tab, or end session) closes the evening early. The hosts bow and depart; the curtain is drawn back. If you let the rental run, the suite reverts on its own when the twelve hours are up.
Ballrooms
Noble society in Zhūwān conducts much of its real business on the dance floor. Three dedicated ballrooms operate in the city, plus the Grand Hotel’s smaller ballroom for private events.
The Crystal Ballroom sits on Lantern Avenue at Palace Row, in the northwestern prestige district. This is the upmarket venue: the room where ambassadors bring their guests, where Merchant Prince families conduct introductions, and where a new face can be noticed or overlooked depending entirely on who introduced them. Dress here is expected to meet the standard. Four taxi dancers hold residencies.
The Pearl Ballroom occupies the adjacent lot on Ocean View Avenue at Palace Row, a short walk west. It is the mid-tier alternative: still respectable, less scrutinised, and more forgiving of a traveller who arrived in Zhūwān three days ago and has not yet acquired the right tailor. Four taxi dancers here as well.
The Starlight Dance Hall is on Herbalist Street at Park Avenue, in the middle-class entertainment district alongside the Velvet Cabaret, the Blue Pearl Jazz Club, and the Midnight Lounge. The Starlight is a working dance hall, not a society venue. Nobody here is watching your posture. Five dancers are available, weighted toward apprentices learning their craft.
The Grand Hotel Ballroom (described below under the Grand Hotel) is smaller, used primarily for banquets and private gatherings.
Taxi dancers are professional dance partners available for hire by the set. A set lasts one hour of game time, and the fee is paid in Silver Li upfront when you hire them.
| Tier | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apprentice | 100 Silver Li |
| Regular | 300 Silver Li |
| Star | 800 Silver Li |
Dancers work the evening shift, from 18:00 through 04:00. Outside those hours, the floor is yours but unstaffed.
To hire a dancer: enter the ballroom, run dancers to see who is available and at what tier, then hire <name> to start a session. The dancer will join you on the floor and follow you around it. dismiss ends the session early (no refund). Dancers are professionals; the arrangement is taxi-dancing in the early-twentieth-century sense and nothing more.
The Grand Hotel
The Grand Hotel sits in the warehouse-and-industrial district, north of Market Way near the train station. It is the city’s principal hotel for foreign visitors, commercial delegations, and anyone who requires discreet, quality accommodation without an embassy connection. The Grand Lobby has a concierge desk and a framed wall of visiting dignitaries past.
Ground floor amenities include a Lobby Café (marble-top tables, upright piano), a Hotel Bar serving Aldermark cocktails, and a Hotel Restaurant with arched windows on the ocean. The Hotel Ballroom is smaller than the Crystal or Pearl but used regularly for banquets with assigned seating.
Upper floors: standard rooms on the second and third floors, deluxe rooms on the fourth. The Penthouse Landing on the fifth floor holds four named suites (the Pearl, Jade, Phoenix, and Dragon), the Dragon being the largest, with three rooms and a diplomat’s ante-room. A Penthouse Roof Terrace sits above, with sea-view railings and a breakfast service in summer.
Embassies
Six embassies occupy prime sites in Zhūwān, mostly along Embassy Street and the western coast. Each maintains a public Reception Hall at ground level; upper floors and the cellar passages are restricted to staff and residents of that building.
Sìshuǐ Embassy (northwestern prestige district, western coast) represents the Imperial heartland. The ground floor Reception Hall is open to visitors. Upstairs, an Ancestral Shrine Alcove holds House Lanaris tablets. A Sea-View Balcony on the top floor looks out over the harbour.
Táimí Embassy (northwestern prestige district, western coast) is immediately south of the Sìshuǐ compound. Where the other embassies have a servants’ kitchen, the Táimí ground floor has an Herbal Garden: stone planters of medicinal herbs, a dripping watering-can, a seat for the resident herbalist who tends them.
Tōngzhì Embassy (Lantern Avenue at Palace Row, northwestern prestige district) keeps a notably organised interior. Their Cypher Room is renamed the Cypher and Cataloguing Room, which tells you something about how Tōngzhì approaches classification.
Jīnjiǎ Embassy (Lantern Avenue at Embassy Street) has a martial-training mat and weapons rack on the ground floor beside the Drawing Room. This is not unusual; Jīnjiǎ culture treats the martial arts as a normal part of professional life.
Qiānjīn Embassy (Governor’s Way at Embassy Street, civic core) converts the standard Drawing Room into a Trade Salon lined with ledgers, sample bolts of silk, and an imports price-board. Their Cypher Room is tagged Commercial.
Aldermark Embassy (Pearl Avenue at Embassy Street, civic core) is the largest and most heavily trafficked foreign mission in the city. The Aldermark concession on the southern quays (warehouses, drydocks, and counting-houses) is legally an extension of Aldermark soil on the Empire’s reluctant agreement. The embassy itself carries the trappings of comfort: a Tea Room with cucumber-sandwich tier and bone-china service, a Billiards Parlour on the ambassador’s floor. The cellar holds a Lamplighter Listening-Post, though you will not see it on any floor plan the embassy provides.
The Aldermark Missionary School occupies the adjacent lot.
All embassy Reception Halls are accessible to any character during normal hours. Staircases and cellar passages are gated to staff and building residents; attempting to access them without authorisation will not go unnoticed.
Other Notable Locations
Ocean Dragon Temple: the oldest building in the city, its foundations older than the grid around it. The oldest hall juts directly into the surf on Ocean View Avenue. The Lower Hall floor floods twice a day with the tide. Inside, a sixty-foot azure-blue dragon coiled in abalone-shell scales dominates the Inner Sanctum. Sailors leave offerings before departing. The Sea-Captain’s Tablet Wall on the upper level names every captain who survived a bay storm, from age fourteen to eighty-two.
Tiāngǔ Opera House: a full-block venue on Pearl Avenue at Embassy Street with an attached Crown Cinema and Zhūwān Bulletin newspaper office on smaller lots. The opera season runs year-round. Evening performances draw the prestige crowd.
Martial Schools: four schools operate openly in Zhūwān: the Veiled Grace School (western prestige district, near the ballrooms), the Mirrored Tempest School (Governor’s Way), the Radiant Chorus School (middle class, Herbalist Street side), and the Ember Fist School (eastern middle class, near the Flower Market). Public vestibules are open; inner halls require school membership.
Sect Headquarters: most of the major sects maintain a concealed presence in Zhūwān, embedded in ordinary-looking businesses. The Ninth Pouch operates from a Reading Room beneath the Dockside Boarding House. The Chainless Compact meets in a Five Kingdoms Room under the Wǎnxiá Teahouse. The Crimson Cleavers run a butchery behind the open kitchen of the Bànghǎi Restaurant. The Silken Gloves keep a Receiving Vault inside the Mòchí Art Gallery’s restorer’s studio. The Twice-Sworn maintain a Vow Pavilion in the Bǎihuā Flower Market greenhouse. Finding these rooms requires either membership or a very thorough search.
Governor’s Palace: the civic centre of Zhūwān. The Audience Hall and Petitioners’ Waiting Room on the ground floor are open to the public during business hours. Administrative offices, the Private Reception Hall, and all upper floors are closed to visitors.