CIVIL ENGINEERING ON A MAGICAL WORLD

Occasionally I'm forced to turn my attention to the actual structures within the empire, or even elsewhere on Orlantia. Since Alodar is the capital city, and since it has the largest population and the biggest problems, I've spent most of that time thinking about it. If I can solve a problem for Alodar, I can solve it anywhere. It is, therefore, assumed all major cities of the empire are similar to Alodar. Also, cities of the Nahechaian Dynasty have copied the Empire's designs and techniques where possible.

I have always imagined Alodar to be similar to Imperial Rome. Of course, what do I know about Imperial Rome? I knew in the past, the city of Rome supported a population of about 1 million. (Though much more tightly packed in apartment like complexes). I've seen a smattering of documentaries about Rome, and I've come to understand key components that made Rome possible were its aqueducts and roads. But I could do better.

Alodar is mostly, but not completely, a planned, rather than an evolved city. In the fullness of time, certain evolved aspects of Alodar were leveled and replaced or covered up with planned civil engineering. The only places that still resemble evolved aspects are those around the harbor and along Queen's river and along the King's river. Here, more than anywhere else in Alodar, the streets are not necessarily laid out in a logical grid, but are instead turning and twisting streets, the remains of ancient pathways of much earlier times. This has a tendency to also increase the level of crime in these areas, for those thieves who know the place well can more easily hide and escape from pursuers if something goes amiss with their plans.

Alodar, like all Imperial Cities, is a walled city. This used to be an important part of the city's defenses, but today most hostile groups are sufficiently far removed that both main gates are never closed and the walls no longer have Imperial guards posted on them 24 hours a day. It is, however, always possible to close the gates and man the walls within a matter of minutes, and there are still always guards near the main gates. Also, the only other entrance to the city from the direction of the surrounding lands is via the Queen's river. The Queen's and King's Rivers are sufficiently deep and wide so that ocean going vessels can safely travel along them for quite some distance. These points of entry past the walls are always busy and always manned. (Unlike small walled cities that have walls that may extend for hundreds of yards and enclose a tightly packed population, Alodar and other Imperial cities have walls that extend for miles and contain a relatively low-density population. Within the walls, Alodar only sports a permanent population of about 750,000. Guarding such a wall is problematic and does, in fact, take many well trained, and randomly timed patrols. In fact, the captains of the guard carry dice to help randomize certain patrol times and avoid anyone from ever learning a pattern they can use to slip by unnoticed).

The walls are the first things that strike your senses as you approach the city. They are walls of Imperial concrete faced with six inch thick gleaming white marble slabs, perhaps 20 feet high at their lowest to a magnificent 40 feet high near the main northern and eastern gates. The walls are over 10 feet thick (filled with earth and rubble) and have diffuse continual light spells cast on them, always giving the structure a brilliantly clean look. The magic of the continual light spells has the added bonus of increasing the durability of the walls and partially protecting them against the elements. The perimeter of the walls is approximately 150 miles long. There are eight main wall segments surrounding the city on three sides. The fourth side is a naturally protected harbor, which itself thrust into the heart of the city. The people of Alodar live on all three sides of the harbor, totally safe within the walls.

Imperial concrete is very similar to the concrete used by the Roman Empire. Alodar imports a volcanic ash via The Net whereas Rome had it naturally around them. This ash, when used as an additive in concrete, formed a material that set up quickly. In fact, it sets up more quickly when it's wet or submerged. It also gets stronger with age. This is good stuff. It's the reason why most of the Colosseum is still standing, as well as many other Roman structures. Imperial concrete is, therefore, the primary building material for the Alodarian Empire. It is used to particularly good effect in the streets, the walls, the artificial docks and wave breaks in the harbor, and in cast shapes around the empire. Furthermore, when given a dose of endurance magic, such concrete constructs theoretically might last several millennia.

The roads and streets within a major city are Imperial concrete blocks. They are set with tiny gaps to prevent thermal expansion and contraction damage and also are given minor magical enchantments to a degree which gives them added durability. The empire frequently does this as they have developed low-level spells requiring no material components and are akin to the continual light spell. It is therefore cheap to use and requires only the time of a low-level mage. Such a mage is probably a highly intelligent type with a rock-bottom minimal constitution and practically no dexterity of which to speak. He or she would never dare to be an adventurer. They may even be a specialist in the school of ALTERATION magic. But they can cast these spells that channel a type of energy from the elemental plane of earth, and probably make quite a decent living doing it. They wouldn't be millionaires, of course, but probably would pull down 6 figures every year in silver pieces or around 1,000 GP).

Also, there are five Imperial highways, so called, outside of the major cities. These Imperial highways are 50 feet wide, very straight, and very level. They connect each major city with at least one and sometimes two other major cities. Esitte is connected in this way to Handor and to Nahecha, the capital of the Nahechaian Dynasty. Handor is connected to Esitte and Alodar. Alodar is connected to Handor and Orlan, Orlan is connected to Alodar and Crowl, and Crowl is connected to Orlan. Orlan and Esitte are not connected by Imperial highway since it's far easier to travel via King's River. It's also easier to travel from Alodar to Crowl via King's River. Of course, there is a road along King's River, but it isn't an Imperial highway. Here's a map if you're interested. Hit the back button after looking at it to continue reading this article.

The Local Map (The Immediate Area Around The Alodarian Empire)

The city streets are all paved and bordered with rain gutters or curbs. Rain is directed underground into the extensive sewer systems which take care of rainwater only. This storm sewer system eventually directs all runoff into Alodar's harbor. This is not the sewage treatment system; sewage treatment is entirely different. It may be of interest to note, at this time, through the storm sewers one can gain access to ancient underground labyrinths, upon which Alodar was apparently built upon all those centuries ago. There are some interesting, as well as dangerous things lurking down there, and citizens are encouraged to stay above ground.

Massive Imperial concrete cylinders topped with Imperial concrete spheres are located on every street corner, and sometimes even more frequently. Each sphere has a continual light spell, or CL, cast upon it. It is an interesting and beautiful effect that clerical CLs resemble sunlight and magic user CLs resemble blue white incandescent lamps. During the day one can hardly notice the additional light, but a night, they are excellent sources of illumination. The empire uses the magic user variety, but in areas surrounding temples the clerics have replaced or simply superseded the magic user's CLs with their own, giving the place a more holy look.

It should be noted at this time that the duration of a continual light isn't actually infinite. Depending on the shape of the item it is cast upon, it may last for up to a millennium or 1-M. Cast in the air, however, the duration is only a few hours. In general, the shapes favored by this type of magic, and therefore conducive to longer duration, in order of decreasing duration, are spheres at 1M, flat circular disks at 0.85M, rings at 0.75M, cylinders at 0.5M, and large flat plane like unbroken surfaces with rounded edges at 0.3M. Any shapes with sharp corners or angles tend to bleed off energy and will have an increasingly shorter duration somewhere between 0.01M and 0.25M. Thus, as long as a continual light is put on an object, the minimum duration for even the worst possible shape would still be a decade long. Also, it may be instructive to know that continual lights are capable of giving plants the necessary light required for photosynthesis. Clerical CLs work slightly better than magic user CLs is this regard, but both will work.

Finally, in my universe, CLs simply radiate light from the object they were cast upon. Placing the object in a light tight bag would conceal the light. Putting such an object in a tube would make a type of flashlight that is more directional and less conspicuous from a distance. If an object, which has the continual light spell cast upon it, is broken in such a way that at least 25% of it is removed from the original object, the CL spell will fail, and the energy will bleed away in a matter of days. During that time, only the largest surviving piece radiates any light at all.

Now, because a cleric must actually bother the hierarchy of his or her deity (since the CL spell is above 2nd level), clerics will generally charge 300 GP for it. Wow! That's $30,000. I guess that should keep the masses from pestering them for such spells. Magic users, on the other hand, have a 2nd level CL spell. If, and only if, they were commissioned to do a great number of these CL spells, the minimum cost, based on the worth of their time, would be approximately 10 GP / CL spell. This is still $1,000. Of course, it could last up to a thousand years, so it's far cheaper than batteries or electricity, not to mention replacement bulbs.

Now it is a fact stationary magic is easier and cheaper than the more expensive mobile variety. For very little money the empire was able to utilize that fact in the construction of a wide variety of things - in particular, its water system. Beneath the city are the primary aqueducts (Imperial concrete of course). They are filled with water from the elemental plane of water. This is simply done by punching a permanent, small hole, which because of its stationary nature is easy and cheap to accomplish, into the right spot on the elemental plane of water. There is a definite pressure at such a nexus, and when the container of water is full and the hole or nexus is submerged to the proper depth, the pressure balances and the flow stops until more water is taken from the container. It is through the use of these water towers the aqueducts are filled and water is disseminated throughout the city. One of the more beautiful features of Alodar or other Imperial cities results from this system. Fountains of many types and varieties, including small artificial water falls and spouting statues of great works of art can be found along the aqueducts. These are usually donated by wealthy individuals (like adventurers who wish to make minor shrines to their deities to show their appreciation and dedication) and include the necessary minor magic to make them work.

Within walking distance of most dwellings inside a major city of the empire, at least one special fountain is further enchanted with a type of spell akin to create food spells (you can tell which ones since they have gold inlay and special symbols on them). The water from these special fountains is capable of sustaining life and preventing starvation. Of course, surviving on a steady diet of nutritious water isn't very pleasant, and one always seems to be hungry even if their basic nutritional needs have been met. It is just put there by the empire as a supplement for the lower income families so they don't starve. Even then, the very poor usually use such water as an ingredient in their cooking. This makes a little meat or a few vegetables go a very long way.

Public bathhouses and lavatories are also quite common in the empire. Through the use of continual heat, the baths are hot or cold. continual heat spells are higher level but similar to continual light spells, but these cost about 1,000 GP each and most people may have to rent the objects they are cast upon (rather than buy them outright for 100,000 SP). Businesses may well afford them, but the common man may rent these things from certain private companies. Now, in the public baths, there are even steam rooms. Many business deals are conducted here, and publicly owned bathhouses also have bars in them run by the empire. The profit from these bars goes to maintaining such bathhouses for public use.

I should mention the frequent influx of mass (particularly water mass) onto Orlantia was actually of concern to the candidate and sage Victor Leanordo. By order of The Council of Leanordo, 566 A.E., an estimated equivalent mass is removed back to a different location in the elemental plane of water from the Imperial Sea each year. This is again accomplished with a cheap nexus spell.

NOT EVERYTHING USED IS MANMADE

Other magic involved in the smooth operation of Alodar isn't always manmade. The waste disposal system is a perfect example. Within the empire the properties of green slime are utilized to the empire's advantage. (This is a type of fungus with slight, magical properties). This slime will eat practically anything organic, in particular, human waste and organic vegetable or animal matter, which comprises practically all the garbage produced in the empire (or most agrarian cultures). The primary byproducts of this consumption are oxygen, water, and more green slime. Most modern houses have a very deep Erlenmeyer flask shaped pit of Imperial concrete. Properly seeded, these pits can take care of all a family's waste for several years before they require maintenance. At such time the appropriate contractors will come and kill most of the green slime with very hot long metal rods that work using a spell akin to the continual light. This continual heat spell can be turned on and off by command word, but I'll speak more of it later. This service may be contracted for approximately a mere 6 GP per visit. (That's a mere $600 for 3 years, or $200 a year).

It has been suggested that easy access to green slime can make a formidable weapon. However, despite being illegal to use it thus, it is so dangerous to carry around a container of green slime that a little more thought into the matter would probably convince you otherwise and more than dissuade your character from trying it. (You need a license just to transport it within the empire, so adventures who still wish to "risk it" will also have to risk violating Imperial law, and that's never a wise thing to do for you never know what they know or how they come by their knowledge (damn magic, it's everywhere)).

There is a kind of bush that grows indigenously in the northern climes of Orlantia. Since its discovery and transplantation to the Empire, it is used for a sort of toilet paper. Its many leaves grow back quickly, within a few days of being picked, and in all kinds of weather, including the dead of winter. The leaves are large and soft and sufficiently absorbent to do a very good job. They used to be called northern bush leaves, but after a few centuries they were called northern leaves. Eventually, they came to be referred to as simply "northern." Such a bush may live for over a decade before dying. Two such bushes, planted at different times, can typically be found somewhere near a modern building's yard. A type of large window box containing the northern is also common. The very rich may even grow a couple of northern bushes indoors with the aid of a continual light source.

The properties of brown mold are also used to good effect. Carefully sealed in metal containers and placed inside a small, well-insulated room, these cold packs absorb heat from anything that gets too close. Water placed next to it will actually freeze. Meats and vegetables placed within the same room will stay cold and fresh for days; placed a little closer, they will also freeze. If stored within clay pots, these frozen goods will remain unspoiled and usable for several months, perhaps even years. Properly used, these cold packs are no danger. They also require proper maintenance. A private business picks them up every other month or so and replaces them with new packs. The extra brown mold in the used packs is killed. The containers are again seeded, resealed, and used again. A citizen can contract for this service for approximately 5 GP per year per unit. Some people have even used these packs as a type of air-conditioning.

Most air-conditioning is created by a natural airflow that exists between significantly different levels in the air. A vent near the ground and another chimney type metal cylinder thrust high into the air are usually all that is required. The higher air typically moves more quickly, creating a partial vacuum in the tube. This naturally draws air through the entire house. No magic is necessary here, but if one were to put a cold pack near the intake, the house would be noticeably cooler.

Creeping Moss - various colors are natural, those being brown, green, green with a tinge of blue, or green with a tinge of red - is a type of moss used as roofing material. It repels most water after absorbing a certain amount, grows quickly, and clings readily to wooded frame works. Similar to sod, sheets of this are placed upon new roofs and it quickly creeps (in less than a month) into all areas immediately available. This gives such a house a fire resistant and waterproof covering that has a good insulating factor, making homes cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Thus, most of the better homes in Alodar (or imperial cities) have moss covered roofs, and from above the city is brown, green, or green with tinges of blue or red). Other common roofing materials include clay tiles or wooden shingles or even thatch in the poorer homes.

OTHER USEFUL, RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE MAGICS

Heat, on the other hand, is handled through the use of the continual heat spell. This spell must be cast on a large chunk of iron, perhaps, but not necessarily, in the shape of a radiator; frequently it is simply a large iron sphere set on three iron legs. Such a radiator is usually kept in a traditional fireplace. One can turn it on or off by command word. No special training is required. The spell's duration is typically about 1 to 2 centuries, provided it is used not too frequently and never dumped into a large body of water. Such actions will significantly decrease its expected duration. The spell cost about 1,000 GP, or $100,000. As a typical household could use several of these to cook food and heat the house, but as they are far beyond the budget of most citizens, these devices are rented out by private businesses. The cost to rent each item is approximately 20 to 25 GP per year, or $2,000 to $2,500 per year. This will eventually pay for the spell and net the item's owner about 2.5 % per year on their investment. This long-range thinking is frequently done by businesses owned by Halfelves or even Elves. They seem to think in terms of centuries more easily.

The continual heat spells are also used by the very wealthy - in particular, adventurers, and in some very handy applications. A continual heat or CH frying pan is a very good example. Unfortunately, this isn't exactly nonstick cook wear. As a result, you have to spend considerable time scrubbing it out. Also, many alchemists use CH's to cook their concoctions. This is a CLEAN source of energy and there is no smoke or carbon to pollute delicate experiments.

Surprisingly, this stuff doesn't seem to effect normal game play. It's actually pretty rare to be in a game where particularly close attention is even paid to the mundane tasks of life such as cooking, eating, cleaning, going to the bathroom, shaving, cutting one's hair, cutting one's finger nails, brushing one's teeth, and any other trivial event you'd care to mention. It simply adds convenience to play and saps out an extra 1,000 GP every now and then.

I think you may now see another advantage that Rome couldn't have. The influx of fuel needed to heat and cook isn't necessary, and the pollution caused by burning these fuels isn't present. The waste system is far better - and the sanitation is excellent, so diseases are few and far between - and the smell of a crowded city like Alodar isn't in the least horrible, except the occasionally unpleasant odor coming in from off the harbor. Dead fish, you know. Oh well.