Negav - Middle Tier

Shady Knight wrote:

how about the new version is one of the most popular venues in the Middle Tier for non-humans?  It's frequented by a host of lesser known species like Nemeses, and is one of the few places in the Middle Tier where humans and non-humans mingle together, because the owner is very open-minded and fascinated with other races.

Hm, there's already a non-human dedicated bar in the Middle-Tier, but it is mentioned to be almost exclusively so, with humans eyed suspiciously as they enter. As far as I'm concerned, I don't mind another place where, say, a Pantaur can come in an be at ease within Negav. The part about the performances and tournament nights also sounds good to me.


I've also been working with Hat on a little idea for the Middle-Tier, see what you think about it. Probably a bit long, but there are many things to explain:

Vǫlundarhús - Labyrinth
A building of recent (re)construction, the Vǫlundarhús -commonly known as the Labyrinth- is run by a clan of largely human-like Demi-Chimeras and advertises itself as a place of relaxation and retirement from adventure, despite the irony of its name. Its entrance and hall are built in imitation of the Higher-Tier style of mansion but with simpler, less refined style that doesn't scare off people, yet still transports them to a different, unknown place. In there, Chimeran girls with eye-catching animal features attend the customers, eagerly encouraging them to venture forth into the mysterious depths of the place with their guidance.

The slightly roundabout corridors and placing of rooms are quick to confuse the spatial awareness of anyone coming in, making the place seem bigger and different each time they come. However, there are two great landmarks easily accessible from the entrance hall for those who don't yet dare be guided into the maze; a rather cosy restaurant atop a flight of stairs, offering light meals and a calm atmosphere, as well as more secluded spaces with curtains for a romantic or private kind of meeting, and a large pool area in an underground level, visible through a large, circular hole in the middle of the hall.

From the edges of that hole, two staircases descend in a spiral down into the aquatic level, containing several small treated pools and jacuzzi surrounding a large pool in the middle. All the pools' floors are made of resistant glass, leading to a large aquarium underneath filled with colourful and exotic creatures. In this level, Chimeran girls with gills school around both in the pools and in the aquarium, wearing skirted swimsuits that make them look like elegant fish when swimming and captivating to the eye like Mermaids to ancient seamen.

The place also possesses an open-air theatre at the topmost level for all those daring souls that find it or allow themselves to be guided by the mysterious girls. It hosts both popular and relatively unknown plays focusing on positive emotions and may be watched from the surrounding buildings if the area is calm enough to hear. It is also said there is a bar somewhere in the lower levels, where one can try strong liquors that relax the body, loosen the tongue and broaden the senses for some enlightening conversations with other connoisseurs of the spirit.

But most popular than those landmarks are the myriad rooms that make up most of the building, slowly changing in style the further in you go as if teasing you to explore, where the Demi-Chimeras offer their advertised relaxation services. One can either ask for it in the main hall and be guided, or venture in on your own and let luck decide which room you end up in. It may be one where the girl plays music and exotic tunes just for you, one that offers you a pleasant conversation or a dance, maybe you could be given a massage, or even end up in a complete darkness where you can relax as the unnaturally cool or warm body next to you makes you feel safe, or in a complete magical silence that permeates into your soul, where gestures and body movements gain new meanings.

No one is really sure how this establishment came into being, or where such a great number of Demi-Chimeras come from, for that matter, but it's certainly true that the services are sought and appreciated by citizens and adventurers alike. Some maintain that the place is a training ground for the Chimeras to learn the art of courteous speech and manipulation of humans for some unknown, dark objective, while others claim they have met a goddess, maybe Minalca herself, that lives in the centre of the labyrinth, forever assisted and protected by her servants, the luck-shifting Demi-Chimeras.

That sounds like a great idea!   A labyrinth of pleasure and leisure is a wonderful place to relax and it features allot of Demi Chimeras, very under utilized race they are. I also like the idea of random reports of Minacala in the maze. I bet members of the Sanctum of The Shining Star like to visit it.

Interesting idea. One trick to take from some old D&D dungeons is to have the floors gently sloping; too small to generally notice, especially in long, twisting hallways, but enough that you can wind up one floor up or down from where you were rather easily. I could even see there not even being much in the way of discrete floors, with most rooms being at different elevations than the surrounding ones to make navigation that much more difficult.

I think the recreational labyrinth is a wonderful idea! Very unique and versatile. It will suit Negav's setting without using too much magi-tech or alterations either. Could even be listed as popular and safe alternative for smart tourists who don't want to just feed the predators no? XD I mean I know the predators and magic draw allot of the Two Flower types but there's sane tourists out there right?

Updated the Healer's Guild with much more details, including a brand-new floor plan.


Healers' Guild:

Despite its relative safety, accidents are a frequent occurrence in Negav, particularly within its more lawless districts, and adventurers rarely return from an expedition in the Felaryan wilderness in one piece.  Even with the power of the soil, certain afflictions and maladies prove resilient enough to pose a hazard to one's health.  The Healers' Guild, colloquially referred by most citizens as merely "the hospital", therefore exists to provide succor to the sick and wounded, as well as those who have fallen prey to a curse or ran afoul of baleful magic.  One of the tallest edifices in the Middle Tier, it is easily recognizable by its striking ivory brick construction and large sign displaying the universal symbol of health and medicine used across many civilized worlds.

The Guild

The Healers' Guild is renowned for utilizing Felarya's soil extensively.  The mattresses that make the patients' beds are filled with high-quality soil, allowing its energies to seep directly into the body for a speedier recovery.  Water at the guild is infused with minerals to help cleanse the body of impurities and further improve their physical condition.  The guild eschews most standard equipment used by traditional hospitals in favor of alchemical remedies, all using soil as a base for increased potency, and magic items made to assist in diagnosing illnesses and trauma.  These remedies and items can range from a potion that helps replenish lost blood, to a salve for treating severe burns, to a handheld lens that allows one to peer inside a person's body.

Healers working at the guild are known as doctors.  Their uniform is a predominantly white robe with light green highlights and accents.  As implied by their title, they are experts in the use of curative magic to tend to wounds, treat diseases, and free victims from enchantment and curses.  Although they specialize in magical healing, a number of healers are also trained in traditional nonmagical medicine such as surgery for treating ailments against whom magic might be inefficient or impossible.  Guild nurses wear a simple white robe, styled after the traditional white nurse dress uniform for women, occasionally alongside a hat bearing the guild's emblem.  In general, nurses posses little training in healing magic beyond brewing potions and crafting simple magical medication, but are every bit as skilled in first aid.

Becoming a healer or a nurse at the guild is very difficult and demanding, requiring excellent academic credentials in a number of specific subjects.  Along with healing magic and their chosen specialty, they must achieve high marks in alchemy and herbology, as well as advanced knowledge of curses and enchantments.  Only a handful of students who achieve the highest grades in all the required classes graduate each year.  For the select few who manage to obtain their medical degree, the guild offers an internship that customarily lasts one or two years before they are awarded their full license.

The Healers' Guild is open to all people of all races who wish to find relief.  This warm hospitality should not be mistaken for lax security, however.  A strict code of conduct and a guideline of gifts that are allowed in the hospital is enforced upon all visitors to ensure the safety of the patients.  Any who fail to follow these rule is immediately and swiftly evicted from the premises.  The current guildmaster is Cynhar Gorobel.  He is a stern middle-aged man who, although genuinely caring and wishing to help people, is very critical and possesses a notoriously acerbic tongue, often rebuking his employees with a long-winded and sarcastic rants whenever they slip-up.

Structure

The main building is structured similarly to a modern hospital.  Each floor corresponds to a ward that serves to address a specific type of ailment or service, and are accessible via either an elevator or a flight of stairs.  Wards are further divided into smaller sub-wards that play host to patients with a non-human physiology or anatomy, pediatric services, as well as keep certain species separate from one another so as to maximize the well-being of all patients.

• The ground floor acts as the Reception Area and Clinical Center.  From there, visitors can make an appointment with a healer, receive general information at the help desk, as well as relax and socialize with other people in the lobby.  Examination rooms are found on this floor, and it is where patients are customarily diagnosed before being admitted or receive routine check-ups.
  
  
• The first floor is the General Emergency Ward.  It addresses patients suffering from acute ailments or arrived via ambulance.  A landing pad for ambulances to the side of the main building connects directly to this ward.
  
  
• Up on the second floor is the Magical Ailment Ward.  Patients admitted here are either afflicted by a curse or hex, or suffer from some form of disease that cannot be treated by nonmagical means.
  
  
• The Surgical Ward is located on the third floor.  Patients in need of surgery are looked after here during the days leading to their operation and their subsequent recovery.
  
  
• The fourth floor houses the Intensive Care Ward.  It caters to patients with severe life-threatening illnesses and injuries requiring constant, close monitoring and support.  It is one of the only places in the guild where one can find intricate medical equipment typically absent in most other wards.
  
  
• Higher on the fifth floor is the Psychiatry Ward.  It addresses patients suffering from psychological trauma and other afflictions of the mind.  Unlike other wards, which are handled by nurses and doctors, the staff of the psychiatry ward is largely comprised of psionics, who delve into the minds of their patients to find the cause of their ailment and to better treat it.
  
  
• The sixth floor hosts the Maternity Ward.  It focuses on providing care to women and their children during childbirth.  It also features a nursery for looking after ill and premature newborn infants.
  
  
• Lastly, on the top floor, is the Long-term Care Ward.  It houses patients who suffer from permanent or long-lasting debilitating injury or affliction.
  

The guild also features two major basement areas.  The first basement is a place where staff on break can relax. It houses the guild's cafeteria, as well as a shop where visitors can purchase gifts for patients.  The second basement is where most utility rooms are located, such as the laundry room, furnace room, and even the morgue.  Naturally, it is closed to the public.

Further below is a vast research complex where new healing spells and experimental formulae are theorized and tested.  Patients suffering from ailments never before seen are also quarantined here, where researchers can study these new illnesses away from prying eyes, and more importantly, away from normal patients and other staff members.  It is only accessible via an elevator located outside the main building, and is kept under constant lock and key, and is further reinforced with a multitude of protective wards and spells so as to keep unwelcome guests out.


If you have any suggestions, like additional wards, a better order to arrange them, feel free to comment about it.  I'm personally a little iffy on the number of main basements.  Looking back, I'm starting to think that maybe the guild shouldn't host classes after all.  I'll leave that one up to you if that should stay or not.

.....Of course you revise the floor plan AFTER I spent all that time writing that story. @u@ Arrrgh! .....Buuuuuuuut I must admit I find all this new info fascinating. Especially the part about the Head Healer. Gives me an idea for further dialogue with Marina before I send her on her way out of the scene.

Oh and you didn't mention the Elevators. <.<

Well, the guild is not even a thing yet, and still isn't at the time of this being posted, so there's no need to beat yourself over the head for it.  Also, the guildmaster isn't a healer, just a manager or administrator.  He's also totally not Dr. Cox.  And I did mention elevators, but since it's just, you know, an elevator, I'm not going into more detail than is necessary.

Also, I just realized that the fourth floor is the ward with all the life support equipment.  Didn't really plan for it that way, but I guess it's appropriate.

God job on that update, it's a solid entry ^^ As for the class of healing, mhh I agree that it resembles another idea in the idea. I imagine them more separated, maybe along with the research complex ?

Ilceren : Oh nice idea ! using demi-chimeras gives the place a great touch of exotism and mystery and a house of leisure and relaxation sounds good. It gives me flashes of the "Brothel for Slaking Intellectual Lusts" you can find in the game Planescape torment XD  I'm curious how would you imagine the interior to look like in term of architecture style ? I like it

For the Lit Ciggy : I think having it being a place for both humans and non-humans works. It's a simple idea but that is kind of needed since there are no others place like that mentioned. I would imagine it to have a set or rules to ensure respect of each others.

I did some extra polishing to the update.  Ultimately, I decided to axe the classroom idea entirely and just say that becoming a healer or a nurse is really tough.

Anyway, re-reading Ilceren's Labyrinth idea, I'm starting to think that maybe the Street of Red Flowers should get its own separate entry, or at least be given a few noteworthy locales to give readers a sense of what life there is like, and the Labyrinth would be perfect for a place like the Street of Red Flowers.  Same could be done with the Elven District.  As they are now, they are both pretty bare districts. If not, then I guess the Labyrinth could be situated right next to the Street of Red Flowers since that's also where the Negav Baths are.

Mhh good idea . More than just one landmark of a district they have become like small districts of their own.

I think the Elven District would benefit from having a temple dedicated to their own pantheon. A private place only for Elves for once where the can be among their own gods an worship their own kin. 

As for the street of Red Flowers I don't know. From the entry it appears to be a mini New Orleans. It is a pleasure district and actually while we are moving around things maybe the Leash and Collar would fit in there more. If Felarya had anything narcotic but casual like weed I would say set up an 'herbal and spice' shop but I am seeing a shocking lack of drugs of any kind. I suppose a gambling or hamming house would not be a bad thing to see. I shall go try to type up something.

Whoever said that severed limbs where the loose piece is lost were unrecoverable?

That aside, I get what you mean when you say that the Healers' Guild is arranged like a modern hospital. I used St. Mungo's hospital from Harry Potter as a base because, let's face it, I can't come up with an arrangement of floors and wards from scratch. I'm just not that inventive. On the other hand, if I were to remove the floor plans entirely, then it makes it vague to people checking the wiki just how exactly is the hospital supposed to be structured, which will in turn lead to a lot of "creative freedom" when writing the about the place in stories (check jedi's previous post for an example of that) and more inconsistencies. Plus, the high-tech life support equipment used in IC has to come from somewhere, so you could argue that they took some cues from the Vishmitals when it came to structuring the hospital.

I agree with the placement of certain wards. I wasn't going for a specific order aside from the first few. The problem, however, is that because Negav is primarily built vertically and the Healers' Guild is no exception, you got multiple wards competing for the coveted position of closest to the ground floor. You could make the argument that Intensive Care should take priority, but how often do people in Negav get so messed up that they need life support afterward? Plus, who can say which is more pressing between Emergency Care, Surgery and Maternity that one needs to be closer to the ground than the others? On the other hand, I think I can get behind the hospital being largely separated into two major sectors. That might be a better idea than separating wards into specific floors. What do you think?

Tumors and malformities, however, that seems a little too specific to me. It's one thing I didn't copy wholesale from St. Mungo's. St. Mungo's is a specialty hospital that deals almost exclusively with wizards, so nearly all of its wards address something incredibly specific. The Healer's Guild, however, I see it more as a general hospital, and since Negav probably doesn't have the horizontal space for multiple hospitals, it has to do a lot of things at once. I think tumors and deformities would be dealt accordingly depending on its nature, whether it be physical or magical, though I guess it ultimately would be a matter of simple surgery.

Now that I think about it, Maternity in general would be a tricky thing to deal with. Negav doesn't have public phones nor does it have convenient transportation like cars and such to bring someone to the hospital pronto when they're about to give birth. About the best compromise I can think of is that it's common for Negavians to consult a healer during the onset of pregnancy so that they can schedule an appointment where the expecting mother will be admitted about a month in advance of the estimated childbirth. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.

As for general long term care... yeah, looking back on it, it's a little too vague for its own good. I guess it could be replaced with a detoxification ward, though not necessarily on the top floor. By detoxification, I don't just mean poison, it could also address drug detoxification and probably potion poisoning. Also, I did mention an underground research complex that does all kind of research on new spells, remedies, and study new illnesses; it even has its own little paragraph.


But, on the subject of drugs, let's address something that has been bugging me for a long time. Refugee, based on your previous posts, it seems you need the wiki to give you a list of every single law that exist in Negav, as well as every single substance that's considered illegal. Well, sad to say, that's not going to happen. It may come as a shock to you, but Felarya isn't a game system. It's not limited to a specific list of items, spells, rules, poisons, etc. like D&D and Pathfinder is. For every type of item or rule that we list, other people could probably come up with a hundred more. Plus, think about it for a second. Felarya is literally a multiversal hub world. We can't list every single type of illegal drugs that exists and what they do, there's an almost infinite amount of them.

So what do you do, then? Well, just make your own. Don't rely on the wiki to give you answers to everything, that's the first trap I see every newbie here fall into. You need an illegal substance for your story? In that case, look elsewhere. Look up lists of existing drugs on wikipedia. Look up lists of fictional drugs on google. Find something that would fit your story, and use it as a foundation to build upon. By adhering to the wiki to the absolute letter, you are hamstringing yourself creatively.

Shady Knight wrote:

Now that I think about it, Maternity in general would be a tricky thing to deal with.  Negav doesn't have public phones nor does it have convenient transportation like cars and such to bring someone to the hospital pronto when they're about to give birth.  About the best compromise I can think of is that it's common for Negavians to consult a healer during the onset of pregnancy so that they can schedule an appointment where the expecting mother will be admitted about a month in advance of the estimated childbirth.  It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.

Magey Midwife?

Isn't research conducted for the purpose of making the remedies stronger and more convenient? What is even the point of doing all that research if it's not going to be used? I guess the way I worded it was kind of wrong, but my point stands.

Also, again, whoever said I use D&D spells exactly the same way they do in the game? Especially when it comes to healing magic, which is very hard to balance in a narrative-heavy medium. Let's take Regenerate for instance. The game's version? Yeah, it's basically snap your fingers and you got a brand-new arm in a few minutes in the worst case scenario. My version? It takes hours to regrow a severed body member from scratch, and it is a VERY painful process assuming no anesthetics or some kind of pain numbing are involved. And that's just for something small like a lost finger. For a whole new limb like an arm or a leg? Days. So optimally, you want to have the missing limb with you, because then it takes about as much time as having it surgically re-attached. Even when all is said and done, the patient still requires a lengthy period of recovery to regain full function of its new limb. Plus, as indicated by the spell's level, you gotta be a pretty damn good healer to even be able to cast the spell properly, so only the most experienced and long-serving healers are qualified for the task. For future reference, please assume that I know what I'm doing when it comes to borrowing spells from other sources. I'm not so naive and a blind fanboy that I don't realize a lot of D&D spells are too convenient by themselves, which is why I retool them to better fit a narrative in the first place.

But anyway, I think I'm ultimately to just point out that emergency departments are located closer to ground level instead of giving an exact number of floors, mostly because I realized that seven floors isn't very tall.

Shady Knight wrote:

For future reference, please assume that I know what I'm doing when it comes to borrowing spells from other sources.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, shady

https://felarya.forumotion.com/t3426-teleport-magic

I'll soon start the big update of the page ^^ Here is the overview and quarter description a bit edited ( nothing drastic, it's mostly just on the form with a bit of trimming out )

Overview:
The middle Tier covers about thirty percent of Negav's surface area. Due to the city being located around and on top of a hill, the district is notably higher than its poorer counterpart. When you travel towards the center of Negav, you are almost always climbing, through stairs or sloping roads. Although “Middle Tier” implies that this area is where the majority of Negav's citizen live, it is in fact a rather well situated region, inhabited by comparatively wealthy people of the middle and upper class. Discrimination and racism is significant in this part of the city, with many doors staying locked ad paths barred for anyone who is not not entirely human, leading to resentment and sometimes tensions – particularly toward the authorities, whose presence is very visible.

Although the differences in quality of living are not that big between the wealthiest districts of the lower tier and the worst of zones of the middle tier, architecture differs significantly. In the middle tier, it seems to constantly shift its focus between practicality and design. Because space is such an important issue, most buildings of the middle tier have at least three floors. The architects designed wide open streets however, so the citizen don’t feel claustrophobic. Lots of buildings have also their first floor smaller than the upper floors in order to widen the streets even more and forming galleries. The walkways underneath the upper floors are typically filed with all sort of small shops. Overhanging upper floors are supported by pillars and long, narrow bridges spanning across the streets from other buildings, sometimes forming whole networks above the ground, with all sort of shops and facilities, almost like streets on top of streets. It looks as if every spaces and corners are being used but contrary to the lower district, design mattered a lot to the architects who were allowed to let their creativity roam free. Each of those little passageway, pillars and bridges are expertly decorated, making the middle tier of Negav a true sight to behold. Common everyday supply needs are included into that architecture, with long, winding aqueducts spanning from building to building, supplying the higher floors with fresh and clear water. Small parks are scattered around the middle tier, dotting the otherwise stale beige-brownish of the city with lush green patches and giving the place a lot of charm.


Quarters:
Unlike the lower Tier, the middle Tier cannot be divided as easily into clear cut znes, mostly because many important buildings are scattered throughout the place, with little need to chunk specific industrial sectors together. However, there still are some notable differences between areas.


Scribe Quarter:
Situated between the Ascarlin Road to the northwest and Ecala Street in the east, the northern section of the middle Tier serves as the primary bureaucracy district. While Negav is ultimately ruled by the magiocrat high council, the Scribe quarter is where the real, day-to-day management of the city happens. If you have paperwork to do in Negav, fill in a registration or create a guild, it’s probably the place where to go. Its easily accessible from any Tier in Negav, although the security inside is tight, with good reason considering the necessity of every organ of the city running smoothly. Patrols are numerous, guards are vigilant and suspicious, and towers bearing magic-amplifying crystals ensure a harmonic magical environment, making it easy for wizards and scholars alike to perform their spells, should the need arises. It is not entirely unlikely this network is being used to keep track of those who make use of magic as well.
The Scribe Quarter is where the town hall, city administration, police headquarters and some of the larger banks are located. It enjoys a large traffic of Negavian citizen and off-worlders alike, and it is one of the fanciest looking district of Negav, with many ornaments, majestic statues and wall decorations, both painted or cut into stone. Many public offices are built above the ground in tall buildings, adding to their majesty and creating a certain sense of awe on the onlooker of the accomplishments of the human species for having build such wonders in a world as hazardous as Felarya.

Residential Quarter:
Spanning from Ecala Street in the east all the way to Otanac Square in the southwest, the eastern sector of Negav's Middle Tier is dominated by residences, taverns and restaurants. Renting a small house or even a flat in a multi-floors building is the dream of many negavians, and with good reasons. Life here seems truly ideal : one will never run out of clean water, food is plenty and delicious and the streets are peaceful. Living in that quarter also means to be part of a small, privileged elite. Appearances and pretenses are important in this place and false images of perfect families are upheld, in order to look like someone who is rich enough to belong here and to not start to be rejected. The population is nearly entirely human, and, although some of the rich citizen living here are actually from the upper class of the criminal population, crime rate itself is kept low. The great majority of offenders stem from the lower tier district, coming from disenfranchised negavians trying to take their piece of the cake by force. The biggest issue of the district remains overpopulation though. Having most people of Negav striving to live here, it is very hard nowadays to find empty space anywhere. On top of that, the location of the quarter, in the heart of the city, makes it almost impossible to add more space to it in general. Lately, rents and real estate prices have reached an all-time high and keep climbing, creating their own source of tensions amidst this seemingly perfect district.

Market Quarter:
The western section of the Middle Tier, reaching from Ascarlin Road in the north to Otanac Square in the south, makes up the market district. It is by far the busiest place in the city, and during prime times some say it even overtake the amount of people in the northern Lower Tier. The market quarter is the best place for anyone who wish to spend their money, or to make some by working in one of the countless shops, service providers or entertainers. From food stores to jewelers, between carpenters and clothiers, artificers and magic schools, rare are the things that are not on offer here.  Most of the off-world wares of Negav are found here, and it is not unusual for another world to have its own specialized store, much to the delight of those who originated from it but opted to live in Negav and are feeling homesick. Because Felarya is a crossroad world, connecting with so many other places throughout the multiverse, It makes the market a place of nearly limitless wonders with an incredibly rich array of products. Not just items, but also services can be found here, from mundane haircuts, beauty salons all the way to escort services and fortune telling (both frauds and genuine ones). It’s not uncommon to come across wares that are so exotic, one can’t tell what it is on the first glance.

Many people have their home in the market quarter, owning or renting flats in the upper floors of pretty much every building. Almost the entirety of what can be found on the ground floor is devoted for shops and stalls though. It comes as no surprise that this sector of the city is heavily patrolled by guards, in order to dissuade thieves and make sure not too many robberies, pick-pocketing and economic “misunderstandings” happen.

What do you think ?

felarya_refugee wrote:

I think the Elven District would benefit from having a temple dedicated to their own pantheon. A private place only for Elves for once where the can be among their own gods an worship their own kin.

Oh that's a really good idea that totally make sense

Alright, here's the third version of the Healers' Guild, which may not be the last.  Aside from rewriting some bits, I added some of Ilceren's idea.  I got rid of the Long-Term Ward because it's really too vague what it does, and instead added two wards in its place: Detoxification which is about the removal of toxic substance and parasites from the body, and Rehabilitation which is about giving physical therapy following nerve damage.  I shuffled the floor plan a little, putting the IC ward on the second floor. and also added an extra basement, which acts as an alchemy laboratory where the remedies used daily by the guild are made.  Even though it's not listed, I decided the Healers' Guild should be in the Scribe Quarter since that's where a lot of the important buildings in the Middle Tier are at.

I ultimately decided not to go with the proposed "Soil-Negative Ward."  The reason is because soil-negative, even when you understand the context, is just too vague to be its own department.  When you get down to it, a lot of ailments and injuries already tackled by other wards could be considered soil-negative.  For example, an open bone fracture.  The soil is not going to magically realign the fractured bones and then mend back together, that necessitates surgery, as does amputation.  A lot of magical afflictions can be considered soil-negative as well, especially if the effects are permanent without direct intervention.  And of course, mental trauma is about as far removed from a physical ailment as you can get, making it also soil-negative.

I also added a paragraph detailing the regeneration of lost limbs and prosthetics.  I tried to strike a middle ground where both exist, with regeneration being a long and painful process, but I'm not entirely sure it works.  I think I'll leave that one to Karbo to decide whether or not a spell that can regenerate lost body parts can or should exist, cause I'm almost certain he's down with the artificial limbs, as I am.

That aside, I'm pretty satisfied with this one.  Floor plan could probably be better, but what can you do?  Tell me what you think.


Healers' Guild:

Despite the relative safety Negav offers to humans and other small races, accidents are a frequent occurrence, particularly within its more violent and lawless districts.  Adventurers rarely return from an expedition in the Felaryan wilderness in one piece, and though the power of the soil allows most injuries to heal more rapidly and helps ward off illnesses, certain maladies prove resilient enough to pose a hazard, especially to offworlders who haven't been exposed to its energy for most of their lives.  The Healers' Guild, colloquially referred as merely "the hospital", therefore exists to provide succor to the sick and wounded, as well as those who have fallen prey to a curse or ran afoul of baleful magic.  One of the tallest edifices in the Middle Tier, it is easily recognizable by its striking ivory brick construction and large sign displaying the universal symbol of health and medicine used across many civilized worlds.

The Guild

The Healers' Guild is renowned for utilizing Felarya's soil extensively to allow for a speedy and thorough recovery.  The mattresses that make the patients' beds are filled with high-quality soil, allowing its energies to seep directly into the body.  Water at the guild is infused with minerals to help cleanse the body of impurities and further improve their physical condition.  The guild eschews most standard equipment used by traditional hospitals in favor of alchemical remedies, all using Felaryan soil as a base reagent for increased potency, as well as magic items made to assist in diagnosing illnesses and trauma.  Instead of using an IV drip to administer blood or painkillers, a patient would be offered a potion that helps the body replenish lost blood or an ointment that numbs part of the body wherever it is applied.  Instead of injecting a patient with anesthetics prior to an operation, a healer might cast a spell that puts them in a deep, magical slumber.  Rather than use bulky and clumsy machinery to perform a radiography, a healer may instead opt to use a handheld lens to peer inside a person's body to find out what ails them.

Healers working at the guild are known as doctors.  Their uniform is a predominantly white robe with a short hemline and light green highlights and accents.  As implied by their title, they are experts in the use of curative magic to tend to wounds, treat diseases, and free victims from enchantments and curses.  Although they specialize in magical healing, a number of healers are also trained in traditional nonmagical medicine such as surgery for treating ailments against whom magic might be inefficient or impossible.  Guild nurses wear a simple short-sleeved white robe that lacks much of the embroidery of full-fledged doctors.  Female nurses occasionally wear a white hat bearing the guild's emblem.  Compared to healers, most nurses possess little training in healing magic beyond brewing potions and crafting simple magical medication.  Regardless, they are an invaluable asset to the guild in ensuring an optimal recovery for patients, and are always in high demand.

Becoming a healer is very difficult and demanding, requiring excellent academic credentials in a number of specific subjects.  Along with healing magic and their chosen specialty, they must achieve high marks in alchemy, herbology, anatomy and medical science, as well as possess advanced knowledge of curses and enchantments.  Only a handful of students who achieve the highest grades in all the required classes graduate each year.  The typical training course to become a healer in Negav is a four- to five-year program at the Isolon University of Magic, followed by a minimum three-year residency training at the guild before one can be eligible to obtain a full medical license.  The qualifications to become a registered nurse at the guild requires one to graduate from a nursing program.  The program, along with other rudimentary subjects, include practical courses in first aid, long-term care, anatomy, physiology, biology, herbology, alchemy, and basic magic theory.  Depending on the degree, completing nursing training can take anywhere between two to four years.

The Healers' Guild is open to all people of all races who wish to find relief.  This warm hospitality should not be mistaken for lax security, however.  A strict code of conduct and a guideline of gifts that are allowed in the hospital is enforced upon all visitors to ensure the safety of the patients.  Any who fail to follow these rule is immediately and swiftly evicted from the premises.  The current Guildmaster is Cynhar Gorobel.  He is a stern middle-aged man who, although genuinely caring and wishing to help people, is very critical and possesses a notoriously acerbic tongue, often rebuking his employees with a long-winded and sarcastic rants whenever they slip-up.

Structure

The main building is structured similarly to a modern hospital.  Each level of the main building corresponds to a ward consisting of multiple floors that serves to address a specific type of ailment or service, and are accessible via either an elevator or a flight of stairs.  To the left main building is a landing pad big enough to accommodate a pair of ambulances, and it connects directly to the first floor.  Wards are further divided into smaller sub-wards that play host to patients with a non-human physiology or anatomy, pediatric services, as well as to keep certain species separate from one another so as to maximize the well-being of all patients.  In general, wards that require swift response from staff or are prone to complications are located closer to the ground floor, while wards that offer longer term treatment are found on higher floors.

• The ground level is the Reception Area as well as the general Outpatient Department.  It is where the staff room is located and where most doctors have their offices.  Visitors who enter from the main entrance can make an appointment with a healer, receive general information at the help desk, as well as relax and socialize with other people in the lobby.  Often, if a patient's condition doesn't require immediate treatment, they will be diagnosed here before being admitted.  Most ambulatory care for patients who are admitted for a period of less than 24 hours are administered on this floor.
  
  
• Up on the first level is the General Emergency Ward.  It addresses unscheduled patients, such as those arriving via ambulance, suffering from illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention.  As its name implies, it provides initial treatment for a broad spectrum of ailments, some of which might be life-threatening.  Depending on the nature and severity of their condition, a patient admitted to General Emergency may need to be transferred over to a different ward to receive further treatment.
  
  It also houses the Detoxification Ward for the removal of toxic substances from the body.  These include not various common and uncommon poisons and venoms, drugs that the body can't easily get rid of, and parasitic and fungal infections for which a surgical removal might prove unnecessary.
  
  
• Directly higher on the second level is the Intensive Care Ward.  It caters to patients with severe life-threatening illnesses and injuries requiring constant, close monitoring and support.  It is one of the only places in the guild where one can find state-of-the-art medical equipment provided by the Vishmitals typically absent in most other wards.
  
  
• On the third level is the Magical Ailment Ward.  Like the General Emergency Ward, it addresses a number of maladies of various severity, the one common thread uniting them being that they are the direct result of harmful magic or a botched spell, and cannot be treated by nonmagical means.  These can range from undoing a curse or a hex that has turned the patient into a toad or a statue, removing a cursed artifact that has left them completely paralyzed, treating a magical sickness caused from ingesting a poorly brewed potion resulting in a virulent pox, and more.
  
  
• The fourth level is home to the Maternity Ward.  It focuses on providing care to women and their children during childbirth.  When a woman becomes pregnant, they advised to make an appointment with a doctor, who will then schedule for them to be admitted at the ward at least a few days before the expected date of delivery.  It also features a nursery for looking after ill and premature newborn infants.
  
  
• The fifth level hosts the Surgical Ward.  It addresses injuries and diseases that cannot be treated with healing magic without an operation.  These include reattaching an amputated limb, replacing a ruined organ, mending an open bone fracture, removing a foreign object from the body, etc.  In the event that a severed limb is lost, it may instead be replaced by a prosthesis.  Prosthetic limbs at the guild generally take the form of articulated metal arms and legs that are enchanted to respond to neural signals the same way as a normal arm or leg would once it has been surgically attached to the stump.
  
  The fifth level is also home to the Rehabilitation Ward.  It provides physical therapy to patients whose certain neurocognitive functions have been diminished or lost by disease or trauma, or following a surgery.
  
  
• Lastly is the Psychiatry Ward, up on the sixth and highest level.  It addresses patients suffering from psychological trauma and other afflictions of the mind.  Unlike other wards, which are handled by nurses and doctors, the staff of the psychiatry ward is largely comprised of psionics, who delve into the minds of their patients to find the cause of their ailment and to better treat it.
  

In addition to the upper floors, the guild features three major basement areas.  The first basement houses the guild's cafeteria, which prepares most of the food offered to the patients and the staff.  A shop where visitors can purchase gifts that conform to the guild's rules and regulations for patients.  The second basement is an extensive alchemy laboratory.  It provides the guild with all the remedies used every day in the various wards.  Due to the large amount of magical chemicals, reagents and equipment found there, visitors are forbidden access to the second basement.  The third basement is where most utility rooms are located, such as the laundry room, furnace room, and even the morgue.  Naturally, it is also closed to the public.

Further below the third basement is a vast research complex.  Healers and alchemists working in these underground laboratories are laboriously researching new spells and possible medical application of more common spells, as well as test a experimental formulae or improvements to common remedies used daily at the guild on willing subjects.  Most tests are performed in a controlled environment, in a room lined with Tazarin to reduce the potency of experimental spells and formulae, thereby decreasing the risk of malignant side effects.  The research center also acts as a quarantine ward of sorts.  If a patient is diagnosed with an ailment never before seen that normal treatments prove ineffective against, they are sent to the research center where their condition can be studied more thoroughly away from prying eyes, and more importantly, away from normal patients and other staff members.  The research center is only accessible via an elevator located outside the main building.  It is kept under constant lock and key, and is further reinforced with a multitude of protective wards and spells to make sure unauthorized and unwelcome stay out.

More edition on Amaroq's entry. Mostly, I have just added some descriptions of my own and tweaked some things on the form but left the core the same ^^ 

The Inner Wall
The Inner wall is part of Negav's defense. Much thinner than the outer walls and less heavily guarded, it remains a sight to behold nonetheless and is very effective at keeping potential trouble at bay. Multiple turrets and cannons are situated on various sections of the structure, manned even in times of peace and tranquility, and ready to strike down anything that might have, somehow, managed to cross the outer walls. The cannons come with varied formats and types. Some stand on small turrets and can rotate a full 180 degree, others point from plot-holes carved in the wall and only cover a limited angle. Regardless, there are enough of them to fire at anything between the inner and outer wall, should the need arise.If the martial law is called upon by the magiocrat council, special contraptions within the wall can be opened, allowing the deployment of lower cannons, aiming downwards into the Lower Tier itself, to turn it into another line of defense should an enemy ever get that far. In order to prevent an atmosphere of constant threat and suppression however, those cannons are kept hidden and can only be seen in time of extreme crisis.

Wall Gates
The Wall Gates are natural choke-points connecting the Lower and Middle Tier. Anyone wanting to enter the Middle Tier has to come through one of those 19 gates, unless they are able to sneak in using flight or to move through hidden underground passages. Each gates possess a massive and intimidating set of heavy doors. Depending on the size and importance of the gate, Some of them can even reach a 2 meters thickness. Some of those doors are made of stone, metal, wood, or a mix of those materials but all of them are magically reinforced, making them extremely resistant and almost impossible to break. Some legends claim no Middle Tier wall gates have ever been breached, even during the time of the great destruction, and any attackers would have an easier time breaching the actual walls to the left and right of the doors instead. It’s not true however and several of the doors were undoubtedly smashed during the great destruction, but the fact such legends exist in the first place is a testament to just how solid those doors are.

The Wall Gates are used as checkpoints by the local police, with at least six Guards watching the access at any time of the day or the night. While the Middle Tier of Negav is officially accessible to any Negavian and most Off-worlders, in practice the guards act as gatekeepers and have the last say about whether one is allowed to enter the middle Tier or not and they won’t hesitate to question, search or ban anyone suspected of illegal intentions or prevent them based on more questionable grounds. Protocol requires one guard to be the shift leader being responsible for every person coming through, and at least one guard will usually be a mage, preferably with some mind-reading abilities. Although guards are rotating on a daily shift to prevent corruption, it is still relatively easy to enter the Middle Tier if one know the right persons to bribe. There is an undeniable difference in crime rate between the Middle Tier and even the safer regions of the Low Tier though, so the overall system works.

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North

Police Headquarters
Safety is a very important theme to many Negavians living in the middle and higher tiers, as demonstrated by the amount of guards patrolling around. While security forces of the lower Tier are mostly responsible to ensure Negav's safety against threats from outside its walls and thus, are heavily militarized, security forces in the middle tier are more like a common police; They are trained in combat of course but their job require a lot more interaction with people, in order to maintain a proximity with the general population. Members of the police are well educated to get around all kinds of different cultures and species, and to be knowledgeable of their habits and abilities. The Police headquarters are situated not far away from the House of a Thousand Suns in the scribe Quarter.

It’s a large, imposing and rather stern structure standing at the crossroad of several important streets. It’s not particularly beautiful and looks much less fancy than most of the majestic and glittering buildings around it. In fact it looks remarkably like a fortress and, despite the absence of a moat, it’s exactly what it is. The structure is made of old stones and carry an air of solemn solidity and stability. As soon as you pass the gates and the entrance hall, you enter a very large courtyard paved with worn out slabs, battered and eroded by thousands of steps on them throughout the years, huge, majestic columns and many guards patrolling among them, training or going about their business. circling the courtyard are all sort of offices, bureaus, archives an storage areas. Some modest decorations can be spotted in the courtyard, but all in all the building interior keep the stern, functional and imposing look of the outside.

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West:

Grand Market
The heart of Negav's economy is the Grand Market, out-shadowing any other place of trade not just in Negav but in all known cities and settlements across Felarya. It’s a wide open space that once served as a large city square, where merchant started to gather, becoming progressively more and more numerous over the years. Today it has been turned permanently into a vast and colorful sea of of tents and stalls, ever busy, loud and pulsating with life at any hours of the day or the night. The Grand market is the busiest place of Negav, with countless merchants from many worlds offering their wares to the endless stream of potential customers walking through. Anyone can trade here, as long as they possess a table to display their goods. In such a busy place, crimes such as theft and pickpocketing, are commonplace. It’s very easy for the trained trickster to show up, commit their misdeed and quickly disappear among the sea of people and the loud voice coming from every sides. Policemen patrol the public square to the best of their capabilities, but the plaza is, most of the time, as busy as an anthill. Finding someone specific amidst the unending flow of walking people is about as likely as finding one’s way out of Tenebra maze with a single set of matches.


Shady Knight : Great job ^^ It really looks good to me as it is. Just some little remarks :
-I would rather use another sign than the red cross as you imply. It looks a bit too hearthern imho.
-It's really a minor thing but you mention nurse are not that well versed in Healing magic so maybe a separation should be made on the following development of their credentials compared to the doctors.
-Also maybe some of the floors could be merged with some others ? again a minor thing.

Thanks for the feedback, Karbo.  I merged the detox center with the emergency ward and the rehabilitation ward with the surgical one.  I also added some credentials for nurses.  It's probably not great, but better than nothing I suppose.

On the subject of the symbol, this is a bit more complicated.  See, the red cross is not the universal symbol of health here in the real world, though it's undoubtedly the most widely known.  There are other symbols used in the context of medicine.  There's the Star of Life, which represents emergency medical services, or paramedic services.  There's the white cross with the green background for first aid.  And then there's the caduceus, although it really should be the Rod of Asclepius, but whatever.  In fact, the red cross is a protected symbol specific to the organization of the same name, which is why other organizations that aren't affiliated with Red Cross needed a different symbol.

Because of this, and because the red cross is pretty specific to the organization Red Cross, the symbol for the healer's guild cannot be the red cross.  As far as existing medical symbols goes, the Rod of Asclepius would probably be the one I would use, since the staff is used by a god associated with healing and medicine.  In fact, the rod, the actual rod, not the caduceus, is used as part of the Star of Life.  However, since Asclepius is a god of Earthen origin and that would be confusing in the context of the setting, I decided to leave what the symbol is for the time being until someone had an idea for a good substitute.

Now, about the wall gates, I don't know how to answer to this, but I'll try my best.  I've recently begun following a youtube channel by the name of Shadiversity.  In it, middle age history enthusiast Shad makes educational videos about various aspects of the middle ages from a historical perspective.  These include videos about types medieval armors, debunking certain myths and misconceptions about the middle ages, and swords.  Lots and lots of videos about swords.  He does other stuff, but his medieval content is his most popular.

Among his videos are analyses of the defenses of fictitious castles and cities, be they from movies, tv shows, or video games.  A common problem that crop up in some of these, most notably in Elder Scrolls game, are terribly inefficient gates.  Most of the time, they only have one set of doors or gate to try and keep attackers at bay, and he brings up time and again historical gatehouses as a counterpoint.  Gatehouses, for the record, had two portcullises, one facing each exit.  The idea was that if an attacker managed to break through one of the portcullises, they wouldn't have yet breached the gatehouse.  Furthermore, they would now be trapped within the gatehouse as they now work on breaking the second portcullis, and meanwhile, the defenders could continue to attack them using arrow slits and murder holes.

The reason I was hesitant to even bring it up is because, Negav, by virtue of being a city in a very high fantasy setting, really has next to no chances of being invaded by other humans, especially since most sensible beings would worry more about the giant monsters that pose a much bigger threat than to waste precious resources and manpower to conquer a city.  As such, it figures that Negav's defenses would be more suited for repelling giant monsters than humans, and so proper gatehouses with portcullises and murder holes would be completely useless against those.

Still, I recommend you watch some of Shad's videos.  You might get some ideas out of it that will add a dash of realism to your next creation.  He has a pretty thick accent, though, so you may have trouble understanding what he says at times.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkmMACUKpQeIxN9D9ARli1Q

Very interesting channel indeed ! I watched a couple videos and learned a lot of new things. Thanks !

I've seen some of Shad's stuff; it's generally pretty good. That said, Negav is host to a mismash of cultures and tech levels. We also have to look at it not as it is, but also as it was. The Isolon Fist hasn't always been roughly Cold War-era tech with magic enchantments, after all. Also, while giant monsters are the biggest threat, human threats were probably at least something of an issue at some point in its history, likely early on. I'd expect some remnants of those designs to still be present, modernized as needed. Perhaps, if the city was built from the center outward, the highest tier is the oldest and has the most old architecture, and the outermost walls are the most modern?