Veins
| Veins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Kar-Thal |
| Realm | Terasil |
| Function | Residential and Market District |
| Notable Locations | Nereth-Kazuun • Ulvek-Har • Kareth-Shoan • Veshun-Taril |
The Veins is the residential and commercial heart of Kar-Thal, located in the central tiers of the mountain-city. Structured as a network of interwoven tunnels, open plazas, and family niches carved from living stone, it is both the most densely populated and acoustically resonant district in the city. The name derives from the branching, capillary-like layout of its chambers, which pulse with daily life and the memory-bound rhythms of Duranthi society.
Function
The Veins serves as Kar-Thal’s primary space for habitation, trade, and communal ritual. While its civic functions are limited compared to governance or ceremonial districts, it plays a critical role in sustaining the continuity of everyday Duranthi life—housing stone-bound families, artisan recorders, and lineage-led markets that maintain the city's structured memory and material stability.
History
Originally carved as a cluster of tunnel-dwellings during the city's expansion in the Era of Isolation, the Veins grew organically outward from central stone wells and mineral springs. Its layout was never imposed from above, but shaped by resonance-guided carving and memory-honoring extension. During the Great Erosion, the Veins sheltered incoming families displaced from outer ranges, solidifying its role as a genealogical and mnemonic anchor within the city.
Notable Locations
- Nereth-Kazuun – A central communal plaza where traders and memory-keepers gather. It serves as the heart of the district and the site of oath recitations and name-stone presentations.
- Ulvek-Har – A shallow, mineral-lined basin where residents perform daily tone-alignment rites. Its circular walls amplify the lowest frequencies used in Duranthi cadence rituals.
- The Kareth-Shoan – Ancestral dwelling rings carved around uncut mineral pillars, each bearing inscribed lineage stones.
- Veshun-Taril – The primary market corridor, divided into pitch-aligned chambers. Vendors project their offers in structured cadences, and each transaction is etched into exchange tablets.
Cultural Practices
Residents of the Veins adhere to a tradition of echo-rhythmic cadence and recitative speech, particularly during trade, oaths, and familial announcements. Public discourse follows mnemonic protocols, ensuring that all statements made in communal space can be retained as part of the district’s living record.