Area: 73.77 acres
Population: 4500
Ethnic groups: Caurenzans 95%, others 5%.
Government: Priore named by the Prince of Caurenze, the charge lasts for the whole life…
Ruler: Priore Giovanni di Malapietra (born 959, Earth
Elementalist of the 2nd Circle)
(OD&D: Mage 9th, AL C) (AD&D: Wizard 9th, Al CE).
House: Sirecchia
Military: 240 heavy infantrymen, 4th Banner of
Jaggar's division.
Deployment: base in Lizzieni, 120 in Lizzieni, 60
in Oreggiano, and 60 in Sirecchia as Personal Guards of the Prince.
Trails: From Lizzieni on, the Arnus River is navigable, and the town hosts the only port in the Principality. Passage fees are very high, up to 7 ducats for a first class passage!
Before Lizzieni there Arnus is navigable only for up to the village of Luna, in the Glantrian Alps Free Province. Specially built river barges transport marble to Lizzieni.
L'Anellare connects Lizzieni upriver to Fonte Algida and downriver to Petraja.
A good trails departs to Ponte delle Fiere, in the Silver Sierra Free Province, and then to Volnay.
High tolls are imposed in every possible road to Volnay (the villages of the Silver Sierra FP).
Economics: This town owes its fame to the marble that appears everywhere: squares, palaces, mansions, and dripstone facades. Everything made of marble, vases, little statues, fine craftworks and every other object can be cheaply bought.
White marble is the most famous and used, but there are other types of marble, such as Persichino marble with its characteristic pinky colour.
In addition, the city hosts a several merchants which trade every good: imported (coal from the Silver Sierra Free Province, marble from the Glantrian Alps Free Province, food from everywhere) and exported.
The trade of monsters and their parts is particularly active, and monsters and humanoids slaves are a common sight.
There aren't any other sources of income, since the Circus has very high costs of maintenance. The taxation level is higher than the average, since the ruler, Giovanni di Malapietra, uses his position to exact higher taxes than he is allowed by the law, keeping the exceeding sum for himself.
History: Founded in 835 by the will of Lucchino di Sfonti, who wanted the main centre of the area to be located at the junction of Arnus and Red River, Lizzieni has always been the heart of economical activities of this area.
Notable Sites: Circus Lizzieni, a large structure built from Caurenzan white marble, the best amphitheatre outside the Empire of Thyatis. The Circus was started in 838 and opened in 849. Closed by Filippo di Sfonti in 932, due to its high maintenance costs, it was finally reopened by Francesco di Malapietra in 949.
The amphiteater is surrounded by the buildings and warehouses of the Monsters Handlers Union.
The annual parade of the monsters that are going to fight in the "Fiera delle Fiere" starts from Piazza delle Fiere, the original centre of the city.
"L'Osteria del Gallo d'Oro" (the Golden Cock Tavern) is of average quality and is located near the Merchant district. It is run by Rubinio Cappuccio (born 941) (OD&D: Thief 12th, Al C) (AD&D: Thief 11th, Al CG) head of the local section of the Followers of Claymore. Several Aalbanese guards attend the meetings as well, and the password, "Birra e salsicce" (Ale and sausages), was clearly an Aalbanese idea.
The Collegium Fabrum, is the Department engaged in the building of stone bridges everywhere in the Principalities. It took part in the building of the Ponte delle Fiere, Willemsbrug (Bergdhoven-Krondahar bridge) and Der Alte Bridge (Bergdhoven-Aalban bridge).
Castle Malapietra, also known as the Palazzo del Priore is an ancient building. Its oldest part, built by the di Sfonti family, includes a square tower flanked by three cylindrical towers enclosed by a battlement at the bottom. It houses the ruler of the town, Giovanni di Malapietra, his Aalbanese bodyguards, and his family. On the shelves of the Private Library there is the original manuscript of the "Minerary Code", which is considered one of the most important juridical documents of Glantri, since it regulates all those activities related to the marble business.
A long but shallow channel, Il Fosso (The Moat) provides water for domestic uses from river Arnus directly to the artisans' quarter of Lizzieni.
Palazzo di Sfonti is a majestic palace, richer and more defensible than the one inhabited by Giovanni di Malapietra, but the paranoid Priore would never dwell in a mansion where so many members of the di Sfonti family have died.
The palace is built in marble, and thanks to the Order of the Architects' magic it looks like it was carved in a single gargantuan rock, with a fantastic pattern of dark green and white shades, and tall, arched, mullioned windows adorned with slender columns.
Life-sized, bronze statues of the former Princes of Caurenze stand all around the ledge of the building.
The Mercato Grande is the most important market square of Lizzieni, where the goods from the northern fiefs and those the merchants bring from the other Principalities are exchanged. The market serves both the populace and the merchants.
The Loggia dei Giudici (Judges' Lodge) is a wondrous palace of breathtaking beauty, the perfect guildhall for the Caurenzan section of the Order of the Architects.
This jewel of the Caurenzan architecture holds the secrets of the Caurenzan Architects and Earth Wizards. It is a well-defended but beautiful building, and it is rumored to be protected by many traps. Among the burglars of Lizzieni it is a popular myth that all the statues that adorn the Guildhall are actually gargoyles.
Lizzieni is surrounded by a powerful, sturdy wall, boasting no towers, but a number of short but very large bastions, well suited for defence against magic-powered attacks. Four major gates open in the wall, leading to Sirecchia, Oreggiano, Castelbianco and Volnay. The walls were built by Prince Mario di Malapietra, and are therefore called "Mura Mariane".
The town itself is divided into eight wards, each named for an heraldic animal from the insignia of the founders of Lizzieni or for a major feature of the ward. The wards are: the Wolf, the She-bear, the Griffon, the Ice Worm, the Tower, the Falcon, the Hippogriff, and the Ward of the Roses.
The Wards are jealous of their own achievements and seek recognition from the Prince, competing with each other in the gladiatorial combats, where the Ward that provides the strongest fighter or monster is awarded a great battle standard, emblazoned in the old Thyatian style.
Each Ward maintains fierce rivalries with other Wards, and sabotage and foul play are rampant -drugging or kidnapping enemy gladiators, doping or killing monsters are all common occurences before one of the major games.
Personalities: Priore Giovanni di Malapietra (born 959, Earth
Elementalist of the 2nd Circle)
(OD&D: Mage 9th, AL C) (AD&D: Wizard 9th,
Al CE).
Eleonora Fulvina, Giovanni's wife.
Captain Heiko Jancker, commander of the Aalbanese 4
Rubinio Cappuccio (born 941) (OD&D: Thief 12th, Al C) (AD&D: Thief 11th, Al CG).
Coat of Arms: A purpure fleur-de-lis on argent background.
Useful links: Giovanni di Malapietra by Giampaolo Agosta.
Thibault Sarlat, Giovanni Porpora, Agathokles.
January 2001, All rights reserved.