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The Hall of the Golden Crow, in the centre of the city, is where the main Magister Administory is housed. A large building which houses the senior clerks and under- Magisters of the nome, with the main entrance facing south. Stone built with the characteristic steeply sloping, tiled roof with swept-up overhanging eaves, it is set around a large central courtyard which has at its centre an elegant fountain. It depicts the animal-gods of the four directions supporting Golden Crow who is surrounded by blue jays symbolising the city
itself.
Originally it was encrusted with precious stones and materials like rubies, jade and turquoise, and the Crow was covered in real gold. However now these have been replaced with paint and paste and like the rest of the building, on close inspection is rather shabby and decayed. The surrounding gardens however are immaculately kept and the broad painted colonnades are a pleasant place for petitioners to wait for their appointments.
The Magister of Noon and Jade has a magnificent set of offices at the rear of the building, a covered walkway through more gardens at the rear takes him from these to his official residence, the Palace of Jade, a palatial house, with a tranquil pool, enclosed by high walls. General Chaltekan lives in a small but comfortable house in the main barracks known as The Compound, which houses the army's headquarters.
Law courts, other ministeries, the local League Hall, temples and palaces can be found clustered around the centre. The north of the city is mostly a residential area, with the victual market only a few streets away from the Palace of Jade. To the west are schools, academies and libraries, including the Examinations School for training new Magisterial candidates.
The merchant's and craftmen's quarter is to the south and the east of the city is dominated by the army. Unsurprisingly close to the barracks in the south-east is the Red Lantern district, the seamier side of Blue Jays with disreputable bathhouses, brothels, gambling establishments and opium dens.
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Street Names
From North to South, the nine major streets are simply given numbers, thus First, Second etc. through to Ninth. From West to East they are given the names of flowers, thus:
Chyrsanthemum
Jacaranda
Peach Blossom
Sickle Flower
Mulberry
Hibiscus
Laburnum
Crocus
Moon Jasmine
The southern part of Mulberry Street is more commonly known as the Street of Silk Weavers.
The four great concentric squares formed by the intersections of these streets are named, above their flower/number denomination. They are known as, from the outside in, Wall, Outer, Middle and Inner Streets.
Within the city blocks are many smaller streets and alleys not shown on the map.
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