Kyxx: The City of the Times
Kyxx's name, like a lot of pre-Collision names, is derived from something quite mundane. It is an acronym for Kenneth Yoland location 20, or lc.XX. This Shuganidz radar mapper recorded it as KY. lcXX when he suggested to his superiors that the site would be good for habitation. After the usual pejoration, it eventually became known as Kyxx. Along with the Garth in Merhupneo, it is one of Fels' oldest locales and has been continaully lived in for over 12000 years. Whereas Garth has faded into a dreamy town of shamen and crackpots, Kyxx is a thriving, vibrant and contemporary metropolis. With close to five million people, it is easily the largest city of Fels, exceeding Fenstre by a factor of 10 and Kilvisti to the southwest by a lot more.
Like all of Fels, Kyxx has seen a mind-numbing variety of leadership; benign, vile and in-between. Today, it is ruled by The Tarnwicks, a collection of prominent merchants and sorcerers. The Tarnwicks rule with a lofty and even hand. After the Collision occurred, most of the Shuganidz's spaceport was destroyed. The materials helped rebuild Kyxx and today Kyxx is an admixture of ancient high-tensile steel, cut stone and wood.
Kyxx sits in a natural basin created by the alluvial plains surrounding it. It is a well-watered and temperate place easily capable of supporting its huge population. Kyxx thrives on trade. Nearly all trade done on the Three Rivers Continent has some connection with Kyxx, directly or otherwise. It owns and operates a vast merchant fleet based in Port Harner, its caravans go to all corners, including rivals Fenstre and Kilvisti. Anything that can be bought is for sale in Kyxx.
The city is divided into many cantonments, most of them based on social status and wealth. It has slums to rival Fenstre's but outdoes that city in the level of opulence to be found elsewhere. Vast and airy palaces and mansions litter the Yundine cantonment of Kyxx, most of them constructed with the aid of odylicism. The Tarnwicks dwell here and the city's governmental palace is surrounded by lawns and lakes overlooking some of the more fanciful edifices.
To be continued...