https://steam-fantasy.tumblr.com/post/174399710863/steampunk-city-with-a-bit-of-a-renaissance-flare

But in that moment as he stepped inside, he knew then that his journey was far from over, and let out a gasp of awe as he was dazzled by the sights and sounds of the Vanclar. Her many storied buildings like delicate pinnacles of golden latticework that stretched up high over his head, their glistening white towers lit by strange colourful lights in the night sky, metal boats that floated on the air on strange wings, and vanclorens dressed in fine silk garments that at once seemed so uncomfortable and elegant.

Even the sounds and smells seemed strange to him without the usual stench of piss, shit, and sewage that would accompany a city, but a kind of flowery scent as hundreds of people swelled through streets, looking down their nostrils at Gregor in his bloodstained armour, whereas more than a few curious females, openly gawked at Gauldryon in appreciation. The young handsome knight having doffed off his burnished armor for his emblazoned surcoat as he glided forward with the grace of a warrior.

Not liking the whispers and the way that they kept looking at him, Gregor wanted nothing more than to be away from here, when a man in a black suit and tie walked over towards them.

His head bobbed low in an unnatural bow, the man stood up with a forced smile on his haggard features, his hollow eyes glowing with a feverish light that Gregor did not like. “I am Sir William, and as I’m sure Reynold has told you by now, you will need a permit in order to work within the city limits.” He then offered his hand out to hold a red card up to Gregor. “This will allow you access to the Foreign Quarter which is just ahead of you. If you have any questions or need lodging for the night, please do not hesitate to ask. We here at Cleriko’Domia are here at your service?” Although judging by the disdainful looks at Gregor’s attire and the way he kept sniffing his nose, Gregor had this sudden urge to commit some violence, when a gruff voice called out, “well, blast me dead, lad, you could have let me know afore time that you were coming. I damn near had to pay an arm and a leg to get ye inside?”

Seeing the weathered face and blunt nose of Furgas, a stout figured dwarf with a bald scalp shaved of all hair, he couldn’t help but smile as he recalled the last time he had seen the hardy dwarf, they had both been out hunting in the Northern Woods.

And grinned as he replied, “To be honest, I had no plans in mind to come this way, but I heard you might be having some trouble.”

His belly rumbling with laughter as the sunburned dwarf clapped his hand to belly, he tugged at his beard, and shook his head with a wistful smile. “Boy! If you only knew the half of it! Don’t ye worry yer head, Williams, I’ll take care of ‘em.”

Given a sour reproachful glance as the vampire stalked off with a stiff back, Gregor had half a mind to stab the haughty bloodsucker in the back, when the dwarf continued, “so who are ye new friends?” and gestured with his arm to Gauldryon who didn’t seem at all in the least bit surprised by the strangeness of the city.

Too distracted by his own thoughts to care that he had called them his friends, Gregor snorted, “just some fools on a quest for glory.”

Which of course caused Daria to storm over towards them, her face flushed red with fury as she spat, “We are the Champions of Light, and we are indeed a quest, but an important one. One that requires us to reach Dragon’s Perch.”

“Dragon’s Perch you say? Well, that might be a wee bit tough at the moment, there be a lot of trouble going on in the city at the moment, but it would be best if we speak of this indoors, somewhere more private without so many ears. I know of a place closeby where we can talk.”

Waving his arm up for them to follow, the cocky dwarf that reminded Gregor so much of a pirate, swaggered off down the street. Everything about this place, an oddity as he stared at carriages drawn forward by nothing that passed him by, vampires that wore golden spectacles that changed colours for some reason, and pipes. There were so many bronze pipes everywhere, all of them leading in different directions, and some of them releasing steam into cobblestone streets that looked clean enough to eat on. But what caught his attention the most, were the dozens of merchants that hawked their at street corners. Glass tubes that were proclaimed to be able to see off into the distance, sticks that could make fire if rubbed against something, and powders of various kinds that could heal anything. It made him wonder what else he had been missing from his life.

This city just didn’t feel like a foreign country, it felt like a whole new world with a different kind of magic that he had never seen before.

Luckily for him, he wasn’t the only one that found himself staring and bumped up against Daria, her cheeks flushed red again as he realized that she had been looking at scantily clad elves, humans, and dwarves, that stood out front of a bordello, dancing to music that floated out from the gaudily decorated establishment.

It was also at that moment that he realized that the dwarf was leading them in that direction, Gauldryon’s eyes almost popping out of his skull as he tried to look away from all the bared flesh, while Tileya and Pelwar let out laughs of delight. The pair of them hooting and laughing in glee as Tileya offered an arm out for Glindol as they rushed in to join in on the dancing. The gnome with a wry grin on his lips, shaking his head, and shooting Gregor a smile.

At another time or place Gregor might have been tempted to join in on the festivities, but as Furgas’ sweaty bald scalp turned to look at them from the steps, he swung around, “Come along, there’s enough time to play around later.”

Unfortunately for Gregor however, he was unable to take his eyes off a seductive blue eyed elf with slim hips, and pursed red lips, when he felt himself shoved hard forward from behind, and saw an annoyed Daria. Her dark brown eyes flashing angrily, just as violet coloured eyes flash into the back of his mind, and he hurried up the steps after the dwarven mercenary.

There, entering a low ceiled common room filled with wall to wall entertainment, he saw men and women up in cages above him, a trio of musicians playing instruments in the back, and on stage to the right of him, dancers that wore frilly pink dresses. It was like nothing he had ever seen before.

But before he could appreciate what he was seeing, he was hustled along by still red-faced Daria, her braids swaying from side to side as they strode into a long narrow hallway, and into a smoky backroom with a long round table, and drinks that sat in the middle.

Having not had the taste of heart-knocker in quite a while, his hand immediately stretched for the clear glass bottle of blue liquid when it was slapped away. His dark scowl at Daria, twisted into confusion as he saw Furgas slump into a leather backed chair, his cheerful expression gone, and dark eyes sagging with exhaustion. “You shouldn’t have come here, lad.”

Fingers drifting to the greatsword on his back as he sensed trouble, Gregor demanded, “why? What’s going on?”

And for once the dwarf seemed to deflate before him, his eyes going back out to the now suddenly quiet hallway. The sound of music, voices, and laughter cut off as though strangled by a cord. “It’s not openly spoken of round ‘ere, but the Primes are no longer in power. A group calling themselves the True Believers have laid claim to the city, and every race that has not been turned into one of them is a target for their night raids. Already more than half the Foreign Quarter has been transformed into one of those monsters and let loose on the streets at night.”

Letting out a hiss as he recalled the way the people had been staring at him, he was beginning to understand that it had not just been dislike that he had seen in their eyes, but hunger. The same kind of hunger that he had seen burned into the eyes of starving warriors.

Sensing that he had more bad news to deliver, Gregor waited for the dwarf to continue as Furgas released another heavy sigh, “You know I came here with three hundred warriors? Some of the best fighters that I could muster from the south that wanted no part of the war, and now here I am, down to thirty seven warriors. Most of them too badly wounded and tired to go anywhere”

His gaze shooting back to the glass paned window that showed the suns sinking their heads behind the horizon, Gregor could feel a cold chill in his bones as Gauldryon shook his long golden hair in disbelief. “No, the primes would never allow such a thing to happen. They are good honourable beings, they would never allow their city to descend into chaos.” But even to Gregor’s hearing it was easy enough to see that the fool lordling was in denial, probably too shocked to realize that the longer that they stayed here. The higher the stakes would become for them. They needed to leave, or better yet be gone already from this place.

His gaze turned back to look at the dwarf, he asked, “the gates?--”

“--Guarded by the demavali who have orders to shoot anyone on sight. You won’t get through that way. More than a few have tried and were killed before they even had a chance to get close to the city walls.”

Hands clenched into tight fists at the very idea that he, Gregor, was trapped, he snapped, “then tell how do we get out of here already?!”

And to his surprise Furgas’ let out a dry chuckle, his eyes seeming to spark with hidden fires as he smiled. “I knew there was a reason why I liked you, boy. There is one way to get out, but you’re not going to like it. Here under the protection of Lady Drusel, you have some safety at least from the kindred, but out there,” he pointed his finger out the window where the White Star began to shine, “on the streets. You’ll be on your own. But if you do manage to make it to the gates at the southern end before sunrise, they should be unguarded. The demavali won’t dare risk their necks against the kindred, they’ll be holed up in their garrisons.”

His mind imagining the hordes of bloodthirsty kindred and vampires that must be out wandering the darkened alleyways, Gregor was beginning to understand why the dwarf had seemed so resigned to his fate. He’d probably tried fighting his way out of here a dozen times.

It was then a thought occurred to him. “Wait, if you knew all this? Why in the bloody hell did you vouch for me to come inside?!”

His shoulders shrugged apologetically, the dwarf gave a half hearted smile. “It was either that or see you get killed at the city gates, lad. Only the Blooded are allowed near Vanclar. If not for the few vanclorens like Lady Drusel, Lord Yelnor, and Prime Kaisan, we’d all be wormfood by now, but she at least cares enough to do something about it. Unlike most who turn a blind eye to those power mad fanatics.”