The Centralwijk
The Centralwijk is Marienburg's most affluent district; it is where the offices of commerce and government rise above the clustered streets; where the boutiques, restaurants and Gentlemen's Clubs catering for the Luxurious tastes of the rich can be found; where lavish temples to half a hundred Gods stand righteously with their heads in the heavens. Lacking the grit, grime and blatant violence of the Suiddock may lead you to suspect that this locale is dull and has little to offer adventurous characters. Not so! The plots and intrigues enfolding in this district run much deeper and with far more deadly currents, for here you will find some of the richest, most powerful people in the Old World, and where money and power lead, corruption and machinations follow close behind.
The Lay of The Land
There are four major Islands in the Centralwijk, and countless smaller ones. Walking from the Suiddock, over Hightower Isle and across the magnificent Hoogbrug bridge will lead the characters to Nordbrug. The sailors and dockhands; the swearing and smell of exertion are replaced by clerks and errand boys, as Nordbrug houses most of the city's government offices. There are embassies here from almost all known countries; offices of merchants, property owners, Lawyers, City Courts, most buildings of an official capacity that aren't on Hightower Island Can be found here. Then there is Manannhaven, which holds the Great Temple and Lighthouse of Manann. The temple is allegedly built on the spot where Marius found a magical trident and founded Marienburg, but Historians now realise that the place of legend must have been further west. Here too you will find places of Learning The Great University, Colleges of Magic, Physician's Guild, Alchemist's Guild, The Dwarven Engineering Institute and so on. Marienburg's office of Records can also be found here. Templeruimen is a small island devoted almost entirely to worship of the Gods. It is also the location of Marienburg's only public parkland. Bovenstlandgoed is where the luxuries are concentrated. Here also are the mansions of those not quite rich enough to afford their own Islands. These Private Islands are owned only by the very wealthy - families of the merchant lords and expatriate Nobility.
Moving Around The Centralwijk
Adventuring in the Centralwijk is an entirely different proposal to that of the Suiddock. Walking around with double handed weapons is a sure fire way of getting harassed by a watch patrol (of which there are many). Anything larger than a short sword is unacceptable. Secondly, shops, restaurants and other posh establishments won't be too pleased to have a bunch of rowdy adventurers crashing into their elegant atmosphere. Unless the Adventurers are of suitably high social class (High B or A) some places will refuse to admit them or ask them to leave. Try and impress on the players that people in this district are highly judgmental, very busy, and complete snobs (even the clerks). Remember Marienburg is a huge place, having lots of money is not uncommon and is not necessarily a guarantee of social worth - style is the thing. Becoming an accepted member of Marienburg High Society to complete an important objective may be the PC's toughest challenge yet!