Orientalist market scene by Pasini Alberto (1826-1899).
The Ariyan Neighborhood is a place where the conquered Ariyans, the Archemeniads, have come to reside in the Northeast Quarter. It is their neighborhood that is adjacent to Qin'ae Town. Here, they control the Bazaar and here the Silk Gate opens up to the Silk Road. The Ariyan neighborhood is exotic and oriental. The neighborhood is bordered by the river and the Noble's District.
Here they worship their strange, monotheistic religion and here they wear the robes and turbans of the East. They think in terms of the East, and they train their warriors using different methods. They take more than one woman to wife, but on principle never more than seven (although some men have more than thirty wives). Ariyan Architecture is topped with domes and having straight roofs rather than the angled roofs of Greek houses. Tiles aren't used, and housing here is based on the use of baked mud brick.
The Flavor of the Ariyan Neighborhood[]
map of the Ariyan Neighborhood
Running the Ariyan Neighborhood[]
The Ariyan Neighborhood is more like a museum than a place where people live. The people here aren't hellenized or refuse to be hellenized. They are living on faded glories and a glorious past. The only thing hellenized here is the language, people here have to speak Koine Hellenic. There are examples of Ariyan architecture everywhere. No statues of men but of mythological figures called Shedu, and simply some simple relief carvings.
Here is a chance for GMs to step up the orientalist feeling of this place. Concentrate on the strange clothing, the strange smells, and the strange beliefs of the Airyan people. Aside from Ishtar Street, this place should be the most exotic place PCs should encounter besides the Southeast Quadrant.