Meridian Houses
When the Tarrasque was first subdued thirteen immovable harpoons were sunk deep into its body, each with a long, thick chain running to an iron anchor sunk into stones. As the founders built the fortress Salzinwuun they recognized 13 guardians, each a hero in the binding of the enormous monstrosity. All were personally responsible for ensuring that the harpoon in their charge held fast in addition to making arrangements to deal with unforeseen changes. In recent history (the past two odd centuries) the status of these guardians has changed. Their descendants (or in some cases, the original hero) are now referred to as Binder-Lords or Binder-Ladies, each still responsible for ensuring that their harpoon remains secure and keeping the beast chained with the caveat that they all claim the area around their harpoon as their charge to exploit and utilize as they deem fit. These sections of control and responsibility are generally referred to as meridians hence the Binder-Lords and the houses they lead each owning one of the thirteen meridians (and each house has become incredibly wealthy due to being paid via the work of the God-Butchers and now Marrow Miners selling to the various Blood Merchants and Process Guild Shops). Legal authority is transferred via legal possession of one of the magical command words that can unlock their respective meridian harpoon. In recent decades all of the Houses have built manor-towers, a glorious palace or even series of buildings that loom over the rest of the city. It has also become customary for each of the houses to use the spire of their manor-tower as their house insignia, reasoning that even the illiterate are able to see the high peaks of their works and know wherefrom edicts, orders, and sealed contracts emanate. Decisions that impact the whole city are made by the council of Binders and enforced by the various House Militias. Basic publicly understood knowledge about the houses is written in the following pages while house secrets may be found in the Secrets sections.