Vignette 047

The city of Aralais is surrounded by an archaic city wall, known as the “Hunger Wall” and decorated with elaborate carvings, bas-reliefs and mosaics. It was built solely to provide employment for out-of-work and hungry citizens during the terrible economic depression of the 530s, and funded by the Marquis of Aralais, then the wealthiest noble on the planet. He continued to pour money into its construction until the end of the depression, and on being told the cost had almost bankrupted him, simply observed “Then I am thankful that my fortune lasted long enough to preserve my people”. The Marquis' memorial can be seen in the city cemetery. It was built entirely by craftsmen who learned their trade building his wall, and carries the inscription “Walls can defend a people against more than enemies”


(Author's note - This is intended to give a world a little more flavour, as since the "Hunger Wall" serves no architectural purpose it can be added to a modern city as easily as one of lower tech level. If you preferred, it could surround the starport of the Marquis' estates, rather than the city)

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