Nexus

Nexus is the largest city in the East of Creation and a major setting for events in Exalted.

History
Nexus arose from the ruins of Hollow, a prominent First Age town located at the confluence of the Gray and Yellow rivers. Hollow was largely destroyed during the Usurpation, and remained deserted until well after the Great Contagion. New settlements arose in the swampy land to the west of the old city but gradually merged together and overtook the ruins.

In 52 RY a being called the Emissary appeared and took control of Nexus in the name of the Council of Entities, largely by killing anyone who opposed them. A similar fate greeted the officers of the Seventh Legion who occupied Nexus in 75 RY, the only time the Realm has successfully attacked the city.

In 95 RY, the League of Many Rivers was formed in Nexus, ensuring unity against any future imperial expansion. In 117 RY the Guild moved its headquarters to Nexus, taking advantage of the city's lassaiz-faire government and extensive commerical networks.

Geography
Nexus is located where the Gray and Yellow Rivers join to form the Yanaze River. It claims the lowland roughly 30 miles in each direction as part of its territory, with the boundaries marked by statues of the Emissary. Floods are extremely common; some First Age machinery exists that might moderate this, but most of it requires Essence to operate, and the Council of Entities does not wish to risk disrupting river traffic.

The eastern side of the city is dominated by three hills, with the Undercity dug into the rock below Cinnabar and Sentinel's Hill. Firewander District, nestled between these hills, includes many First Age buildings and also a dangerous Wyld zone left over from the invasion of the Fair Folk. The western side is riddled with canals cut through the swampy ground between the rivers, and is thus much more vulnerable to flood damage. These neighborhoods are also subject to the poisonous fumes that come from the city's great forges in the form of a choking black smog.

Districts
Nexus is divided into six neighborhoods. Arrayed from west to east, they are:
 * Nighthammer
 * Nexus
 * Sentinel's Hill
 * Cinnabar
 * Firewander
 * Bastion

Landmarks
Six Solar Exalted died in Hollow during the Usurpation, and their tombs remain landmarks in modern-day Nexus.

Government
The Council of Entities is a corrupt and brutal oligarchy supported by the Emissary. While it has a reputation for lawlessness, Nexus' laws actually originate from the Dogma laid down by the Emissary when it first appeared in 52 RY. This Dogma entitles the Council to levy taxes (which largely end up in their own pockets) and tax evasion, like any other violation of the Dogma, is a capital offense.

Other laws, called Civilities, are passed by the whim of individual councilors and may be countermanded within hours of one another. Newcomers not only have to get used to the law changing by the hour, but a few persistent Civilities have given rise to odd and difficult-to-explain customs. Most crimes are punished by either exile or death, though without a true police force it is usually the victims of minor crime who come up with their own means of justice.

Economy
Nexus is home to a native metalworking industry, and its role as a trade hub has also created profitable banking and mercenary sectors.