Meridian Canal

The Meridian Canal is a large canal, dug out from the River Omera, which runs south of Raumar Palace before running through Margade. The section within Margade is well managed, properly canalised, and forms a centre of commerce as well as being the dividing line between the wealthier, southern city and the larger but much poorer northern portion.

History
The Meridian Canal has been attested in history for nearly four centuries now, though it existed in a very different form. It originally was meant to be the northern boundary of Margade, as well as an irrigation canal for the farmland along the shores of the East Lake.

With the gradual expansion of the city, culminating in the construction of the Northern Walls about a century ago, the canal became a key transport route, as well as a sort of protection against the unruly masses which now inhabited the new quarters.

Current Description
The Meridian Canal's banks are of very different characters. While the northern bank retains its nature as a trading canal, lined with warehouses and godowns and plied by lighters and barges, the southern bank has been mostly transformed into a major leisure district of the city. The South Bank Ways are a series of upmarket establishments, including chess houses, music halls, and general entertainment centres, where diversion and companionship are sold instead of sex.