East Zabrial has no set artists' quarter. Intellectuals have populated different districts at different times, with the result that they haven't made an especially deep mark on any. However, they most commonly return to their current favourite, Calanti Place. It is close to the rich northern districts – and most artists are still those able to live off their parents' fortunes – and also next door to Yaenan University. The prevailing conservatism of the university actually works in its favour; disaffected radical students have a convenient place to drop out into.
Calanti Place itself is a large, roughly oval open area with a public garden in its centre. The garden is of the picturesquely overgrown type, a maze of narrow paths running between thick, garish bushes and jungle trees covered with creepers. In approximately its centre stands an old relic, a few walls and a forlorn archway. A few people are still told the legend about this being the remains of an old monarchical pleasure palace. Most residents, however, know that it is a deliberately ruined folly only built in the early 1200's. A few bizarre statues, mostly of monsters from Narlat mythology, also leap out at unwary visitors. In traditional fashion, the gardens are a nice place for strolling couples by day and a prime spot for unauthorised fornication at night.
Ringing the square are shops almost exclusively selling curios. Nearly all tend to go bankrupt a couple of years after opening, to be replaced by an equally unnecessary establishment. In 1334 there are shops devoted to: ornamental paperweights, gold broaches and necklaces; 'beasts of Ellniss' (generally suspicious looking claws allegedly plucked from tigers and wyverns); fraudulent magic potions; pet balisk beasts; hats made entirely from felt; and hats made entirely from feathers. In a sign of the times there is also an alleged translation bureau which is actually a front for a Zabrial Freedom Force cell, destined to remain open for as long as the Guards remain ignorant of its true function.
There are only two shops which have remained on Calanti Place for more than a decade. One is The Groves, est. 1284, which makes beautifully decorated and extremely expensive porcelain dolls. This shouldn't have lasted any longer than the others, except that the dolls have become an enduring craze amongst East Zabrial's aristocracy. Not as toys for children either; wealthy women like to commission ones to be made in their likeness, usually when they are at their most alluring and radiant. The Groves can make the dolls almost exactly lifelike but also knows when to embellish certain details and hide others; effectively they are another form of vanity portrait. The other durable establishment is Kelatti's Mystique, est. 1277, a sort of blend of purveyor's of alleged magical wares and fortune teller's booth. The outer part of the shop is given over to the usual charms, berries, amulets and strange coloured liquids (usually just coloured water) which can be found in any market place. Customers can also make appointment to see Kelatti herself in a curtained-off inner sanction, to have their fortunes told by either tongue-examination or puntiss stones. There have been six elderly women calling themselves Kelatti so far, a new one taking over when the previous occupant dies. The most mysterious part of the Mystique is how it has stayed in business for so long; or perhaps the question of who actually owns it.