EditThriving free port amidst the southern jungles- Tone: High-seas adventure, duplicity, piracy, buckles aswashing
- Timeframe: -285 to Present
- Artifice: Low*
- Region: Tropizia
- Capital: Coralus (~23,000)
- Notable Settlements: none
- Government: Lord Mayor, Council of Free-Captains
- Ruler: Lord Mayor Takeshir Takamos
- Races: Human (~18,000), Lazerti (Lizardmen, ~3,000), misc
- Languages: Nemish (primary), Grokus (some Humans), Lizarro (Lizardmen)
- Religions: various small followings
- Coinage: No minted coins; Coralusari (trade bars, 1gp), Hakusoli (mold-crafted hoops, 5sp)
*Coralus is a hive of high-seas adventure opportunity. It's also a useful port of call for would-be adventurers mounting expeditions into the interior or along the coast of Tropizia; though not much is manufactured or produced on Coralus itself so many items and commodities find their way to Coralus as cargo or plunder that just about anything can possibly be acquired there.
EditSynopsisThis rough and dangerous free port overflows a large island in the center of Coralus Bay at the mouth of the Troaxa Delta. Controlling access to the lucrative flow of riches from Teetan up the Troaxan river, Coralus is ideally situated at a vital crux of the Tropizian trading route.
Coralus is fiercely independent and free wheeling; as long as the proper "tithes" and unofficially bribes are paid almost anything goes. The "Golden Rule" applies here; they who hath the gold maketh the rules. Trade both legitimate and illegitimate flows through the city's extensive docks both up and down the river and up and down the southern coast of Tropizia. Many ship captains of piratical nature consider it their home port, but so do several legitimate and semi-legitimate trading cartels. All in all its a wild and unpredictable but never boring place.
With only a few fairly flat areas around the leeward side of the island, which are prone to seasonal flooding, most of the city is built precariously on the sloping and jutting sides of the island's rocky escarpments. The sea level areas are built up on raised wooden flooring that is an extension of the city's famous docks to elevate the structures out of the muck, mire, and high watermark. Buildings in these areas have grated trap-door chutes for the disposal of garbage and waste, making the waters around Coralus filthy and unclean.
The city is ruled by a Lord Mayor, a position that is filled theoretically by vote amongst a handful of "Founding Families" for a duration of ten years. The current Lord Mayor is the eldest son of one of the most powerful Founding Families and has held office for four years. He is considered to be unusually meddlesome and lawful and has made great strides in ousting corruption from the constabulary, customs, and tax collection, and in punishing violent crime in the docks districts. Thus he is very popular with most of the island's permanent population and very unpopular with its less lawful residents.
By tradition, Captains of vessels that make Coralus their home for at least one season a year can purchase a Letter of Marque for a tidy sum that grants them membership to the Council of Free-Captains, which is a governing body that technically only controls concerns regarding trade and any structure projecting off the shore of the island into the water (primarily the actual docks and many warehouses built upon the largest). In practice, when a weak Lord Mayor is in power the Council is the true rulership of the island by default. Council members also benefit from sharply reduced tariffs and docking fees, making it an economically smart move for Captains able to muster the funds for the Marque.
EditMagicCoralus doesn't have a strong formalized magical tradition but it is a melting pot and thus just about any kind of magic might be found there.
The current Lord Mayor is a skilled Alchemist and has some minor talent as a Stormcaller (an ability that runs in his family).
EditDetails
- Exports: Lumber, fruits, jade, coral, emeralds, rope, rice, Fish products, spices, opals, spinels
- Imports: meat products, worked metals, cloth
- Heraldry: Vert, an Anchor Argent, enflamed Gules, in base a longship Argent
- Forms of Dress: varies, but loose billowy clothing with laces rather than buttons, and wide brimmed hats are very common. Vests of leather or sturdy cloth are common among the seamen, along with leather breaches.
Though the island is largely unwalled, a large and massively fortified stone bailly and tower sits astride the high point of the island a good fifty feet above sea level and overlooking the delta side of the island. This defensive structure is technically dubbed the Fortress of the Lord Mayor of Sovereign Coralus, but is typically just referred to as Bralt (literally, "The Rock" in Grokus). Further, in many places the shoreline consists of bluff cliffs, making for natural defenses.
The bailly of the Lord Mayor's fortress sports three large and complex launching devices that can hurl large stones or flaming detritus a little under a 1000 feet from the island allowing them to exert control over the mouth of the Troaxa river. The Lord Mayor's Tower is of tapering construction, stands a hundred feet tall, and has thick stone walls. The lower two levels are quite large and serve as the public offices of the Lord Mayor's government. The middle levels of the tower are the Lord Mayor's residence, and the top of the tower sports the Coralus Beacon, a combination lighthouse and signal beacon. The bailly also has a stables and adjoining barracks which houses the Lord Mayor's Guard, a force of ~500 watchmen-soldiers who man the fortress, conduct patrols, and serve as the only thing approaching law and order on the island. They are not universally loved, though they have the support of most of the islands simple and honest tradesfolk. They wear distinctive studded leather hauberks with green surcoats bearing the city's blazon stitched upon their back and are very recognizable.
Some truly pathetic souls earn a living roaming through the dank and disgusting "under-docks" area beneath the parts of the city built up on wooden platforms to pick through garbage looking for things of nominal value. The under-docks are also a possible means of entry and exit from parts of the city plied by some thieves, but the noxiousness of it is not to be underestimated.
EditAdventure Seeds House Takamos: one of the most powerful of the Founding Families, House Takamos has interests in whaling, lumber, and ship building. They maintain a small fleet of assorted ships, primarily whalers. Allegations of occasional piracy have been levied but never proven. Their House Crest is a very recognizeable (Per Bend Sinister Gules and Sable, 2 ship wheels Or) and seen often in Coralus. The House wields great influence; the current Lord Mayor is the heir apparent to House Takamos.
House Caeranthas: another Founding Family, and the principal rivals to House Takamos, House Caeranthas specializes in the obsidian and gem trades. They fund and mount numerous expeditions across Tropizia, from the Obsidian Isles to the darkest depths of the deep jungle. A dynamic and bold House, their reputation has never been besmirched, though it is well understood that many Caeranthian expeditions never return. Caeranthas does nothing on a small scale; their successes are amazing, and their failures are tragic. The House's Crest (Sable, a Lion Rampant holding a sextant Or) is often seen, and sometimes found among the detritus of remains stumbled across in unusual places in the wild.
House Devrens: a smaller household with interests in mining and metals trade, this House was once much more powerful and influential than they are today, but the loss of several mines on the Tropizian mainland that they once held (the Hobcroftz, Yellertz, and Verbitz mines) combined with numerous failed expeditions to reclaim them have left the family's coffers low and their membership decimated. Yet still they persist in their bloody minded intent to reclaim the mines and they pay handsomely for experienced expeditioners. Their political clout has declined along with their fortunes, so they allegedly have resorted to more underhanded tactics in the ongoing political struggles of the Founding Families.
Drunken Dolphin Tavern: this waterfront dive is owned by a pair of Dwarven brothers who left Baragur for a better life, but didn't quite find it. A common stop for sailors and pirates alike, the bar is a lively place most nights. The Dwarves also act as unofficial trading factors for Baragur; they can help a merchant they like get a grudging foot in the door with the Elders so to speak. They also manage routine cargos or courier trips back and forth between Baragur and Coralus.
Humans
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