Chinle

Chinle is the second largest city in the greater Azure Coast region. Despite being located well inland on the dusty, sun-scoured flats of the Northern Plain, Chinle is a key stop on the famous North Road that connects the coastal town of Saltmarsh with the region's interior and even the Capital City to the northwest. Its strategic position as a crossroads on the shores of the Gleaming River and Crystal Lake allow it to ship out a vast array of mineral resources and exotic textiles prized in other parts of the Azure Coast by both land and water. As a result, the city is sometimes referred to as the "Diamond in the Dust," a reference to the brisk trade in precious stones and rare ores conducted by the city's traders. These riches are principally obtained from mines located in the great canyon to the north known as the Chasm, as well as dwarven workings in the Blue Mountains and the Five Fissures.
Chinle sprawls across the sun-baked and wind-scoured plain that extends east from the shores of Crystal Lake. The "Old City" of Chinle is a warren of two and three-story sandstone buildings packed into a roughly two square mile area ringed by sixty-foot-tall red sandstone walls. In addition to the lakeside port, the tightly packed streets and alleys of Chinle's Old City are anchored by two key landmarks - the Grand Bazaar of Chinle, where turbaned traders invite bystanders to examine their awning-covered tables ladened with goods, and the sinister Black Tower, a near featureless edifice of polished black marble in the center of the old quarter that looms some 150 feet above the surrounding sandstone tenements.
Beyond the red walls of the Old City extends the rest of Chinle. What at first glance appears to be a seeming sea of fluttering cloth is on closer inspection revealed to be a sprawling collection of single-story sandstone and adobe buildings interspersed with the large tents favored by the nomadic hill tribes of the Northern Plain. Amid the busy avenues of this seeming tent city stands a massive domed building, the famous (or infamous) Grand Colosseum of Chinle, where hundreds of gladiators, pit fighters, and adventurers compete each month in bloody yet lucrative contests watched by thousands of baying onlookers.
Given Chinle's prominence in the trade networks of the western Azure Coast region, one might perhaps be surprised to learn that the city's traditional leader, the Grandee of Chinle, wields very little real political power. Rather, the city is effectively controlled by a trio of criminal syndicates - the Sanguine Coin, the Silver Vipers, and the Obsidian Order - each of which control a key portion of the city's economy and infrastructure, and count on the loyalty of numerous small neighborhood gangs.

Demographics

Chinle is diverse city. The large human population consists of numerous ethnic groups ranging from  tje traditional families of the Old City, newer residents attracted by various economic opportunities in town, and fluctuating numbers of semi-nomadic communities from surrounding region. Dwarves and gnomes are a common sight in town due to the mining and gem trade, while goblin traders from the Goblin Hills, entrepreneurs from Hamish and Moonshire, and Kingfisher-led merchant caravans are all frequently seen as well.

Government

In ages past, Chinle was led by a traditional leader, the Grandee. However, the Grandees have not wielded any real political power for centuries due to the presence of a number of highly influential semi-public criminal syndicates in the city. Each syndicate controls a key portion of Chinle's economy and infrastructure, and is led by a particularly ruthless and powerful individual. Specifically, the city is currently managed by the following three major criminal syndicates:

1. The Sanguine Coin - this syndicate is headquartered in the Grand Colosseum of Chinle and is led by Vox Tivan, the Master of Ceremonies and Managing Director of the Chinle Gladiatorial Tournament. In addition to the usual assortment of neighborhood gangs, the Sanguine Coin can call upon a large number of professional gladiators as muscle. The main part of the syndicate's businesses revolve around staffing and supplying the Colosseum and a range of other entertainment venues throughout the city from gambling dens to brothels to the Chinle Opera. A key part of this effort includes a lucrative trade in monstrous beasts intended for the arena which are kept in a menagerie that is open to the public (for a price of course). As the Sanguine Coin's on-the-nose name hints at, however, Vox Tivan and his most trusted lieutenants are involved in the entertainment industries for another more insidious reason - they are a seethe of vampires who use the popularity of the bloodsports to cover up their own dark hunger...
2. The Silver Vipers - this syndicate is headquartered in the Black Tower of Chinle and is most closely associated with providing a variety of mercenary (and other less savory...) services to protect the mercantile interests of Chinle trader both in town and on the road. The status of the Silver Vipers has recently been called into question, however, as they seem to be much less active than in previous months and years. Unbeknownst to many, this current state of flux is due to the aggressive takeover of the syndicate by the extraplanar traveler, Major of Eberron, who has redirected much of the syndicate's resources towards their own personal agenda...
3. The Obsidian Order - this syndicate is not as well known to the average Chinle resident, although its sphere of activity is one that touches most of the city's populace. Specifically, the Obsidian Order is the managing force behind Chinle's waste management programs, including the extensive sewer, plumbing, and trash collection systems that extended beneath the Old City into many parts of the newer neighborhoods. The Obsidian Order also runs the city's network of funeral homes and graveyards, although their involvement in these sorts of activities are less altruistic that it may appear, for the Obsidian Order's leader is none other than Enabran Tain, a centuries-old black dracolich whose lair is beneath the Old City's sewer network!

Defences

The Old City of Chinle is is surrounded by a sixty-foot-tall wall built of red sandstone. These defences are manned by a small and corruption-riddled constabulary, while the majority of "law enforcement" is provided by the various syndicates in their respective areas of control.

Industry & Trade

Chinle is located on the shores of the Glittering Lake, so-called for the wealth of precious stones that are washed out of the great canyon upstream known as the Chasm. The bulk of Chinle's trade revolves around the trade of these precious stones and other natural resources from the surrounding region, although a robust textile business also forms a key part of the local economy.
In addition to being a busy river/lake port, Chinle is located along the famous North Road, which connects the interior of the Azure Coast region with both Saltmarsh to the south and the Capital City to the northwest. Of course, travelers heading to the capital must pass through Chinle, providing the city with a steady flow of business.

Districts

Chinle is roughly divided into two main areas: the walled Old City and the more extensive New City. The Old City is a densely packed collection of taller buildings crisscrossed by narrow alleyways and is home to the Grand Bazaar, the Grandee's Citadel, the Old Docks, Gemcutter's Alley, and the Black Tower. In contrast, the New City is divided by a number of large thoroughfares and is home to the Grand Colosseum, the Weaver's District, the Verlin Import/Export Co. Dockyards, the North Docks, the Mills (a industrial neighborhood focused on processing and refining metal ores), and many other areas.

Alternative Name(s)

The Diamond in the Dust

Type

City

Population

85,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Dusters; Wildcats; Chinnys

Location under

Chinle

Included Locations

• Chinle