New Port Lion

the City of Towering Alchemy

[p New Port Lion, often just Port Lion, is a marvel of human achievement, a major city of towering buildings in the middle of the vast marshes of northwestern Jerain on the major continent of Ethae. Surrounded by swamps with thick forested wilderness farther east, the only access to Port Lion is through the Sparre, a miles wide waterway through the seemingly endless bayous. A trip that itself takes over a day for a ship entering from the seas to travel in the best of conditions.

With such limited access, one must wonder how a small settlement could survive and thrive, let alone a major port. The answer is the bayous themselves. They are one of the single best sources of alchemic anywhere on the continent. Practitioners of Magic worldwide travel to Port Lion to acquire components that would not be available anywhere else. Those that study the medical arts seek rare herbs, roots and plants for aiding ailments. Alchemists seek rare elements to manipulate. It is a city that trades the resources that the magical arts need to fuction.

New Port Lion sits on a rocky peninsula at the inner end of the Sparre, some 80 miles inlands for the Cota Ocean shores. The city is the de facto capital of the Human dominated nation of Char'wyn that 'controls' the region. A very loose control at that. While the political borders are deep in the swamps and forest on maps, there is little real control of those remote regions. The humans of Char'wyn only hold sway the lands around Port Lion, with a cluster of towns on the nearby islands. Several other larger towns dwell deeper in the less marshy river land forest to the east, but while they have a common culture and loose allegiance with the home city, these people live very independent lives. It is in fact many of the remote outer towns that end up gathering or farming the supplies that the many travelers come to acquire in Port Lion.

Char'wyn is considered a republic, with New Port Lion acting as a capital of the nation. Every town within the borders of Char'wyn has a representative in the assembly that dwell within the city. This is largely lip service, as there is no real rule in the city or sway over the outer towns of the nation. The laws of the nation and city are summed up in 'mind your own business, pay fair prices, and take care of your own'.

The city does have a constable service that polices the city. They, however, often have little work. Not because of the lack of crime, but rather because of what the citizens of the city call 'lion's justice.' Thieves, murderers, and other criminals will end up vanishing, disposed of in the bayou waters. "No one saw nothing." Is a common thing heard by the city constables, who are often complicit in these acts.

The city is known for its unbiased attitude, with people of all backgrounds and races. Elf and Dwarf are commonplace, which is rare for a human city. Even Lizardfolk and Orc can walk the street with little regard. Be it due to the remote location, or carefree attitude Port Lion seems to be one of the most diverse cities on the continent.

Type

City