Lys
Lys is a small city clinging to rocks surrounded by stormy seas. The sunny island is fertile with palm and fruit trees, and the surrounding blue-green waters are filled with fish. The city is protected by high walls, manned by well trained mercenaries hired from all over Ardicil. The island was originally founded by a conclave of powerful dragons, who were whittled down by their own to only three . The city is draped in draconic iconography, and Draconic is a regular language spoken here among the Oligarchs of the city.
Since then, the city has been thriving on the trade of both magical items, and in the much less savory slave trade. It is known for being one of the largest slave markets in all of Ardicil, and many a time have the ambitious Straatosi attempted to subvert the trade. Lys has survived due to the protection from several factors, one being the local cult dedicated to Tiamat. They also have a dangerous and loyal local group of sellswords known as the Dragon's Teeth. To top this all off, there are rumors of the city making a deal with an ancient dragon turtle that roams the seas, protecting them from various other nations who sought the riches of Lys. They also find themselves willing to do business with the pirates that plague the islands around them, as long as Lyseni ships are protected.
The city is ruled by a trio of dragons who delegate a majority of the "ruling" to a oligarchy of merchants and traders. These merchants in turn have agreed to pledge a certain amount of money to pay for the bare minimum of protection and basic amenities in the city to keep it running, but mostly pocket the wealth themselves. These merchants and developers have raised the city to remain somewhat opulent on the outside, but hides a much more sinister underbelly beneath the veneer and gilded buildings. Most of the oligarchy falls within the Triarchy's influence and the subsequent oligarchs, royal Dragonborn clans, merchant princes, and powerful mercenary companies. They regularly make power plays against each other to try and win more favor with the dragons in charge. It is regular to see oligarchs switch between the various factions, trying to raise their own power.
Money rules in Lys, but it is mostly concentrated in the hands of a powerful few. Those without money are very much forced to fend for themselves, and unfortunately find themselves working for either one of the few wealthy merchant families, or one of the criminal organizations that is pervasive on the island. It is not unusual for the oligarchs to get caught working with these "criminal" elements to get ahead in their lust for power. Many times even consorting with outside organizations like Gilded Grin, pirates like The Stonehearts, Drowned Tyrants or Wave Chasers , or even cartels like The Iron Eye.
Localized Snatcher Gangs roam the poorer parts of the city, grabbing poorer children to be raised in the fighting pits. In recent years, the Snatcher Gangs have began to expand past the boundaries of Lys, and have been taking slaves from Kaifang, Rasfan , Ibsar and even as far as Dol Armoth. The most expansive of these have gathered enough wealth and power to normalize their wealthy leaders as "Upper Class" and are now bumping elbows with the Oligarchs. However, this has drawn an even more aggressive eye towards patrolling the waters around Lys, especially from The Twelve of The Straatos Republic. Fasaryr Harbor has also been accused of seeding agents of their own throughout the city, in order to influence and dismantle the gangs themselves.
Type
Large city
Population
52,520
Location under
Owning Organization
Characters in Location