Free City of Centrum
Fortune can be found within dangerous dungeons, seized through glorious conquests, or accumulated via calculated trades. The merchants city of Centrum is fertile ground for that third path to fortune.
Positional Advantage
Centrum is located on Visus Island, and the island is centrally located in the Occulus Sea. In the past, sailors used the island as a convenient shelter and resting place during their long voyages across the sea. It did not take long for the port town of Centrum to be established. This port town grew into a prosperous city headed by the Centrum Director's Council when it was a settlement of the Principality of Avistar. The city used its gathered wealth and influence to purchase its independence from Avistar in 1191AGC. It was shortly after this event that Centrum labeled itself the Free City.A piece of news, a newly drawn plan, a distant rumor, even secrets can be purchased for the right price in the free city. Yes, even my secrets can be bought if you know who to ask.
City of Insight
As the key node for travel, trade, and diplomacy for the continent, Centrum is a garden for rumors and insights. It is said that having an ear to the ground here is to be listening to the world. The local umbrella term for rumors, foresights, and knowledge in the free city is "insight." Of course, insights are not freely given. Good insight carries a price in the free city; the more valuable the insight the more expensive it is to acquire in general.Government
The Centrum Director's Council is the governing body of Centrum. They own most of the native businesses to the city, and have established minority and majority interests in other businesses around Quassus. The city itself is independent from other countries and is officially recognized as the Free City of Centrum.
Defences
There aren't too many ships that are flying Centrum's colors. But then, the city has bought the good will of many sailors- including yours truly.The city employs the usual defensive measures: Walls, and guard towers. These may be mostly for show as Centrum's position on an island allow it to take advantage of its growing armed merchant fleet. Unlike other powers of the continent, Centrum does not maintain a large standing navy. Instead, it procures contracts with many armed sailors giving the city the option to call upon a great maritime mercenary force at need. This perhaps indicates that Centrum's best defensive measure is not in arms and armor, but in promising profit- and the free city has a purse large enough to back such promises.
Infrastructure
Centrum may be able to renovate itself time and time again, but one wonders for how long they can do so before getting tired or going broke.Much of the Centrum's infrastructure is a hodge-podge of old and new. Several city districts have been razed and reconstructed to be newer, cleaner, and more affluent. Centrum undergoes periods of reconstruction more frequently than other cities. Of course, not many other cities have the means or desire to sustain this kind of a constantly churning reconstruction cycle. The city employs novel storm draining techniques along its major roads. These drains are based on Ancient designs, and they allow for cleaner streets than are found in most other settlements. However, these drains have only been built in the wealthier districts.
Assets
Revas Marina Market
Known by many as the Beating Heart of Centrum, the Revas Marina Market market is the largest of its kind anywhere on the continent. It makes up an entire city district, and it is immediately adjacent to the city's main marina. This advantageous position allows many merchants to unload goods, immediately trade those goods, and then load other kinds of goods onto their ships all without having to navigate city streets. One can find almost anything in the Revas Market: food, silverware, jewelry, fish, crystals, and even potions. This center of activity is so important to the functioning and reputation of the city that the city employs the majority of its guard to monitor activity. With so much moving in and out of the market and the activity almost always bordering on chaos, the risk of theft, trafficking, and other criminal acts is always high. Even with the presence of guards, the most unscrupulous and savvy of thieves can always profit. Widespread and organized thievery is a prominent issue that the Centrum Director's Council has long sought to solve. Some thefts have were so large or happened so often that entire businesses had no choice but to declare bankruptcy, to say nothing of cost cutting measures other businesses must employ in order to claw back lost revenue. One of these measures is in the firing of workers. Security has been increasing over the years, but now many merchantmen claim the restrictive measures employed by guards have stifled trade activity.There aren't a lot of excuses for getting lost on the Occulus Sea. The Lucet Lighthouse is a bright and and ever present beacon!
Lucet Lighthouse
Perhaps as much of a statement as it is a necessity, the Lucet Lighthouse is a monumental achievement in engineering and construction. The Lucet stands at 375ft (114m), and from this height it shines a beam of light that can be seen from nearly anywhere on the Occulus Sea. Unlike traditional lighthouses, the Lucet utilizes special magics as a light source as opposed to an open flame. The magics that power this light source make it as noticable during the day as it is during the night. They say one standing on the outer continental shores of the Occulus Sea can find it on the horizon. The exact spells and techniques used to light and maintain the Lucet light source is a guarded secret known only to a select few mages who live within the tower's walls. The color of Lucet's light is a distinctive greenish-blue. Only a few have seen the interior of the lighthouse. As it is important to the safety of ships navigating near the island, Centrum's government have taken its security very seriously. There are always guards patrolling the base of the lighthouse, and that is after the defensive wall.Geography
While Centrum holds one of the most fortunate positions in the world, it is unfortunately a position that is increasingly fighting back. I fear that Visus will only get more desperate as the city grows.The city of Centrum resides on Visus Island, which has rocky shores and tall cliffs that define most of the shoreline. Lying at the feet of the cliffs are white sands that are only visible during low tide. Various kinds of treasure can be found washing upon these sands, which has many scavengers looking to make that one big find. There are several caves that have been carved into the cliff faces either through time or as a result of the calamities of the Great Collapse. Many of these caves are believed to have paths leading to the island's underground cave system. On the surface of the island is the city of Centrum, which covers the western tip of the island. Also on the surface is the Viridi Woods, which dominates the rest of the island. Efforts to expand the city outward have been disrupted due to the forest's increasing aggression. The aggression is a relatively recent phenomena. Theories abound as to the origin of the persistent fog. Perhaps there is an Ancient ruin that has recently begun to expend its remaining pre-collapse arcane energy. Perhaps a fey being seeks to defend the wood. Centrum's Directors have organized and sent expeditions into the Viridi Wood to determine the cause of the strange phenomenon, but they either return empty handed and frightened, or they never return at all. This has led the council to impose restrictions on traveling into the wood, and especially on harvesting it for lumber. Due to a lack of space for farmland, and the lack of variety the soil can support, it is necessary for the city to import most of its food from outlying settlements to feed its large and growing population. Farms can be found outside the city, as well as on Parva Soror (an island to the east of Visus). These farms largely produce export crops.
All artwork is by starfarertheta unless otherwise stated.
Maps
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Visus Island
A central trading point and the location of the Free City of Centrum.
Founding Date
901AGC
Alternative Name(s)
Merchant City of Centrum
Type
City
Population
~93000
Inhabitant Demonym
Centrists
Location under
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Related Tradition (Primary)
Characters in Location
Independence
Centrum itself was established in 901AGC as a trade outpost. It did not become a city until 1042AGC. It later established the Free City-State of Centrum in 1191AGC when it bought its independence from the Principality of Avistar.Demographics
- Humans (30%)
- Elves (10%)
- Dwarves (30%)
- Gnomes (10%)
- Halflings (5%)
- Half-Orcs (5%)
- Tieflings (1%)
- Other (9%)
Other Assets
- Marina
- Ports
- Anchorage
- Arenas
- Libraries
- Blacksmiths
- Armorers
- Bakeries
- Stone Mason Shops
- Alchemist Shops
- Prestidigitation School
- Taverns
- Inns
- Bathhouses
- Trinket Stores
- Silversmith Shops
- Lighthouses
Industry & Trade
- Armorers
- Blacksmiths
- Culinary Cooking
- Entertainment & "entertainment"
- Lumber
- Sable Fiber
- Shipbuilding
- Stone mason guilds
Guilds & Factions
- The Archivists Guild
- Stonecunning Guild
- Ship Constructors Guild
- Ship Masters Guild
- Master Artisans
- Masters of the Iron Guild
- The Sable Fiber Weavers
- Prestidigitators of the Sea
Note(s) from the Archivists:
Stop by the Archivists Guild and talk a while if you come to visit Centrum. There is much we could learn from each other. - Archivist Taenya Naïlo We have cookies! - Archivist EnnaRemove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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