Freeport

Freeport is the unofficial capital of the Broken Spine. The city hosts a population of close to 40,000 people in the present day making it by far and away the most populous settlement in the Spine. The city is known for the trade slogan "Everyone is Free, Everything is For Sale". The statement runs true, anything may be purchased in Freeport with the sole exception of slaves. Indeed Freeport's reputation comes from the fact that is the worlds' largest fence, selling stolen goods willfully and eagerly. The city possesses a number of skilled craftsman and guilds for everything from merchants, to scholars, to ships, to the sailors who pilot them. Crime in Freeport is a given, but thankfully the criminal syndicates who run large sections of the city do not engage in open warfare with one another, and indeed the city runs surprisingly smoothly given the near open level of corruption.
The city is historically and magically significant for having been founded by a Fey Eldest, and a large number of sites created by fey activity litter throughout the city. Also of political significance is the Black Table, the seat of pirate power in the broken spine. The greatest bandit lords and sailors in the region will meet to discuss the suggestions for the pirate code and the Hurricane King himself visits the city regularly.
Thousands of sailors, merchants, adventurers and travelers visit Freeport every week, and often these residents even decide to stay. The displacement of refugees from Moaras has recently caused an influx of Goblin, Hobgoblin, and Bugbear refugees who have founded their own district known as BloodSalt at the far end of the city. Many of the adventurers who visit do so to visit the Monster Hunter's Guild, the largest collection of skilled explorers and trophy-makers in the Spine.
Despite it's reputation for absolute chaos, Freeport is a relatively orderly and safe city, especially in the volatile region of the Broken Spine. The Black Table have sworn oaths to protect Freeport from invasion or threat, and have maintained this vow twice in the last century. Safety in the city is maintained by the local guard, at least in some districts, though organized crime syndicates do offer generous protection packages in areas under their control.
The ruler of Freeport is called the Sea Lord, a title of nobility not recognized by any major power in the region outside of Illizmagorti. This noble title is held for a period of 5 years, at which time a new Sea Lord is elected. Most outside of Freeport refer to the ruler as a Mayor, and indeed many inside the city do informally as well. The current Sea Lord is Domino, an Awakened Zebra and former animal companion of the Piece of Eight HoloKrana "The Storm's Heart". Sea Lord Domino has run on a campaign of down to earth economic policy, and restoration and modernization of the Freeport dock system, and hopes to continue these policies forward into his third term.
The population of Freeport is diverse, though most of it's citizens share common attributes. Many are outrunning their past, many cannot go home or otherwise choose not to. Many are freed slaves, or indentured servants on the run. Those who live in Freeport or were born there are often the descendants of dreamers, lovers and vagabonds who shared those attributes, and many carry a sense of civic duty to ensure Freeport remains open for all those seeking to start again.
Freeport was not a planned city, and true attempts at legal reform or administrative record keeping did not begin until well after the first Sea Lord and Fey Eldest Nittali's banishment. The design of Freeport, the location of it's sewer systems and the nature of it's district design reflect this. Nevertheless the city adores it's status as a unique haven for pirates, vagabonds, frauds, artists and dreamers and it's citizens will fight bitterly to defend their right to live the good life.

Demographics

The population of Freeport is extraordinarily diverse. Anyone of any race can be found here. The district of Bloodsalt contains a large number of Goblinoid races as refugees from Moaras but otherwise the population is extremely muddled in terms of race or species. Anyone from anywhere lives in Freeport.

Government

The city of Freeport is served by a Sea Lord, an elected title of Nobility that acts as the public face of Freeport and final arbiter on matters of state. The Sea Lord (or mayor as he is often called) is advised by a Captain's council of representatives from local business or institutional interests when planning policy. A list of such policymakers is below:

• Hawwii “Nimblefingers” Jiruu: Hawwii is a gnome and the head of the Jewelers’ and Gemcutters’ Guild.
• Bona Blackhammer: A Dwarven self-proclaimed champion of the people, he’s held his seat for almost twenty years.
• Hardluck Massey: A human member of the Black Table who represents their interests on the Captain's Council.
• Roth "Goldpinch" Aulakh: A Fetchling representative of the Merchants Guild.
• Sister Genever: The merfolk Genever represents the interests of Gozreh.
• Enoch "The Fist" Holliver: Enoch is a well-connected human mercenary selected by Sea Lord Domino to head up the militarized Freeport Watch.
• Jacob "Oceanfull" Lwandle: Drunkard, pirate, and rogue, Captain Lwandle is a retired and well known Gillmen Piece of Eight.
• Phimmi the Short: Phimmi is a long-standing half-gnome member of the council who runs spy work out of the Masascali Consulate.
• Husni "Fey-Lover" al-Nasir: A Half-Orc scholar from the City of the Golem's Eye, Husni is primarily interested in finding a way to reach the fey eldest to bring her back to her city.
• Tarmon: Tarmon’s role as High Wizard of the Dropouts gives the elf a place as the advisor to the Captains’ Council.
• Invis "White-fur" Varellion: The Ysoki (Ratfolk) leader of the Monster Hunter's Guild out of Freeport.
• Daichi "Six-Tails" Yoshiyuki: A Kitsune professor from the Freeport Institute and captain of the Water Polo Team.

Defences

In addition to the city watch, and two criminal syndicates, Freeport boasts the protection of the Black Table. By geas and oath the Black Table is sworn to defend Freeport from any assault and has done so twice within the last century. It is said the city itself possesses defenses that were first created in the Fey Wilde that have never been activated.

Industry & Trade

Trade is everywhere in Freeport. Every good and service can be found here. Only slavery is explicitly prohibited and anyone caught committing the practice is primarily thrown into the Tombs.

Infrastructure

Large portions of Freeport were built from crystal during its conception. The rest has been built over the last two hundred years from imported stone lumber found on the island itself. Freeport has a robust manufacturing community within the warehouse district and possesses the amenities of any modern city.
Notably, Freeport possesses what is perhaps the best independent shipyard within several thousand miles.
Rickshaws are common in Freeport, and are used to allow quick and easy access from one end of the city to the other with runners who know the city. This is useful as Freeport is not well labeled and most city streets are known by locals and are subject to change. Guides are also available to simply navigate the city on foot, with many orphaned children happy to oblige.
Freeport possesses a large seafood industry, which often causes sections of the city to stink with the smell of seaweed, fish and shrimp.
Freeport boasts its own newspaper "Shipping News", which provides the best commentary on the day's events that one could expect by a journalism company with a pirate client base.

Districts

Freeport contains the following districts:

• The Docks: A place of violent pirate activity, drunken debauchery and lots and lots of trade.
• Scurveytown: A home for hardened criminals, pirates and sailors in between voyages.
• East District: A middle class district for retired individuals openly run by the Syndicate.
• Crystal's End: A district partially consumed by jungle and outside of the city limits where the fey Eldest returned to the First World. Home of the Institute.
• BloodSalt: A largely Goblinoid district filled with Moarasian refugees escaping the Kraken.
• The Divine Ward: A district consisting of a number of temples, as well as the city's arena. The Black Table also hosts their business here.
• The Merchant's District: A place of the wealthy to convene.
• The Warehouse District: The place where stolen and smuggled goods are stored and laundered into legal commodities.
• The Old City: The seat of the government of Freeport and the Sea Lord's manor.
• The Underside: The crystalline tunnels and sewer systems beneath Freeport.

Guilds and Factions

The Syndicate: A Halfling run gang out of East District who run protection rackets, crime rings, and smuggling operations throughout much of the city.
The Counting Crew: Originally a group of corrupt accountants, it has devolved into a criminal gang and organized crime ring run primarily out of the warehouse district.
The Monster Hunter's Guild: A guild of Monster Hunters who explore unknown terrain and clear paths for their Pathfinder brethren.
The Gemcutter's Guild: Primarily known for the creation of Diamonds used in resurrection rituals, they offer money laundering services with the backing of Kaz-Medeem.
The Banking House of Roth and Whitebeard: The Merchant's Guild of Freeport provides a 2% tax for membership and banking services. Mr. Whitebeard owns a similar banking house out of Kaz-Medeem.
The Red Mantis: The assassins guild runs a local office outside of Freeport and even possesses a teleportation circle to allow for quick access to the Smile.
The Dropouts: The wizarding guild of Freeport offers professional magical assistance for the right price.

History

The city was founded over 200 years ago by the rogue Fey Eldest Nittali, sometimes known as Moth in the direct Sylvan translation. Nitalli was at one time a maiden in the service to Queen Titania of the Summer Court until her breakout towards independence as a Fey Eldest. The Maiden of Crystal Reflections mused upon the ideas of dominion and rebellion and concluded that in order to uphold a society built on breaking society's norms she must do her part to rebel from the chaotic system, instead embracing order. Knowing that she would have no opportunity to build an orderly Fey domain between the summer and winter courts, Eldest Nittali turned to the only logical solution, she incarnated herself in the material plane to do so there.
The exact means by which Nittali incarnated in the material plane are lost to history, and have not been replicated, though many scholars base themselves in Freeport searching through the areas around the island for clues to how she did so. What is known is that Nittali originally made a bargain with the tiny village of port liberty, and upon realizing that she had almost no inhabitants, took to the high seas as a sailor and later pirate in order to drum up funds, notoriety and celebrity to attract people to her new settlement.
In these methods Nittali was wildly successful, becoming one of the first "Pieces of Eight", successfully robbing from nations as far away from Aldoranza and Zir, and building up a loyal following of crew and enterprising pirates looking to call home. The nature of pirates establishing a place of order successfully satisfied Nittani's need to solve the paradox of Order from Chaos and the Eldest fey settled down to begin the business of statecraft.
Over the course of fifty years the "Crystal Queen" built tunnel networks, opened up fey portals, and carved out a deep harbor port for use of pirate vessels, with the eager support of bandits and pirates from around the Broken Spine and Freeport grew in population to almost 5,000 people. The pirate queen dictated that a mayor would rule Freeport called the "Sea Lord", a title of elected nobility. Her intention was to oversee the first election before returning to piracy to harass the ports of Long Wa and to "battle Dragon Warriors". This proved to be the last straw for several nations, who refused to abide by the insane notion of an elected title of nobility, much less one for a port nation of pirates. An allied coalition of ships from Long Wa, Bengion, the Princedoms of Nephysis, Moaras, Zir and Remayad came together to raise Freeport to the ground. Indeed the imperium of Bengion intended to Bind the Eldest of Crystals to their service in the hopes that she could do the same for the empire. The Crystal Eldest herself is said to have engaged the 9th Seal of Bengion in one on one combat aboard the Imperial Flagship towards the end of the naval blockade in an attempt to end the fighting, but with no end in sight the Eldest resorted to stranger matters. In an attempt to end the siege, the Eldest drew a large number of soldiers who had landed on the island to a sight now called "Fey's End". Here the Crystal Queen snapped shut the Fey Wilde portals she had opened, sending herself and a large portion of the besieging navy's ground troops into the First World. This point is disputed by some scholars however, who suggest that the Summer Court or even some of her fellow Eldest may have dragged Nittali back rather than allow her to be captured.
Whatever the truth of the Crystal Queen's disappearance, the allied coalitions naval forces were not defeated, only delayed. The first siege of Freeport lasted for nearly three additional weeks, until an pirate fleet led by the Piece of Eight Captain "Black Bell" Firehawk of the Bastard's Fortune broke the naval encirclement. The Pirate commander used newly created cannonballs from Kaz Medeem to blast apart the raiding ships of the allied coalition, severing the Moarasian flagship and sending much of the fleet into a state of confusion. The subsequent route would ensure the autonomy of Freeport and set it as a haven for pirate activity for through the modern day.
Freeport has expanded continuously throughout the last 200 years, building roads, sewer systems, infrastructure and more to create a hub for trade and piracy. In more recent history the city has been defended twice by the Pirates of the Black Table within the last century, with the Hurricane King himself leading the defense in both engagements. The recent disasters in the Kraken's Coast have caused a large influx of refugees from Moaras to flee to Freeport, along with refugees from the Spice Coast fleeing the Sapphire Raja. As the Masacali navy expands its influence across the Broken Spine more and more pirates are choosing to retire in Freeport rather than risk violent engagement. While the influx of people may be good long term for Freeport's growth, the immediate financial strain has proven difficult for Freeport to manage.

Points of interest

The following landmarks are included here for reference purposes and are by no means comprehensive of all shops within Freeport:
The Docks: Hawkers in the docks are common, selling newspapers, watches, or charging fake taxes or docking fees. Sailors are cautioned to question everything they see.

• The Longshoreman Union Hall: A hall for harbor masters, shipping crews, licensers and freight carriers.
• The Seaside Market: For those who need to resupply quickly, the seaside market has everything legal and illegal without the fear of customs fees.
• The Black Gull: The seediest tavern in the Docks. Named for a big black bird that lives with the tavern's pirate owner.
• The Rusty Hook: A large warehouse turned restaurant and brothel known for its seafood.
• The Society of Lobstermen: A group of deep sea divers who will explore the bottom of the ocean for a price.
• Shipping News: The largest newspaper in Freeport, and the Broken Spine by extension.
• The One Ring: A fighting pit arena specializing in boxing. Magic is forbidden here.
• The Broken Mug: A popular tavern with a dunking booth for those who cause too much trouble.
• The Star of the Sea: A halfway house for the families of lost sailors. Its owner claims to have seen visions of Besmera.

Scurveytown: A hot, humid and muddy district filled with mosquitoes. Many of the buildings are in disrepair, crime is rampant here, as are cultists.

• Dream Street: Murder, drugs, prostitution, assassination, rituals, cultist'ss manifests. All these and more are for sale here.
• The Dead Pelican: A tavern known for a horrifying rat problem that multiple exterminators have failed to stop.
• Otto's Blades and Baldrics: A discount weapons and magic items shop.
• The Freeport Fishward: The reason Scurveytown exists. The fishpacking industry here is huge, and causes the entire district to stink.
• The Mouth of Hell: A night club built on a former Asmodean church torn down after the silence. Famous for using diabolic imagery in its presentation.
• The Blackened Knot: A security center and home of the largest criminal gang in Scurveytown.
• The Chum House: A restaurant for those too poor to eat anything but what they refuse to feed to the fish.

Bloodsalt: Built by Moarasian refugees and Dropout Wizards, the district is largely built in the jungles around Freeport.

• The Redblade Militia: A militia of Moarasian freedom fighters setting up in the old city lighthouse.
• Krom's Throat: A bugbear bar known for its large kegs that people drink from directly.
• The Iron Tooth Enclave: A Hobgoblin library, children's education center and center of Moarasian culture.
• The Tower of Gitch: The home of Gitch the Firefighter.

East Distrct: A middle income district surrounded by the Docks, Bloodsalt, Fey's End, and Scurveytown. Finn the Halfling runs a criminal ring here known as the syndicate who keep order in the district and run racketeering jobs.

• Chamber's Asylum: A mental institution created after a number of refugees from Port Romance began experiencing signs of madness.
• The Field of Honor: A trading hub market by day and rapier dueling club by night.
• The Gold Pillar Society: A philanthropic society who run charity work, restoration funds, and decadent parties once a month.
• The Smallfolk Benevolent Association (SBA): The business face of the Syndicate specializing in philanthropic funding for Ratfolk, Goblins, Halflings, Dwarves, and Gnomes.
• The HellHound Social Club: An elite club run by the Syndicate to arrange for back room meetings and allow their members a place to relax.
• Kafe Illkin: A coffee shop and hotbed for radical discussion for revolutionaries of the Broken Spine.
• Strebeck's Beer Hall: The greatest bar in East District and the home of Battleaxe Brew.
• The Warg Company: A hall of known mercenaries available for hire.

The Old City: There are five gates surrounding the city walls, designating the districts tehy lead to. The walls themselves are made of crystal and change color from season to season to represent the Fey Eldest's mood.

• The Street of Dreams: The greatest market in Freeport and a hotbed of magical items and alchemical supplies.
• The Sea Lord's Palace: The Home of the Sea Lord (Mayor) of Freeport.
• The Fortress of Justice: A series of three buildings for the city watch, the judiciary, and the entrance to the tombs.
• The Marquis Moon: A tavern and social club where many of the rich and powerful pirates gather.
• The Baths: A hot spring built by the Eldest fey herself.
• The Curio Shop: Run by Argyle McGill, this shop on the Street of Dreams sells a lot of magical items specific for sailors.
• The Dropouts: The Wizarding Guild of Freeport is stationed here
• The House of Serenity: The Finest brothel, spa and massage parlor in the city.
• Embassy Row: Freeport has very few official embassies, but they can be found here. They include Alba, Mos Forma, Kaz-Medeem, Yadis, and several of the River Runway City States.

Fey's End: An outdoor settlement on the edge of the jungle known for the occassional fey portal and a number of crystal quarries.

• Tent Town: A shantytown of tents for pirates in transition built on the edge of the jungle.
• The Pawn's Shop: An item location service for those looking to place bounties for specific goods to be acquired illegally.
• The Institute of Freeport: A prestigious primary and secondary educational service and college of shipbuilding, medicine, family, construction, and fey magic.
• The Clusters: A series of homes built by refugees from Port Romance. Taverns, musical halls, and pleasant coffee shops exist here, and the streets are heavily patrolled by guards. Sea Lord Domino has called it "a model district displaying the power of diversity."
• The indecipherable Scroll: A restaurant owned by a former member of the Dropouts.
• The Red Mantis Guild - Freeport Branch: The newest assassins guild branch now open to the public!
• Fang and Claw: A buyer and seller of magical creatures hosting its own pet Owlbear Beaky.

The Divine Ward: Formerly called the temple district, it contains a large number of temples built in Freeport to appease the gods. Since the Silence however many of these temples have been abandoned and repurposed.

• The Freeport Arena: Built on the former temple of Gorum's grounds, it hosts event matches, concerts, naval battles, and monster fighting skirmishes.
• The Temple of Gozreh: The temple contains an open air ceiling to view the sky, and a deep underwater amphitheater where most of the clergy gather.
• The Temple of the Eldest: Shrines to all Eldest are presented here with special attention to the Crystal Queen, as well as to Ng the Hooded and to Shyka The Many.
• The Temple of Besmera: Built from the Lumber and Wood from the Fey Eldest's flagship, this temple provides homage to the Queen of Pirates.
• The Black Table: Built over the old temple of Pharasma, the pirates gather here to discuss the future of the Broken Spine.
• The Hall of the Gods: Shrines to just about every other deity perceived or imagined have been funneled into one large rotunda that is loud, chaotic, and occasionally uplifting.
• The Godshop: Items produced by clergy are sold here, rather than in the temples themselves, to preserve the image that the Divine Ward is about piety.

The Merchant's District: The richest district in the city, where the merchant lords who run many of Freeport's Markets live. Guard patrols here are heavy, and the lifestyle of its inhabitants is opulent.

• The Plaza of Gold: A large open garden and fountain where the richest of Freeport's society meet to converse and gossip.
• The Marina: A private dock for those wishing not to interface with the rabble of the Docks District.
• The Banking House of Roth and Whitebeard: A Kaz-Medeem affiliated banking house and the home of the merchant's guild of Freeport.
• The Gilt Club: A private social club for the richest people in the city.
• The Last Resort: A lovely hotel famous for secrecy of it's client base.
• The Crystal Queen Memorial Opera House: A fine opera house with new shows every season.
• Maurice's: The best restaurant in the city built by a former Freeport Lawyer.
• Maeorgan Manor: The Home of the greatest living opera singer in Freeport.
• The Gemcutters Guild: A home for secondary diamond salesman and cuttters in Freeport.
• The Salon Du Masque: A social club and tennis court for the members of high society.

The Warehouse District: Home to large docks for freight carrying purposes. It is filled with storehouses and holds large amounts of market inventory.

• The Vault: The most secure building in freeport with protections specifically put in place by the Dropouts.
• The Block and Tackle: A dockside tavern and inn and a known front for the Counting Crew criminal consortium.
• The Municiple Auction House: A auction house for the sale of unique magical goods not suitable to be sold in stores.
• The Freland Shipyard: An independently owned and operated naval repair yard specializing in ship upgrades.
• The Pilot School: A naval academy specializing in training new sailors and ships officers.
• Crocker's Industrial Mortar: A zone of manufacturing warehouses where needed goods in Freeport are produced in house.

The Underside: Freeport's underground consists of two areas, the sewers and the crystalline caverns. The sewers are almost impossible to traverse due to the poor city planning of Freeport's Sewer System, meaning that most people doing work underground use the Fey cavern network running beneath the city.

• The Kobold Enclave: Here a group of Kobold refugees from Moaras are building new wonders for Freeport, and have sent out agents to every corner of the Broken Spine to gather materials for the Greater Good.
• Darkward: A few of the primarily nocturnal races of Celasper have made their homes in the tunnels to avoid sunlight, including Drow, Kobolds, and some Dwarves.
• The Freeport Black Market: Operated by certain operatives for the Black Table, the Black Market allows for pirates to discuss trade where they will not be disturbed.

Tourism

The Flag of Freeport is a black hourglass over a red banner outlined in pink crystal. The message is clear. Time is money.
Gold of any nation is accepted everywhere within the city, but they do mint their own currency for the purposes of guard payments, and the payment of official functionaries. The guards of Freeport will assist with crimes they can see, but will not do much to help with investigations. They will also not venture into Scurveytown or Bloodsalt, and most tourists are warned to stay away from those districts.
Many people come to visit Freeport's Institute, located within Fey's End. It is a relatively prestigious college offering primary and secondary education related to mathematics, pilot training, and naval arts along with more romantic studies like art, language, and philosophy.
Freeport boasts not one, but two arenas! The One Ring is a boxing stadium located in the docks where magic is strictly prohibited. The Freeport Arena is located in the Divine Ward and is built over an old temple to the War God Gorum. The arena is oftentimes used as an amphitheater for concert venues, and is occasionally flooded to restage naval battles.
Freeport possesses a fine opera house in the Merchant's District "The Crystal Queen Memorial Opera House". Supposedly built by the Eldest herself, it hosts new plays and operas every season. The theater's management likes to boast that the Lantern King himself was once in attendance!
Freeport possesses a number of spas, bath houses, flop houses, and inns for every class of patron. Many of these buildings offer information just as much as they do relaxation and pleasurable company.
The Monster Hunter's Guild in the Merchants District is not only a place for mercenaries and adventurers within the city to gather, it is often a source of tourism for the city itself. The bodies of many slain trophies are often preserved within the guild halls accompanied by stories and testimonials of the specific kills.
Freeport is perhaps one of the fey places on Celasper to openly maintain temples to the Fey Eldest, with a large temple devoted to them within the Divine Ward.
The Navy Shipping Yards are located within the Warehouse district and are easily the greatest producers of pirate vessels and private sailing crafts in the Broken Spine. Maintaining a reputation for quality and speed, they make up for this with expensive fees on shipping production.
Of course most people who visit Freeport primarily do so to shop. Wave Street in the Merchant's quarter possesses by far the most up scale shops in the city, but large open markets exist within the Docks as well as in East District. The Street of Dreams within the Old City boasts an impressive number of permanent shops, alchemists, magical item providers, and resale centers for stolen property. And of course no shopping spree in Freeport is complete without a visit to the auction house in the Warehouse district, where unique items are placed up for bid by specific pirate captains.

Architecture

Freeport's buildings are filled with color, weathered architecture in light pastel styles that line cobbled city streets. The architecture would be considered neoclassical, with clear inspiration taken from Aldoranza's style of cubed buildings and large archways between them. In between the buildings that often run two to three stories high are side allies, side shops, side booths and public squares for people to gather. Alhambra like manors are common in the Old City and the buildings in their style and design have been replicated in East District and Fey's End.
Notably crystaline structures from the Fey Wilde intersect between buildings and districts. Indeed the wall surrounding the old city was built primarily from Crystal, and these stone's colors change with the seasons and the temperature of Freeport, ranging from vibrant pink in summertime to soft blue in colder months.

Geography

The area surrounding Freeport is primarily jungle, though luckily safe passageways exist to ferry residents to villages on the outskirts of Freeport. Freeport is a deep water port, and the city is capable of hosting perhaps several hundred ships in dock at once should the need arise.

Climate

Freeport's temperature is always humid, and ranging from 70-100 degrees for most of the year. Hurricanes in Freeport were common in the past, but one has not been reported since the Hurricane King ascended to the Black Table. Rainfall is still constant however, and useful to clear out Freeport's often clogged sewer system.

Founding Date

4054

Founders

• Fey Eldest Nittali, the Queen of Crystals

Alternative Name(s)

The Pirate Haven

Population

~40,000

Inhabitant Demonym

Free People, Pirates

Owner/Ruler

Sea Lord Domino