Seahold

Rocca Mare, the Pillars of the Sea

Regions > Middle Kingdoms > Confederacy of Tolaria > Seahold

O'er the Waves a Flood of Gold, They Guard This Exit, as of Old

The city of Seahold, also known as “Rocca Mare” or the “Pillars of the Sea”, consists of clusters of buildings cut into the high, gray walls of the canyon of the river Aurum, between thirty and sixty feet off the ground. Their entrances are linked together by rope bridges and bamboo scaffolding, whose precarious footing can prove treacherous to the unwary. People approaching Seahold from the busy river landings must either be hoisted up in cages or lifts, or climb many stories of rope-and-plank stairs. Travelers coming overland must descend narrow, treacherous stairways meant to funnel and obstruct attackers in the event of a siege.
Guests in Seahold might encounter great hospitality and luxury, or squalid ruin. The city was built in and above ancient caves, some of which were once home to a variety of monsters. In other areas, tombs, shrines, and other chambers of unknown purpose were carved into the cliffs by the elves of House Aerenal. Most of these caverns, both natural and chiseled, now have wooden fronts and anterooms affixed to the cliffs outside. Inside, the repurposed temples are decorated with gaudy fabric and fancy furniture to create a feeling of casual luxury that has become synonymous with Seahold.
At its highest point, far above the river, the city is posh and palatial. In its middle reaches, bustling throngs crowd into low-ceilinged gaming dens, smoky taverns, and paper-walled teahouses. In the lowest areas, poor travelers and beaten-down residents throw stones and dice to test their luck, catch fish in the sluggish river, and sometimes disappear into the network of caves at the waterline, never to be seen again.
Government: Magocracy (Council of Wizards)
Population: 45,000 (metropolis)
Exports: Precious metals, metalwork, fish, wheat, barley, livestock, glass
Languages: Domini (Common), a’Tolari (from which Domini is derived), Vistani (dialect of Draconic/Vistani), Álfari (Elvish), Turathi (dialect of Primordial/Tieflings)

Locations

Assemblea Capitolina
Bargemen’s Guildhall
The Black Lotus
Blackwell
Brass Monkey Trading Coster
The Broken Seal
Candle (sea stack)
The Collegium
Columbina’s
Crown
Dredge
Echo (sea stack)
Forgeworkers’ Union
Fox (sea stack)
The Key Pawn
The Moon & Owl
Nine Bells
Purse (sea stack)
Scupperden
Shrine of the Reckoning Star
The Smokes (sea stack)
Stadia d’Mare
Theater Olladra
Tong’s Smithy
Venter

Type

Metropolis

Population

45,000

Location under

Confederacy of Tolaria