Brosas

Brosas is a large city-state located on the eastern coast of the Basin off the Northwood River estuary. It acts as an intermediary between eastern and western Egapesh, connecting them in trade with its widely-known port. It is also recognized as a "beacon of civilization" in eastern Egapesh, an area still widely affected by Egapesh's Wild Age.

Demographics

Brosas' population is majority human but has a large amount of racial diversity compared to other Peshian cities.
The wealth gap between the lower and upper class of Brosas is large, with an disproportionate amount of dock workers and fishermen among the population.

Government

Brosas is governed by The Table, a council of Barons in charge of managing the city and its affairs. Each Baron is chosen from different societal groups, supposedly representing the interests of many parts of the population.

Defences

• Walls: Brosas' white stone walls do wonders to prevent invasion by both land and sea. The walls slope downward off the coast and into the Northwood River estuary, eventually leveling out around the main seagate, a huge barred gate that rests inside of the walls when open. In the event of a sea invasion, the gate will slowly close, powered by a combination of the tides and Tidecasters, wizards who manually control the tide to close/open seagates and deter aquatic threats. This gate spends almost all of its time open and is large enough to accommodate the coming and going of multiple trading vessels at once. Littered around the larger seagates are multiple much smaller gates monitored by guards. These small gates are meant for free passing of personal or fishing vessels but are less defended than the main seagate. They are not manned by Tidecasters, relying on manual operation to open and close.
• Coast Wardens: The Coast Wardens (or just Wardens for short) are one of Brosas' dedicated city guard contingents known for their watchful eyes and steadfast attitudes. They are generally considered the least elite of the city guard, mostly patrolling the walls and all districts except The Nest. People entering the city guard start as Coast Wardens and move up from there. Coast Wardens wear blue surcoats emblazoned with the city crest.
• Float Watchers: The Float Watchers (or just Watchers for short) are one of Brosas' dedicated city guard contingents known for their skill in battle and experience in the position. They act as leaders of the Wardens, training recruits and giving orders. They are the smallest in number of all the guard contingents in Brosas, generally being considered more of a rank than a separate guard contingent (though they do act as a collective in states of emergency). Float watchers wear, along with the usual surcoat, a deep blue cloak emblazoned with the city crest.
• The Pearl Guard: The Pearl Guard is one of Brosas' dedicated city guard contingents known for their elite skill among the city watch. Their job is to patrol The Nest, keeping the city's nobility and upper class safe. The Pearl Guard wear pearlescent suits of armor engraved with the city crest engraved on their left breastplate.

Industry & Trade

Brosas is a center of trade in Egapesh, with large amounts of luxury resources flowing in and out. Goods, especially from western Egapesh and the Ruthorian Empire, flow into Brosas and are distributed around the eastern portions of the continent and vise-versa. Brosas became the de-facto trade crossroads of this part of Egapesh despite the great danger of traveling in the area due to the lack of accessibility to other areas and a general lack of competition. Egapesh is still coming out of the Wild Age, and building new cities in this part of the continent is made extremely difficult because of the Cult of the Lifeseed.
The largest industry in Brosas besides trade is the fishing industry. Brosas is perpetually in a state of starvation, with most of the population surviving off fish and grain shipments from the Ruthorian Empire. The Table has been trying to establish a foothold in the area around the city, chopping through Silvani's Garden in an attempt to create farmland and reduce reliance on the Empire for their food. Unfortunately, these attempts are made very difficult due to the ebb and flow of influence exerted by the Cult of the Lifeseed, which sporadically attacks the city, specifically targeting unprotected farms outside the wall. These attacks never breach the city, but swaths of farmland are always destroyed, ruining the harvest. On top of the general lack of people who know how to farm in Brosas, Cult Raids significantly hamper trade and food production in Silvani's Garden, an issue The Table has placed front and center in its current agenda (along with attempts to reduce the influence of the Ruthorian Empire in Brosas).

Infrastructure

• Docks: One of the most important parts of Brosas' economy, the large Docks District fuels cross-Basin trade with the rest of Egapesh and the Brosan fishing industry. The docks aren't just for boats, however; they support many buildings atop the water. The docks are built onto Northwood River estuary, which empties into the Great Basin.
• Walls: Brosas has many layers of walls. An outer wall surrounds the entirety of the city, extending into the water, forcing ships to funnel through various seagates. More walls separate The Quarterdeck, The Mizzen, and The Nest from each other and the rest of the city. The Nest lies in the city's center, the walls acting as a buffer to prevent "undesirables" from entering.
• Sewers: The Brosas sewer system runs deep under the earth, emptying the city's sewage into underground cesspools and the Great Basin. The cesspools are periodically emptied, and the waste is turned into fertilizer for the city's struggling agricultural sector. There are rumors that the sewers were built out of the buried tunnels of some lost aquatic ruin, based on how some of the walls depict faded religious iconography related to the creation of the Basin and fish.

Districts

• The Docks: A filthy pool of grime and muck, The Docks is where most of the residents of The Rudder work.
• The Rudder: Also called "The Stone District", The Rudder is a squalid housing district where most of Brosas' lower class live.
• The Quarterdeck: A mixed district that houses Brosas' lower-middle-class and acts as a business center, containing various establishments of dubious to almost reputable quality.
• The Mizzen: A clean, upper-middle-class living and trade district. Reputable traders from around Egapesh who sell their wares on the open market tend to set up shop here.
• The Nest: An upper-class living district, The Nest is highly exclusive in its inhabitants and admittance.

Guilds and Factions

• The Table: The Table is the primary governmental establishment within Brosas, supposedly representing the desires of its people through the semi-democratic election of Barons from many diverse groups around the city. The city's nobility, however, has a disproportional amount of Barons on The Table compared to the rest of the city.
• The Ruthorian Empire: The Ruthorian Empire is a semi-theocratic empire located across the Great Basin in western Egapesh. Being the preeminent power on the Basin's coast, the Ruthorian Empire tends to exert a massive amount of influence through cross-Basin trade. This influence is especially strong in Brosas, with the city and The Table being at the Empire's mercy. Brosas is controlled through the long-distance trade of food using Cagnite, which the city is utterly relient on. Without the almost constant grain shipments, Brosas would starve; its fishing industry and struggling attempts at agriculture being nowhere near enough to feed the city's ever-growing population. In return for food, the Empire gains control over trade in eastern Egapesh, diverting a lot of goods from around the continent towards Ruthoria (which is usually cut off from a lot of the southern trade due to the danger in crossing the Field of Many Colors). It also exerts a lot of religious and political pressure on Brosas, constantly trying to convince The Table to convert to the religious/judicial systems practiced in the Empire, or even to become its vassal. So far The Table has resisted these imperialistic aggressions, fearing retaliation from the freedom-loving citizens of Brosas. Brosans already have a general disdain for the law, and they certainly would not worship it at their patron deity without a fight.

Climate

Brosas experiences all four seasons vividly, with the most challenging being winter. Every winter for Brosas is a trial of life or death, with the already low food supply becoming even more scarce and cross-basin trade becoming more difficult due to shallow ice floats. These ice floats only ever form in the coldest of winters, and are considered a fell omen of turbulent times when they appear.

Natural Resources

• Lumber: Due to the presence of Silvani's Garden, Brosas has an overabundance of lumber. Unfortunately, the cutting of this forest is looked down upon by worshippers of the goddess Silvani, but due to the infamy of the Cult of the Lifeseed, the preservation of such sites isn't given much thought by the common Brosan.
• Stone: Used for the walls and roads, stone is a little less common in Brosas than lumber.

Founders

• Brosan Evaris

Alternative Name(s)

The Mast Forest

Type

Large city

Inhabitant Demonym

Brosan

Location under

Silvani's Garden

Ruling/Owning Rank

Baron

Owning Organization

The Table