The City Sasserine
Sasserine is not much to look at; two ragged cliffs of stone jut from the coastline, their faces home to sea hawks and gulls but little else. Then vast rent in the cliff slides into view, its summit crowned by the shattered remnants of an immense stone bridge. Sailing between the slowly eroding stone pylons that once supported the bridge above, a visitor passes from open sea into a thriving harbor of commerce, whaling, and intrigue. Certainly, the smell of the city is breathtaking a tremendous riot of exotic spices, smoke, humanity, and sewage that assaults the senses. Perfumes and scented candles are popular commodities in Sasserine.
Sasserine is split into seven distinct districts, each with its own personality. These districts are separated by inner walls, by networks of canals or rivers, or simply by age. Friendly competition between the districts is common, especially during festivals, yet the citizens of Sasserine do not hesitate to come to each other's aid. Perched at the edge of true Civilization, Sasserine is (and has always been) often the target of assault from the pirates of the Laughing Coffin Fleet, the navy of the Crimson Brotherhood, the froglike bullywugs of the deep marshes and even the giants that dwell deep in the surrounding mountain ranges keep the city on consistent alert yet to date the fiercely proud city has fallen to the enemy only once, and even then only through the act of the city's most notorious traitor.
Money once again flows into the city coffers as the trade routes are established, bolstered by the trove of absconded funds recently liberated from the Sea Princes. Dress style in Sasserine ranges from tags to riches, but the one thing that applies across all classes is the fact that in this hot, humid city, less is more. Public nudity is generally frowned upon, but it's not uncommon to see outfits that leave little to the imagination (for better or for worse).
Demographics
Three-quarters of the population is human.There is a sizable population of Dwarves, Elf's, half-elves and halflings, with the rest of the population composed of minor amounts of other races.
Government
Legislative
Sasserine is governed by a council of seven noble families known collectively as the Dawn Council. Decisions are put to a vote among the city's citizens, and their appointed representatives among the nobility take the results of these votes to guide their leadership in the Dawn Council. After two hundred years of oppression, the law in Sasserine has finally relinquished its strangle hold on the citizens. Murder arson, treason, assault, theft, and other violent or destructive crimes remain illegal and are severely punished by the Sasserine Watch, but lesser crimes (drug trade, prostitution, gambling vagrancy, and similar offenses) remain unrestricted. Many come to Sasserine precisely because of the fact that their vices may be pursued here without fear of legal repercussions. Some public groups ( in particular, the church of Castain ) are attempting to rally the Watch back to more conservative ways, but for now the income generated by-visitors and the recent memories of repression serve to keep the majority of the city's populace open-minded and accepting.Religious
Each of the seven districts of Sasserine is represented not only by an appointed noble, but by an allied church. Traditionally, the seven churches of Sasserine have been on good terms, but unfortunately the last 200 years have placed an undue strain upon them. In particular, the faithful of Kharos, God of Magic and Navashtrom, God of Strength and Harmony have suffered. The terrible rift of suspicion and hatred that formed between these churches during Orren Teraknian’s rule exists to this day. The remaining five primary religions include St. Worgul , Juranis, God of the Open Sea , Celestan, Lord of the Silver Moon and Unnom, God of Merchants . Numerous smaller shrines can be found in Sasserine, each dedicated to different gods, but these shrines rarely have congregations of more than 50.Military
The Order of Rising Sun is the military might of Sasserine that was implemented by the Dawn Council after their freedom was won back. The Order of the Rising Sun quickly turned Teraknian Castle into their headquarters and established three branches of military presence. Those three branches are the Navy, Infantry and it’s domestic branch Order of the Black Crab.History
Sasserine began not as a city, but as a woman. Over 1200 years ago, a cleric of Kharos, God of Magic named Sasserine, woke one night after a particularly vivid dream of a hidden cove, protected from the sea by vast cliffs and from the land by steaming swamps and jungle. In this vision, she beheld a thriving city and a glittering spire of scarlet stone and knew Kharos had visited her with a prophecy. Sasserine called together her followers, including her lover Teraknian, a soldier and worshiper of Navashtrom, God of Strength and Harmony , and set out to find this hidden cove. Diseases, accidents, and monsters took their toll, and near the end, despair gnawed at Sasserine’s pilgrims. Finally, their numbers reduced to less than a quarter of their initial strength, these pilgrims emerged into a bounteous stretch of land with fertile soil and fields of exotic plants sheltered by twin shoreline cliffs. Sasserine recognized the landscape at once, but Kharos bad not warned her of the black dragon that had taken the cove as his territory. Mere hours after the pilgrims had thankfully fed on the abundant plants and had only just begun to hope they had found their new home, the dragon Zelkarune struck. Enraged at this final trial, Sasserine stood her ground against the dragon and defeated it-but at a terrible cost. For in delivering the final strike, Sasserine had been forced to step between Zelkarune's claw and Teraknian; the blow meant for him instead laid her low, just as she called down a bolt of fire from the sky to slay the dragon. In the days to follow, the survivors turned to Teraknian for leadership, who vowed to found a city in Sasserine's name. It was the year -124 BA.
For 150 years after its foundation in-124BA, Sasserine experienced phenomenal growth. In 300AD, Sasserine had its first conflict with the notorious Ruby orb Empire and their army known as the Crimson Brotherhood. Brotherhood wizards and clerics managed to destroy the stone bridge known as Teraknian’s Arch and burned much of the waterfront before the defenders managed to repulse the attack. Over the next four centuries, Sasserine would be variously assaulted by the Crimson Brotherhood, pirates, and local tribes of giants and bullywugs once or twice a decade, so tempting were the vast plantations of coffee and spices the city protected. Yet with each assault, the soldiers of Sasserine grew more adept at defending their city. Teraknian’s Arch was rebuilt and destroyed nearly a dozen times. The final decision to abandon the bridge entirely and leave it in ruins marks the only remaining physical scar from years of warfare.
Over the years, a line of lord-mayors descended from Teraknian. ruled Sasserine in conjunction with advice from the churches of Kharos and Navashtrom. In the year of 987AD, Orren Teraknian ruled the city. For the first time in centuries, the church of Kharos was stripped of its powers when fabricated charges of devil worship led to the arrest, imprisonment, and even execution of its faithful. Just as Orren's rule became unbearable, a great fleet of ships arrived with representatives of The Hold of the Sea Princes to the north. Promising an end to Orren's cruel rule, the invaders were aided in their assault on the city from within as the citizens rose up in rebellion. Orren Teraknian was overthrown and the Sea Princes claimed Sasserine as their own. Over the next two century to come, Sasserine's resources were savaged. The Sea Princes kept Sasserine suppressed an cut off from news from the outside world as best as they could. Several rebellions were started but always quenched before they could achieve their goals, the people looked to the outside for help and prayed they would one day be free again.
Their prayers were finally answered in 1164AD, when the Crimson Brotherhood assassinated nearly all of the Sea Princes. The resulting turmoil threw Sasserine into chaos. Without the support of their homeland, the leaders of the city were overthrown in a fortnight. In the decades since their emancipation, the people of Sasserine have rebuilt their city with-astonishing alacrity, but they still work to restore their navy, to re-establish trade routes with lands to the north, and to heal the rift of hatred between, the churches of Navashtrom and Kharos . The city of Sasserine seems to be perched on the edge of glory.
Geography
The City Sasserine nestled in a sheltered harbor on an exceptionally large peninsula. The Peninsula is known as The Encircling Spears due to the large mountain ranges that encompasses the land mass. This peninsula is only tethered to the mainland of Enessear by a thin strip of land know as the Obsidian gates. To the east of the Encircling Spears is the rich and vast Emerald Isles. Travelers come to Sasserine via ship, as only one overland route exists through the obsidian gates which, is not without peril.
Information about Sasserine
- Calendar of Sasserine
- Currency of Sasserine
- Written Law of Sasserine
- Overview on Sasserine Nobility
- History Of Sasserine
Alternative Name(s)
Sin City
Type
Large city
Population
23,567
Owning Organization
The Seven Districts
Directories
- Factions List
- List of all Merchants and Services
- List of Taverns, Inns and Brothels
- Worshiped Gods in Sasserine
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