Morecia
Morecia is a city steeped in tradition and while it is not the capital of the southern lands it is commonly referred to as the gem of the south. Here hundreds of people gather for festivals, mercantile pursuits, politics, and even simply to let loose surrounded by strangers who do not openly reject any activities. The city contains close to 2500 permanent residents and close to 500 merchants that visit regularly. Those who live here know that the nobility that resides here are powerful and each have a particular charity that they openly support and tell all that they do, while the more shrewd visitors know that it is a farce for public face that they do this. Intrigue is well known to spill out and cover the city in rivers of blood during the election for the monarch which is always held in this historic city.
Demographics
There are all kinds of species located within this city visiting or otherwise. There have been many races living here in harmony for years though Tieflings and other devil touched creatures are not received well from most of the citizens and because of that they are most of the time forced to leave due to people posing a danger to their own safety or the safety of their families or property.
There are different wealth classes between those who have no job and are left to the mercy of the gangs that run the streets despite what the guards will say. Those who work on the docks, farms, or with merchants are a different class separate from business owners or merchants themselves. Then at the very top are the nobility and those who work directly for the city where pedigree is worth more than physical wealth but both are needed to advance any further.
Government
The city is run by a council of the most important people within the city at the time. All of the noble houses of the south have a seat on the council and make most of the major decisions that arise, however, there is also a seat for the Master of coin (leader of the merchants), Master of Ships (manager of the entire docks), Master of War (military leader typically the most decorated general), and the King or Queen's hand (the second in command of the royal family, above normal nobles but not the ruling monarch).
Defences
With the walls of the city being in three major parts the city is incredibly defensible. The walled off gulf near the city prevents attacks from the sea as the wall keeps the ships out of range for most cannons to attack the city directly. The walls of the city however were built before the invention of "modern" siege equipment so any army that is attacking with those kinds of weapons will do major damage to the ancient walls of the city.
Industry & Trade
Like mentioned before the sales of wine are what mainly keep the city afloat. Food was a major export until the mass production of wine was started and the city was able to save the food for its own citizens to consume rather than sell, this way they could keep the amount of starving people in their city down which affected crime as well. Beyond that the city exports normal amounts of wood and ore through the market and docks working together as the merchants bring and sell it in the city the nobles ship it back out to other cities that have a hard time making those items and sell it for more than they bought it for to earn a profit.
Infrastructure
Most of the docks are modern with cranes and many workers making it crowded from dawn until midnight. Beyond the city walls where most of the homesteads are located there are a few windmills that turn wheat into bread for the city itself and a few logging mills also produce timber for the city but not enough to make it an export. There are even a few vineyards that are along the farmland as well and many are owned by the noble families within the city who make it mainly for themselves and to export just enough to make a decent profit before giving the rest to the city.
Districts
- Farmlands and Vinyards: Before anyone gets to the gate they will find themselves on a cobbled road leading to the lightly colored wall of the city, sitting in its shadow are first the many farmsteads. From small to large, worked by hundreds of hands or only a single family these farms provide the food for the city to survive on. Those who can buy there food from the market which is a collection of food harvested from around the farmsteads and imported from other cities or lands. Those who cannot afford to buy from the market typically get their food from the many well houses along the road leading into the city, these are discounted inns that are owned by a few good Samaritan nobles from the city who do not charge anyone for the food and housing that they provide assuming that the person works off their debt before leaving. The closer that one gets to the walls of the actual city they will start coming across the rows and rows of grapes that are grown for the wine of the city and around the world. This wine is well known for being really flavorful and powerful, often advertised to be able to knock an orc war chief on his butt after a single bottle. This area is ran by the nobles who own each farm, guards can enforce the laws out here but typically never come out this far from the gates. The only ones who have any kind of say out this far from the city are the gangs with little noble intervention.
- Lowtown: Lowtown is the nickname for the village that surrounds the main part of the city. While still inside the outer walls of the city the villagers that live here make just enough to stay alive and maybe visit the tavern once a week. The homes and conditions here are just well enough to keep from getting sick and the homes keep those inside warm on the better days and might get a little chilly during the wintertime but not enough to cause illness. Here there are some skilled craftsmen who range from blacksmiths to tanners. These laborers often are the ones who hire the people who permanently live within Lowtown to give them their few coppers a night to drink away at the tavern or buy bread for the next few days. The ones who have power within this area of the city are the gangs once again, they have many of their bases or gathering places within this area which is rarely visited by the guards of the city.
- Market and Docks: The next area does not have its own wall but is pushed right up against the inner walls. The market is right next to Lowtown and has hundreds of stalls that sell everything from adventuring gear to hand crafted charms. This being one of the most crowded areas during any part of the day and sometimes into the night. The gangs are very active in this area along with the cities collection of poor people who try their hand at pickpocketing. At the end of the market the docks are across a little stretch of water and on a small island the docks were built, the bridge leading to it built of stone and wood that actually lifts up to allow ships inside the small gulf within the city walls next to the market. The docks are one of the places in the city that has constant activity even and sometimes especially at night, here there are several warehouses, fishing huts, and the offices which record what is coming and going and offer permits to those who wish their ships to be housed in the gulf and safe from the pirates that roam the southern seas. The market itself is under the control of the master of coin while the harbor is controlled by the master of ships, the two often work together as their districts so close together and their jobs are similar.
- Inner City: The inner city has many of the more skilled craftsmen, notable blacksmiths that make weapons and armor for the city guards, herbalists that make use of the gardens to grow magical herbs for potions, and the more upscale homes with some of the minor noble houses living in this area there are not many who are not well off. The master of war's office is kept here along with the official guard house that was commissioned out of a noble estate that was dishonored long ago. The activity here is scarce but most of the lesser nobles and those who live nearby love to walk the gardens whenever they get the chance. The nobles have more control here than even the city guard despite their main base of operations is within this area, the nobles are the ones who issue orders to the guards more often than not to get people arrested before the master of war or head guard takes a look at them and judges if they should stand trial or be released.
- Gallery of Magic: The mages who are part of the Sothern Mage Conglomerate if they are within the city would stay in the tower built for their kind. Here they are allowed to use their gifts without the risk of any non mage getting hurt, as long as the mages remain in their tower and walled off section of the city. The guards are different here as they are all mages controlled by the Archmagi and regulate the mages who are staying within the tower.
- Castle Glittergold: The castle that sits at the top of the hill overlooking the entire city of Morecia. Here the founding family of house Glittergold built this legendary castle that has stood through four wars and still to this day has not been taken by any force that has tried. The castle has its own wall that is built into the inner wall itself, has many secret escape hatches that lead to each part of the city and to a secret cove outside of it for escapes, has its own private dungeon and garden, and finally has its own drawbridge that needs to be lowered for any to have entrance into the castle. The Glittergold family has lived within the castle for generations and only recently did the family fall from grace enough that the nobles were considering deposing the royal family and giving the castle over to a new head family. Here is the official seat of power for the crown, the council that oversees the governing of the city meets here once a month as well.
Assets
The city of Morecia has more farmland than most of the southern cities so their major export has been food and wine for the longest time. With all the merchants that typically visit the city they also have an abundance of trade goods that range from ore to wood, perfume to weapons, there was a time where the slave market was thriving here out in the open but as more and more nobles began to stand against it that trade was taken over by the gangs rather than the official city merchants.
Guilds and Factions
The city has some guilds but they are small compared to the gangs that exist within the city. The gangs have been a big problem for the nobility for many years and only recently did they get the manpower to come out of the shadows a little more than before. Some of the gangs even work directly with the nobles with the public being fully aware of the cooperation.
The Crimson Snakes are one of the more well known gangs as they pretend to be a religious movement in the eyes of the public while in the shadows they kill and kidnap people who disobey their tenants. The Ebony Sharkfins are a pirate gang that docks in the port of the city every now and again fencing their stolen goods and drinking in the tavern before casting off once more. The Nameless are a group that nothing really is known about but every now and again a targeted noble at one of the many parties held in the upper parts of the city ends up dead at these parties which earns them some notoriety but none of the assassins themselves have ever been caught or even really seen.
History
Morecia has been standing for many generations, the city itself used to be only the castle and a few other buildings outside as it was mainly used as a place for the Glittergold family to hold troops in the south. This continued for years until the army of the south was dismissed they had nowhere really to go as most of their homes and families were dead from either the war or the first outbreak of weeping pox, so they began to build homes and businesses outside the walls of the castle. Eventually they had built a small village around the castle that they felt needed more protection in case another war broke out, with a donation from the Glittergold family they rose up some more walls around the village and paid to have some crafters come to their new settlement. As time went on and more money kept being poured into this settlement more and more people came to start a new life and after a few more years they had the city of Morecia.
Points of interest
- Martha's Vineyard: This is the most successful vineyard in the entire city, her farm produces all the wine that is sold at all of the taverns and the others mainly produce for exporting. This vineyard is a point of interest because of the rumored grapes that were spliced from the god of wines own garden or so claims Martha. True or not her wine is the most sought after in the entire city and almost all of the south really which makes this the favorite spot for most merchants and even the Ebony Sharkfins to visit and buy from.
- Dion's Pub: This is the first tavern that most will see that is not for those less fortunate. This inn is owned and ran by Dionysus Goodwin who also owns some other clubs and taverns in the upper city where he can normally be found. This one however is still a great place for the locals to gather to let loose without fear of being thrown into jail for their pleasure seeking ways, although all who stay here know that the place of business is often a target from the Crimson Snakes.
- Master of Coin's Office: The master of coin has an office that basically operates as the merchants guild with the top merchants or those who have multiple merchants working for them gather and conduct their business. Because of the number of sensitive documents contained within there are usually a bunch of guards standing just outside the door and patrolling inside for signs of anyone who tries to break into the building during the day or at night. The master of coin for the city also has an office within this building and has the records of the treasury for the city contained within, while he never leaves those documents in the building without him being there too its still a place where anyone who wants to make money or who owes the city or a merchant money this is the place to go.
- Master of Ships: The master of Ships has an office in one of the newly renovated warehouses on the docks. Here is where the daily tasks of all the dockworkers are given and where they receive their money at the end of the day. The master of ships is also able to see the records of every ship docked in the port along with its reason for being there and all the cargo it has it its hull or that it is selling to the market. The master of ships holds power over the docks and often uses it to refuse ships from entering the docks without the payment for entering and the gold to dock at least for a night, should a ship decide not to pay the captain will have a choice, move the ship or be arrested while the ship is burned in the port.
Geography
The area around the city is mainly a rocky flat land with cliffs around the castle. With the soil being so rocky the farmland has all been made by magic, mages from different groups have pitched in and use their magic to make the land able to grow wheat, barley, and grapes. There is a cove which comes up to the city and small islands around the shallows of that cove. Natural mountains surround the cove enabling the people of the city to build a wall that is retractable surrounding the only entrance to the cove.
Founding Date
1600
Founders
Type
City
Population
2500
Included Locations
Characters in Location
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