The city-state of Morencia is located on a small island
in the Gulf of Lions, west of the Castinellan Provinces
and south of the Charneault Kingdom. Morencia has
maintained its independence for centuries, resisting
the might of the Bürach Empire and, more recently, the
Castinellan Provinces.
The most important topographical feature that enabled
this defense are the Misty Reefs. Enchanted long ago by
the city’s founders, the reefs create a maze-like water hazard that only the city’s guild navigators can traverse. This
barrier has prevented nearly every naval attack on Morencia, giving the City Council complete control over those
who go in and out of their territory. Thus, merchants enter
through guild guidance, stay for a limited time and in a
specific district, and leave the same way they came.
With their skill in navigation and their powerful
ship-building capability, Morencia was able to establish
a trading hub whose reach spanned the continent. This
fortune allowed them to put up the Bankers Guild,
which includes clients from among the most powerful
nobles and government officials in Etharis. Eventually,
the Augustine Trading Company established its
headquarters in Morencia, gaining a controlling interest
in both the Bankers Guild and the Supreme Council.
Those seeking to enter Morencia must do so with the
guidance of a Morencian Guild Navigator. Otherwise,
they lose themselves in the endless fog and quite
possibly run aground on a sandbank or shatter their boat
against a treacherous reef. Those who manage to enter
the city-state marvel at its plethora of canals, bridges,
ships, historical buildings, and of course, its markets
brimming with goods from all over Etharis.
Keep in mind: Morencia is not without its dangers.
Rumors swirl that a monstrous cult has gained a foothold
in the city. Many a moonless night has seen a dead body
floating in the canals, ritually killed. The murders have become so infamous that they have been dubbed the Dread
of Moonless Night, and the City Council has offered up a
bounty to those who can put an end to it.
Comments