Rotthold

Some say this lawless harbor city is as dangerous as the arcane wilds of Blightshore that surround it. But whether or not visitors enjoy its chaotic disposition, Rotthold is an unmistakable center of travel and commerce in eastern Wildemount. The decayed stone dwellings and wooden tenements that line Rotthold’s ramshackle streets are enveloped by a luminous, rust-colored moss that bathes the city’s evenings in a sick crimson glow. Many outlanders view this crime-ridden settlement as little more than a collection of degenerate safe houses and slums, while others see it as a raw jewel—full of potential—that shines bright among the dusky shadows of the poisoned east.

Demographics

30% humans, 15% dark elves, 15% goblins, 15% tieflings, 5% hollow ones, 20% other races

Government

Rotthold has no official governing body but is held together by a consortium of local guild leaders, merchants, and veteran adventurers who meet in secret once a week to discuss current affairs, shared interests, and potential threats.
Multiple factions operate in and around Rotthold, including covert agents of the Cerberus Assembly and a tenuous coalition between members of the Myriad and the Revelry. While the Plank King’s remote forces maintain the southern waterways and oversee the export of Blightshore’s esoteric resources, Myriad spies monitor and manipulate the exchange of goods and services inside the city limits, and the fragile alliance between these two is the closest thing this unruly corner of the Miskath Strand has to a governing body.

Defences

The small but precious amount of sanctuary Rotthold provides from the Blightshore wastes is upheld by a militia of battle-hardened locals and dutifully concerned citizens. Other fortune-seekers often join this militia simply for the opportunities and information the alliance provides.

Crime

The open trade of illicit goods and services is the lifeblood of Rotthold’s mossy streets. All manner of pleasures are available for those willing enough to pay the price, which can be quite steep. Many of Rotthold’s denizens owe the Myriad one favor or another, and the constant exchange of these debts keeps the city full of new faces. Crime is a way of life in Rotthold, where the Dwendalian Empire and Kryn Dynasty have no sway over its opportunistic, unethical inhabitants.

Industry & Trade

Almost anything can be bought or sold in Rotthold, where the merchants are just as unscrupulous as in the surrounding Blightshore wilderness. Rotthold is the center of black market trade in Eastern Wynandir, and perhaps in all of Wildemount.

Guilds and Factions

In addition to the city’s handful of merchants and thieves’ guilds, a confederacy of agents representing the mercantile interests of the Myriad and the Revelry operate in public throughout Rotthold, while a covert sect of the Cerberus Assembly carries out their own clandestine business.

Geography

No walls protect Rotthold from the surrounding Blightshore wastes, but eleven watchtowers serve as a line of defense. The city is roughly divided into four quarters: North Rotthold, East Rotthold, Dockside, and Cairn Hill. North Rotthold houses the city’s most impoverished denizens, who encounter the Miskath Strand’s impinging monstrous wildlife on a regular basis. Most of the city’s trade is conducted in East Rotthold, where a bazaar known as the Red Market takes up a majority of the quarter. On the south side of the city, Dockside is the purview of the Revelry and houses Rotthold’s most affluent citizens, who no doubt believe they are safest when located as far away from Blightshore’s savage interior as possible. On the west end of the city, the quarter known as Cairn Hill rests above a mysterious lattice of pre-Calamity catacombs. Here in Rotthold’s graveyard, furtive agents meet in cemeteries to carry out their agendas.

Type

City

Population

8,800

Location under

Blightshore