Phlan
"Imagine a bunch of Hill Giants smashed ten towns together to make a new town, smashed that town up and then the remains got burnt down by a dragon. What you got left is basically Phlan - no matter how many you times you tear it down, it somehow manages to put itself back together again."Phlan is a large, walled town (pop. approx. 20,000) situated on the north shoreline of Moonsea and is one of the regions main settlements. Founded over 1,000 years ago, Phlan has been occupied, destroyed and rebuilt numerous times since over the years and is still recovering from its last desolation at the hands of the dragon Fargock, two hundred years prior. Located between the dangerous Thar badlands & Dragonspine Mountains and surrounded by hostile city states and pirates, Phlan is constantly under one threat or another. With no significant military presence of its own, it has to rely on clever diplomacy and it's own resources to maintain itself. Its inhabitants come from around the region and is best described as mixing pot of peoples & cultures, with humans, elves, dwarfs and even the occasional dragon folk seen idly gossiping on the city’s streets. Numerous & unique architectural styles are evident on every street corner, reflecting the constant rebuilding of a town that is in constant flux. The town’s elected ruling council continues this trend, most of whom struggle to complete a term in a cycle of scandal, skull drudgery and even the rare assassination. Only the current incumbent speaker, a well-connected human by the name of Cyrus Halshaw, has managed to maintain his seat for any length of time and talk is he may look to further entrench his hold on the town. Until recently, the town has proved little more than a foot note in the region’s traditional political and economic power structure. However, a wave of posterity has swept over the town as their neighbours face hard times (and whispers of something sinister abroad). With trouble on the traditional trade routes around Hilspar and Mulmaster, caravans & merchant ships have taken to diverting through Phlan. New money has brought new opportunities and with it a flood of adventuring and criminal types looking to profit. Street brawls and back-alley stabbings are not uncommon, and travellers are advised to keep a low profile and their coin purses close. The closest the city has to law enforcement are the Order of the Black Fist, an old religious order turned militia that is more well known for widespread corruption and thuggery than protecting the peace. Of more concern is the rumours that several factions have also taken a newfound interest in the town and mysterious figures with deep pockets stalk the darkest corners of taverns…
Culture
Phlanians are considered a stubborn and cynical folk yet also pragmatic and forward thinking, fully aware the next town wide disaster is but a bad moon away. Over the centuries, the cycles of destruction and rebuilding drew the survivors together into a tighter community, breaking down traditional barriers between the different races. This has made them a relatively liberal people, especially in comparison to the other Moonsea settlements. Migrants are considered a boon for the town's rebuilding, adventurers and travellers are welcomed for their coin and expertise and trade is considered vital for the town's future. Tharians, tieflings and dragonfolk are still viewed with an air of suspicion, however they will face little actual discrimination and often given the benefit of the doubt, especially if there coin is good. This liberal and practical attitude extends to magic - it carries no stigma in the town and as long as is not abused, has it's place in society. Hedge mages and witches practice amongst the people in New Phlan whereas the Houses in Old Town will keep mages & sorcerers on retainer for services given. Scholar's Square is the traditional place for magical types to research and practice their craft and are left to do so with few restrictions from the town or it's people. Only Necromancy remains expressly forbidden and reviled. It's practice is considered a capital crime and what few works exist in the town are kept sealed in the vaults of Mantor's Library . As a whole, Phlanians believe in the Gods but are not overtly religious or God fearing. No one religion or God is in ascendancy in Phlan, instead there is a wide mix of different race's faith and cultures, each with their own Gods, beliefs and rituals. Small shrines and gatherings can be found amongst the homes and shops of New Phlan for most deities and there are whispers of dark & secretive rituals being held at night and on the outskirts of town. Larger shrines and temples can be found in Scholar's Square including Lathander (God of Dawn & Renewal) built into the remains of the burnt out temple of Bane and The Waiting, a large temple dedicated to Tyr (God of War & Justice). The Order of the Silent Shroud also maintain a shrine to their God, Kelemvor (God of the Dead & Justice), in the Valhingen Graveyard. Though he no longer has an official place of worship, Bane (God of Fear & Tyranny) is still a force within Phlan and it's people and especially within the ranks of The Black Fists.Demographics
Phlan is a diverse town made up of different races and cultures from around the region. Due to its more open minded nature, lax barriers to citzenship and its recent economic fortunes, the town is a popular place for migrants, especially from the local villages and those looking to escape more hostile homes. As such, many folk come to find work, wealth and adventure or at the very least see Phlan as a starting point to entering wider civilisation in the Moonsea.
Demographics:
56% Human
14% Elf
12% Dwarven
8% Orc
5% Halfling/Gnomish
3% Dragonkin
2% Other
56% Human
14% Elf
12% Dwarven
8% Orc
5% Halfling/Gnomish
3% Dragonkin
2% Other
Government
The town is constitutionally ruled by an elected Ruling Council made up of sixteen seats representing the town's districts. They in turn elect the Lord Speaker, who acts as chair to the body. On paper, the Council serves both a legislative and executive function and is chiefly responsible for the town's security and prosperity as well as helping to settle internal disputes. However the power of the Speaker role will often dictate the Council's exact role; a strong Speaker will come to dominate the Council and assume the executive function whereas a weak Speaker will take on a more ceremonial role. The Council Chamber is based in Valjeyo Castle which serves as the town's traditional seat of power and contains the Cinnabar Throne, from which the Speaker seats and presides. In times of crisis, the Council will sit in constant session under the protection of the Castle walls and there are various precedents in the Council's history for extreme measures to be taken.
The Council seats are elected via a bi-annual lot of Phlan's residents which is divided into sixteen areas. Each resident gets one vote to select who they want to represent their district. The voting system itself is chaotic and open to abuse with no voter registration or need to identify to vote and the bureaucracy that upholds the vote open to intervention by countless means. Elections are usually determined by the machinations of the town's various factions and districts will often elect candidates of the controlling faction, though this is by no means guaranteed. There are few arcane laws governing the vote itself and so violence, bribery, blackmail and ballot tampering are all legitimate, and oft employed, tactics. Elections are often brutal and exciting affairs for the town, prone to scandal and upset, and no seat is considered "safe".
The current Lord Speaker, Cyrus Halshaw has a firm grip of the town's Executive and has consolidated much of the Council's traditional responsibilities to himself, including the control of the town's main armed forces in the Black Fists. The Council, it's representatives mainly in the pocket of the town's factions and split along political lines, have been unable to present a united front. Infighting as well as his popularity has allowed the Lord Speaker to go relatively unchallenged. However, as trouble continues to rise in the town and its surrounding region, both the Council and the Lord Speaker have been coming under increasing pressure to take firmer action. As allegiances and the balances of power in the town shift, talk is rife that tensions between the Council and the Speaker are about to come to dramatic, if not brutal, end.
Defences
The town's main defences lie in it's sturdy stone walls that circle the majority of the town. This is combined with its natural defences in the Stojanow River on the West flank and the Quivering Forest and it's inhabitants to its North. Within the town is Valjeyo Castle and in the bay Sokol Keep which when manned provides a formidable strong point from any attacks from the Moonsea.
Just shy of three hundred men are employed on the walls and though they're technically guards in the employ of Phlan, they are more commonly used auxiliaries for the already over-stretched Order of the Black Fist. The town itself has no army or fleet to speak of, however in times of need Phlan's various factions have been to known to raise additional men and arms in its defense. Mercenaries & adventurers are often employed to work as agents for the town and the Council ensures good relations with local tribes and rangers as far as the Thar and The Ride in exchange for local intelligence.
Though the town is relatively safe from the roaming bandits & pirates that plague the region, its defences would not hold against a large or determined army. Instead, it must often rely on alliances with other city states or regional powers to defend itself, a dependence that has proved fatal for the town on many an occasion.
Industry & Trade
Phlan is considered a trading hub due to it's central placement on the Stanjow river which allows the easy movement of goods from otherwise isolated areas. Ores and raw materials flow down from the mines Dragonspine Mountains alongside exotic goods from the Quivering Forest and foodstuffs from the surrounding farm lands. Some of these goods are consumed or traded locally, fuelling the local guilds and industries whilst the rest is shipped out by sea to other major settlements in the Moonsea or via caravan along the Iron Road to Zhentil Keep . Caravans and merchants from local settlements are popular in Podol Plaza's market bringing in specialist and unique items.
Local industry isn't as well developed as other settlements and is mainly focused around several forges and tanneries that service the town and the surrounding locales Tourism is limited due to the perceived violence and instability surrounding Phlan and having few landmarks worthy of notice whilst adventurers and mercenaries will find better contracts and scores elsewhere in the Moonsea. The exception is Mantor's Library which serves as a cultural and academic hub with many hard to find bodies of work and resources. Mages and Priests will often travel to get access to its works, however the Library's rules are extremely prescriptive as to who have access to some of its more popular items.
Guilds and Factions
Merchant's Alliance ) - An alliance of the town's merchants and guilds that represents a large portion of the town's trade and industry and more commonly its wealthy citizens. Its formal aim is to lobby for improved trade and deregulation, however its ambitions have grown as it seeks to play a bigger role in the governance of Phlan and non-members face increasing hostility.
Order of the Black Fist - An old religious order to the dark god Bane now turned mercenary and the current de-facto police and military order in Phlan. With the blessing of the City's council and speaker, they are given a free hand to dispense justice as they see fit. Considered to be corrupt and arbitrary by many, they are reviled by the people and at best treated as a necessary evil.
The Welcomers - The town's local thieves guild responsible for a range of criminal and smuggling activity, earning their name sake for their traditional targeting of those new to the town. With links to a number of organisations, legal or otherwise, and their control of the Docks and therefore the goods that pass through it, they are a powerful force in Phlan and enjoy a certain folk hero status amongst the people Identifiable by a clipped left ear.
Zhentaruim - A powerful mercenary group whose operations span Faerun have established a small presence in the town, recruiting local adventurers for its armies and offering services in kind. Given their historic role in the region, including acting as both liberators and occupiers of Phlan, they are often viewed with unease if not outright mistrust.
Architecture
Architectural styles are extremely varied in Phlan - having been attacked, occupied and rebuilt on so many occasions over the years each time brings a new styles and building materials. Multi-story wooden complexes sit next to squat granite structures, tight cobblestone streets roll casually into wide thoroughfare made up of large concrete slabs. Even between the districts, styles vary massively again. Old Town has the oldest buildings and has seen the least destruction meted out to it whereas New Phlan's influxes of migrants has brought new & exotic styles representing the different communities and races.
One consistent factor across Phlan is a prevalence of basements, vaults and even whole floors underground in a lot of buildings. The constant destruction has seen many old buildings buried and then the ruins haphazardly built on top of. A labyrinthine of different sewer systems connect a lot of this submerged town and no one truly know how much or what actually lies beneath Phlan.
Type
Large town
Population
20,483
Inhabitant Demonym
Phlanian
Location under
North Moonsea
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
Related Reports (Primary)
Related Reports (Secondary)
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