Diobel
Diobel likes to call itself the “Doorway to Absalom,” but it’s widely nicknamed as “the Back Door of Absalom”—the cargo that passes through its harbor spans the full spectrum of legality. Anything that anyone could want can be found in the markets of Absalom, and Diobel is the gateway through which many of the stranger goods pass. The townsfolk are generally hardy and earnest, most working as oyster farmers, dockworkers, and shopkeepers.
It’s an open secret that the Kortos Consortium—ostensibly a guild of merchants—is additionally an elaborate smuggling operation that controls the passage of virtually all goods that come through the small port. The Consortium is not an overtly menacing presence; each spring, the guild holds a trade fair in Diobel, where it provides free food and drink to all of the hard-working families who supply labor and trade goods. But they also often work with the Barge Gang, a semi-criminal organization run by the Karbie family, who take a cut of all the goods they transport from the town. Anyone who complains to the Kortos Consortium about the Barge Gang may suddenly find that none of their goods can leave Diobel.
Townsfolk turn a blind eye to the illicit trading so long as the smugglers don’t make too much trouble. This lax attitude toward the law makes Diobel an ideal place for traders to transfer their goods from the sea to overland transport into Absalom and avoid the city’s harbor fees. The waters of Diobel’s harbor are shallow and brimming with oyster beds, and pearls are one of the city’s most prominent exports. Supplemented by plentiful fur and lumber from further inland, as well as the mysterious cargo handled by the Consortium, Diobel sees its fair share of profit from all sorts of trade in Absalom’s vast markets.
It’s an open secret that the Kortos Consortium—ostensibly a guild of merchants—is additionally an elaborate smuggling operation that controls the passage of virtually all goods that come through the small port. The Consortium is not an overtly menacing presence; each spring, the guild holds a trade fair in Diobel, where it provides free food and drink to all of the hard-working families who supply labor and trade goods. But they also often work with the Barge Gang, a semi-criminal organization run by the Karbie family, who take a cut of all the goods they transport from the town. Anyone who complains to the Kortos Consortium about the Barge Gang may suddenly find that none of their goods can leave Diobel.
Townsfolk turn a blind eye to the illicit trading so long as the smugglers don’t make too much trouble. This lax attitude toward the law makes Diobel an ideal place for traders to transfer their goods from the sea to overland transport into Absalom and avoid the city’s harbor fees. The waters of Diobel’s harbor are shallow and brimming with oyster beds, and pearls are one of the city’s most prominent exports. Supplemented by plentiful fur and lumber from further inland, as well as the mysterious cargo handled by the Consortium, Diobel sees its fair share of profit from all sorts of trade in Absalom’s vast markets.
Type
Geopolitical, City council
Leader
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Location
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Comments