Cothon of Kóreni

Port Kóreni

Just as with the Cothon of Kananes, sailing into the northern Cothon of Koréni provides you with a glimpse of Ilusukon’s first queen, Kóreni I. She stands forty-five feet high and carries a flaming scepter in her right hand. In her left, she holds her son, Saphricat, as an infant to her breast. The interior of the Koréni Cothon is similar to that of the Kananes Cothon, save for the sounds. For here, in the international harbor of Iskendra shouts in every tongue imaginable echo out over the canals. The vessels here fly colors from every kingdom under heaven. Goods from as far-a-field as Érulad and Kabili are off-loaded onto mules and donkeys to be sold to the eager masses of Iskendra who wait in the Agora Prominade, just beyond the Cothon’s gates.

—Wyford of Heathmere's "A Tour of Old Palladia"

Purpose / Function

The Cothon of Kóreni acts as yet another docking area for the city's vast number of merchant ships and fishing boats that come to sell their goods in the City of Iskendra. Most of these vessels are mercantile, though a few large trawlers, whalers, and vessels bearing diplomats can be found within. Some claim the security within Koréni is tighter than in Kananes because of the amount of searching Naval Intelligence officials do, though the rates of corruption in Koréni is higher.
Because of the Cothon's fame and popularity, the Office of Naval Intelligence requires that all incoming crewmembers and ships to register their vessels and personnel with ONI representatives at the main entrance. This means that the cothons are relatively safe areas to dock, because few pirates or outlaws want to risk impound.

Architecture

The Cothon of Kóreni is divided into a rectangular local fishing harbor followed by an inner protected harbor reserved for those who can pay a monthly tax. This inner harbor is circular and surrounded by an outer ring of structures divided into a series of docking bays for ship maintenance, along with a floating structure at its center that also housed navy ships. Each individual docking bay featured a raised slipway. Above the raised docking bays is a second level consisting of warehouses where oars and rigging are kept along with supplies such as wood and canvas. A retractable series of canvas sheets can be opened to the sky during good weather or closed to prevent the ships from getting damaged from rain, wind, or lightning.
On the floating structure there exists a raised 'cabin' where the Commander of the Cothon can observe the whole harbor along with the surrounding sea. Altogether the inner docking complex could house up to 220 ships, the entire cothon complex can hold as many as 800 ships. The entire harbor was protected by an outer wall and the main entrance could be closed off with iron chains. The chains are housed and retracted from a room hidden within the base of the bronze statue of Kóreni.

Type

Seaport

Parent Location

Iskendra