Cothon of Kananes
Port Kananes
As you sail up to the dazzling, whitewashed walls of Iskendra, the ship turns and you can see, standing with a flaming sword in one hand and an open welcoming palm in the other, the visage of Kananes I, the first king of Ilusukon. His copper-green face is stoic and stern and he towers some fifty feet high. Your ship sails beneath his shadow and towards an artificial lagoon—the cothon. The waters split into two canals, the left filled with dromonds and longships. Your ship takes the right canal where docks are lined with galleys and merchant vessels. Above you, the walls of the cothon curve inward so that it seems as though they are nearing a dome. But they never do, instead a faded tarp made of red and white cloth stretches over the dome’s oculus, bathing the interior of the harbor in dim rosey light.—Wyford of Heathmere's "A Tour of Old Palladia"
Purpose / Function
One of two cothons within Iskendra, this structure is designed to be a fortified harborage for the city’s military vessels. Over the centuries, as the Iskendran navy shrunk along with the size of the Empire, the cothon was opened up to Iskendra’s new defenders—the merchant class. Now, only half of the cothon is reserved for military use. Still, half of the cothon is quite a lot of ships—the cothon of Kananes can easily swallow 300 Titan-class warships, the largest vessels of the of the Iskendran arsenal.
All incoming crew and ships are required by law to register their vessels with the Office of Naval Intelligence. This means that the cothons are relatively safe areas to dock, because few pirates or outlaws want to risk impound. However, privateers bearing letters of mark from the Imperial Navy are allowed to dock with the other warships, though they still must register their presence with ONI officers.
All merchant vessels in the Cothon of Kananes must be registered Iskendran vessels. Foreign ships and sailors are allowed to dock in the Cothon of Koréni or at the Sticks.
Alterations
A secret passageway is said to link the Imperial Palace with the Cothon, allowing for an immediate, quick escape by the Emperor to the sea, should the need arise. Additionally, the Emperor’s private yachts each have reserved slips within the Cothon that are watched by members of the Varangian Guard at all times.
Architecture
The Cothon of Kananes 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. Half of the inner harbor is closed to non-military personnel.
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.
Type
Seaport
Parent Location
Owning Organization
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