Apcotun
Government
Defences
Dock Ward. The Dock Ward is protected by large earthen ramparts at both its northern and souther extents.
Outer Wards. The Outer Wards: the Ascent, the Southgate and Eastgate Districts, and the Winter Ward, are all protected by walls. There are three gates into town: the Sea Gate, the South Gate, and the East Gate. Additionally, each of these districts is discretely walled with the Fish Gate, Winter Gate, Farmers' Gate, and New Gate, as well as the High Gate, Horse Gate, and Old Gate, allowing passage through the walls.
Central Ward. The Central Ward sits atop a hill some 120 feet above the sea below. Further, it is surrounded by the original city walls. Finally, the Citadel, in the northwest corner of the ward provides a bastion of last resort in the event the rest of the city falls.
Industry & Trade
Apcotum supplies ocean goods, including govunum, both to inland settlements, as well as for shipment to other ports. It is also a shipping point for agricultural products and a port of entry for goods from the north.
Infrastructure
Drainage
The major thoroughfares of the city feature a broad, open sewer lined with granite stone, running down their center, which collect in the docks and drain into the sea. Side streets and alleys feature no formal drainage.
Streets
The major thoroughfares of the city are paved with limestone. Side streets and alleys are dirt, mud, or sand.
Water
An aqueduct flows fresh water into several cisterns located throughout the city. The aqueduct originates at the Von Springs, about twelve miles inland.
Food Storage
There are twelve large granary buildings in the Central Ward of the city, which store foodstuffs collected as taxes. The grain from these stores are doled out weekly to indigent apagabum.
Apcotun Port
There is a large port just outside the city wall in the Docks Ward. This port serves as a major trade hub for the region.
Districts
There are six major districts in Apcotun: the Dock Ward, the Southgate District, the Eastgate District, the Ascent, the Winter Ward, and the Central Ward.
The Dock Ward
This area of the city lies outside the walls but is well-developed. The quays are made of stone and the main roads are about forty feet wide. It is home to various establishments that cater to sailors and fishermen including warehouses, inns, and taverns, as well as shops. The Grand Lighthouse is also located here, along with the Office of the Harbormaster where duties such as port taxes, import tariffs, and booking of sea passages are handled.
The Ascent
The Ascent is a district located just inside the wall from Dock Ward. It is named so because anyone arriving at the docks must climb up the hillside to reach the Central Ward. The district is known for its mercantile businesses and the residential homes of people who work in them. It is also home to inns, taverns, and local shops that cater to the needs of the people.
The main road in this district is called High Street. It runs from the Sea Gate to the Merchant's Gate and is forty feet wide, with a sewer running down the middle. The road is well-paved and maintained. Although the side streets in this ward are unpaved, they are generally around twenty feet wide.
There are smaller gates leading to the Winter Ward and the Southgate District. These gates are located on Salmon Street and Farmer's Way, respectively.
Southgate District
This district is home to the majority of the city's craftsmen and artisans. There are also a number of warehouses for produce brought in by farmers intended for shipment to other ports.
The main throroughfare through the district is South Street, which runs from the South Gate through the Old Gate. Bright street splits off to the east through the Farmers' Gate, and Farmers' Way winds its way from the New Gate down to South Street, just before the South Gate. These three roads are paved. All the other side streets and alleyways in the district are unpaved tracks.
Eastgate District
Many laborers have their homes in the tenements of this district. Additionally, a large green is set aside here for cattle and sheep in the event of a siege.
The primary route through the district is High Street, which comes down from the Central District at the Horse Gate and passes through the city wall at the East Gate. Bright Street comes in from the Farmers' Gate in the south, through the green and meets High Street about midway between the Horse Gate and the East Gate. Just to the west of that point, Winter Street splits off from High Street, headed north to the Winter Gate, where it passes through into the Winter District. These roads are paved and well maintained. The other streets, alleys, and byways of the district are unpaved and unimproved.
Winter Ward
This is the most crowded and least maintained ward of the city. Only a single paved road, Winter Street, winds its way from the Winter Gate all the way to the Fish Gate, where it becomes Salmon Street. All other roads int he district are muddy and rutted. The tenements in this district are poorly built and constructed abutting one another, in most cases. This ward is a den of misery.
Central Ward
This ward is the part of the city that lies within the old walls. Virtually no original structures exist, having been razed to make room for temples, government buildings, or wealty estates. All the roads in this ward are paved. It is the home to the Goum, the Citadel, the Hall of the Pangelar̂saux, and the temples of Stronus, Cisquia, and Quiarspa.
History
Prior to the Calpian conquest, Apcotun had grown into a city of some significance in Biatia. It was the center of culture and trade for the Biati people.
In 1261, in response to the Calpian gains of the Second Biatian Campaign, the military and political leaders retreated to Apcotun and locked themselves within its walls. They held out there for four years, until they were forced to surrender on 8 Besped 1265 LE.
Twenty days later, a new government was set up, owing fealty to the Imperial Throne of Calpi.
Following the conquest, R̂oldavus Vous invested heavily in the city, fortifying its walls, expanding its harbor, and most notably, fully funding the construction of the Grand Lighthouse of Tirelva. These endeavors did a great deal to favorably dispose the subsequent generation of Biati, especially those native to Apcotun, to the Calpian Empire.
Points of interest
The most notable point of interest in town is the Grand Lighthouse of Tirelva, the seat of the Lighthouse Assembly, which is dedicated to the sea goddess Threlved (Tirelva). It is located at the foot of the southern rampart of the Dock Ward. It rises to a height of one hundred eighteen feet above the sea below. The towering structure houses the largest temple of the faith, a library, dormitories, the chamber in which the Conclave of Swells meets, and the Wavecrest Mother or Father's offices, study, and residence.
Climate
The climate in Apcotun is warm and humid. Summers reach around ninety degrees. Winters seldom drop below fifty degrees, though temperatures as low as the twenties have occurred on rare occasions. The spring and fall are very rainy. The winter is somewhat wet, as well, but the summer can be very, very dry.
