Avul
Known as "the City of Many," Avul is not home ot one particular ethnicity, or even race. This coastal city is home to a diverse population of humans, and even some orcs from the northeast, as well as a handful of folk from other races.
Demographics
- Humans
- Dolobei - 18%
- Dacci - 16%
- Calpii - 8%
- Biati - 6%
- All Other Human Ethnicities - 4%
- Orcs
- Nadho - 28%
- Crighua - 12%
- All Other Ethnicities - 8%
Government
Avul is an Imperial Free City. This means it is granted full rights of self-rule, within the constraints of its place within the Empire. It is governed by the Free Council of Avul. This is a body of thirty one Councilors. Four councilors each come from the Dolobei, Biati, Dacci, and Calpii communities, and are chosen from among the property-owning members of those groups internally, then sent to the Council. Those sixteen councilors vote to elect the remaining fifteen members of the council from the population, at large.
Defences
Avul is encircled in a thirty-foot high wall that extends one hundred feet out into the harbor. It is punctuated by ballista towers every hundred feet. There are gates into and out of the city along a spur of the Biatian Way that passes through the city. They are the North Gate and the East Gate.
Industry & Trade
Avul's status as a free city allows for some products to flow through the city that are contraband elsewhere. This is either because local regulations allow things that aren't allowed elsewhere (for example, intoxicants are outlawed in Touser Dolobeiia, so cargoes that contain them can't dock in Camvam), or for items that are universally outlawed, but are able to pass without as much scrutiny due to the absence of imperial inspectors.
The Honorable Order of Merchants and Shippers maintains and oligopoly on trade through the city.
The city collects duties on shipments through the city, but they are capped at 0.5% of the value, which is quite low compared to most other ports, making Avul an attractive shipping hub, both as a point of departure and as a destination.
Infrastructure
Streets
Avul's primary streets, which are North Street, East Street, and Wharf Street are all seventy-five feet in width and well paved. There are about a dozen secondary feeder streets that are about twenty feet in width and are paved, with varying levels of maintanance. The remainder of the byways of the city are sandy mud, and they tend to be narrow - eight to ten feet, on average - with alleys as narrow as three feet, in places.
Sanitation
Avul has a rudimentary sewage system. It serves the prosperous Council District and the East Gate District very well. The rest of the city makes do with drainage on the streets. There is no organized system of waste collection, and feces, garbage, trash, and other refuse collect on the streets and in the alleys until someone tires of it and pays to haul it out of the city or dump it in the harbor.
Harbor
The city's harbor features a stone wharf with a small shipbuilding operation. The quays are well laid out and organized. At either end of the wharf, however, there are haphazard webs of piers and wooden docks that spread into the the sea in an ad hoc fashion.
Districts
There are four recognized districts in the city. The vast majority of the metropolis does not belong to one of these districts, and simply considered, "the city."
The Council District
Centered around the crests of a rounded hill about half a mile from the shoreline, the Council District is home to the chambers and offices of the Free Council, as well as many of the councilmembers' homes, and the shops and other businesses that serve them. It is well patrolled, clean, and prosperous.
The Wharf District
As Avul is a hub of people and sea trade, this is the vibrant commercial heart of the city. There are very few residences in this area, and it is filled with offices, warehouses, and businesses that serve the sea trade. Right on the waterfront, it can get pretty rough, as there are a number of taverns and brothels that cater to sailors, but the rest of the district is relatively calm and safe.
One notable feature is the Mansion in the Harbor, a mysterious mansion about two miles out from shore. Boats of intensely private people sometimes go to and fro from the Mansion to the Wharf. It is well known that it is unwise to set foot on the island upon which the Mansion is built, unless one is invited.
The North Gate District
This district near the North Gate (sometimes called the "Camvam Gate") is home to the Nouveau Riche. Those who have come to Avul destitute and have succeeded in finding their fortunes live here. The homes are well maintained, and many of the residents employ mercenaries as household guards to keep crime in check. Unfortunately, the sanitation in the city has not kept up, and this district, like most of the city, has a significant problem with filth and vermin. Some residents spend significant sums to keep their homes and the surrounding areas clean, but others do not. It is a point of growing discontent among the folk of this district.
The East Gate District
This opulent district, centered on the East Gate, where East Street passes through the city wall to pick up the Biatian Way, is home to the oldest and wealthiest families of Avul. There are several manicured parks, numerous fountains, numerous and visible city watch patrols, and very little in the way of filth. This is where the beautiful people live.
Guilds and Factions
Legal Organizations
The Honorable Order of Merchants and Shippers
Classification: Trade ConsortiumLeader: Albava Corella Dilva, human female of unknown ethnicity
This organization is a highly organized trade consortium. Its members work toward two main purposes. First, they limit mercantile trade within, from, to, and through Avul to their membership only. Second, they collude in such a way that members do not compete with one another. If competition does occur, pricing is not the differentiator between merchants.
Illegal and Semi-Legal Organizations
The Discreet Trade
Classification: Smugglers' NetworkLeader: Ubvamr̂a the Fatherless, human female (Biati)
The Discreet Trade operates openly in Avul. Their business involves transporting goods that are illegal in other places, but not in Avul. Ubvamr̂a openly collaborates with the "legitimate" merchants of the city to assist them in moving their goods into and through places where there are objectionable duties and tariffs or where the goods are outright illegal.
Carivum Ce
Classification: Assassins' GuildLeader: Unknown
Avul is rumored to be the base of operations for Carivum Ce, an extremely political assassin's guild that operates throughout Calpi and beyond. Little is known about the members, leadership, or the location of their headquarters within the city.
The Shadowlords
Classification: Thieves' GuildLeader: "Whisperwind"
The Shadowlords are a thieves' guild that focuses on extortion and kidnapping. Instead of operating constantly, they carefully select high-reward jobs that can support their members for a significant period of time before needing to take on another job. Their leader is rumored to be half-elven, but no one knows his true identity, except that he is known on the streets as "Whisperwind."
The Silent Breeze
Classivication: Thieves' GuildLeader: Vagala Utpuma
The Silent Breeze is a group of thieves, burglars, muggers, cutthroats, and beggars. They are all under the rule of Vagala, who demands loyalty or else blood. Except for the Shadowlords, no one can engage in truly illegal activities within Avul without Vagala's approval. The Silent Breeze is different from other thieves' guilds as they operate openly. The Council turns a blind eye to their crimes as long as they don't operate in East Gate, Northgate, or the Council district. Vagala knows and enforces this unwritten agreement among her members. There are rumors that she has even hired Carivum Ce at times to deal with those who break this rule, though these rumors are unconfirmed.
