Sespian
Where the muddy Oswine River enters the Lake of Masran, is the port town of Sespian. It sits on the edge of a vast confluence of low lying islands that form a haven for wildlife and the secret floating marsh elf communities nestled among them.
The docks are busy with merchant ships arriving from the Thousand Lakes or getting ready to depart and a fleet of marsh elf owned fishing boats. Passenger ferries leave regulary for the relatively short journey to Sherin'dal and the onward road to Sondaran Empire.
Demographics
Sespian is one of the rare places in Nostvary where marsh elves outnumber humans. They are employed in large numbers on the boats, along the docks, and in the cattle yards to the north of the town. The diminutive race has far fewer rights than the humans, but because of their essential work they have greater liberties than their kind do usually. The king's law forbids marsh elves from owning property or forming guilds, but in Sespian they do both, albeit on the water.
Government
Before the Dragsmund Merchants Guild was given the town, in return for forgiving a loan to the king, Sespian was little more than a fort with a small dock for the ferry south. The fort's sister, Sherin'dal, is over a hundred miles away to the south and at the head of Erin's Highway, the great road that stretches through The Sondaran Empire. With the guild given free rein, they turned the town into a thriving trade hub that they one day hope will rival Dragsmund. It may seem odd the Dragsmund Merchants Guild working against their own city, but in order to escape the king's taxes, the guild will do almost anything.
They rule the town with an eye for profit, replacing the king's taxes with their own. If there is a charge that can be levied on non guild members, they will impose it.
Defences
The landward approach to Sespian is defended by a sprawling network of cattle pens, each one guarded by armed men and women while a flotilla of flat bottomed naval barges protect it from seaborne attack. Those same boats patrol the mud flats, hunting out pirates and keeping the trade routes open.
The merchant guild of Sespian maintains a sister settlement on the other side of the delta where the ships dock. The settlement on the western bank of the river Oswine is smaller but heavily fortified against land attacks.
Infrastructure
There are extensive docks with more being added every few years as land is reclaimed from the sea. Shipyards line the river, while inland there is a sprawling network of livestock pens where thousands of animals await the long walk north to Dragsmund.
The town itself is a hive of activity, with many homes built atop factories and warehouses.
Districts
Sespian can be divided into four districts, with the northernmost being the cattle yards and stables. Next is the town proper with the fort sitting at the centre. Beyond that, on the river side, are the docks and the shipyards, protected from the sea by a mud flat where the final district can be found. The floating island of the marsh elves rises with the tide before settling again. Hundreds of boats are lashed together, forming a large platform. Humans are discouraged from visiting and any that do might find themselves dumped in the mud.
Guilds and Factions
The Dragsmund Merchants Guild might own the town, but they rely on others for their profit. Most important is the Sea Elf Guild, comprising all Marsh Elves, whether they work on the water or on land. It comprises fisherfolk, ship crews, ferry captains, dock workers, and the thousands of marsh elves that work in the cattle yards.
Other guilds include the ship workers guild, and another for the teamsters. There are rumours of a thieves guild, but if they pay their dues to the merchants, it's recorded in a secret ledger.
Comments