Nessardine

Nessardine is an independent city-state on the southwest coast of the Eastern Continent of Oa. Despite being of only moderate size, it is one of the more populous Human cities in the world.
A sterling example of a well-preserved Yishanim settlement, Nessardine would be an exquisite site for archaeologists to examine for evidence about the day-to-day habits and social structures of the Old Ones, if only it were safe to do so. The city runs on long-lost technology looked upon with envy by other civilizations – running water, passive air conditioning and refrigeration, artificial light – or at least it could, if that machinery were properly maintained and control of it all remained uncontested.
Nessardine is a walled port city, meaning it is virtually impregnable with the inferior technology of the Winter Age. There have been numerous recorded Human conflicts in which Nessardine has been besieged, as well as a handful of Orcish attempts at seizing the city as a foothold into the Eastern Continent. Each met effectively the same fate. The system of gated canals above and below sea level and the arcane-reinforced concrete walls have rendered the city virtually impossible to breach and truly impossible to starve. Its iconic Spithouse, a lighthouse with a sophisticated and automated system of navigational cautions, pictured above, has come to be a visual representation of a city that could never agree on a collective flag or motto.

History

There is a vague cultural memory that at one point there was some degree of unity between Human settlers spreading across the continental West; but most of the community’s oral tradition, and that of the scattered settlements in the region, seem to begin with tales and relics referring to a great civil war.
Families native to Nessardine – those that have remained adequately intact to pass down some sense of history – can tell you what side of the war they were on, to which Lord they owed fealty, and what grievances they have against other families with other allegiances. They cannot, however, speak with any authority about what governmental structures existed before.
To the extent there is harmony in these oral traditions, it seems to reduce to this: We came from the East. We settled across the plains south of the forest. There was peace. The king(?) went mad. He was killed. There was a war. No one won. Here we are.

Geography and Economy

The current population of Nessardine owe as much to their ancestors for making the harrowing trek west through the forests of what is now Hundred House and the Kitinor Valley as they may rightly revile them for leaving them in this harrowing wreck of a civil society. Nessardine is as near-perfect a location for a city as can be imagined, and it is considered evidence for the Yishanim's extensive knowledge of continental geography. It stands nearly a hundred miles apart from the nearest significant surviving structure of the Old Ones, but somehow they knew about this brilliant settlement location.
The small peninsula is an ideal defensive structure. The north face of the city is bounded by crags with a narrow pass between them, limiting land assault to two or three men across. The jagged rocks on either side of the city render landing a wooden craft there a suicide mission. Accordingly, the only safe approach to the city is over the smooth waters directly to its south: one way in by land, one way in by sea.
The city is within a day's journey of coal and iron deposits and a week's transit to silver and potash. Several lime quarries are worked in the northern hills under the thumb of various city grandees. The valley, once populated by wild and (as legend has it) sentient beasts of prey, is now a fertile and well-worked series of ostensibly independent smallholdings. The city is entirely self-sufficient, and being an independent city-state with minimal need for a defence budget, ought to have been free to spend its sizable surplus on trade and luxury. Between the freedom its citizens had to develop artisanal specialization and the division of labour, and its enviable place as a midway port between the cities of the south, the north, and even the Western continent, Nessardine was always a place where one could find rare and exotic items, if for literally extortionate prices. As a frequent port of last resort for smugglers escaping the southern authorities or sailors limping in from the Noquarter Cliffs and Tsunami Reef (which is as pleasant as it sounds), Nessardine had every opportunity to be rich, rich, rich -- beyond the wildest dreams of Correhal and Dartwright.
Alas, it was not to be. Had its governmental structures been less oppressive and wasteful, the city could have easily exceeded the Wandering City as a wealthy, sophisticated and cosmopolitan capital. But they weren't, and aren't. Countless millions of gold pieces have been spent on meaningless projects of personal pride that are typically razed after the murder of the oligarch funding it, and a massive amount of oligarch resources are expended on bribes, client support and internal security. Without a functioning judicial system of any description at all, no wealth is secure and capital investment is impossible.

Governance Structure: The Crime Lords of Nessardine

The idea of Nessardine being ruled over by “crime lords” is somewhat quaint, as it seems to imply that there remains such a thing as a “crime” in a city-state that knows no law. Whatever cultural norms or tribal law once governed the community that first settled these structures has long since been corroded down into a bubbling scum. Now the only code that governs collective behaviour is the fear of offending a House or one of its preferred clients.
The local population does not have a term for the heads of the powerful syndicates that handle whatever passes for governance in Nessardine. They hold no formal office, they may be replaced or assassinated on a moment’s notice, and other subordinate or unaffiliated individuals frequently pass in and out of prominence. They are generally known by name rather than referred to as a class. For example, is Ropo Lido a “Lord” of the city? Well, he’s rich, he’s got muscle, and you wouldn’t dare walk in the Canal District without his permission, but if the Blackguard decide they’d rather work for someone else he’s as good as dead. And since the Guard are into Alice So for that silver mine investment, maybe she’s the real power in that part of the city. But of course, Alice isn’t liquid so she’s on revolving credit with the Triplets, and who knows where they get their money. Could she do without them? Maybe, but on what terms? And who would want to go heads-up against Ropo Lido when he’s been so good for business across the board? That is, unless someone else thinks they could get the stevedores onside at a discount, and with Milgo as their guild chief they won’t come cheap for anyone. Hang on, we all expected Joker Dith to go to war with Milgo when he raised poundage and tonnage last year and it didn’t happen. Holy shit, is Joker setting up Milgo as a lieutenant and taking a run at Ropo Lido?
You get the idea.

Attempt at Unification

For a fleeting moment in 792WA it appeared that the Crime Lords of Nessardine may have had the incentive to unite behind a legendary rogue and shyster that fancied the kingship of the city-state as the culmination of his life's goals. Lord Chaddock was fresh off a massive military victory together with Bryce Mor and Hykkil von Hickenbottom. The group had, in addition to its own considerable wealth and prowess in battle, an elite and blooded private army. Joining forces with one of the major lords of the time, Perhaps Alou, Lord Chaddock made a sophisticated bid for power, eliminating the most ruthless rival lords through side-deals with their trusted insiders, brokering alliances with the more dependable ones, and inviting boatloads of Tenth refugees from their civil war to settle in the Kitinor Valley: a influx of skilled and wealthy clients and an implicit threat to Nessardine's food supply in the event of reprisal.
Regrettably for the population, Lord Chaddock proved true to his reputation. Without advising his closest allies or indeed his dungeon master, once the rogue finally established Nessardine's first reliable bank and satisfied the public of its security, he robbed it, killed the city's leading priest out of pure spite, and sailed off with literally all of the other Crime Lords' daughters, several of whom were grandmothers. He continues to be a revered figure in the city. A statue of him performing his signature pelvic thrust still stands in the Park District, and he is still spoken of in tones of unmitigated awe. What a crook. What a fuckin' crook.

Heads of House: Nessardine's "Leading Citizens"

Despite there being no official "Crime Lord" status, there are at present a few individuals that are indisputably among the most powerful and connected in the city. This list is far from complete, as it does not include, for example, extremely influential religious authorities and guildmasters that have somewhat less complete quasi-governmental operations.

• Joker Dith: There's a reason why gangsters get into loan sharking. It just works! No inventory to manage, no salesmanship, prices can go up without any capital outlay... it's just a really solid foundation for an unapologetic criminal enterprise. Joker Dith is, by all accounts, a really great guy. Gregarious, generous, downright funny. His capacity for violence is, at this stage, almost entirely implied. You know you'll get sent to the clerics if you don't pay, he might even be telling the truth in saying he hates to do it. But you know he will, and you know what? That isn't necessarily a coffin-nail for your friendship. Business is business, after all. It's the salesmen and politicians that tend to rise in House Joker, with the made guys being compensated more in material comforts than organizational advancement.
House Joker is probably the largest organization in Nessardine, short of House Del reuniting, and the nearest thing the city has to a functional government. It sees to street repairs and cistern maintenance, as well as handling minor civil disputes (through bribes, of course, but typically in blind bidding which passes for an impartial justice system around there). If you need 20,000g to build a housing development and you don't want that money stolen or skimmed or otherwise fucked with, sure, you could see if the Triplets can really handle their business, but let's be real, that's your life savings. You gotta get Jokes onside. The two-year project will take four years and you'll pay 40,000g in interest -- but you know that and Jokes knows that and when it's done it might actually just be done. And yeah, his guys might need a house or two at a discount. But what are you complaining about? You made a lot of money on that deal too.
House Joker shears sheep without skinning them, and trains its people well in the accounting skills necessary to know the difference. And yes, people will take a run at them from time to time, but the House doesn't foster sociopaths to carry out orgies of retribution. They're just so well funded and organized that they'll burn down the offending party's neighbourhood, kill her soldiers and a few spouses to make a point, sink a couple of her ships, and take her out for a one-way personal talk on the yacht. Some of her most useful people and significant asset owners will be oh, reluctantly shown mercy after a great deal of pleading and promises of fealty. Then they'll come over to her successor's home (somehow no one disputes that that must have been her successor) for a nice unannounced meal in her honour and express their certainty that you had nothing to do with the hostilities because hey, you're smarter than that and that's why you're going to be a big name around here for a long time. Hey, chin up, the kids can stay, it's a party. This is a big day, good for you. Cheers.

• Mary Quee: A sadistic, psychopathic monster that recruits like-minded nihilists and societal rejects, Mary rose to prominence exclusively through fear. Fear that if you only satisfied the demand she made, without a gift on top, that she would take offence and demonstrate the same by making you an indentured doll in one of her brothels. Fear of her graduated system of error-correction that starts with fish-hook blinding and proceeds to more visceral forms of encouragement. Fear that even if you were to kill the Quee soldier demanding tribute and everyone else on his corner to cover your tracks, that Mary would figure out who they were pressuring (or narrow it down to a small enough number to keep things interesting) and see fit to make you watch ever-more-vital parts of yourself fed to slavering dogs until you had just enough strength left to watch your family being wheeled in for their turn. That even if you went to war with House Quee as a great House yourself, that their terrifying preference to take prisoners at any cost would be poison to morale and render you incapable of organizing against her. Or, that she would come at you. Personally. She did write you that unsettling letter about the dream she had about the bones in the backs of your hands. Members of House Quee wear their hair long with their temples shaved. To be clear: no one works with House Quee because they want to.

• Joba Gor: One of Pious Del’s captains, Joba (pictured right) was popularly and accurately seen as a scheming little toad that always managed to squeeze a little more for himself out of every transaction running in his part of the city. A profoundly self-indulgent wastrel, many were surprised that he reached the rank of capo to begin with. After Del’s assassination, however, the community generally had to reckon with his sheer ruthlessness and his willingness to take everything he covets until the question “what are they going to do about it” has a clear and persuasive answer. It is a matter of local astonishment that the man has lived in this role as long as he has, not yet having been eliminated by heart disease or the wrath of those under his boot. Gor's members of House Del do not adhere to a dress code, though many choose to shave their heads to avoid giving offence to the chief.

• Nia: Pious Del’s other capo and heir apparent, Nia tried to contain Joba and bring him into the fold after she assassinated their boss and he reneged on their pact. Their civil war lasted some eight years in various levels of intensity until both sides had to recognize that new political boundaries had already been drawn and peace was more profitable than any other potential outcome. Deeply intelligent and skilled at the fine details of interpersonal politics, Nia rules mostly through directed self-interest. She sees to it that none of her subordinates ever stands to gain more from her death than by carving out a larger slice of her pie, and in the event that becomes a close call, that individual finds himself standing a little too close to an open window. She stands a reasonable chance of emerging as the most powerful individual in Nessardine if Joba can be eliminated, in which case the reunified House Del would easily eclipse House Joker in power. Members of House Del under Nia dress in black, often adorned with white symbols meaningful to those within the House but inscrutable to outsiders. Some of the most common symbols are the four-link chain and the hourglass.

• Trent, Oliver and Pax White: The Triplets, or the Triplets White (who are in fact two fraternal twins and an elder brother) are an undeniable, if upstart, power in Nessardine. Beginning with the brilliant one-two punch of seizing control of the southernmost lighthouse (the "Spithouse") with a band of thugs and some rented magic, and clogging the sewer drains in a location unknown and not easily identified, the Triplets exploded on to the political scene by deliberately taking the entire city population hostage. Indifferent as to whether the city became so polluted or starved for traffic that it became uninhabitable, the other Houses and City luminaries grudgingly passed the hat and swore vengeance upon the youngsters.
Upon the ransom being paid and the City seemingly returning to normal operation, the orphans on the docks -- one of the few sources of non-guild labour in the city -- immediately and unexpectedly walked off the job. As the major Houses once again seethed out a hefty tribute to restore their services and vassal and client Houses followed suit, the labour began to trickle back in -- but better organized and more efficient than ever. In the span of three months the Triplets took the City by the balls and vastly improved two of its central institutions: the sewers and canals, and the orphans' messenger service and the inventory management. They successfully established a push and pull underpinning their power: they were willing to die and burn the city to the ground for wealth, and if they were provided with that wealth they would use it to make the city more efficient to universal benefit. The idea of crushing the upstarts became unappealing almost as soon as it appeared to be a necessity.
The greater Houses' consideration for the Triplets blew past 'grudging' respect quickly. Even the most offended parties (particularly Nia, who already felt swindled out of the lion's share of power in the city) had to accept that House White walked like a great House and quacked like a great House, and the intervening eight years have given the other Houses no reason to revisit that assessment. With mastery of the unseen machinations of the City as their calling-card, they have amassed a vast population of working-class and untouchable clientele that has proven an unnerving counterbalance to those Houses reliant on connections within the oligarchy for their security.
The Triplets' assumed coat of arms is a bare equilateral triangle bearing a single Mauldeno word as motto: "Prophorte". Get rich. Trent, the eldest brother, is known to be cagey, if over-aggressive and vengeful. Oliver, a gender-fluid brunette, is the philosopher that dreamed up the big plays and managed to get the orphans on side mostly through persuasion and only somewhat through mortal fear. Pax, Oliver's twin sister, is thought to be more of a businesswoman and a counterbalance to her siblings, being neither bloodthirsty nor creative nor particularly social, but scrupulously practical. The upper ranks of their House pay tribute to their Heads of House by bleaching their hair to a thin, limp white that does not always agree with the scalps of their underlings. Purple and white stripes, particularly in hosiery, and extravagant accessories are typically associated with House White.

• Oma Parro: The most venerable of the Crime Lords, Oma Parro is an octogenarian actively pitting her lieutenants against one another in a winner-take-all contest with uncertain rules. Parro's closeted affiliation with the Corran royal family has evolved over the decades from conjecture to speculation, from rumour to unavoidable assumption. While an open alliance would be political suicide within the walls of the fiercely independent city, Parro's uncanny ability to procure Corran goods and to have inconvenient individuals and vessels go missing in the vicinity of the eastern shore of the continent has all but confirmed the source of her financial prosperity. Whatever her deal with her patron was (and rumours tend more towards Christus than Sylvio or the Emperor), her ability to pirate and procure with seeming impunity in Imperial waters made her favour a precious commodity, if one most of her clients would grumble to seek.
House Parro's forces and fleet are conventional and unimaginative, and her lieutenants that haven't yet begun their own Houses were largely blooded in her golden years, when things were comparatively easy. Her House's main asset, however, is a political connection that isn't easily annexed -- and that seems to have been the only reason no other House has seen fit to topple her yet. When the old hag kicks it and the Archbishop has to make new friends anyway, though... that will be another story. Canny observers note with respect that this succession contest of Parro's is a perfect distraction from what would otherwise be a prime opportunity for an internecine war as the House stands at imminent risk of demise. Made members of House Parro carry personalized rapiers with uniform red tassels as symbols of status, and House officers can often be identified through their adornment with a pale sweat and a compulsive tendency to be looking over their shoulders.

Tourism

Nessardine is not a safe place to visit.
For those that must travel, make contact with a House representative before making landfall and take whatever steps may be necessary to avoid causing offence to others in doing so. That representative -- soldier, pawn, guy, whatever they call themselves -- will be your escort during your entire stay, or will assign one. Do not leave their sight, and tip like your life depended on it. Many visitors find it helpful to discuss the business they are in and why that will entail return trips, but without too much detail.
Nessardine is generally understood to break down into the following neighbourhoods:

• Washburne (or "The Spit"): A largely barren rock just south of Nessardine proper, hosting the Spithouse and lower-class fishing docks and shanty-town, mostly affiliated with the Triplets for whatever that little honour is worth. The lighthouse operates autonomously, so control of Washburne has very limited practical utility unless, as the Triplets managed, the lights are covered entirely. The mystery of the Triplets' continued interest in controlling it is currently giving numerous interested parties across the city-state daily indigestion.
• The Docks: A crescent-shaped vista comprised of the two parallel roads behind the receiving docks and the marketplaces thereupon. All Houses jockey for position on the Docks, at the heart of the city's commerce.
• Orphan's End: The area along the docks worked by professional stevedores and orphans of all ages running communications, rigging and inventory is secretly the childhood home of Gavinus Garland. It is currently affiliated mostly with the Triplets and, to a much lesser extent, House Quee. See image above: Orphan's End is squeezed just above sea level between the towering tiers of the Blocks, just across the street from the Docks.
• Canal District: The comparatively upscale district towards the northeast end of the city served by Yishanim canals and arcane streetlights, where property crime tends to outweigh its violent cousin. It is home to most luxury shopping and the more expensive brothels, circuses and theaters. In the center of it all, both literally and figuratively, is the palatial House Del. Joba Gor occupies its east wing, Nia the other four. Keep away from the external staircases, it's amazing how many fatal accidents have been reported there.
• The Blocks: Densely packed housing converted from Yishanim barracks (see above). Home to more than half the Nessardine population and most of its commercial activity. House affiliations vary by block and sometimes even by floor, and in many cases affiliation is more likely to run to a guild, religious group, minor House or private patron.
• The Hall: An equally densely packed former Yishanim municipal building or government office converted to residential housing and small commercial enterprises. One of the few pleasant highlights of the city is the Hall's rooftop garden, kept in immaculate shape by House Joker. The Hall is true-blue Joker territory, inherited intact from Joker's mentor and boss Perhaps Alou.
• The Park District: Long since left fallow, the Park is more of a small, unkempt wilderness. Nothing there but overgrown Yishanim monuments for curious tourists and shadow-cloaked activities so illicit that even the Nessardine Houses would condemn them. House Quee takes exception to bad behaviour in the Park, but punishes it just as often with membership as it does with pain and death.

• The Counting-Houses: Pictured at right, a frequent flashpoint for violence, affiliated or otherwise, small private armies take position around the auctioneers, loan sharks and private bankers set up just uphill from the Docks as each House tries to convert endlessly variable inventory to cash as easily as possible. Many of these counting-houses are so lucrative and skilled that they are permitted to remain independent by the leading Houses. Minor Houses that have tried to annex some of the more prevalent counting-houses in the recent past have found themselves utterly ruined by an unexpected confederation of resistance in the form of other Houses and guilds deeply invested in the success of those institutions.
• The Mine District: A bit of a misnomer, this industrial district serves the iron and silver mines just north of the city through its multiple foundries, workshops and smelters. House Parro owns a lot of real estate here, and Oma's most promising lieutenant, Alice So, has a chokehold on the miners' guild.
• The Shipyards: An area on the far West of the city encompassing shipwrights' shops, drydocks, boat launches and, well, shipyards. Roughly an even split between House Del and House Joker in terms of protection racketeering, but the sentiment of the working folks is beginning to bend towards the way the Triplets are running things and paying fair wages to the orphans and lighthouse-keepers. It is becoming increasingly expensive for any House to maintain a presence in the yards.
• The Missiks: An area on the northwest side of the city opening out to farmland beyond the wall and mostly hosting granaries, bakeries, smokehouses, butchers and other specialized food-related labour and services. A hotbed of conflict between the factions of House Del, which previously considered the Missiks its leading constituency outside of the Canal District.
• The Tower District: More retrofitted Yishanim ruins, in this case appearing to have been a mage tower. By long convention there is no violence between factions in the Tower District under penalty of death and familial dispossession. On very rare occasions that truce is shattered, typically to either begin or end a war, but it is a massive scandal when it occurs. The truce is generally respected in order to give the grandees of the city, of greater and lesser Houses, the ability to live and breathe in the peace and luxury that their underlings do not permit the common residents of the city to enjoy. Every pledge, soldier, made guy, lieutenant and capo dreams of the day they get a flat in the Tower District: the day they're someone and as a resident of the District, can stand in for the chief at City Council. While the Crime Lords may have houses or even palaces in other parts of the city, on the day-to-day they all live in their Tower District flats. Except for Mary Quee, who refuses to adhere to a single residence due to her extremely well founded fear of assassination.

Transit and Surrounding Areas

Despite its massive population, Nessardine is a physically small city-state and it is possible to walk from one end of the city to the other in less than a day, provided one is not accosted and delayed.
Outside the city, the freeholdings are generally peaceful and the citizenry somewhat more civil to outsiders and less likely to take advantage of them, given their lack of anonymity and the fact that they have actual property to lose. After three days' journey in any direction, the space between freeholdings becomes more significant and tourists can enjoy the true beauty of the valley below the lavender foothills of the north. Idyllic creeks flow through the countryside, and if one has an appetite to deal with the Houses to the south that will claim an interest in one's harvest, it is a positively appealing (and free) location to start a homestead.
The mountains, on the other hand, are completely wild and rotten with insects, venomous reptiles and large predators. That range, and the granite bedrock beneath it, forms a natural boundary between Nessardine's claimed territory and the unaffiliated Hobbit freeholdings to the north.
The boundary between Nessardine's smallholdings and Hundred House to the east would seem to be rationally set at the Ochre River, but that is not the case. The Houses of Nessardine do not typically have the time or resources to be concerned about fence disputes between the most distant half-assed farmers whose crops rot by the time they get to town anyway and the endlessly irritating pint-sized bureaucrats out East. The Halflings have drawn a sharp south-north-to-northeast boundary that happens to give them control of virtually all of the Ochre river delta and its fertile lands and bustling port, leaving only a notch of Owlbear territory for the Humans. Nessardine hasn't objected -- if indeed anyone in power there is even aware of how the Hobbits are drawing their maps.

Bits and Pieces

• It costs 1,750gp to bottle to Nessardine from the Wandering City .
• Ch--- / Chantrelle Pittypat / Charity Milkbath / Cherry Merrybottom was informed by Azmouf that she should caution the residents of the Wandering City to hold tight, as she anticipated making an extraordinarily rare landfall at Nessardine in order to lay an egg. Ch--- had other priorities.
• One of Beulah's first clues as to Gavinus Garland's whereabouts was the discovery of a ship registry entry at The Overcroft. The Daughter of Mercy was apparently registered under Nessardine colours, and is presumably docked there now if Gavinus is her captain.
• Joba Gor, who is presumably now maintaining custody of Gavinus, was the funder of the disastrous trip to Cinnédil that claimed the life of Joshua Bridle. Beulah Garland and Gavinus escaped his custody roughly halfway through their adventures together, stealing his personal yacht in so doing, and thereafter had to come into Nessardine under false identities. (The yacht was sold to fund the getaway.)
• The coordinates provided by Gavinus to Beulah through the Sending spell indicated a route between Nessardine and the mouth of the river they used as an access point to Cinnédil.
• In addition to an attempt at unifying the Houses, Lord Chaddock eliminated the previously powerful Thieves' Guild that had provided some semblance of parliamentary consultation in the city.
• Gavinus has always refused to discuss his childhood in Orphan's End, even with his wife.
• The Pilfered Papers of Anthur-Ro included a handwritten set of notes from "Bob"'s interrogation that had a list of names on the back. That list of names included Violet Verihendrion Miller and also one Betty Proctor, who was listed as resident in Orphan's End.

Type

City

Population

220,000