Port Aegion
Port Aegion is the largest city in the Kingdom of Thelegon, and one of the largest ports on the continents west coast. It sits on the Bay of Andrasius at the mouth of the Aegion River. All traffic going in and out of the river must pass through it's harbor, by virtue of a large sandbar that narrows the navigable portion of the river.
Though under the theoretical control of the king of Thelegon, the central government has little direct reach here. In practice, the shore districts are run by a group of powerful merchant families, the Delaro clan foremost among them; while the closest thing to a government in most of the cities inland sections are street gangs, who have an uneasy truce with the merchants. What exists of the official government is only a small number of administrators operating out of a building near the riverside harbor, whose main job is to collect taxes from the merchants families and send them to the king.
Though smaller settlements had existed around the site for some time, Port Aegion first came to prominence due to shift in the sandbar at the the mouth of the Aegion due largely to an earthquake in 4412 AY. It was briefly made a provincial capital after the destruction of Lycanthum in 4792 AY, and as it swelled with refugees from the area it passed Thelegon in population. Though the city lost most of it's political influence beyond it's walls after the civil war, it has remained wealthy due to the trade passes through.
The city has three harbors; the western harbor in the west, the great harbor in the middle, and the riverside harbor in the east, near the mouth of the Aegion. Aside from the great harbor being able to fit larger ships, there is no major differences between the harbors, the separations being due mainly to the uneven shape of the shoreline. Multiple lighthouses dot the shore to illuminate the rocky points in the darkness.
The area along the shore is defined by tall stone buildings, often three or even four stories in height. They are divided into tight blocks divided from each other by wide paved streets, many filled with markets. These shore districts hold most of the cities grander buildings too; including beautiful temples, monuments, libraries, universities, and of course the manor houses of the most powerful merchant families. The most powerful of these, the Delaro clan, controls the cities docks, forcing passing ships to dock for fee's and inspections, and using large warships for enforcement.
The inland districts, situated away from the coast, are very numerous, divided frequently by walls that were built around new areas as the city expanded. The area, which contains about two thirds of the cities population and close to 80% of it's land area, has few of the shores taller buildings, consisting mostly of tightly packed wooden buildings only one or two stories. Most of this area is controlled by the cities numerous street gangs, and most of it is quite poor, though significant variation exists among the districts.
Founding Date
4412 AY
Type
Large city
Population
48,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Aegonians
Owning Organization
