Paradin

Paradin is the northern-most town in Ibini. Reachable up river from the Northern Ocean, it is a regular stop for Guild ships. The entire northern stretch of the region is under the control of this town and its ruler, Baron Arbek. But he is probably the poorest of the three barons, and rumour has it he is looking to expand his influence in the region.

The lands around Paradin are the least fertile of this region. Only one small region of farmland lies between the town and the sea, following the River Charant as it flows out of the mountains and down into the Northern Ocean. The green bandana-wearing Enforcers of Baron Arbek are often seen in this region. Baron Arbek’s lands are spread thin across the Northern Ocean here. A long road links Paradin in the west and the village of Eli in the east. This road follows close to the mountains and it is not a very safe place to travel. Desperate bandits often waylay travellers on this road from their base in Charant Forest, and sometimes worse things than bandits come down from their mountain lairs to feast on the unwary. Overseer Titus and his Enforcers are trying to make this a safer place but they are hard pressed and under resourced. Paradin is the oldest and most rundown of the settlements in Northern Ibini. It was first settled back in the early days of the Rainbow Empire, when one of the first High Magi of the Jade House erected a tower here and moved in. He extended an offer to the locals to come and build houses near his tower and he would protect them, in exchange for a small fee. Thus Paradin became one of the first examples of feudal living in Lucarcia. The tower is still the most significant and dominant structures in the north, but has been abandoned since the fall of the Rainbow Empire five hundred years ago. It is locked and warded with ancient arcane magics which mean no one has been inside in living memory. The tower, like many other things in this region, is crafted to look like a giant naja snake, with its crest flared, poised to strike. It is made of the same strange green rock that Paradin Bridge is constructed of. The next most significant building in the town is the Manor House of Baron Arbek. It’s also old and run down like most of the town. It is the biggest of the three baronial mansions in the region, but much of it is uninhabitable and deserted. The baron and his family live in one small section of the structure. Paradin is not walled, unlike Grunal and Barusi, and as such is quite a sprawling settlement. The buildings run right down to the river where a dilapidated dock provides anchorage to the Guild ships which visit. Paradin has the advantage of being the only town in the region which also functions as a sea port. Warehouses abut the River Charant, and store all the foodstuffs grown across the north, ready for departure to Manabas. Incoming treasures from the empire are stored here before being distributed out into the region. The Baron used to buy most of the items coming here but lately more and more goods are being picked up by enterprising land merchants and shifted across the region.