Port Nyanzaru
Port Nyanzaru is the bastion of civilization and commerce in a savage land. The amount of business that unfold here and the cash that moves through its counting houses would make any merchant of Calimport or Sharn jealous. It's also a colorful, musical, aroma-filled, vibrant city in its own right. Other than trade, the biggest attractions are the weekly dinosaur races through the streets. Locals and visitors alike wager princely sums on the races' outcomes. The city also boasts grand bazaars, glorious mansions and temples, circuses, and gladiatorial contests.
Enemies surround Port Nyanzaru on all sides. The jungle teems with ferocious reptiles and murderous undead, pirates prowl the surrounding sea, and the mouth of the bay is home to a greedy dragon turtle.
Architecture
The ground floors of most buildings are made of stucco-covered stone and have tiny windows to keep out the heat at street level. The upper floors have bamboo or thatch walls with enormous windows to let in the breeze, under broad thatched or tiled eaves. All buildings are richly decorated with paint, ivy, and vivid flowers. Some are painted in symmetrical, geometric patterns of straight lines and sharp angles, while others portray animals, monsters, landscapes, and heroes in a stylized manner unique to Chult. Where space permits, buildings traditionally include a walled yard or garden. All the city's water comes from rain, so every building has a cistern or wooden barrels to catch water running off the roof. Every public square is built around a fountain or rain basin. With so much water running downhill, Chultans also make excellent use of water-driven mechanical gadgets. Many buildings have water wheels built into their cisterns. Rainwater running through spouts or channels turns the wheel, which pumps water into pools, turn millstones, powers bellows or lathes or saws, or accomplishes any other labor-saving or amusing task Chultan engineers can dream up.Government
Seven merchant princes rule Port Nyanzaru, each one with an equal vote in matters of state. All are Chultan. Their single qualification is that they're the seven richest people in the city. Their seat of governance is Goldenthrone, an old, regal Calishite palace overlooking the bay. A merchant prince who retires can yield his or her position to a family member or someone else of immense wealth agreed on by the majority. The merchant princes surround themselves with loyal family and underlings, but they also employ foreign mercenaries as both city guards and as personal guards. The city guard also consists of many Chultan Heralds. The merchant princes have specific monopolies on all merchandise sold in the city. Adventurers in need of gear or supplies must deal with these individuals directly or their consortiums indirectly. The only alternative is to resort to the black markets in Malar's Throat or Tiryki Anchorage.Districts of Port Nyanzaru
Port Nyanzaru is a city of walls within walls. Burgeoning wealth has driven the city's richest residents to raise defenses against the jungle's dangers, and possibly against the dngers they perceive from the city's less-well-off districts, which all lie outside the main wall. Teh walls are impressive barriers of massive, fitted stone. Like other structures in Port Nyanzaru, they're decorated with colorful paintings of geometric designs, animals, and mythic figures. The city is defined by four steep hills. The western most hill, called Temple Hill because it's home to the temple of Avandra, is completely walled off from lower ground. A wide stone bridge crosses on arched columns from Temple Hill to Throne Hill, site of Goldenthrone. A second bridge connects Throne Hill to the southern slopes, site of several merchant princes' villas. East of the harbor, the Hall of Gold gleams atop the city's tallest hill, Mount Sibasa, which is connected by bridge to the neighboring Yklwazi Hill, site of the Grand Coliseum. Steep, stepped streets and terraces surround each hill. Outside the main walls are three slums: Old City to the southwest, where many buildings are remnants of older, pyramidal construction; Malar's Throat to the south, where buildings cling to walls of a lush canyon spanned by rope bridges; and Tiryki Anchorage tot he southeast, where explorers and river folk gather. About half the city's population lives crowded together outside the walls, where they're always exposed to sudden attacks by carnivores or undead. A volunteer citizens; brigade (made up of many Chultan Heralds) keeps watch for approaching danger. When residents of the outer wards hear the long blast of warning horns, day or night, they scramble for the safety of the Market Ward and Merchants' Ward until the all clear sounds.Population: 65,300 (90% Human, 6% Tabaxi, 3% Dwarf, 1% Other Races)
Government: The Merchant Princes
Defense: Large city walls and city guard.
Hallmarks: Trade, DInosuar Races, Jungle Expoditions
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