Moss Bay
As one approaches this gem of the southern tundra by land, lake or river, you cannot help but notice the difference in this region compared to most. What is first most startling to those of a cartographer's mindset is the three seemingly small farming villages a few kilometers out in each direction from the walls of the city herself, two on the delta island, one on the mainland. They've no walls, no name on a map, they aren't even referenced. The next most startling thing is the geography. The city proper is built on two landmasses, bridging the Tiber with the two longest free standing bridges ever built without the assistance of magic in all of Valerick. The lands on either side are not level, with an elevation change that is notable, though the pitch not so drastic as to make the bridges uncomfortable, merely that they have a noticable upward pitch towards the mainland. The earthy tone of the the Parvi Fields, their green and soft brown colors a contrast to the loam, grey and snow that highlights most of Suranth's landscape. The walls of the city are inviting, even as they are well fortified, including, as one gets closer, with gun batteries in every wall tower. The rails are always busy and seeing trains come and go, their whistles piercing the quiet, as they come into or exit from the city laden with all manner of cargo, merely adds to the rhythm of the place as one enters the city, for the constant sounds from the docks, of boats calling, bells ringing out signals, the rumbles of various people shouting, creating a cacophony like rumble and din through all daylight hours. Markets bustle, trade houses are always busy, and the street traffic steady all through the day.
Demographics
| Race | % of Population | Count |
| Dwarf | 21% | 3643 |
| Elf | 3% | 688 |
| Halfling | 13% | 2254 |
| Human | 40% | 6939 |
| Gnome | 10% | 1734 |
| Vrock | 4% | 693 |
| Tiefling | 5% | 866 |
Government
This section, as with many will be used to list various locations keyed to their numeric references on the map.
18: High Born Quarter: This bastion houses the various nobility and ranking members of society, as well as housing City Hall itself, and town council, along with the main army barracks of the city. The houses here are opulent, many in a hybrid of the functional heavy foundation stone and mortar fashion of the tundra, but with multiple floors, the rising heights decorated in stonework, but then dyed, at great expense, to show colorful artistry in a variety of more southern stylings.
19: Romain Estates The massive manor estate of the Romain family, this property is extravagent and beautiful, many scupltors and carvings of exquisite skill depicting a variety of northern wildlife decorating the gardens. The building itself has thick crystal glass windows, many stained glass showing some of Suranth's most beautiful landscapes in glass artwork. The stonework is carved with skill and grace. The main manor house runs off into two staff homes which seem to blend right in, for though less extravagent, the workmanship is no less skilled. The estate houses some ten or so permanent staff and their families. Much of the city's legal structuring, funding, taxation policy and more, are born as ideas upon this property over informal luncheons, or social functions before actually being brought before the town hall and city council.
20: MBPD Precincts (Moss Bay Police Department): These four precincts house the Moss Bay Police Force, whom number some sixty or so officers, along with their precinct sargeants and the city's chief of police. They are responsible for investigating criminal activity, enforcing the laws, and maintaining the civil order and peace as best they can. They are also responsible for the outlying farming villages as well.
18: High Born Quarter: This bastion houses the various nobility and ranking members of society, as well as housing City Hall itself, and town council, along with the main army barracks of the city. The houses here are opulent, many in a hybrid of the functional heavy foundation stone and mortar fashion of the tundra, but with multiple floors, the rising heights decorated in stonework, but then dyed, at great expense, to show colorful artistry in a variety of more southern stylings.
19: Romain Estates The massive manor estate of the Romain family, this property is extravagent and beautiful, many scupltors and carvings of exquisite skill depicting a variety of northern wildlife decorating the gardens. The building itself has thick crystal glass windows, many stained glass showing some of Suranth's most beautiful landscapes in glass artwork. The stonework is carved with skill and grace. The main manor house runs off into two staff homes which seem to blend right in, for though less extravagent, the workmanship is no less skilled. The estate houses some ten or so permanent staff and their families. Much of the city's legal structuring, funding, taxation policy and more, are born as ideas upon this property over informal luncheons, or social functions before actually being brought before the town hall and city council.
20: MBPD Precincts (Moss Bay Police Department): These four precincts house the Moss Bay Police Force, whom number some sixty or so officers, along with their precinct sargeants and the city's chief of police. They are responsible for investigating criminal activity, enforcing the laws, and maintaining the civil order and peace as best they can. They are also responsible for the outlying farming villages as well.
Defences
3: Walls and Gates: Though beginning to become outdated, the city is proper is walled in, with a second bastion housing the city hall and its richest and wealthiest citizens and their families. The concept is beginning to become outdated but still holds value against the various monsters of the region. To account for the risk of a more...modern conflict with another fellow Ascended Nation State, such defenses have been updated to include artillery entrenchments, that is, field cannon in the guard towers. Moss Bay is no exception, and every tower is home to a gun battery of five or six large cannons.
17: Moss Bay Barracks: These large compounds house the military stationed in the city, as one would expect most large cities to have. The local recruiting and training facilities are run here. However, the one in the western part of the city also houses Grimvold Prison. The largest prison in the city, a very high security facility that can house some five hundred inmates, though it currently is only housing a hundred and fifty. Recently, there have been a rash of unexplained deaths among the inmates that have led to some rather sensational local rumors.
21: Tiber Lock Walls: These sections of the wall are a master course in complex engineering, paid for by the Romain family's trade fortunes, built by Durnist Engineers on contract, and now maintained by successful students sent abroad to An Pointe Thoir for a proper enginneering education by a local grant offered by the Romain family to the best and brightest whom do well in the city's local engineering school getting some basic education. This grant is only given out to the highest honor graduate from that basic two year program, and pays for their entire four years of structural enginneering scholarly studies, with a modest monthly stipend included to support yourself. However this grant only stays a grant if you choose to come back and work for Moss Bay, maintaining the city, specifically the Lock Walls. Otherwise it becomes a loan. These walls allow Moss Bay to control this widest and most navigatable channel in the delta coming off the Tiber, the three gates on either side the only way past.
17: Moss Bay Barracks: These large compounds house the military stationed in the city, as one would expect most large cities to have. The local recruiting and training facilities are run here. However, the one in the western part of the city also houses Grimvold Prison. The largest prison in the city, a very high security facility that can house some five hundred inmates, though it currently is only housing a hundred and fifty. Recently, there have been a rash of unexplained deaths among the inmates that have led to some rather sensational local rumors.
21: Tiber Lock Walls: These sections of the wall are a master course in complex engineering, paid for by the Romain family's trade fortunes, built by Durnist Engineers on contract, and now maintained by successful students sent abroad to An Pointe Thoir for a proper enginneering education by a local grant offered by the Romain family to the best and brightest whom do well in the city's local engineering school getting some basic education. This grant is only given out to the highest honor graduate from that basic two year program, and pays for their entire four years of structural enginneering scholarly studies, with a modest monthly stipend included to support yourself. However this grant only stays a grant if you choose to come back and work for Moss Bay, maintaining the city, specifically the Lock Walls. Otherwise it becomes a loan. These walls allow Moss Bay to control this widest and most navigatable channel in the delta coming off the Tiber, the three gates on either side the only way past.
Industry & Trade
7: Bankhead Markets: Known as a place of great market traffic and tourism traffic, due to its proximity to Parvi Field, one will find all manner of goods services across the broad spectrum here. The city's branch of the Suranthi National Bank is also located here, a busy and large building, the largest in the quarter. This market is generally known as being high end, though to claim it is a squeaky clean region would be a lie. Gambling is unavoidable with sports, and as such, even if the gambling itself is regulated (which not all of it is actually is) as soon as you have gambling, you get moneylenders, and at that point, we are off to the races. Organized crime is born and finds a grip in success.
11: Moss Bay Rail-yards: The newest boon of trade and industry, the busy railyards, a place of steam, metal, and smoke. It is always rather loud here, with two rotating shifts 12 hours each of the various labor and crews working, trains coming and going on a strict schedule, but at all hours. Here, the largest building is the rail authority, that is the sister government offices to the Port Authority, and they stand out. Besides this it is various companies offices and warehouses, the various rail providers maintaining their own staff and handling their trains. Each company has their schedule, and has their tracks and lines that they are to move their traffic to and through, as well as their own terminals for passengers they are to maintain.
13: Millworks: These various facilities are an important industrial piece of Moss Bay's economy. Mills making kelp and seaweed flour, corn flour when such is available to make, along with paper mills, saw mills and more. These large properties and facilities house these various operations, necessary infrastructure, and businesses.
15: Shallows Market: This marketplace is a bustling commerce center offering a variety of wares and services. There is a wet market here, a place where one can buy all manner of fresh meats, fish, produce off shipping vessels, and other foods, as well as a few small guild offices. However one key feature and landmark is the Port Authority, the largest building housing the offices and barracks for the local coast guard and river watch, along with shipping authorities. This neighborhood also houses a few popular eateries and taverns, including the 'Ramblin' Otter' a favorite among the local dock workers and sailors.
11: Moss Bay Rail-yards: The newest boon of trade and industry, the busy railyards, a place of steam, metal, and smoke. It is always rather loud here, with two rotating shifts 12 hours each of the various labor and crews working, trains coming and going on a strict schedule, but at all hours. Here, the largest building is the rail authority, that is the sister government offices to the Port Authority, and they stand out. Besides this it is various companies offices and warehouses, the various rail providers maintaining their own staff and handling their trains. Each company has their schedule, and has their tracks and lines that they are to move their traffic to and through, as well as their own terminals for passengers they are to maintain.
13: Millworks: These various facilities are an important industrial piece of Moss Bay's economy. Mills making kelp and seaweed flour, corn flour when such is available to make, along with paper mills, saw mills and more. These large properties and facilities house these various operations, necessary infrastructure, and businesses.
15: Shallows Market: This marketplace is a bustling commerce center offering a variety of wares and services. There is a wet market here, a place where one can buy all manner of fresh meats, fish, produce off shipping vessels, and other foods, as well as a few small guild offices. However one key feature and landmark is the Port Authority, the largest building housing the offices and barracks for the local coast guard and river watch, along with shipping authorities. This neighborhood also houses a few popular eateries and taverns, including the 'Ramblin' Otter' a favorite among the local dock workers and sailors.
Infrastructure
Moss-Cut Road: The major road that leads south to Tanglebank and beyond, eventually meeting with Storm Run. The rail system runs alongside it from Tanglebank, however in Tanglebank the rails turn west, wherease the road keeps running south. This road is well patrolled, and well maintained as it is an important trade road and defensive asset to the region.
Moss Glade Bridge, Moss-Head Bridge, Glasser Bridge: These three bridges are how the city all stays well connected within its framework. They are large constructions and always full of traffic. Glasser Bridge gets its name from the four or five glassblower operations that run near it on the mainland, seeing it used often to move goods to the docks on the island side when required, since much of that traffic will be from those glassblowers.
4: Shipyards and Docks Moss Bay is a very busy shipping port. Some three thousand of her citizens work the wide variety of jobs required upon the docks and her own modest, but notable, merchant/shipping fleet. This includes various groups and guilds, such as the Shipwrights, a subset of the Carpenters Guild, or the Stevedores, a subset of the Storemen Guild, among others. The docks are always very busy and chaotic, with plenty going on. Because of this, its well known by the seedier sort in the city that if you know the right palm or three to grease, you can move pretty much anything anywhere you'd want to.
5: Fisheries and Canneries The fishing industry and meat industry in general in the region has boomed in recent decades, seeing the FAH Guild (Fishermen and Hunters) become the second largest guild behind the Farmer's in the city. And in truth they are unified under one group, just as different subsets. Hunters are the smaller group here, though there are dozens of them, mostly hunting game birds or small-moderate game along the Glacial Sea's Coast, or on the various other spits of land in the Delta. The Canners are those whom use relatively new technology to can such goods so they may be shipped about, or keep longer. Trout, Lake Bass, Salmon when the season is right, Pike, and more are caught regularly in impressive quantities. Ducks, geese, quail, along with otter, voles and hares are the most common game animals.
8: Highcliff Points: These neighborhoods gets its name from whom lives here. These large mansions or luxury townhouse estates are home to wealthy business owners, merchant lords, the folks a step below the true nobility, the ever growing 'new money' as they are often called.
9: Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Theorems This university is one of science, specializing in geologies and soil chemistries, as well as agricultural development and sciences, though one can study a great variety of adjacent sciences here as well. They have a large library, and at any given time, the students attending number in the range of three to four thousand range. This institute is well known and recognized across Suranth as the premier land and agricultural development sciences school, and attracts a fair number of students from across Suranth, generally from well to do families whom built their fortunes within the frameworks of that sphere of industry.
10: Saint Thorgrim's Cathedral: This fortress like cathedral, with its paraprets and walls, its castle like design, with stables and a lancer training ground, ballista and cannon in evidenc in the towers and along the outer walls, is the center of religious authority in the Foljeim Province for the Kartheartian Church. This bastion of religous faith houses a variety of members of the faith from various Ords, and is a place of learning and religous education where one recieve education in scripture, holy law, martial prowess, and a wide variety of specialities therein. It is also known to have quite an extensive library, though one focused on philosophy and theology more than most anything else.
12: Midtown: These neighborhoods is where you will find the middle and upper end of the middle class, those white collar workers and their families, or those higher end blue collars sorts and their families, such as foremen, or dockmasters, etc, those sorts, whom are in charge of large work crews, or other such individuals, master tradespeople, those sorts of higher status 'regular' citizenry.
14: Talia's Gardens: This temple and masoluem is laid out basically how one would expect to find in any major town or city, the size being the only real difference. Talia, the Mother of life, the Grandmother of death, this is the city graveyard. The building is open topped, with any and all plants one can manage to grow growing all about the graveyard and masoluem, creating this tranquil 'garden' of sorts where one lays their loved ones to rest. Besides the Kartheartian priests and priestesses, members of Talia's creed are the ones you will find most commonly, generally at least one in every village, regardless of size, basically the person entrusted to give last rites and maintain the graveyards and grounds. Talia's Gardens here in Moss Bay are watched over by a handful of nuns and priests, and one or two other members of various orders of the Cult of Talia whom decided to settle down in Moss Bay.
16: Delt-banks: These neighborhoods are known for housing people of lower middle class and poorer means. Many of the dwellings are more compact, or even stacked and shared flats, simple homes in simple and limited styles, even small shack like houses. The streets are narrow, the buildings crammed together, and it is also here in this region of the city, down near the southern edges of the docks, one will come into a neighborhood known as The Shelves. This region is nothing but stacked shared dwellings of a tight size, about four square blocks of them, and these small flats are over populated. People generally are well advised, especially people of means, to avoid The Shelves.
Moss Glade Bridge, Moss-Head Bridge, Glasser Bridge: These three bridges are how the city all stays well connected within its framework. They are large constructions and always full of traffic. Glasser Bridge gets its name from the four or five glassblower operations that run near it on the mainland, seeing it used often to move goods to the docks on the island side when required, since much of that traffic will be from those glassblowers.
4: Shipyards and Docks Moss Bay is a very busy shipping port. Some three thousand of her citizens work the wide variety of jobs required upon the docks and her own modest, but notable, merchant/shipping fleet. This includes various groups and guilds, such as the Shipwrights, a subset of the Carpenters Guild, or the Stevedores, a subset of the Storemen Guild, among others. The docks are always very busy and chaotic, with plenty going on. Because of this, its well known by the seedier sort in the city that if you know the right palm or three to grease, you can move pretty much anything anywhere you'd want to.
5: Fisheries and Canneries The fishing industry and meat industry in general in the region has boomed in recent decades, seeing the FAH Guild (Fishermen and Hunters) become the second largest guild behind the Farmer's in the city. And in truth they are unified under one group, just as different subsets. Hunters are the smaller group here, though there are dozens of them, mostly hunting game birds or small-moderate game along the Glacial Sea's Coast, or on the various other spits of land in the Delta. The Canners are those whom use relatively new technology to can such goods so they may be shipped about, or keep longer. Trout, Lake Bass, Salmon when the season is right, Pike, and more are caught regularly in impressive quantities. Ducks, geese, quail, along with otter, voles and hares are the most common game animals.
8: Highcliff Points: These neighborhoods gets its name from whom lives here. These large mansions or luxury townhouse estates are home to wealthy business owners, merchant lords, the folks a step below the true nobility, the ever growing 'new money' as they are often called.
9: Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Theorems This university is one of science, specializing in geologies and soil chemistries, as well as agricultural development and sciences, though one can study a great variety of adjacent sciences here as well. They have a large library, and at any given time, the students attending number in the range of three to four thousand range. This institute is well known and recognized across Suranth as the premier land and agricultural development sciences school, and attracts a fair number of students from across Suranth, generally from well to do families whom built their fortunes within the frameworks of that sphere of industry.
10: Saint Thorgrim's Cathedral: This fortress like cathedral, with its paraprets and walls, its castle like design, with stables and a lancer training ground, ballista and cannon in evidenc in the towers and along the outer walls, is the center of religious authority in the Foljeim Province for the Kartheartian Church. This bastion of religous faith houses a variety of members of the faith from various Ords, and is a place of learning and religous education where one recieve education in scripture, holy law, martial prowess, and a wide variety of specialities therein. It is also known to have quite an extensive library, though one focused on philosophy and theology more than most anything else.
12: Midtown: These neighborhoods is where you will find the middle and upper end of the middle class, those white collar workers and their families, or those higher end blue collars sorts and their families, such as foremen, or dockmasters, etc, those sorts, whom are in charge of large work crews, or other such individuals, master tradespeople, those sorts of higher status 'regular' citizenry.
14: Talia's Gardens: This temple and masoluem is laid out basically how one would expect to find in any major town or city, the size being the only real difference. Talia, the Mother of life, the Grandmother of death, this is the city graveyard. The building is open topped, with any and all plants one can manage to grow growing all about the graveyard and masoluem, creating this tranquil 'garden' of sorts where one lays their loved ones to rest. Besides the Kartheartian priests and priestesses, members of Talia's creed are the ones you will find most commonly, generally at least one in every village, regardless of size, basically the person entrusted to give last rites and maintain the graveyards and grounds. Talia's Gardens here in Moss Bay are watched over by a handful of nuns and priests, and one or two other members of various orders of the Cult of Talia whom decided to settle down in Moss Bay.
16: Delt-banks: These neighborhoods are known for housing people of lower middle class and poorer means. Many of the dwellings are more compact, or even stacked and shared flats, simple homes in simple and limited styles, even small shack like houses. The streets are narrow, the buildings crammed together, and it is also here in this region of the city, down near the southern edges of the docks, one will come into a neighborhood known as The Shelves. This region is nothing but stacked shared dwellings of a tight size, about four square blocks of them, and these small flats are over populated. People generally are well advised, especially people of means, to avoid The Shelves.
Assets
Moss Bay counts a great deal of wealth amongst her assets, and this is in both coin and natural resources, and a big part of this is naturally their positioning to control the Tiber Delta, and well, the Parvi Moss led agricultural industry, one of only two agricultural industries large enough to actually discuss as well, industries, in Suranth.
Being the trade port that it is, along the Tiber, one of Valerick's river super-highways, powder and shot are readily and regularly available. As such, defensively, one of the biggest assets are the cannon batteries within the wall towers. Besides this the city's biggest asset is of course, Parvi, the moss which gives Moss Bay its name.
Being the trade port that it is, along the Tiber, one of Valerick's river super-highways, powder and shot are readily and regularly available. As such, defensively, one of the biggest assets are the cannon batteries within the wall towers. Besides this the city's biggest asset is of course, Parvi, the moss which gives Moss Bay its name.
Guilds and Factions
There are many and various guilds and factions in a city this big, as one might expect. Pretty much every trade is technically part of a guild, though if that guild holds a permenant office or guild hall in the city is rather dependant on the number of such tradespeople. Many guilds with a smaller presence run their operations out of a rented part of the office buildings of guilds with more presence in the city. Those listed here are going to only be the six biggest, that is the most numerous by number of members, whom by virtue of this, hold a lot of notable sway on various societal aspects within and around the city. Besides the guilds, whom will be covered first, you also have various other factions, like the Kartheartian and Talian Churches, the MBPD, various businesses and companies, noble families, along with even criminal groups. The ones covered here are merely the ones that would be very well known/very easy to find out about even for new comers. They are the big and visible ones.
Farmer's and Agricultural Caretaker's Guild: Also known as the FAC Guild for short, this is by far and away the largest guild in Moss Bay, counting among her members some four thousand or so members. They have small subdivisions within the overall structure, recognizing different professions, such as; Farm Hand (laborer), Parvi Farmer, Poultry Farmer, Sheep or Goat Herder, Kelp Farmer, Crop Farmer, Agricultural Engineers and so forth. They wield a great deal of influence in Moss Bay, and have the largest Guild Hall in the city, and even that is incapable of housing all their members at once. They are the people whom feed the city, and as such also hold a lot of power at the bargaining table whenever the time comes to negotiate property tax rates, land prices and more, as unlike many whom control price of their goods or services and not much else in their contracts, the FAC Guild hold enough sway that they get to vote on any updates and changes to Moss Bay property taxes, along with bulk produce tax and income tax legislations. These sorts of updates occur every five years. The FAC Guild and the rest of city council sit and try and come up with a proposal. However if Town Council passes it, the FAC Guildmaster then takes it back and over the course of a week, every member will travel to Moss Bay, and hear a breakdown of the proposed updates, and cast a blind vote to accept it, or strike. Thankfully, in the forty or so years the FAC Guild has been around, they've not voted to strike as of yet. This is the second year of the current agreement.
Fishermen, Hunters and Trappers Guild: The FHT Guild, whom also get an acronym, are the combined guild whom hunt, fish and trap the lands and waters around and in the delta and bay. This guild, again, whilst handling the negotiations with the contract between the labor force and fisheries, butchers and tanners and the likes for their goods and the fair rate of pay for their members services as well, the main function, similar to the FAC Guild, is negotiating the various allowances and rates for the licenses and permissions to hunt, trap or fish any of the lands around the city herself, that count as being part of Kassandra Romain's estate directly. Most of this is merely negotiating the fees and percentages of catches/prey to be taken off the top by the city, the fair pricing and standards of meat and fish to be sold for sapient consumption. The FHT Guild counts near two thousand people amongst its membership.
Packers and Loaders Guild This guild and its chapters cover nearly another thousand citizens. Dock workers, Stevedores, Rail Rats, and Smoke Monkeys. These professions that deal with the heavy work on the docks and rail yards, loading and unloading cargo, warehousing it, sorting and loading fuel for the locomotives, cleaning the smoke stacks, cleaning the docks and decks of ships. These folk all fall into this guild and are members
Traveler's Guild: This guild represents another important group, that is the Coachmen, Boatmen, Huffers, and Conductors whom call the city home. These folks and their crews/trainees make up some eight or nine hundred or so people, yet another guild with great weight and societal influence due to their size.
Carpenter's Guild: This guild holds some five hundred members and covers in its umbrella the shipwrights, whom make up a notable majority of its membership, along with framers for houses and other structures, and furniture makers.
Stoneworker's Guild: This guild is made up of bricklayers, stone-masons, sculptors, and anyone else who's primary job is to work with or shape stone in some way. This guild also has around four hundred members in the city.
The rest of the guilds membership counts are naturally far lower, but many have their presence. Tanners, Dyers, Brewers, Smithies and Metal-workers, Glass-blowers and more all hold some presence, even with but a handful of members and only one or two fully licensed craftsmen.
Kartheartian Church Run here by an old dwarven priest by the name of Grigor Valismac Undar, the church has a rather large scale presence in and around Moss Bay, with some two hundred or so members of various Ords working tending to cathedral in the city, or traveling among the little farming communities that surround the main city, maintaining their chapels, offering sermons, and providing for and caretaking the grounds of the buildings themselves. They are very active in the community, and generally respected and well liked.
Moss Bay Police Force: Numbering some sixty or more officers, along with their sargeants, and precinct lieutenants, the Moss Bay Police Force is a well run organization that for the most part, does a respectable, if not perfect, job for what it is intended to do. Crime is kept at a manageable level, the rates of violent crime in the city are rather low, and in general people are happy enough with their local cops. One of the more well liked police forces of any in any city in Suranth. The current chief of police, one Lukas Vandersson, a career officer whom now enjoys his cushy desk position after thirty years serving the 'beat' as its called amongst those on the force.
Black Bull Gang: One of the two more notorious street gangs and syndicates in Moss Bay, believed to number some forty to sixty active members, as well as dozens of 'unmarked' supporters, they are primarily engaged in smuggling of goods via the rails and rivers. Some more wild stories do suggest that their 'goods' can sometimes be people, but if there is any such trafficking, there is no official record of it, no such vessel has ever been seized or rail car successfully searched, at least not for people. The gang is run by an unknown figure who goes by the moniker 'The Dealer'.
The Whitewood Syndicate Another notorious criminal syndicate, this one the larger one controlling most of the illicit money laundering and gambling in the city, their base of operations roughly in and around Parvi Field. Unlike the Black Bull Gang, this group are uncomfortably a part of society more directly, and the police have been very frustrated trying to do much of anything against this group. The Whitewood family, whom built their fortune in construction four or five human generations back when Moss Bay proper was expanding and needing to do so rapidly. However once the VCL started, very quickly Thomas and Andrew Whitewood realized the potential opportunity for making good money, and in less than three years, they had a tidy and large syndicate running. Now its estimated that the gang itself, counting leadership, likely numbers some forty or fifty direct members. A year ago there were rumors of a power struggle between the brothers, and six months later, Andrew's head showed up on the steps of Saint Thorgrim's Cathedral, his widow and two boys not seen nor heard from again. The local police are quite certain that Thomas did it, however with little to no proof, Thomas' connections in high society, and his friends in high places, being quite rich and all, they've been able to do nothing.
I would again remind GMs and players alike the above is by no means a comprehensive list. I did not even mention the Romain family, as an obvious example. The point was to give a very large and broad overview. Feel free to subdivide, add, make up, or otherwise any new or current factions listed here as needed. Good luck!!
Farmer's and Agricultural Caretaker's Guild: Also known as the FAC Guild for short, this is by far and away the largest guild in Moss Bay, counting among her members some four thousand or so members. They have small subdivisions within the overall structure, recognizing different professions, such as; Farm Hand (laborer), Parvi Farmer, Poultry Farmer, Sheep or Goat Herder, Kelp Farmer, Crop Farmer, Agricultural Engineers and so forth. They wield a great deal of influence in Moss Bay, and have the largest Guild Hall in the city, and even that is incapable of housing all their members at once. They are the people whom feed the city, and as such also hold a lot of power at the bargaining table whenever the time comes to negotiate property tax rates, land prices and more, as unlike many whom control price of their goods or services and not much else in their contracts, the FAC Guild hold enough sway that they get to vote on any updates and changes to Moss Bay property taxes, along with bulk produce tax and income tax legislations. These sorts of updates occur every five years. The FAC Guild and the rest of city council sit and try and come up with a proposal. However if Town Council passes it, the FAC Guildmaster then takes it back and over the course of a week, every member will travel to Moss Bay, and hear a breakdown of the proposed updates, and cast a blind vote to accept it, or strike. Thankfully, in the forty or so years the FAC Guild has been around, they've not voted to strike as of yet. This is the second year of the current agreement.
Fishermen, Hunters and Trappers Guild: The FHT Guild, whom also get an acronym, are the combined guild whom hunt, fish and trap the lands and waters around and in the delta and bay. This guild, again, whilst handling the negotiations with the contract between the labor force and fisheries, butchers and tanners and the likes for their goods and the fair rate of pay for their members services as well, the main function, similar to the FAC Guild, is negotiating the various allowances and rates for the licenses and permissions to hunt, trap or fish any of the lands around the city herself, that count as being part of Kassandra Romain's estate directly. Most of this is merely negotiating the fees and percentages of catches/prey to be taken off the top by the city, the fair pricing and standards of meat and fish to be sold for sapient consumption. The FHT Guild counts near two thousand people amongst its membership.
Packers and Loaders Guild This guild and its chapters cover nearly another thousand citizens. Dock workers, Stevedores, Rail Rats, and Smoke Monkeys. These professions that deal with the heavy work on the docks and rail yards, loading and unloading cargo, warehousing it, sorting and loading fuel for the locomotives, cleaning the smoke stacks, cleaning the docks and decks of ships. These folk all fall into this guild and are members
Traveler's Guild: This guild represents another important group, that is the Coachmen, Boatmen, Huffers, and Conductors whom call the city home. These folks and their crews/trainees make up some eight or nine hundred or so people, yet another guild with great weight and societal influence due to their size.
Carpenter's Guild: This guild holds some five hundred members and covers in its umbrella the shipwrights, whom make up a notable majority of its membership, along with framers for houses and other structures, and furniture makers.
Stoneworker's Guild: This guild is made up of bricklayers, stone-masons, sculptors, and anyone else who's primary job is to work with or shape stone in some way. This guild also has around four hundred members in the city.
The rest of the guilds membership counts are naturally far lower, but many have their presence. Tanners, Dyers, Brewers, Smithies and Metal-workers, Glass-blowers and more all hold some presence, even with but a handful of members and only one or two fully licensed craftsmen.
Kartheartian Church Run here by an old dwarven priest by the name of Grigor Valismac Undar, the church has a rather large scale presence in and around Moss Bay, with some two hundred or so members of various Ords working tending to cathedral in the city, or traveling among the little farming communities that surround the main city, maintaining their chapels, offering sermons, and providing for and caretaking the grounds of the buildings themselves. They are very active in the community, and generally respected and well liked.
Moss Bay Police Force: Numbering some sixty or more officers, along with their sargeants, and precinct lieutenants, the Moss Bay Police Force is a well run organization that for the most part, does a respectable, if not perfect, job for what it is intended to do. Crime is kept at a manageable level, the rates of violent crime in the city are rather low, and in general people are happy enough with their local cops. One of the more well liked police forces of any in any city in Suranth. The current chief of police, one Lukas Vandersson, a career officer whom now enjoys his cushy desk position after thirty years serving the 'beat' as its called amongst those on the force.
Black Bull Gang: One of the two more notorious street gangs and syndicates in Moss Bay, believed to number some forty to sixty active members, as well as dozens of 'unmarked' supporters, they are primarily engaged in smuggling of goods via the rails and rivers. Some more wild stories do suggest that their 'goods' can sometimes be people, but if there is any such trafficking, there is no official record of it, no such vessel has ever been seized or rail car successfully searched, at least not for people. The gang is run by an unknown figure who goes by the moniker 'The Dealer'.
The Whitewood Syndicate Another notorious criminal syndicate, this one the larger one controlling most of the illicit money laundering and gambling in the city, their base of operations roughly in and around Parvi Field. Unlike the Black Bull Gang, this group are uncomfortably a part of society more directly, and the police have been very frustrated trying to do much of anything against this group. The Whitewood family, whom built their fortune in construction four or five human generations back when Moss Bay proper was expanding and needing to do so rapidly. However once the VCL started, very quickly Thomas and Andrew Whitewood realized the potential opportunity for making good money, and in less than three years, they had a tidy and large syndicate running. Now its estimated that the gang itself, counting leadership, likely numbers some forty or fifty direct members. A year ago there were rumors of a power struggle between the brothers, and six months later, Andrew's head showed up on the steps of Saint Thorgrim's Cathedral, his widow and two boys not seen nor heard from again. The local police are quite certain that Thomas did it, however with little to no proof, Thomas' connections in high society, and his friends in high places, being quite rich and all, they've been able to do nothing.
I would again remind GMs and players alike the above is by no means a comprehensive list. I did not even mention the Romain family, as an obvious example. The point was to give a very large and broad overview. Feel free to subdivide, add, make up, or otherwise any new or current factions listed here as needed. Good luck!!
History
1523-1526 SuD: Moss Bay was one of the last cities to experience any of the violence from this conflict once it started, but eventually it traveled here too. Though here it remained mostly a low casualty and low intensity conflict. That is not to say no one died, indeed a couple hundred in all categories; that is civilians, rail rioters, and law enforcement; died over the three or so year conflict. You can read more on the inciting incident for the conflict, that is to say the reason it travelled even so far south along the rails to effect Moss Bay, on the other side of the country from Geata-Iarainn, here: Geata Rail Riots-Foundry Platform Bombing
Tourism
6: Parvi Field: Moss Bay is large enough a market to house Suranth's second team in the VCL, that is the continent wide league for Caid. Parvi Field is their home field, an open to the air stadium that can seat some nine thousand people. They are a much smaller market than Geata-Iarainn of course, but the two teams are fiercely competitive, and have a strong rivalry in the league's Nor'West Division. The Moss Bay Millers have never won the Valarian Cup, but have come out of the North Conference as the finalist once, in the league's third year of existence. Last year they took the Guardians to game seven of their best of seven series in the divisional finals, but lost as the Guardians made their way to their second title in five years. However, besides finishing fifth and outside the playoffs in the league's first year, the Millers have always been in the mix, never missing the playoffs, and have never been beaten in less than seven games. They've a loyal fan base, and as such, its a big income draw for the region, for wealthy folks love to come in for a weekend to catch a game, and even middle class and working class folks in the city will pack the nosebleed sections regularly. The stadium is also used for other activities as well, like most across Suranth, during the off season or if the Millers are on a particularly long road trip, like their once a year trips to through the two southern divisions to play each of those five teams. The atmosphere in and surround the city is electric this year however in regards to the sport, for the Millers have made a big addition, poaching one Ivan Kenwick, who was the league's leading scorer last season, from their rivals in Geata Iarainn. He is under contract with the Millers for the next five years, for a very hefty salary. The best part for fans? He is young, only twenty-three, meaning the young centerman hasn't even hit his peak yet. The season opens in two weeks, with the Guardians visiting Parvi Field, a rivalry renewing matchup to open the year. Its all that's on anyone's lips in town when it comes to matters of entertainment.
Architecture
Moss Bay is a city built to impress. Timber buildings are moderately present, though stonework dominates most business and high end sections of the city. New age iron and metal framing can be seen in newer buildings, especially amongst the rail yards store houses, platforms and maintenance buildings. The stonework is more artistic in nature visibly, than in many other cities in Suranth. That is not to say it is more or less skilled, just more visible in its artistic presence and flourishes, with more artistic carvings and sculptings done, and less pragmatic geometric style artistic finish than youd expect if judging things by the standards of any of Suranth's other major cities. The stone here varies, as do the colors of the timber buildings as well, given this is a trade port, one can, if they've the coin, arrange to acquire a wide variety of materials of choice.
Geography
Built at such a key location, in control of the most navigatible channel of the Tiber Delta, surrounded by rather fertile ground, with control over the Parvi fields, Moss Bay is an economic center well placed. It is also a picturesque city, build against a backdrop in the distance on clear days, of tundra lowlands, with the Glass-Spear Peaks just visible in her backdrop, tickling and breaking the skyline to the east, though at a great distance. There is a stark, but colorful in its own way, beauty to the region. The view out into the Glacial Sea is exquisite, especially on summer mornings, when the sun is rising to the east, its light dancing all about the ice and water creating areas of dancing color and light on the surface and horizon of the massive lake, the effect further enhanced by the morning mist that always rises with the sun along the lake's coast.
Natural Resources
1: Parvi Farms Moss Bay's biggest economic export is Parvi, a moss commonly known as Breadmoss, that grows rapidly and with ease here. These farms are the economic base upon which the city is built, and because of this, and these farms, though they do now grow a select variety of other crops, every farmer knows that to make good coin, 60-70% of your fields best be Parvi Moss. The farmers also wield significant influence because of this, even formally recognized as a Guild within the city, with elected representation on city council.
2: Tiber Delta: This natural resource, where the Tiber flows into the Glacial Sea, allows the city to tap into that water flow for all manner of purposes. Fishing fleets are quite successful, the fishermen another large and notable guild, as the bay is teeming with all manner of fish. They control the widest and least treacherous of the channels of the delta, and as such, most vessels would rather pay the moderate fee to pass through over risk getting hung up on a gravel bank in one of the other channels. Indeed under Suranthi law, funny enough, it is illegal for any foreign vessel to pass through the Tiber Delta by any channel but through Moss Bay. A law that Lady Protectorate Romain insures is quite heavily enforced in the region. The consistent and quick flow of the Tiber is also tapped into for all manner of mills.
Various kelps and seaweeds are also harvested, and paper mills are successful here, a boon to industry. A wide variety of local wild plants of a great variety of colors also see dye production being a rather successful industry. Moss Bay is about as ideally located as one could hope in this tundra land, able to tap into almost every resource such a land can offer in abundance, and those few she lacks, like stone, she can trade for. She is one of the richest and fastest growing cities in all of Suranth.
2: Tiber Delta: This natural resource, where the Tiber flows into the Glacial Sea, allows the city to tap into that water flow for all manner of purposes. Fishing fleets are quite successful, the fishermen another large and notable guild, as the bay is teeming with all manner of fish. They control the widest and least treacherous of the channels of the delta, and as such, most vessels would rather pay the moderate fee to pass through over risk getting hung up on a gravel bank in one of the other channels. Indeed under Suranthi law, funny enough, it is illegal for any foreign vessel to pass through the Tiber Delta by any channel but through Moss Bay. A law that Lady Protectorate Romain insures is quite heavily enforced in the region. The consistent and quick flow of the Tiber is also tapped into for all manner of mills.
Various kelps and seaweeds are also harvested, and paper mills are successful here, a boon to industry. A wide variety of local wild plants of a great variety of colors also see dye production being a rather successful industry. Moss Bay is about as ideally located as one could hope in this tundra land, able to tap into almost every resource such a land can offer in abundance, and those few she lacks, like stone, she can trade for. She is one of the richest and fastest growing cities in all of Suranth.
Maps
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Moss Bay
The seat of power of the Romain Family, and the principal city of the Foljeim Province.
Population
16817
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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