Saaniema
At a Glance
The town of Saaniema is dwarfed by the massive stonework foundation on the Island of Ucea to the east. The shadows of towering unfinished sconeworks and crumbling walls cloak Saaniema in the early morning before the sun climbs over the ruins.
The people are friendly enough in a condescending way. They are proud of their brief pass in front of the eyes of the world and Saaniema's widely recognized name (see Special Notes, below). Strangers and their coins are always welcome, although the young men test braggarts with challenges to wrestling matches, and rudeness from foreigners is not tolerated.
Temples
The Temple of Armed Conflict holds a prestigious position in the city, and its Cleric, Major Baenar is an important man in the city. His kennels of trained war dogs are highly esteemed, and his riding skill is second to none (at least none locally).
Keeper of Harmony Tuulloor Meamon recently returned from her faith's required year-long mission of peace. The ungrateful natives of the Obakasek Jungle gouged our her eyes when she announced that she was leaving. Somehow she managed to return to Saaniema and continues to lead her faith.
Lesser temples include the Face of the Free, the Fraternal Order of Aptitude, the Church of Chance, and the Congregation of the Dead. The Congregation of the Dead follows Malefactor Paar Hamion, a bitter person who hares women of all races.
Mages & Sages
Invar is an eccentric Gnome and gem cutter who lives to search for valuable gems. He spends three seasons our of the year polishing stones in Saaniema and spends the other alone or among kin in the Counai Heights. His spells deal with metals and minerals, especially jewels.
Aacuna the Outsider is less selective in his use of the elements. Known also as Aacuna the Summoner, he calls upon eiementals of all types. He enchanted the famous blade Mother of Pearly by combining the efforts of all the genie types.
Underworld
The Trollslayers claim descent from a company by that name that achieved great deeds. They number only fifteen, but the senior members of this band are determined to regain the glory Saaniema once saw. So far, they include several important militia leaders, two merchants, and a collection of armorers and smiths. Despite their lofty goals, they have divisive leadership and no specific methods of attaining their goal.
Meanwhile, the Trollslayers stir up trouble just on general principles, thinking that anything that undermines the current government might present an opportunity to improve their position. They indulge in arson, vandalism, and other crimes against property. They do not wish to attract anger by hurting people of their own town, but they might mug outsiders if they think they can do so with impunity.
Government
Saaniema's government For a rime was a Zoan-imposed martial law, and then a republic, with the initial leaders chosen from farmers and ranchers around the dry. These leaders wrote a charter for government and presented it to the Zoan military governor, who approved it and withdrew his troops.
The present government is an assembly of landowners, artisans and merchants who Form the real legislative and executive power behind a weak count. Count Eilan has tried to gain a power base by donating to the temples, hiring a weak mercenary force (the eighteen-man strong Dx-jaw Company), and negotiating trade agreements with Aasaer and Irontop. The Assembly vetoed the trade agreement with lrontop because they fear Kalamaran expansion, and Eilan's other plans suffer from limited funding, since the Count's lands are barely self-sufficient.
Industry & Trade
Saaniema, like hundreds of Reanaarese cities, derives most of its food and resources from the bay. Local crops include rye. wheat, and weevily cotton.
Husband men raise ponies, scrawny goats, chickens and foul-tempered hogs (domesticated only recently). The city's "cash crop" is shrimp, which they haul in during late spring, summer, and early fall. During cooler months, hungry sea monsters make voyages to the shrimps' richest feeding grounds too dangerous. During the right months, a lucky shrimper might earn enough to feed his family for years.
An unlucky shrimper might feed a Family of sea lions for minutes.
Points of interest
The rocky Island of Ucea harbors no undead among its ruins, but it does house several dangerous predators. Giant scorpions, dire rats, otyughs, and green slimes make it a dangerous place to tread. Despite the hazards, adventurers sometimes search there, either For the relatively "safe" challenge or (for those in the know) looking for a collection of armor, shield, and spear belonging to Bezian's chief general, the dread Abuono (see below).