Tesora D'Mar (Teh-Soar-Ah Dah-Mahr)

Part of a much larger merfolk empire, the city of Tesora d'Mar is unique for its rich culture and radiant beauty. Founded a millenia ago by a religious order, the city grew to become one of the most powerful city-states in merfolk territory. The precious resources mined from Cipactli’s Trench are exported throughout the empire, supporting much of Tesora d'Mar’s economy. The warm, clean waters teem with merfolk-bred schools of fish and floating gardens. Local ranchers bring in their hand-raised seahorses and sharks for high prices at the lively marketplace.
The rolling beauty of Tesora d'Mar is undeniable. The sun’s rays are caught in the Coral Palace’s spires and sent down to illuminate the entire city. During the day, golden beams of light dance through the water, creating breathtaking vistas over the city. When the sun has set, the city comes to life with the use of glowstone-powered lanterns. Massive floating glass orbs slowly burn through powdered Glowstone- the light emitted from the lantern is a calming soft blue. From above, the placement of structures on the seabed create whimsical, branching patterns. The shells used in construction refract the light from above, creating a sweeping "twinkling" effect.
The city of Tesora d'Mar began as a small monastic order, supported by the merfolk hero, Duquesa Celida. A small town grew around the monastery and after the discovery of glowstone in Cipactli’s Trench, merfolk and other creatures from all corners of the sea flocked to the boomtown. The settlement rapidly swelled in size – artisans, ranchers, merchants, and thieves reshape the quiet devout village. Hundreds of years later, Tesora d'Mar is largely shaped by its rich history.
The residents of Tesora d'Mar tend to be more eccentric and free-spirited than merfolk who live closer to the sunken empire’s capital. The city is farther away from the rest of the scattershot empire, allowing for a greater degree of autonomy. They prefer to keep only a small militia guard, rather than the empire’s regimented army. Merfolk from outside the region view merfolk from Tesora d'Mar as reckless and extravagant. But to the citizens of Tesora d'Mar, they work dangerous professions and live on the outskirts of safety. They live their lives to the fullest and take pleasure in enjoying the fine things they’ve earned.
The majority of merfolk citizens identify as practicing worshipers of Scur the Wrathful - Goddess of the Ocean, Mother Aseyra, or Wallala’lee-o, or some combination of all three. Mother Aseyra appears as a resplendent white and gold merfolk woman of massive size. She watches over her merfolk children and protects them from harm. Wallala’lee-o is a mischievous undersea god, often appearing as a school of brilliant silvery fish. They encourage the creatures of the ocean to work together and break through the waves. Each god has a massive, dedicated temple in the Xuaculti district. Though he lacks a proper temple, several small shrines to Chidna line the streets of Xuaculti. The merfolk make offerings of food and coin to appease the angry crustacean god so that he may spare the city his wrath.
Three major festivals define the city’s annual life. Outside of the Abysmo Festival, Wallala’lee-o’s Days and the New Tides Festival bring tourists and tradespeople into the city. Merfolk who do not work with glowstone typically spend the year in preparation for these festivals and the city becomes sleepy and quiet in the months between celebrations. The citizens use this time to prepare giant seahorses for action, butcher and cure shark meat, and craft wondrous items from glowstone.
Glowstone mining is a particularly dangerous occupation in Tesora d'Mar, but the rewards for a haul are worth the risk to the brave miners. Glowstone appears throughout Cipactli’s Trench, the near-bottomless trench bordering the North side of the city. Mining operations have depleted much of the glowstone near the top of the trench, forcing miners to go down deeper in search of glowstone deposits. The pressure at those deep levels can be excruciating, and it is well known that monsters prowl those shadowed depths.
In more recent years, the city’s reputation as a venue for giant seahorse races has risen greatly. Local ranchers would often test their skill against one-another in informal races for pride and the rights over seahorse litters. This competition grew into a full sport and since the completion of Pominguez Stadium three decades ago, a major tourist attraction. During a festival, the stadium is packed with spectators and near-constant entertainment. Outside of festival season, the citizens will host nightly races and similar competitions within the stadium. Untested racers and nervous ranchers hone their skill in preparation for larger crowds. Access to the stadium is free, and most citizens spend at least one or two nights a week at the stadium to cheer on their favorite racers or watch their preferred event.
The Lightning Mine is an infamous glowstone mine near the top of the trench. Eight years ago, a massive vein of glowstone was uncovered, leading to the rapid creation of a complex system of caverns dug into the sides of the trench. The haul was unlike anything the city had seen in centuries and reignited a glowstone frenzy among miners. It is unclear what exactly transpired, but after a year of incredible yields from the mine, the laborers uncovered a foriegn artifact preserved within the glowstone. Survivors of the accident claim the glowstone "spoke to them" before igniting itself and sending endless streams of wicked lightning through the mine. Dozens of miners were killed and those who survived were left rattled after the incident, unable to bring themselves to mine more glowstone after the incident. The Lightning Mine stands open, though the jagged edge of endless lightning and rumors of thunder demons have kept the curious away.
For centuries, Tesora d'Mar’s Thieves' Guild acted with some sense of rule and order. But with the arrival of the Marlobo gang in the city, it’s been open war between the two factions. The Thieves' Guild operates illegal gambling halls and smuggling rings. The Marlobos favor muggings, protection racketeering and extortion, and share no reservation about using murder to acquire wealth. The two organizations came to violence when a group of Marlobos robbed a Thieves’ Guild den. The violence spilled into the streets, creating a dangerous public menace. Though their leader was imprisoned, the Marlobo’s hideout within an abandoned glowstone processing workshop remains undiscovered and heavily guarded by violent gang members.
After Duquesa Celida’s death, her body was interred by her order. This burial site is now covered by the temple to Mother Aseyra, deep below in the flooded catacombs. The catacombs are now crawling with mysterious horrors and fiends - bones of unprepared explorers litter the twisting corridors . Those who reach the forgotten tomb claim to feel the hero’s presence calling out for her famed sword, Brightscale. Due to the danger, the high-priest of Mother Aseyra forbade all from entering into the catacombs. She is currently considering going as far as sealing the entrance to prevent the horrors within from entering the temple.

Type

Large city