Endhome
The port city of Endhome is surrounded by a 20-foot-high stone wall with para¬pets and towers that is split in two by the Gaelon River. Many sailing ships are docked here or moored in the river awaiting cargo.
Endhome does not engage in the sort of far-reaching political machinations that Bard’s Gate does, and over time, it seems likely that Bard’s Gate will eclipse Endhome for the role of the continent’s trade capital. It is already possible, and even quite likely, that Bard’s Gate’s far-flung network of investments and businesses, seen as a whole, represents a larger role in commerce than Endhome’s role as a center of trade.
This independent seaport conducts business with whomever it chooses regardless of their political leanings or affiliations. Its bustling docks and warehouses teem with all manner of goods ranging from foodstuffs and livestock imported from the surrounding countryside to exotic materials shipped or hauled to the seaport from distant lands. Endhome makes it fortune assessing a small tax on every product entering the city regardless of whether it arrived here in a merchant’s purse, in a caravan wagon, or in the hold of a massive barge. Nothing hits the shelves until the city gets its fair share for providing a neutral forum for trade.
History and People
The city of Endhome was originally a small trading post on the eastern coast of Akados, founded by the Hyperboreans at the site of a native fishing village. A sleepy and relatively quiet place for much of the Hyperborean Age, Endhome endured storms, pirates, and the occasional monster raid to grow into a significant port by the end of the long Pax Hyperborea. By this time, the city had gained the (possibly self-applied) moniker of the “Trading Capital of the Continent,” and ships from a dozen realms made landfall here to load and offload their cargos.
Endhome experienced a streak of uncommon luck in the following years as it survived the disastrous pole shift, the destruction of the Tower of Oerson, and the massive fires that followed.
The departure of the Imperial Court in 2499 I.R. left Endhome without any superior authority, and the nobles who were left behind agreed to form a 50-member senate to govern until the Hyperboreans’ expected return.
Of course, the Hyperboreans did not return, and the senate became a permanent fixture, electing a governor every six years and managing a still-successful and prosperous port city. Endhome’s importance to the sea trade helped keep it independent as King Macobert expanded the Kingdom of Foere into a continent-spanning empire, and played an important role as a transportation and supply hub from 2900 I.R. to 3100 I.R. as the Huun threat to Foere grew and the four great crusades were declared. The fourth and final crusade that succeeded in freeing the Sacred Table and Tircople in 3207 I.R. set sail from Endhome’s harbor. Endhome’s cooperation and friendship helped save Foere and cemented the city’s independence. All the same, the city was not entirely free of Foerdewaith influence, for a garrison and fleet were permanently stationed there, ostensibly to protect the eastern coast from invasion and to keep the region’s three vital roads — the Soldiers Road, the King’s Road, and Trader’s Way — free from banditry.
The situation did not trouble Endhome unduly for a decade or so, until the Foerdewaith Wars of Succession erupted. When the grand admiral of Pontus Tinigal rebelled against Foere and founded the Kingdom of Oceanus with him at its head as “Emperor of the Oceans Blue,” Endhome was caught between warring factions. The disastrous Battle of Kapichi Point made matters worse, increasing Oceanus’ influence in the region. After long and bitter debate, the Endhome senate declared its neutrality in 3217 I.R. and expelled the Foerdewaith garrison.
It was a slight that the overking could not ignore, and the following year Foere marched on Endhome, intending to besiege and conquer the city. Faced with destruction, Endhome entered into desperate negotiations with the Kingdom of Burgundia. As the Foerdewaith army drew near Endhome, a massive Burgundian force appeared on its flank and forced its withdrawal. The “siege” of Endhome was over before it began, and without bloodshed.
Unfortunately, the respite proved brief, and the Oceanders exploited the chaos, occupying Endhome and declaring it subject to the emperor’s law. Fortunately, the Oceanders’ occupation proved brief, and an uprising in 3221 I.R. forced the withdrawal of Oceanus’ garrison. Occupied by the Burgundian revolution, the overking of Foere had no stomach for a two-front war and agreed to allow Endhome its continued independence.
Endhome has remained in its role as a trading hub ever since, joining with Sunderland, Suilley, and the Duchy of the Rampart to establish the trading post of Grollek’s Grove in 3423 I.R.
One of the city’s most famous institutions — the Endhome Academy of Wizardry, Alchemy and Arcane Knowledge — is almost as old as the city itself and has grown along with Endhome. Founded in the earliest days of the Hyperborean Age by the wizard Basil Strom, the academy’s influence has much to do with the city’s continued neutrality, for its doors are open to all who wish to learn the ways of arcane magic, and many arcane practitioners make the equivalent of a religious pilgrimage to acquire mystical knowledge and peruse its collection of tomes and rare writings. Many consider the renowned magical institute to be the finest training program for wizards on the continent, though its vaunted library rarely lives up to the hyperbole surrounding it.
Outside the academy, Endhome remains a wealthy and influential city, though some fear that the governor and the system that keeps him in place may be evolving into an effective oligarchy. Several influential families, including the Quinchinos, the Gaspars, and the Pulantis, have kept Governor Ranlan Pool in office for many years, though many rumors circulating about these families accuse them of everything from banditry to demon worship and everything in between. Much of Endhome is indeed corrupt and decadent, but this corruption has yet to significantly impair the city.
Religion
Endhome’s religion is complex, with some following the teachings of the Foerdewaith deities Thyr and Muir, whose priests maintain small temples. Many Endhomers devote themselves to the neutral Jamboor, God of Death, Knowledge and Magic. Jamboor’s is not an especially morbid faith despite its god’s domains, for most adherents see death as a part of the normal cycle of life. Spellcasters and scholars are especially devoted to Jamboor’s worship. Solanus, the Gentle Goddess of the Sun and Healing, is also venerated in the city, and her clerics are in many of the communities surrounding Endhome. Solanus’ clerics are often found as adventurers or accompanying the army into battle. Last of Endhome’s deities is the fearsome Da-Jin, God of Death — though of neutral alignment, this god has many evil worshippers, including necromancers and assassins. Da-Jin has his good and neutral followers as well, especially among morticians and even some doctors.
Trade and Commerce
The city of Endhome proclaims itself “Trade Capital of the Continent.” Even though Bard’s Gate is obviously a contender for the same claim, the fact of the matter is that Endhome, as a seaport, moves more trade through its docks on a daily basis than Bard’s Gate. Endhome merchants scour the world for bargains, make long-term contracts, and jostle with the sharpest traders in the Lost Lands, and by doing so they still manage to remain ahead of Bard’s Gate as a trading hub.
Loyalties and Diplomacy
Endhome maintains its historic neutrality, refusing to ally or officially endorse any other kingdom. The closest it comes to this is in the establishment of Grollek’s Grove along with Rampart, Sunderland, and Suilley, a trading city that is maintained jointly by the three kingdoms. Otherwise, Endhome remembers the consequences when it grew too close to Foere and Oceanus, and today maintains distant, if relatively friendly, relations with both kingdoms. Endhome’s military is small but professional and strong enough to make any potential enemy think twice before attacking.
Diplomatically, Endhome tries to preserve good relations with every other nation, keeping the peace through a network of beneficial trade agreements. Endhome diplomats are present in Foere, Oceanus, Suilley, Sunderland, Rampart, and Castorhage, and have actually begun to make inroads even farther west, launching trade missions to the far lands of Xha’en.
Government
Endhome is best described as an autocratic republic, with a 50-person senate selecting governors from among their own numbers, and deciding every six years whether the governor should continue in office or be replaced. Replacement rarely occurs, however, for the senators, who almost exclusively hail from the merchant class, are not chosen democratically — rather they are appointed by the governor, who invariably selects political allies and toadies to fill vacancies. From time to time, even this self-perpetuating system fails and the senate removes a governor in what is commonly called a “coup.” Nonetheless, the citizens seem satisfied with their civic officials’ performance, which causes most people to Overlook these warts and contently move on with their daily lives.
For the most part, however, the senate and governor function relatively well, overseeing Endhome’s internal affairs and managing its diplomatic and trade relationships with other nations. Endhome’s government invests heavily in its infrastructure to maintain its popularity. Clean-running water, a luxury in most communities, flows freely through the city, while its state-of-the-art sewers safely discharge waste from the elaborate water distribution system. Although the city routinely maintains the tunnels and pipes, animals and creatures drawn to refuse populate the subterranean passages and chambers. Rats, wererats, and other scavengers infest portions of the sewers, forcing the city’s leadership to address these menaces. Aboveground, the city encourages private investment to cater to its affluent visitors and residents. Taverns, inns, and a host of other establishments service the needs of their clientele, while buyers and sellers alike flock to its fabled open-air bazaar, where an astute customer can buy practically anything if the individual knows where to look.
Military
As an independent republic, Endhome must see to its own defense, and the city’s wealth makes it a ripe target for foreign invasion and criminal activity. It maintains a 3,500-strong professional army of mostly infantry and archers, with a small but elite core of cavalry. These soldiers occupy posts atop the port’s 20-foot-high stone walls, man its artillery pieces, patrol its streets, alleys, and roads, and keep the peace within Endhome. Conscription can swell the regular army by more than 6,000, and the addition of the spellcasters from the Wizard’s Academy makes Endhome’s military a significant threat. Endhome’s navy is similarly small but professional, and can be supplemented with corsairs, armed merchant vessels, and mercenaries all paid for from Endhome’s wealthy coffers.
Despite the city watch’s diligent efforts, violent gangs still extort and abuse its poorest citizens, while rumors of nefarious deeds committed by the rich and famous circulate throughout the taverns and inns scattered around Endhome.
Major Threats
Endhome has in the past run afoul of Foere and Oceanus, and maintains a delicate relationship with both kingdoms, sometimes even managing to play them off against each other to maintain the city’s neutrality and independence. In the rest of the world, Endhome plays it equally safe and does its best not to make enemies while keeping a neutral stance. Its friendly relations with Rampart, Suilley, and Sunderland also help keep the Foerdewaith at bay.
Beyond these rival kingdoms, Endhome faces no major threats, though banditry and monster raids in the surrounding countryside — particularly those centered on the ancient lost city of Barakus — continue to plague the city and its military.
Wilderness and Adventures
Endhome is a place of intrigue and double-dealing, as trade houses seek to outdo each other and steal each other’s secrets, while the Wizard’s Academy provides facilities and learning to arcanists from across the continent and beyond. The sewers beneath the city are a marvel of advanced design but sections are also ancient and labyrinthine, rumored to harbor hordes of ferocious rodents, wererats, slimes, and other fearsome creatures. Work patrolling the sewers is among the most onerous in the city.
The lands beyond the city walls are hazardous and frequently plagued by bandits and raiding monsters, but the most notable aspect of Endhome’s environs is the ancient Lost City of Barakus. Built 12,000 years ago by the ancient Phoromyceaen civilization, the city’s remains lie beneath the Duskmoon Hills. Most of the city’s depths remain unexplored, but the Old Tusk orcs, followers of Orcus, were driven out of the place 20 years ago. Terrible rumors surround Barakus, including tales of demons, powerful undead, and powerful magical artifacts — more than enough to draw adventurers from far and wide, though so far it has swallowed up those who hope to plumb its secrets.
Settlement
Endhome, City of
Type
City
Owning Organization
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