Evlimani
A small city in the far south of the Sultanate of Fashaddon, on the shores of the Safir Sea, the heart of the city is the large, well-defended home port of the Sultan’s Navy. Most of the activity that goes on in Evlimani is geared towards the supply of goods and labour to the port complex, which provides enough coin to keep the community that has grown up around it alive and well.
Evlimani was also famously the target of a daring and devastating raid by the Red Hawk Corsairs in 473S.E., a rather embarrassing moment for the Sultan, which saw the execution of almost all of the officers and officials responsible for the defence and running of the military harbour, and saw the introduction of strict security measures that are still adhered to this day.
Demographics
Because of the large workforce required to build and repair ships in the military harbour, Evlimani has a large core population of people drawn from the Labouring Class, the majority of whom are employed as dockworkers and shipbuilders. In addition, the focus of Evlimani on the activities of the Sultan’s navy means that there are very few members from the Merchants, Traders and Landowners class, compared to many other towns and cities across the Sultanate. The small amount of traders and artisans that do live within the city, are geared up to supplying the local population, though some more enterprising souls have made supplying the military base the core of their businesses.
In addition, there is a large transitory population made up of members of the Soldiers and Administrators class, almost all of whom are sailors within the Sultan’s navy, that fluctuates greatly in number depending on how many ships are docked in the military harbour. Although the Sultan’s sailors remain quartered on their ships, as opposed to living in the city, they are granted shore leave in the evenings where they can go out into the city in search of nightly pleasures. This means that the city’s drinking establishments and brothels will often see an influx of patrons between the hours of 19:00 and 00:00.
Defences
The actual city of Evlimani is not protected by any official defensive structures, and the city itself is quite permeable, with many openings between its outer streets and buildings giving access from outside. However, as there is only one roadway that leads to the city, traffic is naturally steered down this central artery and accesses the city that way, with only those who do not wish to be seen entering via other access points. Evlimani does have its own dedicated city watch, who operate from several guard towers and barracks scattered throughout the settlement. They undertake regular patrols both at day and night.
The military harbour, on the other hand, is separated from the city by a sturdy curtain wall, with two defensive gate structures providing access. Within this protected area it is the responsibility of the Sultan’s navy, not the Evlimani city watch to oversee the protection of the military harbour, and only those who can provide a very specific reason for needing access are granted it. Access from the water to the military harbour is protected by the artificial narrowing of the harbour entrance through the construction of a sea wall, with the entrance gap further defended by two large flanking towers, armed with anti-ship weapons such as ballistae. The artillery on these towers can be turned 360 degrees, allowing them to fire on forces attacking the city if necessary. The smaller civilian harbour, right on the edge of Evlimani’s bay is not protected by the sea wall, and has no additional defences itself. It is the only part of the waterfront that can be accessed by the inhabitants of the city.
Infrastructure
The main focus of Evlimani’s infrastructure is the military harbour complex that takes up the majority of the natural harbour area. The harbour infrastructure is made up of berths for the Sultanate’s military fleet, dedicated warehouses for the storing of supplies, dry docks for the maintenance and construction of naval ships, and a training facility for ships crews and officers. Within the military harbour complex is also a large storehouse system that is used for the housing of goods confiscated or captured from ships by the Fashaddonite navy. Most of these goods come from trading ships belonging to the Emirate of Taqwal that are preyed upon by the Sultan’s Navy, in an attempt to destabilise the Emirate’s trade and economic system.
Some space at the entrance to the harbour has been given over for the use of civilian ships, most of which are linked to fishing, but given the fact that the town of Denizyer further down the coast is the main hub of Fashaddon’s fishery, fishing activity that takes place out of Evlimani is for local consumption only.
As the city has been built up in a fairly erratic fashion around the military harbour, there is little forethought or planning that has gone into the construction of Evlimani proper. This means that, unlike in most other cities, there is no central market square, with trading activities being quite decentralised and scattered about the place. There is a small central square that has been constructed in front of the city’s main council building, but this is mainly used for ceremonial or official purposes, and trading from market stalls in the area is actively discouraged.
Evlimani is connected to the rest of the Sultanate of Fashaddon by a single roadway that runs directly from the capital, Vaháyer.
Geography
Evlimani is built around a deep, protective bay, that cuts into land so much that the inner harbour is flanked on three sides by naturally occurring land. The shoreline around this bay is predominantly made up of gently sloping pebble beaches, which are easily adapted for the use of ships to beach on, and for the construction of port infrastructure, quays and dry docks. The main area of the city is slightly higher than the bay and harbour structure, but only by a couple of metres at its highest points. The area that the city is built upon is quite flat, and prior to being built upon was an area of scrubland. The hinterland of Evlimani has been given over to some small scale agricultural production, mostly pastoral, and there is a small buffer zone of scrub, stretching for a couple of miles into the land before it yields to the sands of the Sonsuz Desert.
Type
City
Population
c.20,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Evlimites
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
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