Cassopolis

"Cassopolis... Crime capital of the Free Cities. If there is a place where you're more likely to get stabbed in an alley, I haven't heard of it."

— Loreley de Krisso

Cassopolis is a major city in The "Free Cities". It on the island of Wanax overlooking the Casserine Straits. The city was once famed for its wealth. Nowadays it is famed for decay and crime. The city is the largest of the Free Cities, yet its golden age is long past.

Cassopolis' location within the Free Cities.
Cassopolis remains a major trade city, sitting on the trade route between the far east and the western powers of Myzian and Evonia as well as being the "Eastern Gate" of the Free Cities. The city's deep harbour is naturally shielded by a bay. The city's port is always filled with ships of all kinds. All manner of wares can be found in Cassopolis, even those considered illegal or dangerous elsewhere.
Culturally Cassopolis is often associated with theatre. The city boasts of several major theatres and innumerable smaller ones. Both rich and poor in the city attend plays often. Plays often performed before other events as well, such as weddings, funerals, parties or religious sacrefices. Most resturants and bars in the city has small stages where short plays are performed while the guests eat and drink.
Cassopolis is one of the few Free Cities where the Church of Sol does not play a dominant role. The Church has many adherants within the city, but the ruling class remains worshippers of the ancient spirits of the city. Many within the city also worship the strange entity "Baccus" or other minor deities. Armed knightly orders such as the Knights of Redemption are banned from establishing themselves in Cassopolis, although individual members of such orders may visit the city.
The city is famed for its many strange laws, and the equally numerous ways of breaking them. For instance, making maps of the city is illegal, since it could potentially aid enemies of the city. However, an exception is made for the making of local maps for city planning. Thus one can easily purchase small booklets containing "planning maps" of projects in every part of the city. Another uncommon law is the ban on prostitution. Cassians find many ways of sidestepping this ban. The famed Rose theatre advertises "private performances" by its actors to those who can afford it. Those that donate generously at Temple of Innane can expect to be visited by a priest or priestess "posessed" by the spirit of Innane and intent of "rewarding their piety". The House of Relief in the foreign quarter is technically illegal, but the constables cannot shut it down as it lies within the Foreign Quarter. It is also common for taverns in the poorer quarters of the city to offer "special service" to those willing to tip very generously in their establishments.
There is no Circle Tower in the city. Legend has it this is due to an old ban on towers streching taller than the Old Keep on the Casserine Hill, which the Hidden Court refused to waive in favour of the Circle. However, there is a Circle presence at the United Academy on the north-western outskirt of the city.
Only two streets in the city are considered truly "respectable". These are Court Street in the southern half of the city, and Virtue Street in the northern half of the city respectivly. Respectable folk openly travelling the myrriad alleys of the city is sure to inspire gossip and rumor. When travelling outside the respectable streets fine folk usually attempt to remain annonymous.

Demographics

The city is primarily populated by humans. The city's population is divided into three categories: patricians, commoners and visitors. The commoners make up around 60% of the population. These are permanent residents who are registered as citizens. To become a citizen one must have been born in the city to parents who had lived at least a decade in the city. Otherwise citizenship can only be granted by the Censor of the City. Patricians are citizens who (supposedly) can trace their lineage back to the families that founded the city centuries past. These make up around 10% of the population, most residing on the Casserine Hill, the oldest part of the city.  Visitors are all the remaining residents of the city. They generally enjoy fewer rights and higher taxation. A special category of visitors are the "Republic Visitors". These are the citizens of the Evonian Republic, whom are exempt from taxes in the city and who enjoy many special legal protections and exemptions.
An unofficial class in the city are the "nobiles". Descendants of Myzian noblemen and traders who settled in Cassopolis in the 8th and 9th centuries. Many of these exiles came to be wealthier than the old patrician families themselves. Their belief in Sol also soon surpassed the worship of the old spirits of the city in popularity among the common folk. The nobiles do not officially enjoy any special rights in the city. However, they often cooperate to excert influence though their wealth. 
Humans are the most common species in Cassopolis. But halflings are also very common. Indeed, some scholars believe the many tunnels under the Casserine Hill was once home to a halfling settlement before the official founding of the city. There is an enclave of elves in the city, mostly merchants. The Basol is home to many orcs, who tend to do work on the docks or other simple labour, being unofficially barred from more skilled labour. Tieflings are more common in Cassopolis than elsewhere in the Free Cities, and enjoy less prejudice here than elsewhere, perhaps due to the diversity of religion in the city.

Government

The Hidden Court:
Cassopolis is ruled by the Hidden Court, a secretive group of people chosen from among the city's patrician class by lottery. The names of the members of this council are always kept hidden. A member of the council being discovered by the population is grounds for that member to be removed from the court, while whomever discovered and spread that information would face execution. Not even the members of the Court know who else is on it. The members of the court meet in a hidden place and always remain masked and cloaked during meetings. There are twelve members of the court at any one time. Members are chosen for life. 
The Intendancy: The Court's power inside the city is exercised by its intendants. These are officials - normally from the patrician class- who have joined the service by buying a commission in the service. Intendants are essentially officers; responsible for directing lower officials, such as constables or clerks in their daily work. The intendancy is divided into the following offices, listed by their order of precedence: Tolls and Taxes, Administration, Public Maintenance and Order crime & Punishment.
The Navy: The navy is a separate branch of the government and by far the best funded. The navy is responsible for patrolling and controlling the Casserine straits. It is also responsible for manning the city's defenses. Many of the nobiles serve as officers in the navy. 
The Cloaks:  The Courts hidden arm and last resort. The Cloaks are a group of secretive assassins who remove dangerous enemies of the court. They are seldom used and even more seldom actually seen. Many suspect they don't actually exist at all. Although the occasional spectacular murder of known Court enemies tells a different tale.

Defences

Cassopolis is protected to its west, north and south by a series of swamps, wetlands and rivers. To the east lie the Casserine straits. The island of Wannax hold no other city or state powerful enough to mount a landward siege of the city. Threats normally only emerge from the sea, and control of the straits is vital to the city's security and its economy. A great portion of the city's income goes to fund its navy. The city's fleet is relatively small compared to the funding it receives. It makes up for this in the quality and size of it ships and their crews. The city is among a handful of Free Cities which keeps ships of the line in its fleet.
Leta Fortress and the Naval batteries on the Casserine Hill both block entry of hostile warships into the bay which Cassopolis surrounds. These defences are formidable enough that the city has not been assaulted by sea for many decades.

Industry & Trade

The city sits on a major trade route between the east and the west. A major source of income for the city is tolls on ships transiting the Casserine straits. Fisheries are a major industry in the city. It is also a major source of food. The Customarron swamps to the west of the city are heavily exploited by Cassopolis' residents. Peat, Iron and Wood is extracted there. Large areas of the wetlands have also been cultivated in order to grow various crops. Fishing also takes place in this area. 
Many industries in the city are focused on the seaborne trade. There are a number of shipyards and workshops along the harbour.

Districts

The city has a number of districts. These include:

The Ascent/Casserine Hill:

The oldest part of the city. It sits atop the Casserine Cliffs and is accessed by the Liscini Steps, a staircase which lead up from the Upper Neck district. The Ascent house many old monumental buildings and sites which date back - at least in some form - to the early centuries of the city. These include:

The Upper Neck:

The Upper neck is located on the southern peninsula, just east of the Casserine hill. It is home to the Sevenspire Graveyard, more popularly known as the "stone forest" among locals; named such for its tall narrow gravemarkers. Court Street runs through the district. This district is home to many skilled artisans. At the eastern edge of the district is the "Royal" market where the Myzian embassy lies.

Lower Neck:

This district lies to the east of the Upper Nect and forms the bae of the southern peninsula. A prime manufacturing district, many workshops crowd this district, as well as several mills and a number of warehouses. Court street begins at the eastern edge of the district. This is also where the Blooming Rose theatre is located.

The Grooves:

South east of the the Lower Neck this district is less densely populated. A number of small farms and greenhouses for horticulture can be found here, providing the city with fresh produce.

Thalertown

Home to many of the city's "working poor". Named for the most common coinage used here, the humble "thaler" the copper coin. The district sits north of The Grooves, on the southern bank of the Tien River. The Thaler-Theatre lies here.

Dimentico:

This narrow district is lies at the south eastern corner of the city. It is home to a number of villas and gardens owned by the wealthiest of the patrician families, or by wealthy foreigners. Most people in Cassopolis have never visited this district, as it is gated and forbidden to non-residents.

The Basol:

Located on the marshy island between the Tien and Itet this island is home to the city's poorest. It is also host to port Lorenz, where the grain barges from further inland are unloaded. The district is largely "ruled" by the Bridges' Guild.

The Crossroads:

North across the Itet river from the Basol one finds the crossroads district. This is where Virtue street, which runs along the northern peninsula, meets the Imperial Highway and the north road, both of which connect Cassopolis with other towns and cities on Wannax. Many taverns, inns and bars can be found here, as well as the baths of Florian and Queenspark. The United Academy can also be found here. This elite school educates the children of the nobiles, as well as other wealthy citizens.

Meticois:

Westward of the Crossroads at the base of the northern peninsula one finds the Meticois district. Populated largely by foreigners or the descendants of immigrants. Many here are not citizens. Indeed, a formal "foreign quarter" populated by important foreign traders, envoys and their dependants can be found here. In the foreign quarter some of the city's more uncommon laws are suspended to better accomedate the outsiders. The famous "New theatre" as well as the South Sea Company's local headquarters can be found in this district. The Winogolo Woods and Leandros Correction Center lie in the northen part of this district. The New Market lies on its southern edge along the harbour.

The Yards:

Further east one finds the Yards District. Named for its shipyards, particularly the Vectron Naval Yards. The new grannaries can also be found here, storing much of the city's grain. The Yards strech along the south eastern extreme of the northern peninsula, being bordered in the east by Leta Fortress, which is the easternmost building in the city. The district's northern border is Virtue Street, which separates it from the Santolina district.

Santolina:

Located along the north eastern extreme of the city this district is home to many of the prominent nobiles families. Its great centrepiece is the Grand Temple of Sol, which sits at the heart of the district. Otherwise the district is famed for its colourful buildings and many small markets and shops.

Guilds and Factions

The Bridges' Guild is by far the most powerful guild in the city. Officially they collect tolls from those using the bridges connecting the northern and southern halves of the city. Unoficially they rule the city's underworld, running protection rackets, illegal brothels, trading in illegal items and other criminal activities. They run the island district called the Basol as a city within the city. The bridges' Guild often fight with the Frerryman's guild, which consist of the ferrymen that bring people across the bay, avoiding the bridges entirely. 
The Nobiles: While not formally unified the wealthy nobiles families, descendant of Myzian nobility tend to stick together to represent their interests. They have a great deal of influence among the captains of the city's fleet, and command much wealth. They champion the worship of Sol in opposition to the traditional gods of the city.
The Hidden Court: Rules the city from caves beneath the Casserine Hill. Chosen from among the ancient Patrician families. The power of the court has vaned, as the Basol largely rules itself, and the northern half of the city has largely fallen under the influence of the nobiles.

History

According to tradition the city was founded by a hundred families that settled the Casserine Hill after a war that had consumed most of the island of Wannax. These families alledgedly made a deal with the local spirits, promising to venerate them and "give of themselves and their produce" in return for their settlement's prosperity and security. They eventually became the Patrician class which continue to rule the city to this day. 
Whatever the truth of these traditions the city soon grew into one of the chief cities in The "Free Cities". By the 7th century the city was the largest in the entire region, with more than a hundred thousand inhabitants. Control of the Casserine straits and a network of trade streching to the far east fed the city's coffers with ample gold and silver, while grain from nearby client states fed the city's mouths at a discount. To scholars the 6th through 9th centuries are the city's golden age.
In more recent times the city's fortunes have turned for the worse. The Republic strongarmed the city into granting it an exception from the strait tolls, then over time usurped control of trade to the east. The city of Penrith eventually developed into a rival emporium to Cassopolis, then surpassed it. Many of the client states of Cassopolis pulled away or shifted their allegiances as a result of wars.
In the 9th and 10th centuries an influx of traders and exiled nobles from Myzia and the northern Free Cities settled in Cassopolis bringing with them new ideas and new wealth, granting the city's a respite from its ongoing decline. With them they brough the religion of Sol, which had never before been popular in the city. Within a few decades of the arrival of these immigrants more than a third of the city's people worshipped the sun god. In 958 the "nobiles" as these wealthy immigrants were now being called, began funding the construction of a massive temple to their god: the Grand Temple of Sol, by far the largest building in the city. To date it has not yet been finished.
When the Union War began in 1001 IC Cassopolis sided with The Alliance despite vocal protest from the nobiles. Luckily for the city the war has so far remained distant, and the city's involvement has been limited to some fleet actions and funding mercenaries fighting elsewhere.

Points of interest

Grand Temple of Sol: The largest building in the city, and one of the largest in all the Free Cities. This temple to the sun god was funded by contribution from the nobiles families and is not yet finished. Yet even so it is an impressive sight. When finished it will be a circular building topped by a vast golden dome. For now the dome is only half-finished and its golden plates have not been installed. Inside is a vast hall with a statue of Sol in the middle. This central chamber is surrounded by smaller rooms dedicated to the divine children of Sol, each with their own smaller statue and altar for sacrefices.
Leta Fortress (the Rock): The Great Fortress on the Leta Rock, the rocky outcropping on the northern spur of the Casserine bay. The fortress was built in the 8th century, when the city could still afford such expenses. It is built in the modern style and is made of built in black stone from Aldiere.
Florian's Baths: These baths were gifted to the city by a Praetor of the Republic who visited the city in the 9th century. They are built in the elven style and enjoy popularity among the city's wealthy. Its floors and water are magically enchanted to keep them warm, and its walls and roofs are covered in artworks of fine quality. The area surrounding the baths themselves are home to many luxury shops.
Bridges' Keep: The headquarters of the Bridges' Guild. This guild is formally in charge of maintaining the bridges across the Tien and Itet rivers However, in reality it is a thin cover for a organized crime syndicate that more or less rules the Basol district, which covers the small island of the same name. The Bridges' Keep is a fortified bridge and Keep. Plain in its design it is nevertheless by far the most impressive building in the Basol.
Vectron Naval Yards: These shipyards are among the few shipyards in the Free Cities capable of building large warships or large trade ships. They are owned by a collection of nobiles families.
Temple of Baccus: This temple lies on a small island in the Tien River. The temple here is dedicated to the obscure god Baccus, a god of pleasure, mystery and wine. The temple is a frequent destination for daring youths from well of families, as well as a place for the poor to spend their savings for a single night of unrivaled debauchery. Rumors of obscene secret rituals in secret parts of this temple are popular among the city's population.
The Rose: This "Theater" does put on plays. However, it is most famed for its actors and actresses, who might at time lack in theatrical prowess, but are always striking in looks and grace. Those who attend the Rose may pay to be privatly "entertained" by the performers after the main show.
On the Casserine Hill, the oldest part of the city many notable locations and building can be found. These include:

• The "Old" Temple: A temple to mystical and unnamed gods which have been worshiped in the city since long before a temple of Sol was built in Cassopolis.
• The Archives: The city's records, laws and important writings have been stored on stone and bronze tablets in this building for two thousand years.
• The Old Keep / The Intendancy: This building used to be the city's primary fortified place. It has since been replaced by other structures. Today it serves as the headquarter of the intendancy. Its dungeons serve as the city's jail.
• The Royal Villa: Centuries ago king Nebi united the Free Cities into the kingdom of the isles. Since his death it has been a tradition in many Free Cities to built a Royal residence, to be inhabited once the cities are once more unified under an heir of Nebi. This practice is mostly symbolic. Mostly the palace is used by the Patricians for public events. Its chambers house special envoys from the other Free Cities from time to time. 
• Lowport and Lowmarket: This market and harbour once formed the beating heart of the city. Now most ships dock elsewhere. These places now serve as exclusive places for luxury goods to find their way into the city.

Founding Date

314 IC

Type

Large city

Population

Ca. 100.000

Inhabitant Demonym

Cassopolian/Cassian

Location under

Royal Archipelago

Included Locations

• The Blooming Rose

Owning Organization

Hidden Court

Characters in Location

• Caerbon Claunkertobom
• Ren