Trade Harbor
This harbor has large docks in good repair. As many as 40 galleys or dromonds and another 75 launches or cogs can be handled at these docks simultaneously. The docks are a madhouse; every minute is filled with the sounds of hard work. The clanging and thumping of cargo being unloaded, the colorful invectives of the workers and sailors, the sounds of the river, the squeals of horses and camels, all contribute to the miasma that is the harbor. The harbor is itself like a small city. Thousands of men and women spend years without ever leaving the Harbor District, living, working, and playing all within its confines. Facing the docks are many taverns, inns, cafes, and supply shops. Carters and caravaneers also throng the docks, moving massive amounts of merchandise every day. The richer merchant houses employ ogres, giants, and even genies to facilitate the movement of their imports, for time is money. Most work is done by commoners who labor from dawn to dusk, pausing to rest only during the worst heat of the day.
The Harbor District is also home to many of lesser virtue. Women of the evening abound, as do purveyors of other sins less publicly flaunted. Sellers of dreamsugar can be found along the docks, and hucksters for gambling establishments and the sleazier inns can be found in abundance. At a conservative estimate, there are hundreds of inns, taverns, gambling houses, and brothels in the Harbor District, and all seem to do a booming business.
A ship landing in Huzuz can expect their first contact to be with an Admiralty launch, bearing a tax collector. The tax collector, usually a merchant-rogue who is skilled at appraising the value of goods, makes an inspection and determines the amount of the tax levy. Experienced captains often carry the tax payment in gems or gold, for most tax collectors prefer cash. A small (10%) discount is usually granted to those who can pay in cash or gems. The exception is if the ship is carrying something that the Grand Caliph or his troops can use, such as weapons, foodstuffs, rare spices, or the like.
After the tax inspection, the ship is assigned a dock. If it is incapable of reaching the dock on its own (as in the case of a ship with sail only), a marid is sent to pull the ship to the dock. The marid is enslaved, under the command of Sardi al-Danafi (a present from his parents). The marid Bese al-Sedni hates his job, but he knows the price of disobedience. He contents himself with an occasional wild ride to the dock, particularly in the case of outlander ships, or those from distant ports. He reasons that few will care if barbarians complain about the service, and in this he is correct.
The marid has a counterpart who stays at the docks, an enslaved dao named Kili bint Farud. She is equally unhappy with her situation, but when ordered to, helps haul ships to the dock or push them back into deeper water.
A ship with cargo to unload usually has a team of workers and transport arranged, at least if it is expected. Strangers have no trouble securing help, because there are always plenty of laborers eager for the work. The going rate for unloading a ship is five bits per person per day, or per job, if it does not last the day. Thus, poorer ship captains can employ only 10 or 20 workers to unload their ship, so they may need to wait an entire day, or even two, before it is finished. Those who wish to reach the bazaar swiftly are wise to hire plenty of workers and get their cargo underway quickly.
Drivers with empty wagons also wait for ships, charging from five dirham to five dinars for transporting cargo, depending on the distance and the labor involved. Many of these workers are not above helping themselves to a bit of free trade, and experienced captains detail guards to supervise the unloading and transport of all of their goods. A few platoons of The Dauntless are always at the docks; anyone caught in the act of thievery is turned over to them for trial and justice. This has a tendency to discourage repeat thieves. Only easily concealed items are likely to be stolen, for one cannot unload cargo with only one hand.
The Home of the Happy Dolphin is a typical harbor inn. The only resemblance to its name is the brightly painted sign above its doors. The inn's common room has 20 tables and a long scarred bar. Wide windows allow the breezes from the river to cool the main room, and after dark a fire crackles in a fire pit on the east wall.
The inn is run by Samsi Farlak, a dwarf with a flair for sea stories. He actually hates the sea. While he spent a few years there, he has no intention of ever sailing again. His inn is popular as the best place to get fish stew in town; it is not necessarily the best in the city, but it is certainly the best in the Harbor District. A bowl of stew costs only two bits, a bargain.
