Place du Vin

Place du Vin was once the main port of the city, but as ships grew larger and the construction of the bridges made navigation more difficult
Place du Vin was originally the main port of the city of Naoned, but as ships grew larger and the construction of bridges made navigation more difficult for seagoing vessels, the port moved downriver to the Quai de la Fosse, while the old port became used primarily for river traffic. This shift led to an increase of traffic from the interior of the continent, most notably the wine-rich Anjev and Akitania. This crucial waterway allowed Naoned to draw both from the sea and the land, furthering the cities fortunes as a port.
The square is ringed with wine merchants, wholesalers and shippers, as well as several covered and open air markets selling wine, beer and all manner of agricultural commodities from the interior. The Bourse de Naoned, the guildhall of the Merchantmen, sits at one side of the square, the large structure dominating the packed houses around it.
A large bathhouse sits opposite the Bourse, heated by the offshoot of a nearby flower mill off one of the many canals of the city, an unorthodox designed by a Gargoul artisan and an Akitanian farmer. Its popularity has allowed the structure to grow into a popular destination, with numerous baths, gardens and restaurants within.

Demographics

Like its Western neighbor, the Quai de la Fosse, Place du Vin is a cosmopolitan district, drawing in a population of merchants and artisans from all over Alvez. The district's inhabitants are considered a higher class than the rough-and-tumble dockworkers, and the major population groups are drawn from a smaller collection, with Bretoned making up the majority, followed by Akitanian, Anjevin, Gallian and Norman communities.
Faerie peoples have a small presence here as well, but nowhere near the extent of those in the Mask district.

Government

Although officially under the jurisdiction of the Dug, day to day administration is overseen by the Council of 18, 3 of whom are drawn from the District. The nobility and the Merchants each elect a representative every 7 summerrules, while a representative is chosen by the Dug as the third, typically the Exchequer of Naoned. Vineport is the domain of the Merchant's Guilds, who maintain a political stranglehold over the district.

Defences

Vineport is largely situated in the interior of the city, with the exception of its Northern Edge, protected by a curtain wall and several towers. A large keep stands above Merchantgate, supporting a large garrison of City Watch, Brassgaurd and a Windspire.

Industry & Trade

Vineport is the primary riverport of Naoned, taking in goods from along the Liger river, collecting, refining and distributing it along its trade routes. Taking advantage of its central location, goods also enter this district along the Imperial roads and the windspires located in the hills to the North of the city. It is this constant flow of commerce that allows the district to host the largest market in the region.
Growing around to support this vast trade empire, hundreds of artisans, merchants and accountants have taken up residence in the district, plying their trades along the streets and canals beyond the central marketplace. These are directed from the Bourse de Naoned, the largest guildhall in Breizh and home of the Merchantmen.
A large shipyard is located on the Western edge of the district where the water begins to deepen.

Infrastructure

Compared to the landfill of the Mask District and Fourbridge, Vineport is built on traditionally stable ground, a small raised plateau at the water's edge, dryer and harder than the marshes around it. As a result, sunken pilons were not needed, and instead the buildings are constructed on granite slabs.
The Pont du Vin, or Thievesbridge, is the largest bridge in Naoned, connecting the district with Feydeau Island and generating a steady income to both districts as a widely used land-crossing. The Merchant's guild has quashed any attempts to build bridges downstream, driven by a combined desire to maintain their near-monopoly (the Dug's Bridge in Place de Alan II, owned and maintained directly by the Dug, is the exception) and the desire to keep the river open for the tall-masted ships that sail into the Mask District.
Numerous canals, quais and docks support the smaller river vessels that call in at Vineport, removed from hazards posed by larger oceangoing traffic.

Points of interest

Les Halles - In the eponymous plaza that gives the district its name is a complex of five covered markets surrounding Segata's Fountain. The largest of these is the Winemaker's Hall (Halle des Vigneronnes) on the Western (Pale) side of the square opposite the Church of the Maiden. This ornate four story structure is a master of civic engineering, prominently bankrolled by the de Chinon Family. Four identical, one-story "L" shaped buildings fill the Northern and Southern edges of the space, selling meat (Halle des Bouchères), fish (Halle des Poissonnières, produce (Halle des Fermières) and dairy (Halle des Laitières). These halles, save the Winemakers, each have three rows of stalls with two passageways for shoppers between them. Those on the edges often have large windows from which they can sell to those outside on warm or clear days.

La Fromagerie de Bries has a stall in the Dairy Hall

The Maiden of Wine - A gothic church dedicated to the Maiden, located on the Eastern side of Place du Vin. It has a single hexagonal belltower, and a small lantern tower over the crossing. Funded by the various Merchant Guilds of the city, it is the 2nd largest church in the city. It has a roof of blue slate. Like many Lethan churches, it has an elaborate porch on its Whiteward Side. It is surrounded by a bronze fence. The bells in the church are rung by an elaborate (and expensive) clockwork mechanism built in Rotomagus, a point of pride for the district.

Segata's Fountain - Also called the Fountain of Rivers, this is at the center of the plaza between the four smaller Halles, and equidistant from both the Winemaker's Hall and the Church. It is a circular fountain of carved granite rising in three concentric basins. Officially, the Southern Church insists the central figure is a representation of the Maiden, but it's an open secret that the figure is Segata, the goddess of the Liger River in the Faith of the Forest, carved during one of the Duchy’s more rebellious periods. She stands in the center, pouring water out of an ancient-looking wine pot into the first basin. Around her, three female figures and one male recline, each pouring their own water into the second basin. These represent the Liger’s tributaries, the Erzh and Sevr, Naoned’s other rivers and the Ligereg and Char, located further inland. The third ring of statues are representations of the 12 districts, or at least the ones recognized at the time of the carving, facing inwards to rejoice in the wealth the rivers have brought to the city.

Architecture

The center of the district is a large open square, surrounded by a large cloisterlike covered market, each of four corners dedicated to a different type of good. Another large open space surrounds this structure, surrounded in turn by a wall of half-timbered houses, full of merchant houses and craftsmen's workshops. On market days, the doors to these structures are thrown open, and the open space is filled with coloured tents and the shouts of vendors in every tongue of Bedouar.
Beyond this central marketplace, tight streets wind outwards to the city walls and into the other districts.

Alternative Name(s)

Vineyard Square, Riverport, Vineport

Type

District

Location under

Naoned

Owner/Ruler

Janed "Ar Flamme" Monforz

Owning Organization

Biskonti Naoned