Port De La Lune

The Capital of Akitainia (Bordeaux)

Demographics

Ethnicity

Port de la Lune is largely populated by Akitanians, with Gallian, Anjevin, Tolosan and Lethaned ethnicity making up the rest of the population in decreasing order. A cosmopolitan melting pot and active international port, it draws in other groups and individuals from further afield, making it one of the most ethnically varied cities in Kornôgel.

Tuath

While the Bediz make up the majority of the population, but several Faerie Tuath make their home in or near Port de la Lune as well, with Korrigan, Sidhe and Fomorian peoples living in the city of near the city. Most Fae reside in the Miroirdeau district or in the extra-muros countryside.
Korrigan

Gargoul - The Korrigan of the mountains lack the established communities that they have elsewhere on the continent, but are growing. They are rarely seen outside of Miroirdeau, but have begun to become more active in the Windship trades.

Kornikaned: While the Korrigan of the Forests do not have an outsized presence within the city outside of Miroirdeau, several large troupes reside among the pines of the Forest of Landes to the South.

Kriores: The Korrigan of the Moors are integral to the operation of the city's trade network, being responsible for not only shipbuilding along the river, but also the design and maintenance of the floating harbor of Morwenna's Basket (See points of interest), which maintains a permanent population of the Jetin Kriores. While the Jetins are common in the city, their land-bound cousins are less common and make up a tiny minority of the Kriores population.

Margot - The Korrigan of the Wells have a small, but well established community within the city.

Poulpiquet: The Korrigan of the Dale are plentiful in the city, as well as on the North bank of the Garona. They work as tinkerers, tanners, ragpickers and labourers.

Teuz: Of the Korrigan Tuath, the Korrigan of the Meadows are by far the most numerous, working as farmers, viniers, weavers and craftsmen.

Fomorians
The Fomorians, descendants of Northern Raiders from the Duchy of La Manche make up a significant part of the population, working as shipwrights, sailors, longshoremen and fishermen.
The Sidhe

Tuatha de Danaan - Port de la Lune is the largest community of the Eladan on the Silvercoast, and they are a driving force behind the city's thriving arts community, including The College of Cana Cludhmor.

Tempestarii - The Tempestarii, while having few permanent residents in the city, are a constant fixture of the port.

Religious Makeup

The Faith represents the largest religious sect of the Bediz population, and is the official state religion. However, the Druids are also represented with a sizeable presence. The Kanisat Alaliha, the religion of the Caliphate of Ubar makes up a small, but noteworthy minority.

Government

The Grand-Dug of Akitania, whose seat is located on the limestone cliffs overlooking the city, holds direct power over the city and the surrounding countryside, relying of the direct power administered by his agents. The Grand-Dug is also the Kont of Gironda, exerting control over the entire area.
A non-binding parliament of nobles, clergymen, and wealthy merchants exerts considerable influence, but the Grand-Dug holds the final say in most matters within Gironda.

The city is controlled by the Duke of Akitania, who also holds the position of Count of Gironda.

Defences

The city is surrounded by a thick curtain wall, accessed by two fortified gates, Pebblegate which accessed the city from the port, and Bellgate, which supports a massive bell used to signal harvests, fires and attacks. The bell is the same one depicted on the city's coat of arms.
The central tower of Fronsac is actually a massive Rod of Taranis, protecting the city from assault.
River natural defense

Industry & Trade

Port de la Lune is the largest trading port along the Silvercoast, the linchpin connecting the Northern trade routes of the Mor Marv with the Southern routes in the Mor Kreizdouar. It is an essential stop for any ship traveling between Naoned and The Gates of Ruin. The deep channels of the Garona River, the protection and the fertile farmland come together to ensure that Port de la Lune's status as a trading juggernaut is unchallenged in the West.

Viticulture

Port de la Lune and its surrounding countryside are renowned for their wines, considered among the finest in Bedouar by Bediz and Fae alike. By law, vineyards are exclusively the domain of the noble classes, and many have built grand manors and fortified castles to oversee these prized holdings. Lunais wines are produced in red, rose and white varieties, and are also used in the production of brandies, cordials and Dreamwine. Red clarets from the region are especially prized.

Other industries

The city is the largest regional distributor of coffee, cotton, indigo and sugar. Rye is grown in the swampy wetlands of the Forest of Landes to the South, while the pine forests serve as a major source of lumber. The city is a refining center for tin and lead, brought in from the rest of Akitania and Southern Letha. The city is a major hub in The Slave Trade
Port de La Lune is a major shipbuilding center, controlling some of the largest drydocks on the continent for the production of Windships.

Infrastructure

Port de la Lune's status as a deep-water harbor is crucial to its identity and economy, and no bridge crosses the Garona River at the city. Instead, transport across its span relies on a complex network of barges and ferries.
Port de la Lune is the starting point of a recent feat of mega-engineering, the Grand Canal of Akitania, which stretches from the Garona River to the Mor Kreizdouar, an unprecedented trade artery through Akitania and Tolosa. The construction of the canal earned the Kriores citizenship status in Akitania and continues to bring great wealth into the city and ports along its route, utilizing a complex system of locks and bridges to cross the hilly terrain. At present, construction has reached the city of Tolosa.

Districts

The Crescent - The most iconic and crowded section of the city, which gives Port de la Lune its name, is a crescent-moon shaped district following the bend of the Garona. The riverfront here is lined with Quais and wide boulevards, becoming denser as one recedes deeper inland. There are several large plazas and parks, despite the density. The Crescent takes up most of the intra-muros city.

Miroirdeau - The unique nature of the Fae-district of Miroirdeau in part allows for the unexpected open spaces in the packed city. Miroirdeau is a literal reflection of the Crescent, conceived by the Eladan. Miroirdeau is accessed via a massive reflecting pool located in a large plaza on the Quai. There are numerous other entrances located around the city. The structures of Miroirdeau do not reflect their counterparts exactly, but are found in the same general position and size relative to each other.

Guilds and Factions

Winegrowers Bards

History

It is thought that the city was a major regional power during the Empire of Tarif, strategically located at the mouth of the Garona River. It was sacked during the Southward march of Magnus Maximus, Emperor of the West, a crippling blow to his rival claimants hold over Silvercoast. Before it could recover, a Sidhe fleet under the Command of The Morrigan, the Queen of Winter, swept in, destroying the struggling settlement.
The city re-emerged as a Gallian resupply port along the Silvercoast, as well as a growing trade of tin and led. The outpost, isolated from direct control by Per-Ys, gained a great deal of autonomy, eventually coming under the control of the Konts of Poitou, seeking to establish a regional counter to the Gallian Crown. Despite its dramatic economic growth, the city was frequently targeted by Sidhe and Fomorian raiders, prompting the construction of Kastell Fronsac and the moving of the County Seat to the region and establishing the Grand-Duchy of Akitania.

Points of interest

Morwenna's Basket/The Seadocks

Port de la Lune's riverside is lined with quais and docks, but larger vessels anchor in the center of the wide river, or even the Pleg-mor Gwaskogn, where a thriving network of floating barges and small ships ferry cargo and passengers back and forth. To the Northwest of the Pointe de Grave, a semi-permanent floating harbor services the largest of these ships and Windships. Made up of large floating barges and pontoon bridges, these can be customized and moved, brought inland for storms and repair, or reconfigured to assist in new challenges. The Jetin Kriores and the Fomorians all but control Morwenna's basket and live full time on the complex, with small habitation sheds, mess hall facilities and entertainment venues popping up to support this population.
Les Piliers de Tutelle
Pointe de grave


The seadock

Architecture

Also called the "Pearl of Akitania", the city is a testament to the wealth of its inhabitants, supporting large public buildings of blonde sandstone, giving the city a gold glow in the sun. Gilding is common, with gold-leaf used on statuary and metalwork throughout the city. Large monumental squares and wide boulevards are common in the city.

Geography

Port de la Lune, located at the mouth of the Garona River as it empties into the Pleg-mor Gwaskogn, marks the Northernmost point of the Silvercoast.
The city is largely built up on the Southern bank of the Garona, taking advantage of the favourable currents that carve deep furrows in the riverbed to establish a thriving harbor. The Southern bank opens onto flat plains, only a few small hills breaking up the landscape, allowing for easy, sprawling construction. Beyond its Southern reaches is the Forest of Landes, a sprawling region of moorland, swamps and maritime pine forests.
The Northern bank, by contrast, is dominated by low-lying, marshy wetlands, which mitigate the worst of the frequent flooding along the tidal river. Unlike the bustling Southern bank, the North is largely undeveloped, home to a few small communities of Bediz and Korrigan. Beyond these riverside wetlands, the terrain rises sharply to a height of 100 meters, a dramatic limestone plateau overlooking the region. The striking Kastell Fronsac, the mighty fortress of the Grand-Dug of Akitania, sits atop this outcropping, built right to the edge of the white cliffs, overlooking the entire city from its lofty perch.
West of the city, the Medoc Peninsula, a fertile farmland that supports much of the city, separates the Garona from the Pleg-Mor-Gwaskogn. Covered in pine forests and long, sandy beaches, the Medoc is reknowned for its production of red wine, supported by dozens of small fishing hamlets and local trading ports that line the river from Port de la Lune to the sea.

Climate

The region has a temperate climate, with long warm summers and cool winters. Snow is rare.

Founding Date

500 SI

Alternative Name(s)

Burdigala, the Pearl of Akitania, Pearlport

Type

Large city

Inhabitant Demonym

Lunais

Location under

Silvercoast

Owning Organization

Grand-Duchy of Akitania