Quai de la Fosse
A long port quai built along the banks of the Liger river. At one point, the upper class district, it is marked by large mansions of limestone built atop heavy landfill. Since its initial heyday, the district's reputation has fallen as the port grew, gaining a reputation as a "hot quarter", full of sailor's bars, brothels and taverns. Also called the mask district as a result of the many stone mascarons that are found on these structures, which often give their names to the establishments inside them. The district is terminated at the Bourse, a large merchant's exchange and customs house, operated by the Merchantmen.
Demographics
Located directly off of the city's primary oceangoing docks on the Liger River, the Mask district is the most diverse of the six districts in its population, as new immigrants, sailors and traveling merchants often settle here upon their arrival into the city. The largest demographic are the Bretoned , specifically from Lower Breizh, Naoned, Roazhon and Gwened, followed, in lesser numbers, by those of Upper Breizh, Kernev, Dreger and Leon.
Akitanian merchants and sailors make up the largest non-Bretoned population, followed by Anjevin, Gallian and Norman. Tolosan and Arled groups are less represented.
From outside the Western Realms, immigrants from all over Bedouar are represented in the Mask District, with notable communities from Iram of the Pillars, the Golden Sea and Slaver's Coast. A constant flow of new blood maintains these communities, which have integrated into the district's civic life. Other Bediz groups are represented, but in lesser numbers ranging from small communities to disparate individuals.
Formorii are active in large numbers in the area, working as longeshoremen, sailors and labourers, typically living in the more rundown Western half of the district or in the cramped network of ships and docks called the Forest. The Formorii of the Mask District make up the largest community of the race in Naoned, even achieving some level of civic autonomy, owning bars, taverns and businesses after decades of struggle.
The Korrigan also make their presence known in the district to varying degrees. Some communities of Kornikaned, Korrigan of the forests, have adopted the Forest as their own, laying an outsized claim on the dark maze of masts stretching above the tangled mess. Others have taken up residence in the many public parks found in the district. Both populations tend to be territorial, with the New Forestiers of the Forest acting on a similar level to the street gangs of the Bediz and Formorii. The Kriores of the moors live in the Western half of the district, operating metallurgy forges and shipping out on barges early each morning to work the tin mines around the city. The Kriores are the largest, most well organized, integrated and recognized of the Korrigan populations, operating several mining guilds and related businesses. Smaller populations of Poulpiquet and Teuz call the district their home, selling produce or crafts at the markets. The Boléguéans, true to form, operate what amounts to a city council out of a tavern on the Quai, the Green Man Tavern, resolving disputes between the other Korrigan groups and the other species in the city. The Boudics exist in two distinct camps. Intinerant merchants arriving on Market day, and a more established community working in the many inns, taverns and alehouses that line the Quai. Lastly, the Gargoul maintain several small colonies in the heights of the Forest or in the church steeples that pepper the district.
The Tuatha de Danaan make up the largest population of Sidhe, living largely in the Eastern half of the district. While smallest in number, the Tuatha de Danaan have gained the most rights of the non-Bediz groups, even rising to positions of nobility, legitimate wealth, and civic offices.
Government
The Council of 18, and by extension the Duke, administer the district on paper. A representative of the Merchants and the nobles is elected by their peers every 7 Summerrules, whereas the Duke appoints the third representative, traditionally the harbourmaster. A small army of city watch, tax collectors and administrators enforce the Duke's will on the district, operating out of offices in the Eastern half of the District. The Merchant's Guilds have great sway over policy in the district.
With its immigrant population, the Mask District has a complex system of informal governance, with each community generally operating with some level of day-to-day autonomy, usually organized behind a guild or loose-knit group that represents them publicly.
The Korrigan, existing in dozens of different communities, sometimes defer to the Boléguéans of the Green Man Tavern, which acts as an informal community center for dispute resolution between the Korrigan or with outsiders. The powerful mining guilds of the kriores often assert their dominance over the population as well.
The Formorii lack the central authority of the Green Men, instead operating in clan-like "work crews" based on occupation and employers. These clans are tight-knit units marked with strong loyalties to their own members, but without overall cooperation among the larger Formorii population.
Defences
The district lies largely, but not entirely, within the city walls, which, together with a network of small river fortifications and rivergates, protect the district from outside threats. Small, reinforced keeps, operated by the City Watch, are found throughout the district, from which internal security is established. Brassgaurd patrol the Grimward and the Forest, but are more used for effect in the more affluent eastern half of the district.
Industry & Trade
Situated at the point where the Liger River drains into the Mor Bras, Naoned's location has aided its rise to its current position as the largest port city in all of Breizh, a veritable hive of activity as ships and merchants from all over Alvez make their trade in the bustling seaport.
Naoned is the Northern anchor of two noteworthy trade routes to Slaver's Coast; Sugar and slaves. Naoned is the primary port for all sugar cane in the Western Realms, drawing in vast amounts from the warmer climates in the South, refining it and distributing the finished product along the Liger river, the Imperial roads and its network of windships. Taking further advantage of its existing connections formed in the sugar trade, Naoned has also become a hub of the trafficking of slave labour, importing and exporting souls from all over Alvez, from Tevenn Du and the Lost Peninsula to Slaver's Coast and Iram of the Pillars. Press gangs roam the docks for unwary travelers, forcing them to row in the dark underbellies of ships bound for parts unknown.
Other exports include salt, tin, fabrics and hemp, while major imports included exotic woods, stone and spices from further afield. Coffee, Teas and Cotton are also profitable imports from Iram and Slaver's Coast. The great variety to these commodities has allowed the city to become a thriving trading hub, with guilds and noble agents creating a complex network of fares, levies, taxes and customs, as well as a sophisticated system of banking and administration to handle the constant flow of commerce.
Infrastructure
Originally developed as a wealthy merchant's quarter, the Quai supports wide, paved thoroughfares on its main streets, widened over time with the constant additions of new landfill and docking facilities. Merchant stalls and carts line these streets in a cacophony of noise and activity as ships unload for waiting carriages. The lower floors of the former mansions and counting houses lining the road are often used as public houses, shops and alehouses, which are opened to the streets during Summerrule. The upper floors are packed with businesses, residences and inns, supporting all manner of industry. Although it is known as a "hot district" of ill-repute, the Quai is a true mixture of society, with wealthy merchants and accountants rubbing shoulders with sailors and prostitutes.
The docks, supporting ships densely packed along the river's edge for the length of the district and beyond, are themselves a fixture of the district, a web of gangways, grounded vessels and bridges making streets and alleys under the forest of masts above. Some ships, run aground, abandoned, or so densely packed in that they cannot leave, have been converted into permanent buildings, supporting homes and businesses within the maze of wood, locally known as the Forest.
At the western edge of the district, the mansions and alehouses give way to a complex of large warehouses, storing the goods constantly flowing in and out of the port. Beyond these, slums dominate the landscape, the large boulevards tightening to narrow alleyways as the multi-storied mansions and warehouses become one story hovels of wattle and daub. This region is typically referred to as the warehouse ward or the Grimward, depending on the charity of the speaker.
Guilds and Factions
Under Construction
History
The Quai was originally built up as an upscale neighborhood along the river's edge, West of the original port , home to private gardens, large mansions and wide boulevards. As the port grew and Vineport was no longer usuable for the larger ships arriving from the sea, the port shifted downriver and the wealthy moved gradually out to the other districts. The remains of their affluence are still seen in the large, heavily ornamented buildings and wide roads of the district, but the population has ballooned with an influx of sailors, merchants and labourers, and with them, businesses and entertainment that have given the district a reputation as a "hot district".
Architecture
At one point in its history, the Quai was home to Naoned's wealthy merchants, who built limestone mansions and private gardens along the water's edge. As the port grew, the reputation of the district shifted from one of quiet wealth to bustling commerce, the mansions replaced by sailor's bars, brothels and taverns. But the remnants of this old world still command the cityscape in the form of the multi-story buildings that line the water's edge with ornate facades and numerous windows. A notable decorative element are the stone-faced mascarons, giving the Quai its nickname of the Mask District.. These grotesques, often featuring creatures of the sea or faerie, real or imagined, often give the establishments of the district their names, drawing on the mascarons of their host buildings.
Geography
The Mask District is built on landfill following the marshy right bank of the Liger River on the Western edges of the city. The river widens as it flows past Feydeau Island, criss-crossed with dozens of canals and streams, becoming almost a bay as it travels towards the sea.
The district begins at the Bourse de Naoned in the Place du Vin, following the river's course to the marshlands to the West of the city. The district is largely centered on the waterfront, rows of buildings on one side of the central axis, a cluster of ships and docks on the other.
Alternative Name(s)
The Mask District
Type
District
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
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