Aurris Sea-City
ToC
The 28th day of Newyear in the
721st Year of the Imperial Age.
The Aurris Sea-City is magnificent rising up out of the sea like a mirage, out of place yet very much real. The city is built entirely of sailing ships that have been bound and lashed together in a seemingly impossible feat of engineering. The ships that make up Aurris run the gambit of large, small, grandiose and functional all repurposed to create the famous sprawling trade-city that travels the sea.
Aurris is the Floating Sea City of Trade, also known as Drift. The Aurris is either the smallest man-made island or the largest sea ship ever crafted by man. It represents scores of sailing ships bound together over again and again for hundreds of years. The Aurris makes a sea journey of about eight thousand miles taking six months time while stopping at every major port city for trade during its route. The Aurris Trade Route is well known in all of the cities and the schedule is posted in dozens of business, taverns and merchants houses along the coasts.
While at a port the Aurris will disgorge dozens of cargo vessels loaded with Trade Goods and crew members going on shore-leave. Meanwhile the docks of the Aurris are open for business accepting inbound vessels for trade.
Oh hell, sound the alarm in the harbor there is a fleet. We are under attack! What? The Aurris, what do you mean by a floating trade city? The Drift, ya I have heard about it! But by the Divine 24 it is big.
At A Glance
The Aurris looks like someone took several scores of ships and lashed them together to create a large floating city ship to be the equal of any port city. Many of the angles and decks are wrong but seem fused together in ways that allow the sum to be greater than the pieces. The way hulls, decks and stairs mesh together can only be explained with the craft of magic.
Origins
The Drift
The floating sea city of Aurris is the creation of Osril Methos Aurris . Prior to the popularity of the Aurris sea city, Methos was an unknown elven seafaring wizard. Achieving a level of arcane power he began to expend his wealth and arcane knowledge to cobble together sailing ships to create a seafaring city ship. What was originally known as the Drift made its first voyage in 400 IA and after maturing for 300 years of dedicated effort and success the Aurris stands as a leader in trade throughout the known world of Praemal.Founder
Young Adult
Osril Methos Aurris
Osril Methos Aurris
Stuff right
Stuff left
Adult
Osril Methos Aurris
Osril Methos Aurris
Community
Culture
The community sustains over ten thousand free people within its decks stretching below and sometimes above its chaotic surface. Some are born, live and die having never set foot on land. The people of Aurris are as diverse and varied as the ships that make up their city. From fisherman and sailors to merchants and artisans, the citizens of Aurris are a hardworking and resourceful lot.The themes and priority of the Aurris community is freedom, safety, and trade with the freedom to manage yourself and your community without heavy intervention. One of the traits that shines through is members of the Aurris community taking pride and personal responsibility. This comes from being raised onboard ships where the environment is close quarters and slack duties are dangerous for everyone. Everything in a place and a place for everything. The decks of the Aurris are well packed and well ordered with living space, warehouse storage, taverns, brothels, shrines and a variety of entertainment.
free sea and sky
free and safe
people and trade
Currency
The Aurris accepts all forms of currency and does not care if you possess Citizenship Papers, in fact showing them out of habit may get a chuckle from the merchant.Calendar
Two moons hang in the night sky. Lunas is a large bluish-white orb, and Rogue is the smaller, more erratic satellite.Language
While all languages are spoken across the Aurris the most common is Vea-Rin being a cultural blend of many languages to suit the sea. The sea touches all land and all land touches the sea.Religion
There is one religion, and there are a thousand. Very true and while on land that one religion is Lothian onboard the Aurris that religion is trade, followed up by coin. The Aurris is scattered with hundreds of different religions and philosophies, all excepted yet none above the rules of freedom, safety and trade.
Ring Districts
Rings
The Aurris is divided into districts or rings starting with the docks and moving inward. These rings are the Docks, Menagerie, Support, and Command. There is an increasing security approach applied at each of the rings moving inward.Docks
The Aurris has short docks on what would be roughly four sides allowing for the mooring and trade of sea faring vessels like any coastal port city. The docks have Fleet ships scattered throughout to act as fast response and security.Menagerie - Outer Ring
The docks lead to the Menageries from all sides which is a chaotic blend of a market place layered down into the Aurris and a maze of the community. The Menagerie is the largest of the three rings and everything that can be found in a port city may be found here. A mix of merchants, industrial businesses and services are available here.Support - Middle Ring
This is the heart of the self-sustaining machine of the Aurris. This ring contains carpenters, blacksmiths, shipwrights, and other tradesmen that maintain the Aurris and the Fleet as well as supplying arms and armor for the Fleet and the Guards. This section is considered and expected to be for the crew of the Aurris but it is not uncommon to find visitors that have been invited here for business or romantic engagement with a crew member.Command - Inner Ring
This is the smallest ring used for command and control of the Aurris. This ring is completely off limits to everyone except Methos, the and a few other trusted specialists. From this ring Methos controls navigation and coordination between the Fleet and the Guards. Command uses modified versions of the Telepathic Bond spell which allows communication between Command, Methos, the First Council, and the Fleet.
Leadership & Security
Leadership
Leadership and security on the Aurris is broken down into several categories; . The First Council of Aurris, the Fleet, the Guard and the community.First Council
The First Council members are hand selected by Methos with no specified term and may only be removed by Methos as well. They act as the respective directors and leaders of their purview or department, answering only to Methos. A unanimous suggestion or call of confidence by all of the First Council may encourage Methos to review a single member. The Hall of Glass is the meeting chambers located within the Inner Ring for Osril Methos Aurris and the First Council to coordinate the business of the Aurris Sea-City and make decisions.The Fleet
The Fleet is guided by the First Captain, acting as the navy and military response authority for the Auris. The First Captain has to balance the safety and security of the Aurris and her community with the trade logistics to and from the port cities. Thankfully the First Ambassador is the face of diplomacy and trade scheduling and works very closely with the First Captain. The Fleet usually has half of its dozen ships deployed on task at any given time. The Aurris is always preceded by its Fleet to make sure communication and trade is setup well in advance of arrival. Additionally the fleet acts as transports and distribution from the Aurris to the city ports.The Aurris has a full complement of ballista and gun powder cannons, a technology from a previous age. The cannons give the Aurris a strong advantage and it only matched my magic. The individual ships of the Fleet are also equipped with ballista and cannons. The armaments and especially the cannons are well guarded and anyone showing too much interest in them will be asked to leave or be removed.
Guards
The Guards are a small force that patrols the Aurris and takes care of any situations that seem beyond the community's ability to handle.Crimes & Punishment
Crime is a fact of life in all cities and civilization and the Aurris is not beyond this fact. However the level of crime is surprisingly low for a community that is essentially self governed. There are very few punishments on the Aurris leaving most problems to be dealt with by the community. Should a thread prove beyond them or of a serious nature than the Guard, the Fleet or the First Council will become involved. The Walk
While not a punishment this shows the contrast for the punishments of Float and Deep. Any member of the Aurris may permanently disembark at a port city at any time. Methos and the First Council makes no attempts at influencing or keeping people beyond their want to be a part of the Aurris.
The Float
If the Guard or the First Council makes a ruling that a member or members of the Aurris community are in violation of their rules regarding freedom and safety they may be set a float as close to a port as is possible in a small boat with a weeks food and water. The key to this punishment is the immediate removal of a threat to the way of life on the Aurris. But a threat that does not rise to the level of Deep punishment.
The Deep
This level of serious punishment is reserved for the most serious crimes to the community of the Aurris or its freedom and safety. This punishment is very rare and may only be confirmed by Methos himself. The First Council will seldom recommend this to Methos without good reason. The person or persons are to be publicly executed on deck and their bodies cast into the arms of the sea. This sentence is only carried out only in the presence of Methos. The sentence and the method used to carry it out are never flashy or grandiose and are carried out in the fastest least painful way possible. Any member of the First Council may cast a voice to overturn the Deep reducing it to the Float and over the years Methos has never gone against this.
Mysteries & Rumors
Speed
The Aurris makes a sea journey of 8000 miles in 6 months which is not the surprising factor. The point to consider is that only 10 weeks are spent in travel while the rest is spent in port cities trading. This places the average speed at slightly over 100 miles per day or slightly under 5 knots per hour. So a floating city that can keep up with a slow galleon is very impressive. While the Aurris is rarely delayed, when it is the city still arrives on schedule which leads most to believe that Methos can enhance the speed and has selected the current speed to match taking the entire route twice per year. So it is unknown what the top speed of the Aurris is.
Power & Propulsion
The Aurris is covered in masts and sails that are well maintained, used for direction and momentum they can not and do not provide enough to move the lumbering sea-city. Most likely the greatest mysteries or most asked question of the Aurris is, what her propulsion and power come from. As it stands only Methos knows as this is not shared with the First Council. It is rumored that at the center of the Aurris inside the Command ring there lies a place or a things that handles this. The rumors run the gambit ...
The Deep
This level of serious punishment is reserved for the most serious crimes to the community of the Aurris or its freedom and safety. This punishment is very rare and may only be confirmed by Methos himself. The First Council will seldom recommend this to Methos without good reason. The person or persons are to be publicly executed on deck and their bodies cast into the arms of the sea. This sentence is only carried out only in the presence of Methos. The sentence and the method used to carry it out are never flashy or grandiose and are carried out in the fastest least painful way possible. Any member of the First Council may cast a voice to overturn the Deep reducing it to the Float and over the years Methos has never gone against this.
Mysteries & Rumors
Speed
The Aurris makes a sea journey of 8000 miles in 6 months which is not the surprising factor. The point to consider is that only 10 weeks are spent in travel while the rest is spent in port cities trading. This places the average speed at slightly over 100 miles per day or slightly under 5 knots per hour. So a floating city that can keep up with a slow galleon is very impressive. While the Aurris is rarely delayed, when it is the city still arrives on schedule which leads most to believe that Methos can enhance the speed and has selected the current speed to match taking the entire route twice per year. So it is unknown what the top speed of the Aurris is.
Power & Propulsion
The Aurris is covered in masts and sails that are well maintained, used for direction and momentum they can not and do not provide enough to move the lumbering sea-city. Most likely the greatest mysteries or most asked question of the Aurris is, what her propulsion and power come from. As it stands only Methos knows as this is not shared with the First Council. It is rumored that at the center of the Aurris inside the Command ring there lies a place or a things that handles this. The rumors run the gambit ...
Another rumor that has gained strength over the years is that Methos would never allow the Aurris to be taken and could shatter the core releasing planar magic destroying the entire city and much of its surroundings.
Cargo Capacity
Cities have witnessed 6 months of products and supplies being swallowed by the Aurris and never any overage returned. They speculate there are mystic warehouses that can be filled well beyond the apparent capacity.
People & Trade
Free & Safe
Sea & Sky
Osril Methos Aurris Path 1 by Graylion on MidJourneyAI
Timeline
400 IA
Aurris Maiden Voyage
721 IA
Current Time
Founding Date
400 IA
Founders
Alternative Name(s)
Drift
Type
City
Population
10,000
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
Related Professions
This was an absolute delight to read throught Graylion. Wonderful details, well structured and amazing art if I might say so! :wink wink:
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