Quilport
Quilport is a city on the southwest coast of Zandrazil and a member of the Aubergine League.
Demographics
44% human, 20% dwarf, 13% catfolk, 11% elf, 6% orc, 6% other species
Government
Quilport is governed by a Doge, an elected representative voted for by all property-owning citizens and guild members to serve a ten-year term. Unofficially, the winner of an election must be unanimously approved by the leaders of the Four Families; in the event that unanimous approval cannot be reached, the candidate is forced to drop out (or mysteriously disappeared) and another election is held between the remaining candidates. Due to these restrictions, the doge has historically been a member of the city’s aristocracy, though the current doge is the first not to hail from wealthy family or merchant guild.
While the doge's authority comes from Quilport’s charter, which had been created so that the city could join the Aubergine League, historically the doge has served as little more than a propagandist for the policies agreed upon by the Four Families. In the city's early days, it was not uncommon for the citizens to wake up one morning and find that their doge had died in their sleep or tripped and fell out of a window, following some dispute with the families. After the tragic passing of Victor Kensington—who, while on a hunting expedition, was mistaken for a tiger and struck by seventeen arrows in the back—it has become far more common for dogi to serve until retirement and the position had essentially become a rubber stamp for the the activities of wealthy criminals.
This changed with the administration of Akari Isendor, the current doge. Her rule has seen an increase in enlistment to the Violet Brigade as well as greater prominence in city politics for the mages of the Institute of the Intangible, both of which have allowed the doge to challenge the Four Families' centuries of control over Quilport.
Defences
The Violet Brigade maintains a standing navy at the northern docks as well as manned guard towers built along the coast of the Salts. Each tower sits atop a barricade armed with large ballistae capable of repelling sea monsters and pirate ships that venture too close to shore.
The eastern part of the city is protected by the natural formation of steep cliffs that are all but impassable, while the western end of the city is bordered by a steep ravine that provides a natural barrier with the surrounding wilderness.
A large wall stands between Grenburrow and the Zandrazil Jungle, straddling the gap between mountains to the east and west. Violet Brigadiers are stationed at watchtowers along the wall, with barracks at the southernmost gate entrance.
The Four Families maintain private militaries that act as vigilante peacekeeping forces within their territories. While not officially sanctioned by the Doge, the Violet Brigade allows the families to police their districts to avoid tensions boiling over between the chartered administration and the families. The Violet Brigade acts as the police force for the Promenade which the families maintain as neutral ground.
Districts
Quilport was built on the rocky coast of Emerald Bay just north of the jungles of Ardagad's Reach. The city is divided into five districts, each one under the influence of one of the Four Families of Quilport, whose members regularly engage in turf wars at their borders.
The Salts
The massive northern harbor known as the Salts sits at the lowest elevation of any of Quilport's districts. Travelers can find many fisheries, chandleries and shipyards along the northern docks, as well as several inns and brothels further inland, as Quilport is the last stop for sailors heading north across the Ruuldalai Sea. This ideal location for maritime commerce has made the Shinzabeth family extremely wealthy, as they control most of the businesses within the Salts.Grenburrow
Quilport's southern entrance leads to the district of Grenburrow, home to the city's many vineyards, farms, and plantations that take advantage of Emerald Bay's mild weather and Zandrazil's fertile soil. The area is sparsely populated, with most of the land dedicated to agriculture. The population of the district is made up of homes for the field workers and the estates of plantation owners. Business owners in Grenburrow are indebted to the Stitcher family, whose plantation is the largest in the district and conveniently located near the Promenade, so that the other districts are within a short walk of the family's massive estate.Glintmine Way
Rising up to the east of the Promenade and overlooking the Salts and Grenburrow is the multi-level Glintmine Way. The walled district was built around the emerald mines to the southeast, which are controlled by the Skuttelkin clan whose keep of Brejkastal is built atop the rocky outcropping just north of the mines.Dawncatch Veranda
Built atop the hills in the western part of the city, Dawncatch Veranda is so named because the district is the first to catch the light of the sun each morning as it rises over the mountains to the east. The district's population is comprised of artists, musicians, writers and the wealthy patrons who fund their activities. Tourists and wealthy travelers visiting Quilport often spend their visit in the Veranda enjoying the spas, restaurants, and high-end shops along Crescent Boulevard, which winds through the Veranda and connects the city center to the estate of the Kopa Drea that rules over the district.The Promenade
Located at the center of the city, the Promenade houses the administrative offices of the city's Doge as well as the central barracks for the city's contingent of the Violet Brigade. Members of the city's various religious organizations as well as those either trying to wield political influence or actively involved in city politics live within the Promenade, as the district serves as neutral ground for dealings between the four families that run the city.Guilds and Factions
Most of the land within Quilport's borders is controlled by four organizations, collectively known as the Four Families, and leased to its citizens in exchange for labor and/or taxes. Each of these organizations uses its influence to control the supply of goods and resources being manufactured, imported, or exported from Quilport while also engaging in illicit trade.
The Longclaw own the Salts district and exercise complete control the city's ports. This gives them a great deal of leverage over the Kopa Drea and Skuttelkin whose enterprises rely on shipping. Their illicit activities include the manufacture and sale of weapons and ships to the Pale Corsairs as well as facilitating the importing and exporting of illegal goods or stolen items.
The Kopa Drea own the Dawncatch Veranda and serve as the de facto artist's guild for the city. With influence among artists, academics, and merchants throughout the city who rely on them for funding, the Kopa Drea trade in information and secrets. They are also involved with kidnapping and trafficking; many of the city's brothels, bathhouses and other establishments of ill repute are staffed by individuals forced into servitude by the Kopa Drea, and they regularly help other organizations smuggle kidnapped people into and out of the city.
History
Quilport was founded by the settlers from Manital who were initially headed further south to the city of Twinford when they were attacked by the Pale Corsairs while crossing the Tharaeshal Ocean. While the fleet's flagship was captured, the remaining ships broke for the Ruuldalai Sea, hoping the pirates would not follow them through the dangerous reefs off the coast of Emerald Bay. The ships landed on the bay's southern beach, far off course, their ships badly damaged and their crews running dangerously low on supplies.
A meeting was called between the captains of the surviving ships as well as several religious and civic leaders among the settlers. It was agreed that one of the captains would take the least damaged ship manned by a skeleton crew with enough supplies to reach the nearby city of Twinford, while the rest gathered food and built temporary housing on the coast to survive long enough for the others to return with resupply.
While waiting for Longclaw's ship to return, the Skuttelkin Clan discovered emerald deposits in the nearby mountains; upon learning of this, the Skuttelkin built protective walls on the hills surrounding the mines and erected the fortress of Brejkastal to watch over their new business. This caused tension between the Skuttelkin and the rest of the settlers, and the Quathmil and Stitcher families enlisted locals to guard the gates of the Skuttelkin's territory, cutting off their access to both the farmland and the coast under their control. The standoff was finally broken thanks to a surprise invasion from the Pale Corsairs, during which most of the settlement's ships were destroyed. The Skuttelkin were forced to bring the other settlers within their walls, lest the refugees destroy their defenses in their attempts to break in.
This assault was broken by the sudden return of Longclaw with a fleet of ships from Twinford, who laid into the pirate's fleet and forced the Pale Corsairs into a retreat.
Points of interest
Khuuson Coliseum
The coliseum is located in the east of the Salts at the mouth of the Whiterush RiverMaps
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Quilport
Type
Large city
Inhabitant Demonym
Porters
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