Port Norsal
Introduction
Port Norsal is a fairly large mercantile city located on the north eastern coast of Syvahl. It is the northernmost coastal city on Syvahl, beyond it lies The Wastes. Throughout the city there are various large plots of land taken up by walled villas. These villas are home to the highest class of the city, and as you walk through the city, you will see guards in front of their gates and on top of their walls. Tucked into the sides of the city, away from the main road, is Norsal’s working class. Though this lower class is crucial to the function of Norsal and its prosperity, the wealthy families have made sure the only land available to them is away from the forefront of the city. Beyond Norsal’s walls, miles of successful vineyards run across the land. Wine, of many varieties, is Norsal’s main source of local economy, not relying on the trade of others. However, being the nearest export city to Starrengeld, does have its advantages, since Starrengeld is responsible for the precious metals used in the country’s currencies.Districts of Port Norsal
Port Norsal is split into districts based on their internal caste system as well as what each area of the city is used for. Though these districts exist, some of which have a literal boundary to them, the denizens and travelers of the city are not restricted in their movement around the city. This is not the case for private land however, and the upper class have hired guards that will make anyone that they deem as unworthy feel unwelcome if they wander too close. The districts of Port Norsal, from West to East are: The Shipyard, The High Tier, The City Center, The Mercantile, The Worker Commons, The Workshops, and The Wharf.The Shipyard
The heart of Port Norsal, without it, the city would not have been able to grow into the flourishing city that it is today. The Shipyard is where old vessels go for repairs and new vessels are built. The ability to create and maintain sailing ships keeps Port Norsal as a key location to the maritime culture off the easten coast of Syvahl. With easy access to new lumber in the north, and the ability to secure metal materials from the Dwarves, the city has an entire industry devoted to keeping ships in tip top shape and they are one of few cities capable of doing so.The High Tier
With a city that is so driven by the power of wealth, it was only natural that in the city's growth the wealthier families started to build their homes close to one another. Over time this has created The High Tier district filled with walled villas for the wealthy, higher end shops, and inns and taverns that only the most successful merchants can afford.The High Tier is also home to The Farren Family's villa compound. The compound rests up against the main outer wall and is further surrounded by it's own wall from the rest of the city. The Farren Family Compound includes multiple buildings including the believed family home, a guards quarters begin enough to defend a small village, and an entire great hall specific for entertaining.
The City Center
Right off of the main road through the city is Port Nosal's City Center, which has everything someone visiting the city for the first time could need, though usually a better deal can be found in other parts of the city. Along with City Hall and Port Norsal's Church of the Thirteen, the City Center is home to one of the city's main attractions, The Arena. Travellers may also find many different palces of lodging, travel companies to help them seccure passage on a ship or cart and horse to travel over land, and a wide array of shops for general goods, equipment, and travelling supplies.The Arena
One of the huge community draws of Port Norsal is The Arena, a large coleseum style building that is used to hold all manner of events for the denizens of the city. Every month a tournament is held in the arena where would-be champions are pitted against various creatures from the region as well as one another. Each entrant must pay a small entry fee depending on the event that they will be participating in with the hopes of winning a substantial purse. A large number of other events are also held on an anual or semi-anual basis.Lodging
The lodging in Port Norsal's City Center covers the widest array of lifestyles in the entire city. There are places to stay that belong in The High Tier as well as those that are surprising to see anywhere outside of The Worker Commons. This is so that anyone who happens to be traveling through the city can find somewhere to stay within their budget. Click to show lodging optionsFarren's Favor
Farren's Favor is a luxurious inn owned and operated by the Faren Family. It is one of the nicest establishments in the city, located directly next to The Arena. The inn pays homage to it's elven ownership with elven cuisine, carved and artistically twisted wooden interior, and flora imported from the elven homeland of L'Vy'Ae-dul-Fyr.The Limping Sword Tavern
The Limping Sword Tavern is a rustic tavern owned and operated by Varsk, an old and retired Arena fighter. Though smaller than Farren's Favor, it also lies next to The Arena on the opposite side. Inside, the tavern's stone walls are decorated with equipment and stories from successful arena fighters. It is said that Varsk will buy equipment used by a champion of the arena to display in his tavern.The Mercantile
Port Norsal's Mercantile district is the primary meeting place for merchants and vendors in the city to gather and meet. The buildings that fill the Mercantile district are mostly made up of moderate to high-end inns for merchants to make their stay in as well as offices for the vendors to make arrangements from.The Worker Commons
Filling up the bulk of the city is Port Norsal's Worker Commons. The distrcit is mostly made up of appartment style, multi-family dwellings to house the thousands of workers that keep the city moving. Though it is difficult for those living in the working class to earn enough to move out of this district, they are not treated poorly. One of the prevailing lines of thought from the higher classes of the city is that happier workers create a better and more productive work environment.There are a handful of core careers to be found within the city. Shipwrights, vinyard workers, material processors, and various skilled craftsmen cover most of the jobs to be had in the city.
The Workshops
The Wharf
Lodging
Lodging in Port Norsal's Wharf district caters quite obviously to the type of people who work on and run the sailing ships that are constantly in and out of the city. Many of the clientelle rotate in and out based on whether their ship is in port, but some regulars have formed from local fishermen and short haul material transporters, as well as those who are recognizable as visiting while in port. Click to show lodging optionsThe Even Keel
Iron Mast Alehouse
Lorelei's Lanter
The Salty Sailor
Ships
As a maritime driven city, there are a number of ships that are constantly in and out of Port Norsal's docks. Some of the ships here are local vessels that have a more or less permenant spot in the marina, while others are never in port for more than a couple days every month or two. The ships below may or may not be in port at a given time, but all sail along Syvahl's eastern coast, with local ships being noted specifically. Click to show potential sailing vesselsThe Whispering Wind
The Iron Cask
The Iron Cask is a strange vessel captained by Thorstag Stonewind, a boisterous and cheery middle aged dwarf. The ship does not look like it should float. It's hull is completely made out of iron. The ship floats on two large pontoons and it moves with a mechanical engine. This ship is largely a prototype design that did not take off yet as it is slow, cumbersome, and requires a fuel to run. The Irons Cask's primary use is for hauling large quantities of goods and materials along the coast since its internally driven engine allows it to move at a relatively consistent speed and does not rely on favorable winds to maintain the speeds of the other sailing ships.Syvahl's Ruling Class
In Port Norsal, the phrase "Money is Power" has taken a literal meaning. The leadership and caste structure of the city is largely determined by wealth. Those whose wealth comes solely from working for others struggle to move up the hierarchal ladder, while those wealthy enough to loan money and invest in other people, will find themselves with power over those who have taken the help. This wealth and stake driven power structure means that those who can create the largest disruption to the flow of economy through the city find themselves in charge. It is rare that this power is taken advantage of, but the mere threat of causing a chain reaction is enough to keep people following the rules laid out by the families in power. There are three primary families that are considered the ruling class, though a few smaller families are able to band together and apply enough pressure to be consindered a second tier ruling family.Primary Ruling Families
The Farren Family
The Farren Family is an elven family that found themselves in Port Norsal centuries ago. Though they have not always been the main ruling family of the city, they have managed to stay in power for as long as records show them in the city. Many believe that the long lives of the elves have allowed them to keep an unshakable hold while other cite their use of various Mouths to speak on their behalf keeping the true identities of who is in charge a secret as the reason they have not been drive out,The Marsks
The Aranore Clan
Secondary Ruling Families
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
I am reworking this article right now, but until that is done, I will be leaving the original write up below for reference. Social – In the Port of Norsal, the phrase “Money is Power” carries a lot more weight than it does in any other city. Norsal’s leadership structure is essentially decided by who has the most money invested in the businesses and companies around the city. Holding a majority stock in a business gives that family a lot of power of the business, including barring it from working with other businesses or even shutting it down. Because of this, whoever controls the right companies, essentially has the power to shut down the city, though the few times in Norsal’s history that this was attempted, the family in charge ended up missing or dead. Though Norsal tries to keep it’s working classes living districts away from the public eye, these workers are not treated poorly. The families in charge or Norsal quickly learned that unhappy workers did a poor job at their work. Making sure these families were adequately paid and cared for improved morale and improved the quality and effectiveness of their work. However, some families will live below their means in the hopes that one day, they can save enough money for a future generation to climb the ladder into becoming a business owner themselves, a true step up for the people of Norsal. Economical – Norsal owes a lot of its economic wealth to its location. Being the last port city to the far north gives Norsal a lot of control of Syvahl’s trade between the northern and southern regions. Choosing to avoid Norsal with its tariffs and taxes means potentially taking months to travel through the dangerous lands of Kesh’ru’Kai and then the vast desert known as The Expanse. Norsal is also in a premium location to tax the gold and silver that the rest of Syvahl uses as currency, since Starrengeld is responsible for over 75% of the continent’s precious metals and gems. However, the leaders of Norsal were smart enough to not rely on the income they made from taxes or from the goods that were made from imported materials. The land around Norsal was found to be quite good for growing grapes. There are many vineyards stretching across the land around the city, make a vast array of wines. Cheap wine that can be shipped and sold to stores and inns around the continent, as well as very high quality and small batch wines can all be found in the surrounding area. Some of the higher families will even experiment with growing their own grapes and producing their own brands of wine as a hobby. Political – The political structure in Norsal is established by whichever family holds the largest stake in the merchanting and shipping companies in the city. The companies are loyal to the family providing them with capital and connections between other companies in the city. There is only one true family who rules over Port Norsal, currently the Faren family, though they often work with the other families. Some of this is done to keep themselves from being usurped by the other families, but also because the arrangements can be mutually beneficial by creating deals between the various companies. An interesting thing that has been taken up by the Faren’s, are the Mouths of Faren. The ruling families have been known to have hands for generations, people to carry out their work so the actual family doesn’t have to get its hands dirty. However, the current leader of the Faren family has started instituting Mouths as well. The Mouths of Faren are people granted the ability to speak on matters on the behalf of the Faren family. There are multiple Mouths and it is unknown whether any of them are part of the family or if one of them is still the leader. They have done this to solidify their seat of power. Since no one knows who is running the house now, no one knows who to assassinate. Religious – Norsal is not really known for being a religious city. However, there is a large temple to Lugh, the god of Arts, Travel, and Commerce located near the center of the city. Some of the more religious people of the city thank Lugh for getting them where they are today, while other pray to him hoping he will help guide them on a path to power within the city. Other gods that are more commonly worshipped in the city include Manannan mac Lir and Oghma. Military – There is a military force in Norsal that stands separate from the rest of its social system. The guard force keeps the peace within the city and protects it from outside threat, and in return, the ruling families make sure that the guards are well funded, well paid, and their families are taken care of. The city guard operates out of one main barracks where it handles recruitment and training, though there are guard posts and smaller barracks set up around the city to be used by the guards on duty. One unique bit of defense that Norsal has are large ballistae mounted along the top of its wall. These ballistae surround the city to defend the vast amounts of wealth inside from an invasion either by sea or by land. Norsal does not have much of a jail to speak of. What few jail cells exist in the barracks are largely used as holding cells. Almost regardless of the crime, the punishment tends to be the same. An investigation takes place to determine guilt, if they are found guilty, then the family effected may take them in as a servant of their choosing, usually landing them on a farm for their sentence. In the case of particularly violent acts, Norsal is not above extreme measures, like the death penalty.Defences
City Guard. Private Guard. Walls and wall mounted Ballistae
Type
City
Population
~20,000
Location under
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
