Gend

Nestled at the feet of the Qirama Mountain, on the eastern coast of Bada, this former humble fishing village gained recently a reputation as a licentious locality, mostly to the bewilderment of the original inhabitants.

A fiery past

The little village of Gend has ancient origins, having been since prehistory inhabited by humans taking advantage of the rich volcanic soil and the sea abounding of fish and shellfish.
Particularly attractive, for the settlers, has been for centuries the passage of Sailfish close to the village's coast during its yearly migration, allowing a relatively easy capture.
Dragons too were attracted in the area by the conjoined presence of the volcano that provided prime nesting spaces, and the sea, that most of them enjoy in their primal form.
The area is thus scattered with ruins of both human and draconic origin, like the Fire Vein, a channel dug to funnel the lava flow away from the village more than 600 years ago, and the Dragon's Caves, a series of grottoes now partially collapsed, that still bear the signs of draconic artistry.

New blood in town

They do what at the apothecary?

— an old villager

by Margarita Zueva

Despite its rich history, up to four years ago, the name of Gend was linked almost exclusively to its florid fishing economy and the recipe of the Gendian sailfish, a traditional dish of the island. Nowadays, however, its name is mostly wispered between giggles or traded with hope among the sick.
The cause of this drastic change in the perception of the village is undoubtely linked with the change in the management and in activities of the Hottest Spices, an apothecary shop situated outside its walls, almost halfway to the main crater of the volcano.
After the new owner of the shop, Yarik, started receiving patients to trial his treatment of sensory stupor, and the first ones returned to their homes reporting to the astonished families of sensual massages and luculian banquets , it didn't take long for both the sick and the very healthy to flock to the village hoping to be received for a personalized treatment.

A convenient adjustment

The fish is much colder

— a former fishgutter

Despite a moment of understandeable confusion and some instances of intolerance mostly from the elders, the villagers didn't waste much time before converting their houses in inns and taverns for the sick pilgrims and in pleasure houses for those that needed to let off steam after being refused by the main attraction.
Nowadays, Gend sustains itself almost exclusively on the sexual and healthcare tourism and boasts 3 brothels, a hot spring house and a unspecified number of small inns and room for rents.
The fishing boats lay forgotten in their boathouse or at their dock pole, despite the sharp decrease of the average age of the population.

A disappearing delicacy

Gend is widely known in the islands of the Svajan Sea as the birthplace of the Gendan sailfish, a simple but tasty dish prepared with slices of sailfish covered with tomato sauce and black olives and cooked in the woodfired ovens.
It is the typical festivity dish in Bada since it requires a long cooking time at a controlled temperature, the best examples of it requiring the cook to start the fire at the first lights of down to be served for the midday meal.
Unfortunately finding the sailfish has becoming increasingly difficult due to the scarcity of active fishermen in the area of passage of the big fish, between Bada and Kithanda.

New and old attractions

Other than the Hottest Spices, the tourists in Gend can enjoy visits to some of its natural and historical attractions, and enjoy the services of some other notable buildings of pleasure.
For most part of the year, the Quirama Mountain is visitable up to its main crater and visitors can enjoy the spectacular view inside the flaming lava inside it.
Along the way, a shortcut leads to the Dragon's Portal, one of the remaining decorated entrances of what's believed to be a nesting cave of one or more dragons.
In the village, visitors can't miss to ejoy the view of the old walls and the channel that surround the village and marvel at the ingenuity of their ancient builders.
The pilgrims more mundane need, are catered for by several estabilishments, among these notable are the "Last glass" tavern, the "Hot stones" hot springs and "The cowrie" arguably the most reputable of the brothels that sprung in the village recently.