Fortunebound

POWER CENTERS

Antiquarian Guilds

Among the oldest and most powerful entities in Fortunebound, the Antiquarian Guilds govern all official trade in artifacts and treasures brought into the city by adventurers. Many of the guilds even maintain their own research departments and hire out adventurers directly. The Antiquarians maintain a vested interest in maintaining and increasing the flow of treasure through the city, keeping their vaults and caravans safe from burglars and bandits, and stamping out any potential competition (especially unauthorized -- or black market -- brokers).

Old Guard

Generations of treasure hunters have traveled through Fortunebound. Some of the lucky few who found wealth and fame settled in the city and built palatial compounds within its walls. Because of their wealth and status, these families hold significant sway over the city and its goings-on. Sometimes the motivations of these families are unified, sometimes they are chaotically disparate, and sometimes they are directly opposed to each other. In all cases, families of the Old Guard generally have enough gold and influence to buy champions to their cause. Whether that cause is clearing the homeless from certain districts, erecting a great statue in honor of a forebearer, or attempting to establish themselves as an official noble class, it is always certain that the families of the Old Guard will periodically disrupt the status quo of Fortunebound.

The Row

Working side-by-side with the Antiquarian Guilds are the guilds of artisans (blacksmiths, cobblers, ropers, leatherworkers, etc) and service-providers (innkeepers, entertainers, etc). These guilds tightly regulate the number of competing shops that may exist within the city (lest prices drop too low) and certify the quality of craftsmanship within those shops that do exist. Their primary interests are to keep commerce going, competition regulated, taxes non-existent, and crime minimized (well, at least keep crime detrimental to themselves minimized). The most powerful guilds of The Row are the smithing guild and the mariner’s guild.

Ash Walkers

Every city has an element of people who prefer to make their livelihoods outside of the accepted rules and etiquette of society, even a city in which the peace is kept, defacto, by powerful and experienced adventurers. Originating out of the ash filled streets south and east of the Sentinel’s Anvil smithing district, the Ash Walkers focus their crime primarily on black market smuggling, information brokerage, spying, and assassination. Thievery and burglary are often too risky in a town like Fortunebound, where powerful interests tend to keep close watch on their possessions. That said, theft is not unheard of within the city. It is just less common than in most other metropolises of the known world. Some Ash Walkers are motivated in their actions by a purpose -- to topple the monopolies of the guilds, or to redistribute wealth and power away from the undeserving Old Guard. Others are in it for the thrill, the risk, the excitement. But the majority of Ash Walkers have joined with the organization because doing jobs puts food in their stomach and a roof over their head.

CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS

Fortune’s Wharf and The Maiden’s Vigil

A large, open square along the coastline. Most treasure-hunting expeditions leave from this wharf, primarily on hired ships that specialize in running the rough seas between Fortunebound and the various ruined cities to which most hunters travel. Each morning, the wharf fills with adventurers, those hiring themselves out for expeditions (ship captains, porters, sellers of talismans, priests blessing departing parties, etc), and persons looking to hire adventurers for their own ends. In the evenings, there are representatives of the Antiquarian Guilds, healers, prostitutes, money-changers, etc … ready to meet any riches that return from the hunt. On the southeast end of the wharf is a large, well-kept, three level wooden building with a large front porch. It is The Maiden’s Vigil tavern. Partly by virtue of its location, and partly by virtue of its ownership, The Maiden’s Vigil is known as the absolute best location to find adventurer’s worth hiring and, as a result, to also learn rumors or opportunities for finding one’s own fortune.

Seeker’s Shanty

A large and sprawling district of small and simple buildings, piled ramshackle next-to and on-top-of each other. Seeker’s Shanty is as close to the original ramshackle camps that sparked the founding of the city as any area of the current metropolis can be. The area is almost entirely residential, with only a few scattered taverns and shops on major roads or hidden among especially crowded or popular neighborhoods. Even then, most of these taverns and shops are short-lived, temporary things run by “seekers” (adventurers) who end up just not returning from their excursion one day. The majority of homes in the shanty are poorly constructed, no more than one room large, and lightly furnished. At any given time, up to 1,000 homes are furnished, but unoccupied … their owner(s) having met their end instead of their fortune. If a house remains unoccupied for at least a week, a red cloth is nailed or tied at the entrance, indicating that the room is open for anyone who wishes to occupy it -- free of charge. The only expectation is that the new tenant(s) will keep up repairs and replace any furnishings that must be replaced. Multi-floor buildings in this area are often made of individually stacked houses and external staircases, not single dwellings. A small number of neighborhoods are somewhat well-maintained and kept mostly by adventurers who have survived for a time. However, when adventurers hit it big they tend to either leave Fortunebound altogether or move to The Hills, the Northend, or Southreach.

Relic Square

The cultural center of the entire city of Fortunebound is Relic Square. It is a large open plaza, paved with cobblestone, and surrounded by tightly-packed, 2-3 story buildings. To the north are the major houses of the Antiquarian Guilds, ready to trade gold for treasures found by adventurers (often at a price very favorable to the guilds). To the south and west are shops and craftsmen eager to sell their wares to adventurers with new money in their pocket. Armor, weapons, tools, traveling equipment, alchemical supplies, spell components, and more. Finally, along the east end of the square are the most prominent of establishments along the streets of Sailor’s Regret … bars, brothels, gambling houses, and opium dens. The square itself is filled with persons of all kinds, and many of the less wealthy antiquarians and craftsmen setup shop in temporary carts or tents within the square itself. On weekly market days, farmers and ranchers bring their goods into the square to be sold. The very center of the square is dominated by an ornate, square stone building that rises 5 stories into the air -- the tallest building in the city. Known as the “House of Accounts”, it is where those who hold power in the city meet to discuss issues and lay down decrees. There is no ‘official’ government in the city, but those who hold council here may as well be considered the governors of the area. On the first floor is a courthouse for hearing disputes between parties. On the second floor are meeting rooms for various guilds and other parties who wish to hold council in neutral space. On the third and subsequent floors are kept the official records of the city … including its history and all minutes of officially recorded meetings.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Extremely varied, more representative of other races than all other cities
A much larger proportion of adventurers and high-level individuals than other cities
Fewer long-term residents and entrenched families than most other cities

LAWS AND ENFORCEMENT

Fortunebound was founded as an adventurer’s campsite, never intending to be anything more. Over the years, the campsite grew. Permanent buildings replaced tents. Narrow paths between lean-tos became roads flanked with shops. The population grew. Yet, laws were never set. Governance was never established. Instead, those who stayed at Fortunebound embraced an unwritten code of general cooperation and non-destructive behavior. Everyone wanted the tavern to be there when they returned from the islands, so anyone who put its continued existence in danger by starting a brawl was quickly put in their place.
To this day, Fortunebound is without a single written law. For those living in the city, however, there is certainly an understanding of what should and should not be done. Failing to follow some of the more subtle of these etiquettes is one of the primary tells of new arrivals. For those with disagreements, duels in the street are, at minimum, a weekly occurrence. Most duels are not to-the-death, but rather only to first-blood or a certain point of injury. For those committing minor infractions of etiquette, others will generally just inform the offender, expect an apology and/or recompense, and then go about their day as if nothing happened. For those who commit a major faux paus, however … death, slavery, or banishment at the hands of other citizens (often quite experienced adventurers themselves) may be the consequence.

SOCIAL CUSTOMS

POLITICAL STATUS: Independent City-State

POPULATION: ~57,000 with housing for ~58,000

SIZE: Metropolis - 0.93 (E/W) x 1.63 (N/S) miles | ~1.5 sq. miles

WEALTH:
‌ The wealth flowing through Fortunebound is significant. Treasures are constantly brought in from the vast ruins of the Ireacht Empire, and pampered nobles from far off lands are only too eager to buy whatever they can get their hands on. Surrounding this foundational industry of treasure-hunting are craftsmen, merchants, and service-providers of all types; all of them eager to take for themselves a portion of the riches that flow so easily through the city.
The abundant and free-flowing nature of money in the city -- combined with the strong demand for weapons, armor, and adventuring gear -- has lead to price inflation throughout the local economy. However, an attendant lack of taxation by an entrenched nobility and the government functionaries that would accompany them, has helped to keep that inflation in-check. Fortunebound has a general cost-of-living modifier of x1.5, meaning that -- on average -- an individual will pay 150% the cost of equipment and magic items (as listed in the Player’s Handbook or other source material) when making a purchase. However, those prices are broken down further by category, as follows:
Weapons: x2.0
Armor/Shields: x2.0
Adventuring Gear: x1.5 (including equipment packs)
Tools: x1.0
Mounts and Vehicles: x1.0 (except ships, which are x2.5)
Trade Goods: x1.0 (interestingly, however, there is not much business in trade goods)
Lifestyle Expenses: x1.5
Food/Drink/Lodging: x1.0
Services: x1.0 (except for ship’s passage … see notes)
Note that there will be equipment, trinkets, concoctions, and services available in Fortunebound that are not listed in the official DnD material. Use the above price multipliers as a guide and try to make a “best judgement” between supply and demand for the item in question.
Any non-magical item with a listed value of less than 10,000 gp is generally available for purchase within the city. Ships (the only non-magical items listed for 10,000 gp or more in the official source material) are highly prized and sought after, as they provide a good income with little danger for those willing to ferry adventurers through the islands of the Ireacht Empire. That said, there is a 10% chance that a ship is available for purchase in any given week -- at x1.0 price, but “as is”. The type of ship available should be determined randomly. As for paying to have a ship constructed … such an industry never really established itself in Fortunebound. There are plenty of shipwrights willing to fix an ailing boat, but few -- if any -- individuals willing (or equipped) to build a ship from scratch. Most waterborne vessels operating out of Fortunebound are imports from elsewhere. An order for a new ship, therefore, is done at a x2.5 price multiplier and takes anywhere from 6 months (longship) to 2 years (galley) to build.
When attempting to sell items of value within the city, the general rule is that characters can sell items for approximately 50% of their value. If role-played, the pricing can be negotiated somewhere between 30% of value (if characters lose badly at negotiation and appraisal) to 70% of value (if characters are very persuasive and informed about item value). All of that said, no broker will be able to trade for more than their given max exchange value. Further, it is unlikely that a High or Elite Income Broker will be willing to meet with a completely unknown adventuring party in order to appraise their wares. A group “moves up the ladder”, so to speak, and gains access to such lucrative brokers over time, through building a reputation for reliably helping all involved parties to profit and not causing too much trouble.
Subsistence Income Broker: 50 gp max exchange value
Low Income Broker: 250 gp max exchange value
Mid Income Broker: 500 gp max exchange value
High Income Broker: 1000 gp max exchange value
Elite Income Broker: 10,000 gp max exchange value
Any item sold or purchased for greater than 10,000 gp will occur on a very rare and individually negotiated basis … and generally requires close connections with the most wealthy and privileged of individuals in the world.
Total Liquid Assets in City: 45,928,000 gp

COST-OF-LIVING: x1.5 (multiple all prices by this number to get an average price in the city)