Seapoint
It is said that Seapoint was originally founded as a trading camp for merchants who traveled the Sea of Splendor. Located on the southeast edge of a small island situated in the waters to the west of the Pirate Coast, it was a natural place to meet and trade for exotic goods from far off locales. Merchants from Firsthome would return with silks and ivory. Sailors from Zaribar would bring home bear pelts and jewelry from Morarr. Eventually, lean-tos and temporary tents became buildings of wood and stone. Campfires surrounded by makeshift seating became inns filled with exotic ale, wine and spirits. Seapoint just sort of evolved and grew, but never lost it’s purpose as a place of trade.
The city of Seapoint lies outside of any claimed borders, making it an independent, self-ruled city-state. With no noble lords to claim birthright, governance is accomplished through the enforcement of order by the hired guardsmen of major trade houses. In this sense, whether or not a resident in trouble finds aid has a lot to do with where in the city they are at the time and how much (or how little) the local trade lord cares for the populace within their sphere of influence. A general sense of order is always kept, as total anarchy is bad for business, but the law of Seapoint is a flexible, fluctuating thing. Since the city is run by wealthy trading houses who have much to lose from pirates, such men and women are not openly welcome within the city. However, there are a great many middlemen within the city who are more than willing to buy goods along the Pirate Coast and resell them in Seapoint. These individuals of flexible moral character are occasionally clandestinely hired by a trade house to arrange pirate raids against one of their rivals. These actions are often overlooked, so long as they do not get out of hand.
Physically, Seapoint is laid out as a series of trade houses and the associated out-buildings (warehouses, trade shops, small churches, etc) that support them. The areas between trade houses are large squares filled with merchant carts and usually dominated by an inn or tavern. Each market square tends to be dedicated to a single type of good or product. One square may be filled with clothing, another with foodstuffs, a third with leatherwork, and so forth. This allows merchants to efficiently browse through all of the available stock in one place. In all squares, one will find themselves shopping in a ‘grey market’, where goods may have just as easily ‘fallen off the boat’ as be legitimate. In some very rare cases, less reputable dealers may even hawk magical items. However, because each magical item in Iskatel is unique, greatly valued, and missed when stolen, these transactions are done under the greatest of secrecy.
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