Skadraggen
Nestled in the steep Cliffs of the Selkie Gulf in the west lies the city of Skadraggen, home to the Umi Clan and capital city of Skanwatre. The seat of power is the largest city in Skanwatre. The many patches of green and other colours almost reminds of a thick forest, with idyllic small glades in between in which the Watren have carefully built their housings. The Watren barely use processed material for their constructions.
According to their nature bound beliefs, they often try to recycle material as often as they can. If they decide to cut stone or rock, their Monks must give their blessing.
The Watren also have found ways of reforestation, which is done immediately as soon a patch of trees has been cut.
Watren have no individual housing, instead the population lives in the longhouses of their clans. The dwellings of the Watren are large huge wooden imposing structures. The largest structures such as the Leviathan Palace are described to be as tall as a gigantic oak and as wide as that people might need an hour to reach the other side of the vast halls. The layout of longhouses often are similar to each other but the hearthfires are in the midst of the housing complex. It is the centre of the respective community.
Standing proudly on a rough stone basis are rising ancient timbered walls of the longhouses. Sun bleached hay or leather often covers the rustic rooftops. Many clans are about to change from the dowdy wooden architecture to more building materials such as stone.
Naturally there is a limit on how many people can live in such a house. The Watren spent a lot of time and energy to extend their houses to keep as many clan members as close as possible. However there is a limit to these expansion be it money or a structural problem. That is when the clan leader will split the clan in subclans and give them a plot of land to build a new clan house. Over time the districts evolved around the oldest clan houses. While the districts are built around the Umi-Clan one should not conclude that this is the oldest clan in existence. For the Umi-Clan it is just a show of power and influence.
Amidst the houses and the winding dirt paths, one can find well cared for small gardens and different altars devoted to the various spirits of nature and ghosts of long forgotten ancestors.
Well maintained large vegetable gardens, herb gardens for medical and other herbs covered by large cherry trees with blood red leaves adorn the courtyards of the dwellings.
While the colourful fore gardens surrounding the houses serve a decorative purpose, the gardens in the courtyard serve a more productive purpose, such as the growth of carrots, potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, medical herbs, thyme etc. for the clan families.
It is not like the Watren to live so centralised in one place and many of the old clans still have their old clan buildings in the countryside and populate Skadraggn only seasonally. Many of the clan people who stay in Skadraggn the whole year are either adversaries from the old clans, who run business and expand the clan's influence or it is the younger clans and the seafaring clans who do not trace their heritage back to the hills. The main bulk of the population is built by the seafaring clans who first settled here and used Skadraggn as a raiding base where they used to pillage the settlements on the west coast.
Demographics
Skanwatre is heavily dominated by human clans and only rivalled by the many trader clans of the halflings. The wealth and social status highly depends on the reputation of the clan. Many of the old clans tend to be above the young clans, but this doesn't mean just because one clan is old it is always higher in the clan rankings.There is a certain tension between the ancient clans and the younger clans.
The lowest caste in Skadraggn are the clanless who turned against their fellow clan members and have been banished for their wrongdoings.
Their uses are manifold depending on their capability but a not so uncommon use is to higher them for doing the dirty works of their old respective clans including wetwork.
Most Ara'Tashi do not partake in the society of Skadraggn but they are not situated worse than the rest of the population. Of course they have no say in the decision the other clans make for the city and the realm.
They favour to live in secluded areas in the north of the city which aren't populated by other races. Tensions between humans and Ara'tashi aren't as bad as in other parts of Kandria and there is certain common ground, like the admiration for nature, however there has been bad blood in the past.
Often the Ara'tashi are still scapegoats for bad luck and there have been a lot of pogroms in the past for various reasons.
An ancient decree by the rulers of Skadraggn states that the Ara'Tashi should have a clan leader to which the other clans can refer to. The Ara’Tashi have applied to this condition ever since. Since they live long lives the leaders do not change often. In recent events their last leader has passed quite young and several groups in the Ara’Tashi want to place their leader into power.
The Dwarfs maintain an embassy in Skadraggn to show their openness for diplomatic talks and negotiation. The dwarfs are interested in the shipyards and are trying to find a way to study the shipbuilding techniques. Dwarfs do not play a significant role in the dynamics of Skadraggns communities. They tend to stay out of the daily business of the Watren. They have established some agreements with some of the clans to supply them but nothing with deeper effects, besides with the Umi-Clan. Details of the connection between dwarfs and Umi-Clan Members are vague and kept mostly a secret to the public.
Government
The city abides by the laws of the Umi Clan and the Shio Kejserina. The other clans have organised a council to present the needs of each clan. The Shio Kejserina trusts her vassal clans, if there is infighting between the clans they solve it themselves.
The Kejserina rarely intervenes in the politics of the clans below her. Even she respects the strive for independence of the clans and only ever arbitrates between the clans if a conflict could end up as a threat for Skanwatre.
The Shio Kejserina has seen the tides that are about to change and she knows she will need every clan at her disposal, so she won't allow a blood feud between the clans.
While many of the decisions of the Shio Kejserina have been controversial, in the end she made it possible that she and her clans ended up in a better position. Therefore no clan would openly oppose a decree of the Umi-Clan.
There is of course the other side to this those who opposed the rise of the Umi-Clan, but they have perished before the might of the Shio Kejzars and Kejesrinas of the past.
Laws are all about not disrespecting the honour of a fellow citizen. Depending on the graveness of the insult a Watre might challenge someone to a duel to the first blood or maybe even death. Duels to the first blood are a common way to solve a variety of disputes.
The Shio Kejserina has to satisfy the needs of one other institution; the Shizen Munkr. The religious order of the Skanwatre, who made it their task to uphold nature. Any changes in the landscape, cutting of forest or the extension of a new mine has to go under their supervision and needs to get their blessing. They hold substantial power in the population of the Skadraggn and the Realm. It is also next to the Umi-Clan, the only institution that holds the power that connects all the clans.
Defences
While Skadraggn is sourrounded by a wooden wall reinforced with stone, most clans have their own defences set up for their clan territory. The wall is currently in the process to be replaced by a stone wall. An outsider does not simply walk into clan territory as they have placed alot of traps in their respective area. The clan territorry can be entered through a wooden gate, which is slightly guarded. At night time the gates are closed and wont be opened until the sun rises. The entire district is surrounded by mostly an raised hill with head-high stone wall. Sometimes there is a trench before and/or behind the artificial hill. After passing through lowland, the main clanhouse is again on a raised hill surrounded by yet another stone wall, with wooden extension to walk on. Attacking Skadraggn resolves in besiging multiple cities and castles instead of just one.
The fighting force of Skadraggen is huge, as everyone learn to wield a weapon. In need of defense everyone can easily be conscripted. Skanwatre has no traditional standing army, the Watren themselves are the standing army. The crux of the defense lies in uniting the clans to protect more than their own territory. The only specialised forced are the Nami-verndari(Waveguardians), who are the bodyguard of the Shio Kejserina and the clan guards of the Kai Shuryo. Their mounts, the "battle stags", can manouver very well through the narrow and steep streets unlike the heavy warhorses of another nations.
Infrastructure
Skadraggn is home to the largest port on the continent only contested by the andric port in Neu-Alextra . The city is well-known for its impressive shipyards where they build the legendary dragon boats; each vessel a masterpiece in itself.
The clans of Skanwatre have a decentralised industry, all of them have their own smithies, trading posts, warehouses, food production, waste management etc. Many of the systems in place in the clans don’t differentiate too much from each other.
There is no centralised warehouse in Skanwatre instead there are many different warehouses at portside owned by clans and their sub-clans. The goods are moved fast into the safety of the walls of their respective clans. It has happened that rival clans raided each other's port warehouses if they had a dispute. A considerable part of the fighting force of each clan stays close to the docks. There is almost always a conflict between some clans, so there is always tension. The Shio Kejserina has placed some of her own troops into the area to guarantee some form of order at the docks in the form of a neutral party.
The biggest import of Skadraggn is wood as they try to not harvest their ancestral forest. If the people of Skanwatre can’t see the forest that has been cut, there won't be any complaints. They import a lot of their raw materials from other nations just to keep their territory as untouched as possible.
They mostly export luxury goods such as whiskey, spices, herbs and silk into the Andric Empire. A big part of their livestock is traded to other nations as well. Before the seas became haunted they established trade routes to the newly found Artralia-Archipel. The Umi-Clan keeps the maps to the Archipel under tight security. They also keep the navigator who found the Archipel in their clan house under strict surveillance. The navigator is hidden in a secret hideout and the crew died in tragic accidents. The other clans play along with that charade as they promise themselves great riches as soon as the problem at the sea is resolved.
The production of parchment is also a semi-important industry factor of Skadraggn. This is because the Watren are known to be the best mapmakers in Kandria. They keep their best maps to themselves but the ones who crossed the border or were captured are very rich in detail and kept in pristine conditions by the other nations. The scouts of the clans are good at discovering new untravelled paths. Wayfinders, scouts who have fallen out of grace of their respective clans, are sought-after by foreign powers and private contractors. Watren do not waste any part of an animal they have butchered, so the parchment makers of the clan collect as much untanned skin as they can from the clan's butcher.
Districts
The districts are as varied as the clans of the city. The city is clustered in many different districts, which accommodates the clan and their splinters.
Every clan district consists of the large main clan house, a smithy, herb gardens, different vegetable beds, orchards, stable for mounts and/or livestock and of course a distillery or a brewery for their own special signature clan brew.
Some clans focus on manufacturing beer or mead, others on whiskey, gin or sake.
Every clan tries to perfect their own unique concoction. In a yearly competition they try to figure out who has made the best beverage. There are many different categories in which a beverage can shine; the best of each category will compete against each other in one final taste test.
Most of the daily life outside the clan takes place at the buzzing trading fair close to the harbour district. In a manner of booths and diverse establishments owned by the various clans are deals made. The colourful chaos of the market is almost a form of art. Where this space they place a market stall and if there isn't space they tend to make some. Taverns and other accommodations for the outsiders, visitors and other strange folk can be found here.
Skadraggn trading district is an organised mess of many small and colourful market stalls smelling of fresh seafood and various earthly herbs with a hint of citrus and basil. Usually the market close to the port sells various trinkets and artefacts from all round the world, but because of the unsafe situation at the sea the imports have been scarce. Gourmets should not shy away from Skadraggn as the many small cookshops have a great selection of different kinds of food. The famous Barely Fish Rolls are made from raw fish, often salmon, and are placed upon seasoned sour barely corn, alternatively the Fish can be replaced with pickled vegetables or creamy cheese. The rolls are often dipped in a fermented bean sauce which is very flavoursome and rich on umami in taste, some eat ginger with it. They are wrapped in pickled seaweed. But nothing is better than a skanwatre noodle bowl on a cold day. The aroma of the soup is very savoury and comforting, wafting notes of herbs and spices hit with the sweet hint of the nose of the consumer. The texture is silky smooth with a velvety mouthfeel that seems to glide over the tongue, with just the right thickness. People add a variety of things to the broth like a side of pork meat, raw eggs, sausages, chicken and of course the barley noodles shouldn't be missing. As garnish often green onions and sometimes seaweed. Some might eat fermented bean sauce and whiskey as seasoning to the sauce. There are many more delicious dishes. Another small convenience are the cosy whiskey booths offer the comfort of a warming drop on the way home.
While most clans have their own shrines and temples at clans house, there is a large temple compound further north, with the most beautiful garden. A small forest surrounds the complex in which an artificially stream flows before reaching an open meadow with small decorated ponds and shrines. Lush cherry trees are placed seemingly random around the meadows to give some shade to visitors. Slabs made from stone on the ground mark the ways that should be travelled in this park.
Sticking out in the middle of the complex is a large wooden pagoda with a small wooden wall around it, adorned with hedges and beautiful flower beds.This is where the Shizen Munkr eat, pray and go on with their daily practices. Only the monks of the Shizen Munkr have access to the temple itself and besides the Shio Kejserina no one is allowed to demand entry. The monks are caretakers of nature and try to find a balance between nature and humanity. They are the ones who give blessings if a certain part of forest is allowed to be cut and where fields are allowed to be placed. They call the end of the fishing and hunting season. This is widely respected by the population of Skanwatre and violation of this law is punishable in many ways including death. Members of the Monks have freed themselves from worldly concerns and tend to have only basic clothing.
There is no centralised craftsman district in Skadraggn as most clans produce their own tools in their individual clan districts. Usually goods are produced for the self-sustaining abilities of the clan and are shared with the members of the clans. Only part of the produced goods are sold in the market. Every clan also has their own weaponsmith, each with their own secret technique that they won't share with outsiders of the clans. Dishonourable swordsmiths are executed within the clan's lands as they cant be allowed to exist outside the clan. The Tetsu-Clan quarter is the best community for outsiders to get high-quality tools for the best price. Sure there are other clans who might have better quality but they probably won't sell it to strangers from the outside.
Black-tarred buildings and the green glow of the lanterns of the Merrow Port invoke a picture of a nocturnal forest. Looking from above one will see a pattern that reminds of polar lights on a moonlit night. While walking through the streets of Merrow Port on a hot day makes the stench of tar and brine unbearable. On normal days the sharp smell of the salt water and the earthly aroma of freshly caught fish is redolent. At dawn, wisps of mist rise from the gulf, veiling the port, adding to its allure and mystery.
At the Merrow Port anchors an incomprehensible fleet of the renowned Dragon Boats, resting at the numerous docks. A multitude of boats are ready to be deployed from the drydocks. While the dragon boats are not as huge in size as the large boats of the Andric Empire, they are incredibly nimble and still resilient. Skadraggen harbours the largest fleet of the continent leaving the fleet of the Andric Empires in its shadow. The capability to transport large quantities of every imaginable wares quickly to every in the world is facilitated by the sheer size of the trading fleet, efficient storing techniques, and the vast trading network of the halflings. The bustling apparently unlimited number of dock workers ready to load and unload the boats with a well coordinated system of cranes, ropes and muscle work allows the ships to be ready for their next journey in a day's work. The large amounts of shipyards and drydocks allow for quick maintenance.
Before the Watren made several trade agreements the wood supply was a large controversial issue. The huge shipyards are owned by the clans and the biggest is owned by the Umi-Clan itself, between those are fishing companies and smaller fishing huts. Many of the seafaring clans have their clan houses close to the port. Many of the seafaring clans are not as bound to nature as the rest of the Watren and they often illegally cut trees in the vast forest of Skanwatre. This issue had become often so bad that the reigning clans put strict rules on the import of wood into the city. This problem was solved with the import of wood from Andric Empire and the Midden Reik. With the sea route closed the import of wood from the Empire has been shut down and the import of wood from the Midden Reik doesn't fully cover the expenses and so illegal wood cutting seems to have returned. Syndicate Nox has already revived and planned new smuggling routes and tunnels into the Skadraggn.
The Merrow Port Lighthouse recently has been renovated and is now fully made from stone. There is a large controversy around painting the lighthouse black to keep in touch with the district and reduce the visibility for enemy ships or to keep it at a brighter colour so in times of peace it is more visible for trading ships. Skadraggn has imported the same white stone used in Neu-Alextra.
The Harbour District, lovingly called Pooka Town by the locals, behind Merrow Port is covered in the same greenish hue as Merrow Port itself; is one of the biggest and shadiest amusement districts in all of Kandria.
Green brightly resin lamps light up dark wooden buildings throughout the grim narrow streets inviting visitors into a wide variety of dubious establishments. Brothels range from shabby shacks to luxurious pleasure palasts. Big glamorous houses promise big prizes for high bets in the casinos but modest gambling dens allow for smaller bets with even crooked people. However most Watren spent their time in the fighting pits for blood and glory. Officially there are only pits where they fight to the first blood but some unofficial pits allow for more. Unlike the arenas of the Andric Empire no one there fights because they have too. These bloodhounds fight because they need the thrill of a good fight.
This all happens under the watch of Hamingja Akari Clan, in other places known as Lux Fortuna. They have been exiled since forever by the Umi-Clan, but they never left the city. Many other clans would like to see them gone too, but they know too much about the dirty little secret of the other clans. Credit where credit is due they look after Pooka Town and its safety. It rarely happens that innocent visitors get hurt. If the streets wouldn't be safe then, it would be bad for business. Their clan brew is the Sakybru, which tastes like the bittersweet passing of a summer’s love.
Alternative Name(s)
Leviathans Fort
Type
Large town
Population
50000
Related Ethnicities
Inhabitant Demonym
Watren
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