The port city of Baati was always considered large for an orc riverstate, with several thousand orcs claiming the hardy settlement and its fertile banks as home. Straddling the mouth of Ghabru River where it emptied into the ocean, the large town was the first stop for outlander traders moving along the coast and the last stop for orc caravans headed for the sea. Coupled with clever use of the surrounding terrain, its strategic location made Baati a wealthy and powerful riverstate for generations.
When the Socranian Empire conquered Vamor, they immediately began pouring money into the settlement's infrastructure to develop its relatively modest docks into a full-fledged shipyard and expand its markets into a traders' mecca. Several years later, it is known as one of the Three Gems of Vamor. Its jetties are crowded with ships of all types and sizes from all over the Empire and beyond. The markets are bustling at nearly all hours of the day and night and are packed with every good and service available anywhere along the Ghabru, as well as dozens more from as many other places. With space limited along the river, buildings have grown tall, supported and connected at higher levels by arches and walkways that can carry individuals for blocks several stories in the air without every touching the ground. Members of every race rub shoulders in the streets, although the population is still predominantly orc, and several nations' gold exchanges hands here.
All of this rapid development has not been without consequences, however. The towering, tightly packed structures create a maze of narrow, shadowy alleys for criminals of all varieties to frequent. Some of the walkways are even less safe, as they come with the risk of falling to a grizzly end. Poverty and homelessness have taken root in the city as those who came here to make their fortune failed and can no longer afford to leave. Orc clans with longstanding rivalries have been forced into close proximity with each other in order to maintain a proper foothold in the Empire's growing economic market, resulting in faction violence in the open and behind closed doors. Not all orcs have adapted well to the Empire's influence, either. Monetary trade is a bizarre, asinine, and foreign concept to orcs, so they are often victims of poorly negotiated trade deals. Such victims feel a simmering undercurrent of aggression and resentment towards the empire because of these deals.
The Old Steps
Originally known as Ingram’s Rise, it gradually changed names as the political and economic center of Baati shifted to the other side of the river. “The Old Steps” is a reference to the several tiers carved into the rocky hill the district sits upon. The earth and stone originally carved from the hill was used to help build some of the original structures there, and it was originally where the chieftain of Baati resided along with the wealthiest members of the settlement. The chieftain still lives here and presides over the city, though an Imperial Delegate maintains some influence from Dawn Crest. An ingenious system of pumps and pipes supplies the entire district with water by piping it to a reservoir at the top of the hill and letting it cascade back down to the Ghabru via a series of small canals.
Eastgarden
Sitting directly opposite the Old Steps is the old breadbasket of Baati. With the rapid expansion, the farmlands were forced to move further upriver, giving way to a steady creep of residential and luxury buildings. Today, Eastgarden is dotted of lavish, carefully kept gardens full of desert flowers and other flora, the fertile ground repurposed to create the aesthetic of an oasis. Eastgarden is also where the best and most expensive brothels, bars, restaurants, and shops are located, though most of them are clustered nearer the border with Dawn Crest or across the river from the Wares.
Dawn Crest
After the Empire took control of Vamor, it began restructuring Baati to become an economic powerhouse while also ensuring its presence and ultimate control of the city. Thus, Dawn Crest was founded on the hill across the Ghabru River from the Old Steps. The Imperial Delegate and Sovereign’s Garrison reside here, along with the residents richest in coin. Most of these residents are human, elven, or some combination, as they emigrated directly from Tierce. Imperial colors are most prominent in this district, as well. The architectural design of this district is intentionally noticeably different from most of the rest of the city, a constant reminder to native Baati orcs that the Empire is present and in control now.
Segund Harbour
Segund Harbour was built to expand the already existing docks in what is now the Blue Shipyard. It mostly services the east side of Baati, but also berths the luxury vessels for the residents of Dawn Crest, as well as any diplomatic vessels, imperial or otherwise.
Blue Shipyard
Baati’s original docks were located here and largely remain, though they have been expanded to allow more and larger vessels to dock at the city. Most of the mercantile cargo comes and goes through here and it is never still. Several cranes tower over the docks to move around larger cargo. There is a road that runs parallel to the river wide enough to allow crates and carts and all manner of things to move back and forth between the shipyard and the Wares.
The Sands
When the Empire first occupied Baati, and later began expanding it, it needed a quick place for soldiers and workers to live while new residential areas were constructed. Thus, a tent city was erected along the bay, which gradually became permanent as more and more of the tents were replaced with hastily built clay and stone huts and hovels barely fit for living. Today it is a slum where the failed dreamers of Baati live until they die to the elements or the crime. It gets its name from the poorly maintained streets constantly covered in sand blown in from the surrounding desert. Dock workers and ship hands looking for a cheap place to stay between jobs frequent the Sands. The warehouses used by merchants in the city are also here, though they are clustered around the outskirts of the Blue Shipyard and are generally more heavily watched than the rest of the district.
The Wares
The beating, gleaming economic heart of Baati, the Wares is nestled almost dead center of the city. Immediately adjacent to the Ghabru River and the Blue Shipyard for sending and receiving goods, the Old Steps to the north and Dawn Crest just across the river to the east for the wealthiest of patrons, and the Sands to the west for a steady supply of cheap labor, the Wares is ideally located to produce as much wealth for the city as possible. While there are shops scattered throughout Baati, the Wares contains the greatest concentration of merchants from all over the Empire. Nearly any good can be found in its narrow streets packed with patrons, street vendors, carts, animals, and barkers. Despite the heavy presence of both city and imperial guards, it is also one of the most dangerous areas of the city. Orc clans hold long grudges and working so close to each other creates high tensions that sometimes result in bloody streets, not to mention the myriad alleys where thieves and pickpockets lie in wait.
Thren and Ishtor
Baati’s unique and sometimes confusing network of arches and hanging bridges provides numerous means of crossing the Ghabru River, but the two primary avenues are the broad stone bridges that have spanned the river’s width for generations. Named after the husband and wife who originally founded Baati, Thren and Ishtor are arched bridges that sit high enough over the steady waters for most barges and ferries to pass beneath them. Both bridges are covered in orcish carvings and extend from the Wares. Thren reaches the southern tip of Eastgarden and Ishtor reaches Dawn Crest.
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