Marsember
Demographics
The people of Marsember are multicultural and varied. The original settlers of the city were sailors and traders from all corners of the world, and the citizens of Marsember reflect that diversity to this day. In the wake of recent politics, multiple waves of migrants and refugees have come to the city from wartorn nations–the Dales, Sembia, and even Shaharas to the far north.
Sea elves and triton often come up out of their underwater settlements in the Dragonmere for trade.
Government
Marsember is ruled by a Doge, an elected Lord who oversees the city on behalf of the Queen and their constituents. The role is a lifetime appointment; members of the noble class elect a lord from among their peers. The current Doge, Alecto Evanthe, ascended to the role at the end of the Shadovar War.
The legislative body of the city is the Great Council. All members of the Great Council are part of the patrician class–the nobles of the city.
Key civic roles are appointed by the Doge and approved by the council, including local judges, guard captains, and more. On national issues, the Doge and the city are supposed to defer to the authority of the Queen.
Defences
There is a 500 strong garrison of Purple Dragons based in Marsember, and two of the kingdom’s largest warships, the Jotunn and the Beholder, are permanently stationed in the city’s harbor to patrol the Dragonmere for pirates. During the war with the Shadovar Empire, Marsember became the primary producer of warships for the Cormyrian Navy.
In times of peace, the city is safeguarded by a local watch of 200~ guards. The eastern guard station is located inside of Starwater Keep. The western station shares its building with the Purple Dragon garrison.
During a conflict with the Queen of Cormyr, Doge Alecto Evanthe ordered all Purple Dragons to leave the city.
Industry & Trade
The City of Spices didn’t earn its name for nothing: as Cormyr’s premier maritime trade hub, Marsember brings in luxury goods from all corners of the Inner Sea. The wealth of Cormyr’s natural resources - timber, coal, and iron - are brought down from the heartlands and into the city for processing and export.
Professional guilds make this industrial city run. There are over a dozen guilds within the city, overseeing core industries. There are guilds for both highly skilled professions as well as general labor: the Dockworkers’ Guild is one of the largest guilds in the city because of the high demand for help loading and unloading cargo.
Speaking of cargo, all imports entering the city are subject to a modest tax. In a rare partnership, the Temple of Umberlee collects these taxes on behalf of the City, keeping a small tithe for themselves in the process. The partnership is a win-win: the Umberleean clergy receive the tithes their goddess expects from the seas coming in and out of the city, and the Doge saves on resources. So long as neither side cheats the other, the relationship is perfectly symbiotic.
Several trading costers have warehouses in the city, including the Seven Suns Trading Coster from Baldur’s Gate, and the Thousandheads Trading Coster of Waterdeep.
Districts
Cinderlanes
Outside the walls of the city proper, the Cinderlanes sprawls. Originally, the lanes were just a handful of inns and warehouses for merchants coming to Marsember from the north road for trade, now
- The Wyvern Gates - the northern gates to the city are currently locked to all incoming and outgoing traffic. Only residents with documents signed by the Doge's office can pass through.
Citadel
Governance and industry converge in the Citadel. Marsember's main harbor lies here. All foreign ships are expected to pay their dues on arrival to the sea and the state: the Temple to Umberlee and the Doge's Keep.
- Starwater Keep - the seat of the Doge's authority. City officials bustle in and out of the keep on daily business.
- Deepgreen Hall - the largest temple in Marsember is dedicated to the Tempest Queen, Umberlee. Umberleen clergy act as the coast guard for the city, performing water rescues and wreck recoveries, for a reasonable price. They also collect port taxes from incoming vessels.
- Acrostolion Drydock - the largest drydock operating in Marsember.
Loudwater
Loudwater is the oldest and longest neglected district in Marsember. Founded before the city grew around it, Loudwater was once a pirate outpost. Then it became a trading hub. Then it faded into afterthought as the city built bigger harbors, bigger temples, bigger everything elsewhere. Nowadays, Loudwater is a rickety shell of its former self. Many a back alley deal is made in Loudwater; guards posted in Loudwater are overstretched and underfunded compared to the wealthier districts. The general populace of Marsember knows that Loudwater is the place to go to get things done you don't want discussed in broad daylight. The people of the district are a resilient who've weathered the hardships they've seen by making a close-knit community for themselves.
- Landsgrave's Folly - The old lighthouse slouches in the waters a quarter mile offshore, a rotten finger pointing out of the water. The waves took it decades ago.
- The Sea Market - A pop up nightmarket that appears in one of the back alleys of Loudwater. The location is subject to a moment's change. Many folk will boast that you can find anything you want there, but few will tell you where to go to find it.
- Flotsam and Jetsam - A tavern with a unique feature: the lower floor is underwater. Caters to both land-walking patrons and seaborne guests: triton, sea elves, etc.
- Warehouses, fisheries and other smelly industries that people don't really like living near are typically shunted to the isles between Loudwater and Palaghard's Hill for production.
The Islets
The Islets are what Loudwater used to be. This residential neighborhood is made up of little islands dotted with gorgeous villas. Residents are heavily reliant on skiffs for transit, and many own their own skiffs, and gondola taxis are popular for transportation.
- Luckfist Hall - The Temple to Tymora sits on the easternmost islet, adjacent to the Citadel and Starsilver districts. On Midsummer's Eve, Tymoran priests host a massive feast and festival that takes over the temple and most of the streets around it.
Palaghard's Hill
The west gate of the City leads out to a coastal road. From here, it's a two day's ride to get to Suzail, the capital of Cormyr. Since most trade coming to Marsember comes from either the southern port or northern, inland road, the West Gate does not see as much traffic. Homes, inns, small shops, and taverns dot this side of the map, as well as a smaller shipyard dedicated to creating skiffs for the canals.
- Farmer's Market - Business has stalled due to the closer of the West Gate to outside traffic. Some residents use the empty stalls to household goods in the interim, trading excess of one thing to fill a gap for another.
- Western Barracks - Guards posted in Palaghard's Hill and Loudwater operate out of this facility..
Stormwinds
Named, fittingly, for the wizard's college that towers over this district, Stormwinds' district is shaped by the academic ecosystem around the college. Books, curio shops, taverns full of students debating magic theory.
- Stormwind Tower - A mage's tower dedicated to the study of Divination, Conjuration, and Illusion.
- The Top Shelf - A bar beloved by local college students.
Swordspires
The beating heart that keeps Marsember's mercantile blood pumping, the Swordspires is home to Marsember's greatest artisans. Blacksmiths, weavers, tailors, tile makers, potters, if it's made with your hands, it can be found in the Swordspires markets.
Starsilver
On the outer banks of Marsember, the Starsilver district gleams. Beautiful mansions and fertile gardens greet the morning. Overlooking it all is the Temple to Lathander, a golden domed temple that shines in the morning light.
- Morningmist Hall - the gilded Temple to Lathander; at the heart of the complex lies a beautiful, gold-domed building. A cloister of priests and devotees live in the buildings surrounding it.
- The Golden Fleece Inn - an opulent inn on the easternmost island. It's known for its seafood, high prices, and the public bath house it operates down the street.
Geography
The city lies on sandy islands in the swampy west bank of the mouth of the Starwater River, the large river that cuts through the heart of Cormyr. Over time, settlers built homes and neighborhoods across the archipelago, connecting them by canals and bridges into the latticework city we see today.
Mist often shrouds the city, rolling off the Dragonmere’s water and into canals in the early hours of morning and in the cool of winter. The ethereal mists and romantic waterways have inspired many romantic paintings and stories since the city's founding.
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