Port Rose

"I hereby found Port Rose, not under my rulership, but under my name. May freedom bloom here, and may the spirit of piracy drive the port to ever greater heights. Let Port Rose become a utopia for pirates."
-Captain Rose

Legacy of Captain Rose

Captain Rose founded the port in 795 HB, the year before he died. His purpose in doing so was to create a true home for pirates, where anybody and everybody is welcome, so long as they can handle the chaos. A utopia of freedom, as he put it. While Captain Rose didn't live to see Port Rose at its height, he surely would have been proud of what it has become.
Port Rose is the single settlement on the Seas which best embodies the spirit of piracy. It is a bustling, drunken, chaotic, confusing, free-thinking and joyous place. The populace places importance on the spirit of piracy and tries to embody a pirate's values of freedom around every corner

Port of Opportunity

Port Rose is the first stop for vagabonds and drifters who are looking to make something of their lives. Port Rose has everything to offer in terms of opportunity. Since this is the preferred port of most pirates, it's easy to join a crew. Even beyond that, the port has a wealth of job opportunities, such that anybody with any skills at all can make it by here.
Thousands of people seeking new beginnings make their start in Port Rose, and some among those people have gone on to be very successful as pirates, artists, business owners, or anything else conceivable. Even those who don't find success rarely complain about the wealth of opportunity offered to them in the port.

Laws Are For The Harps

Port Rose is, by nature, next to lawless. It does technically have a government - The Council of The Rich - but it is small and has limited power. The laws here are simple: don't murder unless you're ok with getting killed yourself & don't steal unless you're ok with being stolen from. Beyond that, you're free to do what you want.
The Council of The Rich is, to some degree, a parody of how Captain Rose saw national governments. The rich people always end up influencing the decisions made by rulers, so why not just make the richest ten people in the port just make the decisions directly? Thus came into being the council, which can be composed of anybody - pirates, merchants, businesspeople, or anybody else - so long as they have the money to enter. The council's responsibilities are twofold; to ensure that laws don't get passed, and to decide if and when it's appropriate to banish a person or ship from the port.

A Hodgepodge of Districts & Docks

On top of lacking laws, Port Rose lacks central planning for districts. The community has come together to create a few clearly defined ones, and some have formed thanks to the natural formation of people, but even within these districts parts of the city bleed into each other.
There are only two fully agreed-upon rules when it comes to building in Port Rose: never build anything permanent on The Beach, and don't fell any trees in The Shackwood. These rules are in place because of the writings of Captain Rose (released after his death), where he spoke of his wishes to ensure the two remained intact.

Beachfront Bay

The largest of the three bays of Port Rose, Beachfront Bay is the preferred idling place for ships. While the bay doesn't have any docks that hold ships for a long time, it does have substantial space to make up for it, and it's easy to drop anchor. Here thanks to the shallow waters. Ships in Beachfront Bay have been known to drop anchor next to each other and hold parties, with a few planks spanning between the ships. On the most extreme occasions, there have been over 10 ships lined up in this way.

The Beachfront

The beachfront runs along the northern half of Beachfront Bay, located in the centre south of the island. The beachfront doesn't have any permanent buildings on it, but it does have temporary food stands and businesses that rent out chairs & parasols. The beachfront is quieter than most of Port Rose, especially at night, and is the ideal place to relax in an otherwise constantly moving city.

The Kelp Docks

To the eastern side of Beachfront Bay are The Kelp Docks. So named for the overgrowth of sea plants around and on the docks, The Kelp Docks actually don't have any kelp, which doesn't grow in tropical climates. The docks are the central location for loading and unloading of passengers and small amounts of cargo. Ships are asked not to stay too long on these docks due to the constant turnover.
The docks are home to a few benches and open gathering places - many just as overgrown as the docks - which are frequented by sailors just entering and leaving the port.

Kelp Cape

The cape east of Beachfront Bay and west of Vigo's Harbour is so named thanks to its relation to The Kelp Docks. This is the primary shipment district in Port Rose, as is connected to the two major dock structures in the port. The cape is full of shipment depots, as well as ship supply shops & the like. The occasional inn can be found wedged within the clutter, but these inns are at best middle class. Next to nobody actually lives here permanently.

Vigo's Harbour

The bay on the southeastern edge of the island, Vigo's Harbour is the primary long-term docking point of Port Rose. Almost all cargo that goes through the port is loaded and unloaded here, and the network of docks is designed to be able to accommodate as many ships as possible. Most of the docks connect to Kelp Cape, though a few are anchored in Bootlegger's Run.

Bootlegger's Run

Located on the southeastern arm of the island, Bootlegger's Run is arguably the shiftiest area of Port Rose. Originally named for its reputation for being filled with bootleggers making poor quality moonshine and selling it at an upscaled price, nowadays, the run is filled with all sorts of unsavoury folks & pariahs. Despite the poor reputation, the run is still widely frequented thanks to its funny tendency to produce occasional diamonds in the rough. Right now, rumour has it that a high-quality enchanted book store has popped up and promises to be one such diamond.

The Shantytown

On the eastern shore of the island, The Shantytown is a sprawl of hovels, stacked residences, and low-class hotels. The ramshackle buildings here are constructed with no rhyme or reason and are home to the lower class residents of the port and less fortunate passing sailors. The Shantytown is in a constant state of hangover, but that doesn't stop the residents from maintaining a jovial nature almost all of the time. Once or twice a week, at seemingly random intervals, The Shantytown breaks out into wild partying which lasts until sunrise.

Moontine

Sandwiched in the middle of the east of the island, Moontine is the cultural hub of Port Rose. Not to say that it's the beating heart of it (that honour goes to The Spiderweb), just that this is where the majority of art & well-planned social gatherings take place. Moontine has generally fancier architecture than the rest of the port (save for Sunshine Row), which stands out, particularly in contrast to the chaotic neighbouring areas.
Moontine is also the port's centre of trustworthy magic and has a number of curiosity shops, wizards for hire, and cleric-filled temples.

The Shackwood

The Shackwood is a large forested area taking up the central northern area of the island. The southern edge of the forest, bordering Moontine & The Muddle, is lightly populated with tree forts and isolated shacks, usually connected by small dirt paths. The deeper into the forest one goes, the less populated it is. The forest has a still-functional ecosystem, so it is the perfect place for casual hunting. It is also the perfect place to hide a body, and it's advised not to dig around too much here. The northern edge of the forest has a few watch posts since the northern edge of the island is most vulnerable to attack.

The Muddle

As a section of Port Rose, The Muddle is best described as confused. While much of the port has a chaotic and disorganized feel to it, most areas have a common cultural identity, some relatively similar architecture, and perhaps a common industry. None of that is the case for The Muddle, which is sandwiched in the middle of the western half of the island. While the culture here is lacking (as much as it can for a settlement as culturally distinct as Port Rose), the variety is not. You can turn a corner and go from high-class residences to a pit where people punch each other for fun, then turn another and find the port's second most popular tavern.
The only cohesive part of The Muddle is around the northern tip, where Shelter Bay makes the only contact it has to settled parts of the port - and this region is similar to Kelp Cape.

The Spiderweb

The beating heart of Port Rose, The Spiderweb is a massive entangled web of tall buildings and rope bridges, all held together by The Cobweb - a 16-story stack of businesses which is the tallest building the port has to offer. The Spiderweb is situated on the southwestern foot of the island, and the buildings here get taller the closer one gets to The Cobweb. The Spiderweb is easily the most frequented area of Port Rose because of just how much it has to offer - and how good the party life is.

Sunshine Row

The token rich district, Sunshine Row takes up a small strip of land on the western coast of the port, just south of Mt. Rose. This is the home of all the super high-class dining establishments, inns, & leisure clubs. The Council of The Rich is located here and encircled by well-paid guards. Half of the area is dedicated to mansions & other high-class estates - most of the residents are retired pirates who made enough money to live the good life.

Shelter Bay

A wide and deep bay which spans about half of the northern shore of the island, Shelter Bay is so named because the ships here are sheltered from view from almost all sides. Not even most residents of Port Rose can clearly see who's here. Thus, people who want to keep a low profile tend to cast anchor in Shelter Bay.
The bay doesn't have many docks which connect to the port, so they are in high demand. Ships are expected to provide suitable bribes to get access to them.

Mt. Rose

A mountain of red stone just upwards some 800-900 feet over the rest of the settlement. It takes up the northwestern corner of the island. Only one path leads up the mountain, atop which is Drake Stadium, where some of the more impressive shows and battles take place. The path up the mountain is littered with occasional shacks, but in general, the mountain is untouched by the settlement. The northern face of the mountain is pockmarked with caves in which lesser monsters dwell, and pirates who have lost significant bets are often made to explore them.

The Shipyard

Located on an island about 2 miles out from the central island, The Shipyard is where anyone can go to get their ship repaired for an agreeable price, or upgraded for a far less agreeable price. The shipyard is almost entirely dedicated to the trade but does have a small residential district in its centre to accommodate the shipwrights and their workers.

Founding Date

795 HB

Location under

The Green Sea