Marsena
The Southern Fortress
Built atop the rocky hills overlooking the Sea of Thralls and flanked by the mountains to its east, Marsena stands as the military center of Daeruin. The city began as a military fortress and has since expanded to become a great city of the empire with several units stationed within its walls. Marsena is surrounded by fortifications and boasts an impressive harbor, all built to withstand attacks from land and sea. In particular, the southern fortress city has been toughened by years of border wars with the Droth south of the Empire. Though it boasts a climate and elevation not unlike the capital city, Neirath, Marsena distinguishes itself by being a center of industry, military affairs, naval operations, and home of the notorious Scarlet Hand, an inquisitor military order tasked with rooting out foreign elements hostile to the Empire and dealing with them in the shadows.
Frontier Cosmopolitanism
Despite its reputation as a frontier city with a heavy military presence, Marsena remains a rather cosmopolitan city. Among its free population, Droth, Orcs, Dwarves, and other ancestries can be found in abundance in business and commerce. Dark Elves remain quite represented in the military class. Marsena's location as a coastal and border city makes it a common first stop for new arrivals in the empire. Many arrive from far lands and plant their roots in the city as traders. For the most part, this diversity has been welcomed. Perhaps paradoxically, however, slavery remains a potent force in Marsena's economy. The city relies on its large slave population, especially in the Mistvein Mines, to produce its ore and fuel its military-aligned industries.
Demographics
Military Class
The nobility and top brass of the military are almost entirely comprised of Dark Elves. Despite the city's relative diversity of ancestries in the lower and middle classes, the higher class of the city's population remains Dark Elven. This class includes the ruling ladies, lords, courtiers, generals, knights, and military officers. It is worth noting that both highborn and lowborn Dark Elves can be found throughout the military, including the top brass, with even the Captain of the City Watch being of common birth.
Merchant Class
Much of Marsena's diversity can be found in its merchant class. The traders, businesspeople, and artisans of the city are comprised of many ancestries. Humans, especially Droth, as well as Orcs, Dwarves, and other elven ancestries can be found in abundance in these positions. Given Marsena's southern location, it attracts travelers from all over the continent and serves as a frequent first stop for new arrivals in the empire. Its fair climate and proximity to human lands make it an easier place for migrants to become accustomed to than more traditional lands in the heart of the empire. Despite the city's rigid reputation as a frontier settlement, it has proven rather willing to culturally mingle and welcome new traditions.
Slaves
Marsena runs on slave labor, especially in the harbor and the mines. This labor enables the settlement to have a steady flow of ore, metal goods, and reinforced defenses, allowing trade to flow, order to be maintained, and those in power to remain so. These slaves include miners, dock hands, cooks, laborers, and domestics, belonging both to the nobility and the burgeoning middle class. In terms of ancestry, Snow Elves, Droth, Orcs, and Goblins are most represented, though many other ethnicities can also be found. The conditions for slaves in Marsena, especially the notorious Mistvein Mines, are known to be harsh, causing it to be almost a penal city where captured and enslaved folk are sent as a punishment, to disappear them after a transgression. This population remains harshly mistreated and prone to revolt.
Districts
Castle Ward
The highest and most well-defended district of Marsena, the Castle Ward houses and defends the city's nobles, top brass, and wealthiest citizens. Buildings here are constructed of blackstone and protected by layers of neighborhood walls. The Halarian Keep is where the Marsena's ruler resides, and the grounds also host the city's barracks and well-defended supply stores. Residential neighborhoods house notables of the nobility, the military class, and visiting dignitaries, ambassadors, and delegates of foreign lands. The city watch maintains a constant presence in this district, making crime extremely rare. Folks in this district tend to be Dark Elves, with the primary exception of foreign dignitaries.
Exchange Ward
The plainly named Exchange Ward hosts the city's commercial functions, including its markets, shops, and civilian services. Marsena's main gate provides entry to this district, and it is where the majority of the population conducts their commerce and labor. The main street is wide and lined with shops and market stalls where local and visiting merchants do business. The city's bank is also located here, and it is considered the financial center of the empire. Given the ward's proximity to the harbor, main gate, and residential areas, it experiences a fair bit of crime. It is perhaps the most diverse district in Marsena, hosting not only Dark Elves but much of the city's other ancestries.
Iron Ward
The notorious Iron Ward is the source of Marsena's greatest asset and its most ruinous calamity. Named for the Mistvein Mines, the Iron Ward is a major center of slavery in Marsena. The mines house slaves, prisoners, and criminals who produce the city's iron, ebony, and precious metals. Beyond the mines, there can be found a quarry, a foundry, iron works, and the usual run of shops and services, though typically at a more run-down quality. A hub of crime and corruption, the district suffers from greedy magistrates and cruel wardens who rule the streets based on who puts coin in their pocket rather than a sense of justice. With proximity to the harbor, the Iron Ward has plenty of interaction with the city's merchants as well as its thieves guild, who hold significant sway in the district. The aforementioned Mistvein Mines are sometimes called a city beneath a city, and they operate as one of the major centers of slavery in the entire continent. It is said that more slaves occupy the labyrinthine mines than in some nations. In recent times, the Iron Ward has been the source of immense discontent and furious rebellion in Marsena in response to cruelty from the mine's wardens.
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