Opal
Demographics
Races
The permanent population is a mix of elves, humans, tabaxi, aarakocra, and dwarves. The transient population is far too diverse to break down or describe regularly.
Professions
30% City Guard
25% Shop Owner/worker
20% Dock worker
10% Religious services
5% Tavern Keeper/worker
5% City Governance and Nobility
3% Transient/Unemployed/Mercenary/Contractors
2% Teachers
Government
The city is run by a Mayor, whose council is comprised of the Captain of the Militia, Captain of the Guard, head clergy of the local temples, and the heads of the noble families.
Defences
There are three reasons almost a third of the permanent population who are in the Militia and Guard:
- Majority of people in Opal at any one time are transient
- There are frequent feuds between merchants, and a sizeable underworld
- The lingering effects of the Times of Arkus
Infrastructure
The main streets are wide to allow carriages and caravans to traverse them easily. The buildings are simple, and tend to be one story. The sewers run under the main streets and dump into the sea south of the city. The nobility live in the High District. The High District contains special docks for merchants with special privileges and writs of passage. It is also where the biggest bazaar in the city is. The Middle District has the most temporary stores, where Caravans and Merchants with large amounts of goods to sell who don't have a cart or stand to set up can rent them from the Nobles who own them. The South and North Districts have some bazaars and marketplaces, but primarily houses non-noble families.
On the southwest side of the city there is a small windmill farm where sustainable foods like grain and wheat are processed for the city stores.
History
Opal began as a settlement of Samaria during The Great Migration. Samaria established Opal hoping that their already vast trade network would grow further. The islands to the south east make defending it from naval aggressors easy, and their diplomacy made defending it from armies easy. Samaritan settlers were quick to befriend local tribes and learn what they could about their new home.
When the Madranians began taking part in The Great Migration, Opal was a bustling trade city. To the South, Maxam was established, far away from the settlements of the other nations. Opalites played a large role in connecting the Madranians with local tribes to help make the settlement sustainable. The added advantage Maxam had over other settlements is that the Madranians came en masse. Within two years of it being established, the settlement already had a population of 50,000. Opal was still only 5,000.
As populations boomed, Opal became rich. Resources and goods flowed through Opal as fast as a hasted Tabaxi. The boom in income made Opal grow quickly. It was easy to establish dozens of marketplaces for merchants to sell their goods. But as with all booms, there was a downside. An underworld grew. Thieves, charlatans, spies, and thugs began setting up shop.
During the Times of Arkus, Opal was spared the same devastation that befell Maxam and other cities during The War of the Seven Tribes. Unfortunately, their proximity to Arkus' Citadel meant that they fell to his armies early. Much of Opal's resources were funneled to the Citadel until it fell. Ever since then, its operations have mostly returned to normal.
Many relief efforts worked through Opal to reach the devastated cities. Trade routes allowed peoples across Vestur to recover. The traditions of Samaria lived on in Opal as they worked to save troubled populaces.
Alternative Name(s)
The Gilded City
Type
Large city
Population
150,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Opalites
Location under
Owner/Ruler
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