Saunton
Saunton is the capital of the Commonwealth and home to the Miskatonic university. An old and illustrious city, Saunton has been the centre of politics for Cape County since the mythic age. Doomed 2 Die visited the Arcane Quarter and Kingshall within the city during Azura's trial. The city also houses the famous Rusty's Bar, a tavern popular with Miskatonic students and travellers alike for its association with war hero Rusty.
Demographics
Saunton is a diverse port city with humans, halflings, and half-elves of Commonwealth ethnicity being the most common. The city is the largest in the Commonwealth and has people of all classes, with the merchant and working classes being the most common. Pockets of west marcian and eldrian populations can be found in port districts, with kobolds and goblins dominating the slums of the city.
Government
Saunton is ruled by a city council of local nobles, councils, and guilds. Several districts have minor nobility still in direct charge of them, and multiple dailman can be found in the city representing it within the national government in Pennygyntaff. The Lord Mayor of the city is an ancient title dating back to the Krowethic empire and they act as symbollic head of the city.
Defences
Saunton is amongst the best defended within the Commonwealth. Its thick, impressive walls have stood for centuries and act as the main defence of the city. These walls have multiple watchtowers, traps, and keeps along them with divisions of the city watch manning these areas. The walls have been upgraded heavily following the 40 year war, mainly by the Seldrinar troops who occupied the city. The ancient walls were largely destroyed by the Eldrians during the invasion of Kernow, with the subsquent Eldrian walls being drestroyed by the Seldrinar during the 40 year war. Their upgrades include arcane runes which upon activation create a dome of force energy to protect the city with a vulnerability around the coastline. This weakness was exploited by Southaxian and Ice Elf soldiers during the liberation of saunton, who used a Commonwealth and Dragon Empire army to distract the seldrinar whilst they sailed up the river and took the city from within.
The Commonwealth military is based within Kingshall with the admiralty having their headquarters in Warsea. They live in impressive castles of modern design with magical and mundane defences and deep cellars for protection. Since the war, the Commonwealth military has become the most well trained and fearsome in the west and is ready for anything.
The City Watch is the largest civil police force in the Commonwealth and considered a paramilitary force capable of fighting in wars. Reporting only the lord mayor of Saunton, the watch are a well trained and dedicated militia with their own dedicated anti-corruption department which keep the guards in line.
Industry & Trade
Saunton is the commercial centre of the Commonwealth. Its port is the main trading centre on the gulf of marcia trading route, housing ships from across west marcia. The city is also a key point along the Carely road which leads into the Eldrian Empire. During imperial times, the commerce guilds of Saunton were amongst the most wealthy in the empire. Although land trade has fallen since independence, the roads from Carely and Gwenydd still bring in vital ores and grains for trading to foreign buyers whilst the ports bring in everything the city could need and more. Saunton also manufacturers numerous commercial and artesenal goods from furniture to alcoholic beverages.
Infrastructure
As an ancient city, Saunton has infrastructure made by numerous peoples and empires. Beneath the city, the ancient giant settlement now serves as a sewer system. There are six main bridges crossing the rivers Mace and Mair. These include the Jotunbridge, Kingsbridge, Kernowian Bridge, Saunton Bridge, Shacklegate, and the moorsbridge. The city also has numerous canals constructed by the marcians and eldrians which served as internal ports and ferryways. These canals now house the industrial districts of Saunton.
The city has numerous docks and shipyards. The main docks can be found in Moorshinal in the natural harbour of the River Mair's delta. This is the commerical centre for imports and exports along the Gulf of Marcia trade route and are frequently busy. Across the harbour, The Marcian Fleet shipyards and docks can be found in Warsea, the traditional naval centre of Kernow in the past.
The city has multiple squares and plazas dating back to the Marcian empire. These forums once served the city during the height of this empire, with the ruins of their ancient temples now standing as gardens and public parks.
Districts
Saunton has multiple districts, each one serving as a town within itself. In general, the north of the city is the wealthiest, with canal districts being poor and industrial, whilst the docklands are a mix of working and merchant areas.
The nobility find themsleves on the northern triangle where the Mace and Mair merge. Kingshall and Paceworth house grand manors, boutiques, wide modern parklands, libraries, and galleries. Duan's Keep, the main palace of the city, is found in Kingshall and houses the royal family. The cathedral of St Wayne also lies in this district. This is the centre of the Diocese of Saunshire and the cardinal seat of the Archdiocese of Cape County. Across the river, wealthy merchants build grand homes and brownstones in Adrict.
The prestigous wizard college of the Miskatonic and its numerous colleges and support areas domiante the Arcane Quarter of the city. Those that live here either support the university as staff or professors with student dormitories, bars, and shops found between them. The Miskatonic itself has numerous layers of construction, but is largely a gothic and ancient castle along the Mair's river banks.
The western districts of Middleworth, Elrinwyl, Oldwall, Victory Park, and Perlham house the merchant and artistic classes of the city. Theatres, parks, and diverse shops and markets are most common here. Middleworth is the financial and trading centre of the city, with all shops imaginable found within Careleygate, the main street that lies on the trade road to the western provinces of the Commonwealth.
Northworth, Southwharf, Saintswharf and Moorshinal are naval and industrial centres surrounding the Westbank Mair Canal system which was built by the Marcian Empire when they ran the city. Once general wharf and sailing districts, since the awakening they have become predominately workshop and factory centres with tenantments housing the workers. Those that own these grand workshops live in isolated estates or own homes in the northern districts.
Shorley is a diverse town district on the beachside, with shipbuilding, docks, and merchant bases found throughout this wide and diverse district. It is divided into four quarters representing the cardinal points of a compass and was constructed as a Marcian Port town. The South Quarter serves as an elite tourist resort with casinos, museums, and hotels.
Warsea is the shipbuilding centre of Saunton, with military and private drydocks found along its coastline. Port Saunton is based in this district and serves as the base of the Marcian fleet of the Commonwealth navy. The admiralty have large private estates to the north of this district, with the shipbuilders and sailors living in tightly packed homes and apartments to the south of the district near the coastline.
The east city almost serves as a city within a city. Old City is the financial and trading centre with is ancient kernowian streets and buildings, whilst southbank houses the noblility. Workshops and granaries are bsed in the poorer district of Eastwall, with Nettis acting as the residential centre. Giantsbridge hosts a mix of riverside quays, manufactories, and worker hubs. Windergate has three main centres, a merchant base, a residential base, and an artesanal base specialising in stonecraft.
The districts around the neapian canals to the south are predominantely fishing, forging, and shipbuilding areas with the houses built atop each other along the walls. These areas of Tareton and Adderglen are amongst the cheapest within Saunton, but the impressive Marcian fort of Sanicum has been converted into a divinitst monastery and the soutehrn portions of Tareton support this as a religious hub for the city.
Guilds and Factions
Saunton's most important guild is the Miskatonic University. This ancient and prestigous arcane college was founded in the first age by the legendary mage Miskaton and has been the home to archmages such as Mordenkainen, Leomund, Tasha and Bigby. This guild is sometimes relied on to defend the city and the Commonwealth, such as the battle of Saunton during the war of independence.
History
Saunton was founded as Saagoth by the giants, and was the seat of power of the mythic age Krowethic empire which spanned the entirity of the western lands of Prima Terra. This ancient city spans what is now the Kingshall, Paceworth, Adrict, Aracne quarter, Middleworth, Northworth, Moorshinhal, Giantsbridge, Old City, Nettis, and Southbank districts. The city was largely destroyed by Kernowian and Gwenyddian tribesmen during the fourth servile war and the downfall of the Krowethic empire, with its ruins falling into the ground beneath.
The kernowians rebuilt the city as a small town around the northern portion of the city, which gradually expanded in the heart of numerous Kernowian kingdoms during the first and second ages. In the first age, Miskaton arrived from Albion and built the Miskatonic around the ruins of a giant fortress and founded the Arcane Quarter. This university found ancient Krowethic texts and artefacts and began the Miskatonic's famous archives which are now stored in the ruins beneath Wyvern college.
The Marcian Empire vassalised the city and renamed it Santannium Kernovus, expanding the city and modernising its architecture. The city served as the captial of the Kernovia province of the empire and was a key trading and export port for the empire, with the docks districts and canals been built or expanded. When Marcia left the region, the city entered a steep decline and was nearly abandoned. It was gradually reclaimed and exapanded on by the Kingdom of Kernow which took the city as its capital.
Saunton was invaded by the Eldrian empire in the late 800s of the third era. The city fell within two months to the empire and its eastern and southern districts were largely destroyed. The empire rebuilt them in their style and expanded the city, rebuilding the walls. Riots within the city in the 910s saw the destruction of ancient Kernowian religious and cultural structures and new churches and castles erected in their place. The city served as the capital of the Cape County province of the Eldrian Empire until 992.
The revolution saw the eldrian military garrisons quickly defeated by an organized milita of Cape County knights and the city watch. The governor of Cape County was executed outside the royal residence and the city declared its independence from the Empire and rallied numerous rebel factions around Cape County and Gwenydd to their cause. The gathering of influential nobles from around the rebellion provinces saw the city be placed undersiege by the empire's mercanary captain Azumon and the 12th legion under the leadership of Gwenyddian governor Tumbridge. The mages of the Miskatonic aided in the battle with the heroes of the Parental Problems Posse storming the Eldrian lines and defeating the armies.
During the 40 year war, Saunton was invaded within 48 hours by the Seldrinar Supremacy. During the battle, large portions of the walls and dockyards were destroyed with the hero Rusty giving up his life to save civilians. The city was rebuilt and occupied by the Seldrinar who used it as a military centre. Internal rebellion and resistance continued during this time, and the city was freed in the Liberation of Saunton towards the end of the war. The Commonwealth soldiers under the leadership of Rhiannon of Devil's Bridge, the future queen, and Dragon Empire troops assaulted the walls. This distracted the Seldrinar whilst Ice Elf and Southaxian ships sailed through the defences and assaulted the command centre. Internal resistance by Miskatonic students saw the magical defences disabled, and the Seldrinar troops were quickly routed with minimal damage to the city itself.
Since the end of the war, the city has become a prosperous gem on the Gulf of Marcia. Queen Rhiannon rules from her court and the city is entering a new age of prosperity.
Appearances: 2
- Session 32: Arbitration
- Session 33: Auran
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