Luskan

Luskan was built on the ruins of an ancient Orcish settlement sometime in the mid-1300s. The city now is an uneasy alliance between the older population of orc mages and a newer population of sailors, traders, and shipmasters.

Demographics

Roughly one-third of the population is of Orcish descent, with ties to the Kingdom Of Many Arrows to the northeast. The rest of the population is more recent immigrants - mostly genasi and dragonborn, but no race is uncommon in Luskan - who came as part of the sea trade.

Government

After petitions by non-spellcasters, the Arcane Brotherhood now shares control of the city with a Captain's Council. In order for the city to officially do something, both the Brotherhood and the Council must agree on the suggested course of action.

"Arcane Brotherhood" is a loose translation of the orcish term; any orc mage (regardless of gender) is eligible to propose themself as a member. Sixteen mages are then selected from all registered orcish mages in the city, and these mages must come to a unanimous decision to either accept or reject the candidate. Accepted candidates join the Brotherhood for five years, and Brothers (or Sisters or Siblings) may extend their term by unanimous agreement of the Brotherhood. Brotherhood decisions are made by consensus. There are two schools of thought about the Brotherhood:

1. The Arcane Brotherhood is a continuation of the governing traditions that made Illusk a stronghold of Orcish magic study for centuries. Requiring consensus decisions ensures that all voices are heard. Random selection of voters allows for a small enough number of voters that a consensus shall be reached, while also letting ordinary citizens meaningfully participate in the governing process.
2. The Arcane Brotherhood is an oligarchy that reaches dinnertime before they decide what to have for lunch.

The Captain's Council is made up of five ship's captains who stay permanently in Luskan for the duration of their two-year term. Any captain who anchors in Luskan for at least two weeks in the prior year may run, and any sailor whose ship docks in Luskan for at least two weeks may vote for any number of captains. Permanent residents of Luskan - those who are present for a majority of the days of the year - may also vote, and business owners are eligible to run as though they were "captains". The five candidates with the most votes join the council, which makes decisions with an hour of debate and a vote afterwards. There are two schools of thought about the Captain's Council:

1. The Captain's Council lets itinerant workers have a say in government proceedings. Captains and business owners have expertise handling complex situations involving large numbers of people, and these are the people best equipped to run a city as well. Short terms and short debates ensure that decisions are made quickly.
2. The Captain's Council's "quick decisions" are an attempt to run roughshod over millenia of Orcish tradition, and they're a bunch of plutocrats anyway.

History

Thousands of years ago, orc arcanists founded a city far to the north of Waterdeep , and they called it Illusk. Illusk thrived for many years until they got into a trade conflict with the city of Neverwinter, which besieged the city and then burned it to the ground. This was widely considered to be a "yikes moment" for Neverwinter. Luskan was built on its ruins.

Type

City

Inhabitant Demonym

Luskans

Characters in Location

• Esen Ragnakild
• Finaeli
• Shirilith
• Sigrunn Ragnakild
• Velrynvoth

Related Reports (Primary)

• Our Heroes Fight The Moon

Related Historical Events

• 1491 DR
  Adventures in Luskan

The Luskan flag is a compromise that quarters the original flag of Luskan (a white serpent, tying itself in a knot, on a green field) and adds a flag representing the merchants and seafarers of Luskan (a golden heraldic dolphin on a blue field). Most people in both the orcish and seafaring factions hate it.