Emerald Point

Emerald Point is a large island-city in the Emerald Isles, which serves as the defacto capital of the Emerald Shores Alliance. Founded in 315, 3E, the city is home to Dendralis' most affluent and influential families and companies, commanding around 3/4 of the region's known wealth, and leading the organization of a merchant marine force to ensure trade continues to thrive in the region. As with most centers of wealth, the faced of the city is glad in opulence, but little is known amongst the public about how the city truly operates.

History

Founding

Emerald Point was founded in the early Third Era by a group of affluent merchant families who used the island as a trade hub for shipping goods through the region. Originally based out of what was then known as Splitriver City, the choice to relocate their families to the large island allowed the families to have more control over their ships, providing them the opportunity to enhance efficiency and increase their wealth. The original families of Emerald Point soon took hold of the shipping industry in the Emerald Sea, controlling over 75% of the sea's vessels in less than two decades following their move to the island.
During this time, many others with aspirations of wealth followed those families, swelling the population of the island to over 5,000 people, mostly human, in that same time span. By this point, the leading members of the original families recognized that governance was needed not only to maintain civility - both interpersonal and professional - on the island, but also as a way to cement their leadership over the island. As a result, the families incorporated the city of Emerald Point, taking on the lead roles and shaping the city to their vision, in the year 315, 3E.

Early History

Emerald Point experienced a large population boom shortly after cementing its status as an official city, bringing waves of laborers from the Dendralin mainland, while birth rates skyrocketed. As more and more industry took hold on the island, the center of wealth in Dendralis shifted to the island as well. Due to it's quick growth, Emerald Point built a strong rivalry with Crescent City almost instantly, with the rivalry becoming lopsided very quickly. In less than half a century, Emerald Point was already the most affluent city on the continent, and began exerting it's power thusly over the region's trade.
The city's leaders chartered a group of three vessels to provide security to merchant ships as a form of insurance for their investments. As these vessels gained notoriaty, the city began to offering their security to the neighboring mainland settlements in exchange for a tribute to the coffers of the fleet. This persuasion campaign laid the groundwork for the forming of the Emerald Shores Alliance and Emerald Shores Merchant Navy through the Alliance Decree.
With massive growth followed grand opulence for the people of Emerald Point. While more and more wealth was concentrating on the island, its residence were keen to show this wealth through their dress, the construction of their homes and business, and their other property. Class division began to show its face in a striking way during this time, as citizens began to associate more exclusively with those of similar affluence whilst affluence was beginning to be worn on one's sleeves in a very literal way. Despite these divisions, everyone was experiencing the benefits of this high rate of growth.

All trade flows through Emerald Point.

— Common Mercantile Saying

Modern Emerald Point

Today, Emerald Point has truly cemented itself as the powerhouse of Dendralin industry. With roughly 3/4 of all known currency on the continent being owned by Pointers, the island's leaders are able to exert significant control over the valuable Emerald Shores Trade Route while unofficially controlling the continent's largest naval fleet as well. Additionally, the class divisions present on the island are stronger than ever - a reality that Emerald Point's elite have used to their advantage, allowing the Barons of the island to take a center stage socially, while the elites continue to pull the strings behind the governmental and industrial strings of both the island, and the region at large. Their hidden sway has taken on enough power, that today, their ancestors from the original families, cannot be traced in public sources, one of many ways the elites keep their true identities unknown by the masses.

Demographics

Much like its mainland counterpart, Emerald Point is a melting pot of races and ethnicities, with humans being the largest cohort at nearly 45% of the population. A sizeable population of half-elves also call the island city home, making up just over 20% of the population, while the remaining third of the population is an amalgamation of all sorts of other races, including, but not limited to gnomes, goblins, half-orcs, dwarves, halflings, tabaxi, tortles, and even some tieflings.

Class Division

While the vast majority of Emerald Point residents would be lumped into the upper classes of Dendralis, the island features distinct divisions between the levels of affluence that is not replicated anywhere else on the continent. Affluence is expressed in nearly every aspect of daily life for Pointers, from the fabrics and styling of clothing, to the tools of trade, home construction and adornment, even down to the company kept by each individual. Social interaction that crosses more than two subclasses is incredibly rare, despite a lack of any forced segregation, legal or otherwise.
The base of the social totem pole on Emerald Point begins with the working class. Primarily fishers and dock workers, most skilled laborers fall into this class bracket. Despite bringing in a lower income than the average Pointer, these workers are able to command a strong enough income due to the islands overall affluence that makes them among the most affluent manual laborers on Dendralis.


Master craftspeople of the island make up a bridge class between the workers and upper classes. Like their working counterparts, master craftspeople are able to command unusually high prices for their work which provides many of them the opportunity to focus more time on quality over quantity in their craft, elevating their trades to new heights. Additionally, the island's influx of exotic materials allows these masters to craft goods which merge materials in new and unique ways that are unavailable elsewhere.
The upper class is broken up into three distinct subclasses. The lower of these three classes is the mercantile class. With wealth generated through the vital shipping industry that Emerald Point is built upon, the mercantile class are the drivers behind the roaring economy of the island. Of all classes, the mercantile class both provides the best opportunity for class mobility, and tends to be the most interactive with individuals of all classes.
The second most affluent class are the Barons. Like their counterparts of the same name in Crescent City, Emerald Point's Barons are exceptionally wealthy, and flaunt it publicly. Barons often wear extravagent garb with expensive threads of silver and gold woven into the attire, along with gaudy jewelry. Born into generational wealth, Barons also attempt to portray themselves as the islands most elite class, often refusing to interact with those of lower classes - even the mercantile class - unless necessary for business.
At the top of the food chain of Emerald Point rest the elites. Diametrically opposed to the Barons in almost every facet, the elites are a secret sect of the population living in plain sight. Hiding their ownership of nearly two-thirds of the Emerald Point economy though convoluted compnay structures, the elites are the true puppeteers of politics and business, not just on Emerald Point, but for the entirety of the Emerald Shores Alliance. Little is known about who comprises this subclass, as its members maintain low public profiles, adorn themselves in mercantile-style garb, and generally do whatever it takes to avoid their status being outed to the public.

Government

Emerald Point operates under a parliamentary monarch government in which a City Governor is chosen to lead the city, flanked by a parliament of wardens representing the interest of each of the city's districts. While wardens are elected democratically every third Seedburst, the Governor is selected via a closed door convention, replacing the former Governor after their passing. Publicly, the Governor is viewed as mostly a figurehead, with the parliament handling most of the city's actual governmental operations. However, it has been said that behind closed doors, the wardens are merely lobbyists, fighting for scraps from the Governor's unknown handlers.

Defences

As with the entirety of the Emerald Shores Alliance, Emerald Point is protected by the Emerald Shores Merchant Navy. Being the most vital location within the ESA, Emerald Point has two ships dedicated solely to its protection at any given time, ensuring that no significant threat is able to arrive on the island's shores. While most are content to accept this assignment a simple and straightforward, there has been evidence that more is at

Verdent Trio by Collin Stephens via Bing CoPilot Image Creator

The Verdant Three

play between the ESMN and the elites of Emerald Point. Rumors swirl throughout the ESA that the Merchant Navy is less a regional military force, and more of a private navy for the elites of the Point, backed by reports of ESMN ships being seen escorting multiple private ships to the affluent getaway of Cala'Lúmë, while mariners often see their pay spike during assignment to the island.
Locally, the island is patrolled by the Point Constabulary, a peace force that is chartered to maintain peace on Emerald Point. Constables are highly trained in various forms of combat, as well as restraining techniques, utilitizing melee, ranged, and arcane methods to assert order within the city. Violent criminals are held in the central jail while awaiting their day before the Governor's Court, with those sentenced to confinement being held on one of the small islands south of Emerald Point within the Emerald Isles. Thanks to their training the Point Constabulary also provides a last line of defense against any potential threats should the Merchant Navy be unable to prevent any outside agitators from landing on the island.

Climate

Thanks to it's offshore location, Emerald Point is able to enjoy a balmy climate year-round, with temperatures rarely moving outside of a window of mild to warm. Humidity is fequently on the higher end of the spectrum, while precipitation remains quite mild outside of the stormy winter months. During the winter months, the cooler temperatures stagnate the air circulation of the Emerald Sea, allowing the high surface winds to build up towering storm systems in the atmosphere, bringing torrential rains to Emerald Point and the Emerald Isles chain often, with a number of these storms making significant landfall onto the Dendralin mainland.

by Collin Stephens via DALL-E

Emerald Point Emblem

Guardians of Prosperity

Founding Date

315, 3E

Type

Large city

Population

26,435

Inhabitant Demonym

Pointers

Location under

Emerald Isles

All trade flows through Emerald Point.

— Common Mercantile Saying