Marn
“I never saw myself as a city girl. Never saw myself as a killer, neither.” Therissa Stonecreek, Lumaer assassin.Marn is the industrial powerhouse in Provincial Lestes. While technically a barony under the control of the Emperor, the city is truly run by the five syndicate families of Marn: The Boostrappers, The Tinker’s Union, The Warmongers, and the most powerful families, the Glynmyar and the Lumaer. Pre-war, Marn was a relatively backwater (and crime ridden) port city, most notable for its steel mills and for being the east-most launch point for folks crazy enough to travel to Baazdos. After the discovery of blackstone, and the inevitable Black Rush, the city exploded in size, building shipyards, foundries, factories, and living quarters to house the hundreds of new inhabitants. As the city grew, so did its underbelly, and before long the thieve’s guilds and smugglers rallied under a High Elven family from the far north, becoming the first syndicate. With a partnership between the fledgling Frontier Coalition (the founders of blackstone) and this well connected syndicate, the city attracted even greater wealth and corruption. By the time the Great War had begun, Marn was a hub of industry, with entire districts dedicated to blackstone technology and the discerning of the strange technologies recovered from the frontier. Over time, the spoils of war enriched the various factions of Marn. These groups become powerful in their own right, as powerful as the Lumaer family itself. The Bootstrappers, Tinker’s Union, and the Warmongers all rose to prominence during the war, each profiting in different ways. The bootstrappers held dominion over the docks, shipyards, trains, and carriages transporting blackstone. The Tinker’s Union was responsible for designing, implementing, and discovering various schema for use by the northern armies, including Warforged. And the Warmongers—lawyers, magewrights, and scholars—sold it all to the empire. It was during this time that the Lumaer had a devastating falling out - a handful of family members had forged a pact in secret for greater power and ability - trading their long-bred pedigree of natural born sorcerers for a suite of dark, eldritch power. The group was cast out, becoming the Glynmyar, the fifth Syndicate of Marn. Thus, the Five Families became what they’re known as today. A tenuous peace has been held between the families for the past 17 years, although assassinations, poisonings, and subterfuge are still commonplace, with each family searching for an edge. With the North now reliant on the influx of blackstone to keep order in a vast, continent spanning Empire, the families have found more value in cooperating with each other — at least on the surface — to reap the gold their various monopolies have accrued.
Government
Marn has a baron, who changes often, and is always a figurehead. So long as the baron allows the families to operate with impunity, there’s no issue. Infringing on the operations of the syndicates is a quick way to find yourself at the bottom of a sweet ichor vat. Additionally, showing favoritism towards one syndicate is often met with a similar fate, as no family wants to think any other has an edge.
Infrastructure
Marn’s lower wards are heavy dwarven stone, remnants of the settlement that predated the city. Ironworks and foundries fill more than half the city, with the other half a sprawling metropolis of excessive wealth. Most ground level wards are left to the poor, with entry to higher, wealthier wards closed off to most of the working class.
Guilds and Factions
Dozens of thieves guilds, adventuring guilds, hedgewizard dens, cults, and gangs exist in the city, all too disorganized to catch the eye of the bigger fish in the pond. The baron does their best to squelch the factions that break the law (or step on syndicate toes), attempting to maintain a presence in each ward.
Architecture
If you could take a cross section of the city, you could read the different eras like sediment in a river bank. Hobgoblin on dwarven on human on elven with gnomish accoutrements, the city architecture is nearly as diverse as its people, and every bit as disheveled.
Geography
Marn is coastal, in a temperate (if a bit cold) locale. The rainy season is long, the summers mild and a bit too short, and the pollution has altered the climate enough to make seasons seem more like vague suggestions. Marnites jokingly call the four seasons Rain, Fog, Smoke, and Fuckin’ Frigid.
Type
City
Population
230,000
Location under
Owner/Ruler
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