Caernstock
The best of Tyranisia's ports is Caernstock, which is also regarded as the region's main commerce centre. Nearly all nautical trade pertaining to the nations of Tyranisia takes place here, which is situated beside the mouth of the River Flueve as it empties the continent into the Galvar Coast. It is a place of enormous wealth and potential. Despite its reliance on the prosperity of the magnificent port city, it is a location that Contrantum despises.
The citizens' arrogance and pretension have no limitations, and they assert that they are the Dranghyrians' equals in every aspect of art and culture.
The vast city of Caernstock stands out amid a dismal and dreary landscape. The city's population is derived from the Jytones, who drove the Endels from their domains and settled in the marshes. East Adake's population are actually of Endel origin, yet the city was created solely by Jytones.
The city rises from the foetid bog that characterises the Wasteland, that bleak march between the impenetrable Vinmiers Forest and the vast Pale Sisters.
With the constant rains, sucking mires, and peculiar breeds of peasants that make their living trawling the murky waters of the countryside, getting around the magnificent metropolis can be a task in and of itself. The sheer immensity of Caernstock, with its several islands, canals, and labyrinthine alleys, can rapidly overwhelm a tourist. Because the city is so enormous, many of its inhabitants rarely wander beyond their own districts and can only imagine about what happens on the other side.
Anyone seeking to travel anywhere in the city must pay a few coins to use one of the canals. Of course, one could walk everywhere, but the streets are so small and twisty that it's simple to be lost, eaten whole by a metropolis that is always hungry for fresh flesh. Thus, the canals serve as the primary thoroughfares, and the murky waters, glittering with the oily sheen of filth, are filled with skiffs, rowboats, sailing ships, and even galleons that pass through the city on their way to Helmgart or even as far as Talabec.
Demographics
The city of Caernstock covers an area of approximately 328 acres, with a total population of 26 thousand people. The city has 92 noble houses. The peace is kept by 28 guardsmen, and there are 26 advocates to assist with legal matters. For those more concerned about their soul, there are 543 clergymen and 19 priests.
Defences
The enormous wall of the Vloedmuur surrounds Caernstock like a mother shielding her children in her arms. This is the city's primary defence against floods from the sea, as well as the prospect of an attack from any direction. It stretches for miles surrounding Caernstock, built on the foundations of the old Sea-Elf fortress's walls, but the Directors have showered the most money and attention at each end of the Flueve, as well as at the crucial Oostenport and Westernport gates.
Stone ramparts and massive circular towers guard the entrance to the Flueve, known as the Stromport Gate. Officers in control of the Stromport towers can order the raising of massive chains that have been set across the bottom of the canal in an emergency. A metal barrier can block the entry to all ships going down the Fleuve in half an hour, and cannons on the towers assure that warships trapped by the chains will have a difficult time. The fortress-prison of Rijker's Isle with its cannon and fire-hurling catapults protect the opposite end of Caernstock's harbour entrance.
The Vloedmuur towers are smaller here, and the walls are built to protect the harbours of Oostenport and Westenport, whose ships and marines are crucial to the city's defences. The Vloedmuur, which runs between Stromport and Rijker's Isle and is only broken up by the towering gatehouses of Oostenpoort and Westenport, is more of a massive dike made of packed earth, stone, and wood pilings that are regularly reinforced and rebuilt. Several brick-lined tunnels penetrate it, each built within the base of a stone watch tower.
Infrastructure
The Noordmuur canal in the far north is a popular route for persons doing business in the commercial and government districts since it avoids the heavy traffic on the Rijksweg. In contrast, the westernmost channel, the aptly named 'Dead canal,' is a sluggish and foul-smelling creek congested with trash and occasionally bodies from the city's slums. It emits foul odours and vapours, and only those who can't afford better or aren't welcome anyplace else gladly dwell along its banks. Several more canals wind their way through the islands, some so minor that they aren't even marked on municipal maps. These narrow waterways, which are nothing more than lanes, connect to the backs of shops or homes, or to private lagoons hidden among the overhanging structures. Because it's easy for a stranger to get lost amid all the named but unmarked rivers, most visitors to Caernstock hire one of the many local water-coaches to show them around.
Stairs are cut into the islands, while the poorer sections provide rickety wooden stairs to access the canals and docks. Some are broad and open, like as the Grand Sweep on the Flueve side of the Palace District. Others, particularly deep within the old districts such as Craftsmarket or the lost tenements of the dead canal slums, are nothing more than cuts in the rock barely large enough for a man to get through. What were designed to be easy roads are frequently turned into death traps for those who have an opponent or two.
Guilds and Factions
The Black Caps
Caernstock's city Watch, officially known as the Honourable Company of Lamplighters and Watchmen, is well recognised for their characteristic floppy black hats. They are in charge of protecting property and maintaining public order, as well as investigating all crimes committed on land. They are also authorised to deliver on-the-spot justice in minor offences such as public intoxication, disturbing the peace, and violating ward laws. The sergeant of the local Watch house is normally in charge of such situations, with sanctions ranging from a minor fine (no more than 5 silver) or a night in jail, to a few hours in the stocks or even up to ten lashes if the sergeant is in a very bad mood. Except for the foreign ghettos, which are under the jurisdiction of a barracks in a neighbouring neighbourhood, the Black Caps are organised into Watch Barracks, one for each named district in the city. The size of each barracks varies based on the area covered and the local nature. Riddra Isle, a small, reasonably calm district, has a comparably minimal Watch presence, but the Palace District has the largest Watch presence in the City and a barracks that appears more like a fort. The headquarters are in a huge structure near the High Court in the Palace District. However, each barracks is usually left to its own devices. Ward Captains only request assistance from headquarters when a case necessitates the use of specialised investigators or resources.History
Caernstock's beginnings are all but forgotten in the distant past. War, fire, floods, vermin, and even the Cult of Cadai all attempted to disguise the truth. What has remained are tall tales told in barrooms and informed estimates made by scholars poring over crumbling manuscripts. Caenstockers are a realistic bunch; their city is simply what it is. As long as it's a profitable place to be, the average occupant doesn't care how it got here. Nonetheless, practically any street urchin will gladly offer a tourist a map to Erick's secret treasure hoard or show them the vault where the Cult of Cadai concealed their altar-pieces during the Dwarfen occupation of 398 AG.
Architecture
Caernstock is an island city with bridges and canals. When visitors get here, generally from the sea or after sailing through the fens on the Flueve, the first thing they notice is how it rises from the water like a behemoth, safe behind the huge wall of the Vloedmuur, indifferent about anything around it. The second thing they notice is how busy the islands are, with apartments, stores, and warehouses taking up every square inch, even on the bridges. The third and final thing that strikes the new arrival is the need for a large parasol when travelling the canals under the bridges or beneath overhanging windows. Caernstock's islands are the ruins of the ancient Sea Elf port of Sit Rionnasc'namishathir (castle of the Star-Gem on the Sandy Coast), with the Vloedmuur following the outline of the old Elven castle wall.
When Man arrived, little but broken ruins remained on the surface, however their foundations formed the foundation for future construction. Why these islands remained above water while the swamp devoured so much of the surrounding land is unknown, though scholars of the College of Navigation and Sea Magics speculate that it may have something to do with Elven High Magic, the obscure runes of which have been discovered in the deepest ruins' chambers. Nowadays, most of the islands rise up to twenty feet above the canals (though during high tide, it drops to less than ten feet, and the waters rise even higher during the largest tides around the spring and fall equinoxes) and are only endangered by the worst floods.
Alternative Name(s)
The City of Gold
Type
Large city
Population
26 Thousand
Inhabitant Demonym
Caernstockers
Owner/Ruler
Related Reports (Primary)
Related Reports (Secondary)
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