Niganta

Written by EmperorCharlesII

The smell of delightful spices fill the room as you awaken. You yawn, stretch your arms, and make to open the shutters of your room. With a sudden gust of wind, they clatter open, and you decide to take in the view:
Narrow cobblestone streets filled to the brim with overhanging pieces of colourful cloth, denoting the merchants and pedlars hawking their wares in the early morning sun.
Small brick and mortar buildings, including a colourful club where you and your merchant friends decided to make a bet last night. You can't remember what it was.
And off in the distance, several red stone spires mark the Parakeet Palace, the home of the government here.
Welcome to Niganta.

Demographics

The city is fairly multicultural in scope as trade has brought all kinds of people to the Gilded City. The indigenous berilar and Vatarian tepilar are well-represented, as are many small communities of weddelar, smeloplar, and astanlar.

Government

Niganta is governed by a trio of Exarchs elected by the twelve clans of the city; the Brown Exarch, the Green Exarch, and the Orange Exarch. Each Exarch has their own goals, soldiers and clan affiliation, so backstabbing isn’t uncommon among the more political members of Nigantan society. Independent of the Exarchs is The Gilded Order of the Serpent, which keeps the peace in the streets of the city.

Defences

Recently, the city has come under attack from local pirates, so a fleet of mercenaries under the banner of the Green Exarch has been patrolling the water. A large stone wall surrounds the city, and only two gates open in the direction of Mount Diraakal and the other towards the nearest berilar village.

Industry & Trade

Trade is the name of the game here, and anyone looking to buy rare items will likely find a way to do so in the dozens of markets and shopping centres here. The ship-making and ship-repairing industry is also very strong here, although Miitan steals a lot of their business in this regard.

Guilds and Factions

The Gilded City is very large and prosperous, and as such is filled with different groups and factions that are constantly trying to one up another. The city's twelve clans are the source of most of them, and those who are taking advantage of the international nature of the city also sneak around in its streets.

History

The city of Niganta is built on the ruins of an old elven fortress from before the Great Sundering. Some of the buildings and artifacts from that time have been repurposed for the Gilded Order of the Serpent or other older organizations in the city. Eventually, a large trading hub grew here which has been trading with Sedesta since the late Second Era and with Kerath for the last few decades.

Geography

Located in a cove at the edge of the thick jungles of Sunset Isle, Niganta is very separate from its local geography. There are very few hills in the city, as most of them were levelled to help construct the gentle curve of the port.

Natural Resources

Lumber is one major natural resource traded at the ports of Niganta. The jungle also holds many farms for the various spices and flowers endemic to the region which are often sold in the Nigantan markets.

Alternative Name(s)

Neeganta

Type

Large city

Inhabitant Demonym

Nigantans

Location under

The Thousand Stars

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)