Fool's Port

The Port of 1,000 Lies

While this Eastern Pristaran Port was originally called Phullsport, it's history of cons has cemented its legacy as Fool's Port instead.

The Nickname

The nickname "Fool's Port" is so common that most navigators and cartographers have abandoned the original name. Only people in trivia leagues would bother learning the original name, which is valid because the Phull family that founded the port were some of the original con artists that justified the nickname. The port's proximity to The Sentient Sea also supports the new name, as anyone sailing the Sea gambles with their life in doing so.
The port itself is not as hostile as the name suggests, however. While there are undercity conspiracies to discover, the surface level of the city is actually very welcoming. There is a "Great Con Museum" commemorating some of the port specific scams, as well as many times Pristara as a nation has been double crossed. Nearly all taverns and inns offer places to gamble, spanning all different wealth brackets. There are theater shows that dramatize betrayals from all over history. The port makes a great tourist spot, as long as the guests don't wander down the wrong streets.

The Cons

The following are three scams related to Fool's Port. The writing is lifted straight from the "Great Con Museum" referenced earlier.

Phull's Dance

One of our city's first scams was on the more lighthearted side. The Phull family wanted to entice people into moving to their port. In order to do so, they said that they would host a gala with some of the most famous members of Pristaran society every year. After three years worth of postponing the first party, the Phull family finally held a party in the town square. There were only two tables set up with limited food and one live musician. The best part was: none of the Phulls even showed up, nor did any celebrity. At least the city was populated enough to sustain itself.

The Fool's Lottery

Another annual event; the Fool's Lottery was arranged as the city got a reputation for gambling. The Fool's Lottery (originally just called "The Lottery") lasted a total of five years. A percentage of all money spent gambling was lightly taxed and pooled together for one final raffle. The more people played in the casinos and poker tournaments, the more raffle tickets they earned. Unfortunately, the winners of the drawing were all conveniently people who either owned casinos, or were friends of the Phull family. The townsfolk threatened to boycott the casinos until the tax was removed.

The Placebo Drug

Our port's proximity to The Sentient Sea has given it a significant role in the drug industry. The Sentient Sea has known hallucinogenic properties so entrepreneurs all tried their hand at inventing new "experiences" with the resources found in the sea. One such resource, was fish egg! "ew!!" For years, people would eat the eggs of fish native to the Sentient Sea, buying it at a premium in order to experience its mellowing properties. The problem is: it worked for a lot of people. Everyone felt so much calmer after eating them, and some still do. It has been scientifically proven that the eggs have no effect on our minds, but people still love to try them, even if they hate the taste.