Lore and Legends of the Dezzyverse

Sea Cities of the Marakhor Part 2

Gyldport was a growing Free City and her merchant fleets are threatening to surpass the mighty trading fleets of the Old Xjinn Empire. Of the Sea Cities, she is the only city state that was never part of the Old Xjinn Empire. Rising from relative insignificance to fill the void in commerce left as the Old Xjinn Empire withdrew into itself.

Gyldport was founded on the Vokojupiv, a small, mist-shrouded island between the mouth of the Naargik Straits and the Domain of the Reef King. Initially, the island, hidden beneath almost perpetual fog from the cold waters of the strait meeting the warm water of the Marakhor Sea, and it’s treacherous approaches from the reefs, was a pirates’ haven. Dozens of small ports, harbors, and anchorages were spread across Vokojupiv, and it’s nearby islands. During the centuries that the Old Xjinn Empire had retreated from it’s place of dominance on the Marakhor, the pirates of these small ports grew prosperous. Soon, they were able to unite as a league, with their capital founded at Gold Harbor, later renamed Gyldport.

Gyldport has spread over a great deal of the island, growing up as it reached the extents of the island’s available land. The buildings, made of stone quarried from the mainland are five stories high, sometimes more. The architecture of Gyldport has advanced beyond the static designs of the other Sea Cities, engineering structures to be strong without crushing themselves beneath their own weight. Flying buttresses criss-cross the city from one building to it’s neighbor in a web of mutual support. Several of these have been built out into causeways that allow folk to walk from one building to the next above the street.

Of the Sea Cities of the Marakhor, Gyldport has the most diverse population. People from every ethnicity in Fahr Ryasc, from the Bryndlands of the north to the Old Xjinn Empire, and the Sea Cities along the eastern shores of the Marakhor Sea. Bryndffolk, Tralfolk, Xjinn, Ra’akhen, Hsaahn, they all can be found here. Ethnically homogeneous neighborhoods, exist across the street from communities of mixed heritage. Gyldport is a chaotic swirl of languages and cultures, often bordering on anarchic and lawless at times. As would befit it’s piratical history.

Gyldport’s navy rivals the Imperial Xjinn Navy, although the Imperial Navy has a large advantage in shipbuilding. The navy of Gyldport is divided into several semi-independent fleets and flotillas, each under a Lord Admiral. The navy has evolved from being a collection of pirates to merchants, pursuing valid trade with the other Sea Cities and the tribes of the North.

Gyldport’s civil administration is heavily factionalized. The city-state is governed by a council, representing the most powerful guilds and fleets. These factions maintain control over their territory, fleets, and docks including keeping the peace and collection of taxes. This makes Gyldport a patchwork territory where some boroughs are little more than gang turfs where protection is purchased through extortion and press-gangs prowl the streets at night and others are gentrified communities with municipal services and civic institutions.

The council itself varies in its membership, though it is seldom less than a score of councilors or more than thirty. The council conducts diplomacy with the other realms of Fahr Ryasc, collects taxation from the various districts, or duties from the various fleets. There are several offices independent of the council which facilitate the bureaucratic functioning of the government.

The following is a partial list of council-worthy factions in Gyldport

• Ærakh’s Lovers (merchant fleet)

• The Sorcerer’s Guild

• The Friends’ Guild (a Thieves’ Guild)

• The Docksmen’s Guild

• The Windblown Fools (merchant fleet)

• Temple of the Sea King

• Judoas Kraigas (one of the wealthy boroughs)

• Vagstrum (another wealthy borough)

• Athanye’s Point (a large, but poor borough)