Editing Acrozatarim/Gazetteer (section)

==Tergona==

A Suruni-dominated city-state, the port of Tergona is a startling departure from its rival Khamar - and that after only being free of Khamar rule for a century.  Tergona is a lively, bustling port that is the heart of several particularly strong Drakkath traditions of theatre and poetry, and has embraced a mildly cut-throat form of political and economic competitiveness that can make internal matters rather exciting.  Several eastern Drakkath mercenary companies have their headquarters in Tergona, and it is known for its hireling privateers who are just as willing as the mercenaries to take on a contract - the phrase 'Tergona pirate' is used to describe one who opportunistically turns to violence or theft for profit even if it isn't their usual trade.

A number of coral reefs ring through the waters around Tergona, each a beautiful mishmash of bright colours beneath the waves; only on closer inspection can one see that these reefs appear to have grown atop the old walls of the original Drakkath port that once stood here.  At the furthest reach of the reefs stands the shattered, ancient form of an old Umbral tower, its eerily biological form apparently hit with something powerful during the Dawn War; now, it serves as the basis for a lighthouse.  Several much newer constructions also reach out of the waters, although these look abandoned and rusting - a series of thaumineered storm-towers that were part of an il-fated weather-control ritual two hundred years ago.  The port itself, safe behind the coral-covered carcass of its sunken former incarnation, has undergone a population explosion over the last hundred and fifty years and washed out from beyond the old walls to cover the surrounding landscape and river delta.  Around it, the fertile lands have proven well suited to the cultivation of grapes and rice, and so Tergona rice wines and grape wines are known for their quality.

Ruled by a merchant council requiring an appropriate level of wealth to partake in, Tergona welcomes an entrepreneurial spirit of getting things done amongst its people.  Tergonese culture encourages working hard, playing hard and above all living smart, embracing life and valuing one's wits.  A certain level of unspoken agreement prevents Tergonese politics from getting out of hand - it is strictly illegal for mercenaries to be hired for work inside the city-state other than as guards or defence of the state, for example, although they can accept what contracts they like that take them outside of Tergona.  In recent years, agreements between Tergona and Adhur have led to an increasing role for Solanthaari-sponsored enforcers holding legal status within the city on the basis of specific contracts or agreements that grant them the right to carry through the consequences of said contracts being broken.

Donation to the shrines and temples is seen as an almost necessary gesture amongst the Tergona rich and powerful, and hence several particularly grand complexes have been constructed in the city - particularly the Storm House of Ishrak and, more recently, the white-walled temple to Solanthaar that dwarfs its previous incarnation.

It is not a secret that the Shadowfury, before she became who she is now, came from Tergona.  Her involvement in Tergona throwing off Khamar rule is not entirely clear, but some say she was responsible for the grotesque murderer of the then-Khamar-appointed governor of the city, which first triggered bloody Khamar retaliation and in turn sparked full-on rebellion. In this city, at least, the Shadowfury is sometimes spoken of with admiration as well as fear.  She tends to be portrayed as an ambiguous figure in plays and poetry, and rumours of actual cults devoted to her continue to circulate.