Editing Port Blackheart

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==Port Blackheart==

Population: 61 000 
Racial Make-Up: Human 45%, Halfling 12%, Elf 7%, Undead 6%, Other 30%

<i>“He’s got the spirit of Blackheart alright!”</i> – Common phrase in Duatin Erethol, Tomanda and Keren referring to a merchant who can get any goods you can desire. In a more derogatory sense it refers to a merchant of base morals and no scruples, a charlatan or a trickster.

<i>”It’s like the Black Dock in here!”</i> – Common phrase used to indicate a place is crowded and chaotic with no seeming order or law in effect.

===Origins===

No records exist of the origins of Port Blackheart but what is certain is that it’s very old. In amidst the tumbledown shacks and alien architecture of its streets can be found run-down decrepit buildings of former majesty, built with now lost techniques. Brave archaeologists are often to be found wandering its streets researching and analysing the buildings they find. Well, until someone decides they might have a silver piece on them and cuts their throat for it anyway. The sprawling districts of the city each have their own style and feel and each have a varied and colourful history. Stories about the history of Port Blackheart are abundant and probably mostly lies.

What is certain is that the metropolis sits on the mouth of the river Andle, a broad waterway that cuts a path through the western half of Tomanda before spilling into the Bay of Daggers in a wide, natural harbour. The ancient port sprung up around here and archaeologists (those with enough wit to survive) have reported that the narrow, twisting, ramshackle streets of the Black Dock are the oldest part of the city. Hardly any of the original architecture remains due to salt corrosion, fire and hundreds of years of political instability and neglect but they say the weight of years of people weight down on you in the docks. 

The Andle is an important waterway, passing through several large communities in Tomanda before reaching the Bay of Daggers and, as such, the port most likely grew out of this. It also has the largest deep water harbour in any of the Three Countries making it the most likely port of call for large trading vessels from foreign lands.

===History===

Separating fact from fiction is a challenging and largely pointless job where the history of Blackheart is concerned. The truth has been told and retold so many times that it most likely bears little resemblance to the events of the time anyway. Historians have agreed on a few general facts about Port Blackheart and these are presented below.

Before the Breaking of the Crown it seems that the port on the mouth of the Andle (it’s real name is lost to us and it is generally referred to as Andleport) was a good sized, bustling port town, one of the wealthiest in Gavilan. Most long range trading or ambassadorial vessels put in here and the steward oversaw a prosperous, clean city on the up. Embassies from many foreign powers were located here and it was a diplomatic as well as trading centre.

Then came the end of Gavilan. As the country was plunged into civil war and the dark ages, Andleport was not spared. The city changed hands many times in this period but no regime lasted more than a few years. Not until Lord Elvar Seidar came along anyway. Lord Seidar was born just before the civil war commenced and his family were turned out of their estate and went on the run. The two were captured by pirates and Elvar’s father was killed. The pirate captain took a shine to the boy after he killed one of his men in single combat though and kept him on as a cabin boy. Elvar showed great promise and, before his 20th birthday, he had killed the captain and taken over his ship. For 8 years he built a large force of pirates that operated in the seas to the west of what is now Tomanda and he gained a fearsome reputation amongst the land dwellers for ruthlessness and brilliant strategy. 

This wasn’t enough for him though, he burned inside at the thought of the land that had been taken from him and his family and was determined that he would become a Lord again, in more than just name. So it was that he planned an attack on Andleport. The city was in the midst of a tyrannical regime and the population were on the brink of revolution. Seidar sent in insurgents to spread the fire of revolution and, one night he and his ships sailed into town and with the revolutionaries behind them, displaced the despot.

The citizens of Andleport rejoiced in their new Lord and Elvar Seidar was moved by their support. He set himself up as the ruler of Andleport and declared it a free port, free from law and restriction, where any creature of any race or code could come to trade and work. The other Lords of the time scoffed at Elvar’s declaration but the people loved him and changed the name of the city in support to Port Blackheart, after the name by which Elvar was known to the authorities. The precedent of rebellion and independence was set and it has become a tradition in Port Blackheart to flout the established law and rub the faces of their neighbours in their freedom.

Lord Blackheart ruled over the city until his death and since then a succession of widely varied rulers have overseen Port Blackheart’s development from a respectable, progressive port to a filth-infested cesspool frequented by pirates, freebooters, mercenaries, outcasts, rebels, criminals, monsters and other unsavoury types. The laws and rules of the city come and go with each regime and the city is in a state of constant flux. Power is held by those strong enough to take it and every ruler walks a fine line between appointing strong people under them to keep enough control to keep the money rolling in and making sure those same underlings are never in a position to overthrow them.

The list of colourful rulers of the city are too long to tell all of their stories here. At one point or another the city has been ruled by demons, orcs, vampires, pirates, soldiers, mind flayers and even, on one particularly memorable but short occasion, by a halfling. 

During the Dark Ages Port Blackheart survived by dint of its usefulness to the various factions at war. It was a stable port for goods from other lands to come in and the different armies all had representatives in the Port bartering for goods and supplies and attempting to foil their rivals’ deals and schemes. With the end of the civil war some worried that Blackheart’s time of prosperity was over but this was far from the case. With the re-establishment of law and order in the surrounding lands, Port Blackheart became the only place to acquire certain black market goods as well as doing a roaring trade servicing those elements of society who would have been shot on sight in most ports.

Occupying a position on the border between Tomanda and Duatin Erethol, Port Blackheart would be a great asset to either nation but neither can risk the wrath of the other by moving in to occupy the city, not to mention the fact that taking it would be no simple matter due to the sheer number of fighting men within the city limits. Both countries, as well as many others, maintain embassies in Port Blackheart ostensibly for “diplomatic” purposes. In reality, all of the countries need to keep an eye on the situation in the city as highly volatile and potentially dangerous items and people come through the city on a regular basis. The authorities in Port Blackheart don’t tolerate other countries openly sweeping criminals of the streets but they turn a blind eye to many of the embassies’ darker practices. If a country wants you bad enough you’re not safe from them, even in Port Blackheart.

Today, Port Blackheart operates much as it always has. The city is ruled over by the Bloody Duke, a fearsome character who is rarely glimpsed in public. Few people know anything about him and rumours abound as to his real nature and motivation. He took the rulership of the city twenty years ago on one bloody night, killing the previous ruler and all of his lieutenants. Most of those who were present on that night are dead and those that remain don’t like to talk about it. When the populace woke up to a new ruler the next morning there was initial unrest about how the Bloody Duke would change the city but mostly he seems to have kept with tradition, appointing his lieutenants and mostly staying out of people’s business. Still, there is unrest in some quarters about the mysterious origins and eventual purpose of the Bloody Duke.

===Geography===

Port Blackheart sits on the sluggish Andle river. Further out of the city the waterway is clear(ish) and fast flowing but as it gets to the city the weight of detritus and effluent discharged into it slows and thickens it into a muddy runnel. It is rarely referred to by it’s proper name in Blackheart, variously called the Sludge, the Swirl, the Slick, the Stink, the Crapstream, the Muck and, at their most complimentary, the River. A good amount of trade comes down the river from Tomanda and it’s also vital in transporting goods from the docks into the city itself.

The city is split politically into 6 districts, each with a lieutenant who holds power in their area and is ultimately answerable only to the Bloody Duke. Because of the wide variation in creatures that live in the city there are areas beyond count in the city that have been adapted to suit the needs of their occupants. Some of the most famous areas are detailed below:

====<i>The Black Dock</i>====
The oldest part of the city is the main dock. A vast deep-sea harbor it sees a lot of traffic coming into and out of the city. Legitimate luxury goods from far off places arrive alongside narcotics, slaves and stolen goods. The streets of the Black Dock are narrow and twisting and most of its residents are the dock workers and fishermen that work from down there. The notorious Greet Street is found here, where the Welcoming Committees wait and watch for travelers new to the city ready for the picking. Many new arrivals into the city don’t survive past Greet Street and there is a special outlet of the Protection Guild on the docks offering bodyguard services to new arrivals in town.

====<i>The Top</i>====
Sitting atop the only hill of any note in Port Blackheart is the Lawless Fortress, the castle that serves as the residence of the current ruler. Over time various rulers have added various amendments and extensions to the fortress until it is now an arcane, twisting monument full of secret wings and rooms, most lying empty, their original uses forgotten. The area around the fortress is called the Top and it is here that you can find most of the embassies in the city. The streets are wide and well lit and this is the one area of the city patrolled by guards who, if you’re lucky, might intervene if you were being mugged. They might not though.

====<i>The Dark</i>====
The great poet and commentator Verdicus once said “The Undead are the most civilized of the unholy monstrosities that walk the earth. Were it not for their hatred of the living one might almost think they could thrive among is in our cities.” Port Blackheart puts this theory to the test with the Dark, the Undead quarter of the city. In this part of town every road is covered and every window boarded up. No light gets into the Dark and the roads are lit by lantern. Blacked out carriages wait at the edges of this realm to take it’s denizens to business appointments across the city and every building has an access to the Other Road (see below). The Dark is not solely the realm of the Undead but also of any creature that prefers to keep out the light. This includes Drow, Orcs and worse.

====<i>The Wyrd</i>====
In civilized society there are a great many restrictions placed on the practitioners of magic. Many wizards and warlocks find it restrictive to practice magic and research properly under such conditions and find their way to Port Blackheart where there are no such restrictions. Disdainful of the presence of other creatures they automatically gravitated to their own kind and the Wyrd was born. In this part of the city, right on the edge of town, the wizards build their towers and grounds and work in happy solitude. At night strange flickering lights and sounds often emanate from here. A small community has built up to service the wizards with specialist traders in components, items and rare tomes. It is generally considered a bad idea to wander the deserted streets of the Wyrd though as you never know when a wizard is looking for a new test subject and people can and do disappear from the streets of the Wyrd on a regular basis.

====<i>Riverside</i>====
Port Blackheart is a prosperous city and many of the people who make their money from the city live there. There are many districts of the city where these merchants live, some more affluent than others, but Riverside is for the wealthiest of the wealthy. Each of these men lives on a walled estate with plenty of guards to ensure their safety. Seeing an opportunity, the Protection Guild recently launched a domestic arm which currently operates in wealthy districts like Riverside. In exchange for a large contribution, the Domestic Protection Guild builds walls and gates around the district, keeping out the undesirables and puts well trained guards in the streets to make it safe. Areas such as Riverside have become havens of safety and security in the city though, as you might expect, this costs an arm and a leg. It by no means ensures the safety of it’s residents either. Like any soldier in the city, the Domestic Protection Guild’s guards can be bribed, their just more expensive.

====<i>The Other Road</i>====
Not really a district of the city but rather an adaptation, the Other Road is an answer to the problem of congested streets in the city, not to mention those inhabitants who would rather not be out in the light of day. Built below the level of the sewers, the Other Road is a series of tunnels, ladders and steps that go to most places in the city. The price you pay for traveling away from prying eyes or the sun is simple, the Other Road is a dangerous place. The kinds of people and creatures that frequent it are the worst of the worst of Port Blackheart, the kind that would kill you as soon as look at you. Before you travel the Other Road, make sure your affairs are in order.

There are many other districts and areas of the city of great color and history that you will discover as you move around.

===Economics===

Anything you can imagine comes through Port Blackheart. Exotic goods, some legal, some illegal arrive daily in the Black Dock and are sold in the vast market places and auction halls of the city. The goods leave Port Blackheart by boat mostly, the road out of Blackheart goes through Tomanda or Duatin Erethol and all travellers heading that way are searched very carefully. 

This black market trade is the greater part of Blackheart’s economy but it is supplemented by both normal trade and tourism. As well as the contraband and luxury goods that come through the city, a great deal of normal trade goes on too. If you’re willing to brave it you can often get a good price for normal goods in the port as the competition is so great, the law of supply and demand almost always goes in favour of the buyer.

The port is also a stop off point for pirates, mercenaries and freebooters with blood money or stolen goods burning a hold in their pocket. Hundreds of these types are to be found in the taverns and brothels of the city at any one time and the city is happy to take their gold. There is a certain poetic justice the fact that the scum that arrives in the city to spend their ill-gotten gains are just as likely to be found dead and stripped in an alleyway as an unsuspecting pilgrim who got on the wrong boat. No-one is safe in this place.

As well as their own private endeavours, the ruler and his lieutenants take a cut of everything that happens in the city. It is the responsibility of each man (for want of a better word) in the chain to ensure he’s not being swindled by those below him (or not more than he’s happy with at least). The system largely works well, with weak links in the chain soon being disposed of and replaced. Obviously, this means that everyone in a position of power puts great stock in intelligence gathering and information and the ruler of the city needs to have the best information network of all to ensure that his tenure at the top is not too temporary.

===Laws and Restrictions===

Concepts such as “law and order” are unknown in Blackheart (except for the occasional, short-lived attempt by some regimes to clean the city up). There is no city guard and no watch, anyone that can afford it hires there own guards to protect them and their effects and those that can’t afford guards try to travel in numbers to reduce the risk of attack. Crime itself is a moot point in the city. There is only crime if there is law, without the latter everything else is just existing. Power belongs to those who take it and you have to be ready to defend what’s yours. If you have something someone wants then they’ll try and take it, one way or another, and it is your own responsibility to make sure they only do so if you’re happy for them too (i.e. they pay you a lot). Newcomers to the city rarely last long without employing the help of a member of the Protection Guild. These people act as guide and bodyguard, protecting their employer and helping them find the parts of the city they need to be in. Wherever you see someone with a guild seal offering their services you can be confident that they won’t lead you down an alley where there friends are waiting to attack you and steal all your belongings. Well, probably not. Well, maybe. The guild does try to build a reputation for not employing people with these kinds of tendencies and harshly punishes those members it finds engaged in such activities but it’s not infallible.

The laws of the city change with the regime but, except on a few occasions, they mostly leave the laws as they are. And when I saw “laws” I mean “law” as there is only one standing law in the city and that is the law of fire. It is generally considered that the only real threat to the city is fire, something backed up by various occasions across history when the city has been consumed by raging infernos that have claimed thousands of lives and destroyed acres of property. There are three levels of fire crime:

<i>Accidents</i> – Any accident that causes fire damage to a part of the city is punishable by having the hands removed. The criminal will also pay everything they have to the city to be put towards repairs.

<i>Avoidable Accidents</i> – Any avoidable accident (i.e. using fire irresponsibly but without intent to destroy) is punishable by death. The criminal’s estate is claimed by the city to cover repair costs.

<i>Arson</i> – Any arsonist will be placed in the dungeons of the Lawless Fortress where they will be abused and tortured for the rest of their long, long life. The criminal’s estate is claimed by the city to cover repair costs.

Very, very few instances of arson occur in the city and even the wizards in the Wyrd take extreme care with fire. The last point in the law is that no inflammatory creature (i.e. a creature that can cause things to set on fire by its presence such as a hell hound or fire elemental) is permitted within the city boundaries. The punishment for bringing one in is the same as Avoidable Accidents unless they set something on fire when it is Arson.

Beyond this, there is no law in the city. Each person lives by their own set of rules and if you feel someone has broken those rules you are free to try and punish them how you will. Most inns, taverns, brothels, shops and other public places have a set of laws by the door that apply within that shop. Of course, those laws are only worth the establishment’s abilities to enforce them.

===Traditions and Festivals===

Given the lack of organised government in Port Blackheart they aren’t really big on public holidays and festivals.  The days marked below are the ones acknowledged by most or part of the citizenry to some extent.

====<i>Revolution Day: November 1st</i>====
According to tradition, this was the day when Lord Blackheart stormed the city and incited the city to overthrow the current regime.  It’s celebrated by most residents as the day that the city’s grand free tradition began.  Traditionally people dance and sing in the streets on this day and it is generally frowned upon to commit crime or exact retribution on this day.

====<i>Flame Day: August 27th</i>====
Port Blackheart has suffered across the centuries from fire, the worst of which happened over two hundred years ago and resulted in widespread death and destruction.  On Flame Day these fires are remembered and a great procession heads to the temple of Indigant, the god of fire, to pray that fire can be averted for another year.

====<i>Festival of Unity: May 8th</i>====
Every so often, Port Blackheart does end up with a ruler concerned with the populace’s welfare and matters of social tension.  One such ruler was Maifus Estray, a wandering priest who somehow ended up in charge of the city.  With racial tensions running high he decided to instigate this festival where it is traditional for every citizen to buy a drink for another citizen of a different race to his own.  The very first Festival of Unity turned into a race riot resulting in hundreds of deaths and ever since then the Blackhearters have held it close to their hearts.  The day starts with all the citizens drinking together and now tends to end in a mass brawl.  Still, it’s relatively good natured.