Mythic Vistas: SpirosBlaak - Property Is Theft!

34
The Gavrinn Farr
Like their Motith Farr brethren, the members of this monastery
descended from devoted monks seeking to aid passing pilgrims.
However, instead of healing their minds, the Gavrinn Farr (Old
Rilgoth for “Defenders of Wellness”) directed their odd psychic
abilities into the warrior arts, especially with regards to mastery
of the odd blades, the mord’oi. Although the Gavrinn Farr follow
a philosophy of non-violence and a devotion to the health of one’s
fellows, they recognize a time will come when they will need to
utilize the powers of mind and their physical might to defend others.
SpirosBlaak, Spiros’ Tribute
Archduchess Ailea Baedabin I
Symbol: A heraldic shield bearing the shining
sword of Spiros, held high by two bare
hands gripping its blade.
Population: 325,000 (52% human, 2%
kavraen, 22% kavbroed, 4% dwarven, 20%
other).
Special Population: 20 Tuskadeen Protectors,
100 Sentinels of the Homeguard, 2 Archducal
infantry legions, 1 Archducal cavalry legion,
1 Archducal artillery legion, 1 Archducal siege
legion, 4 SpirosBlaakian infantry legions, 2 SpirosBlaakian
cavalry legions, 3 SpirosBlaakian artillery
legions, 2 SpirosBlaakian siege legions, 400 city
guardsmen, 3,000 navy sailors, 500 marines, 8,000 house slaves.
Duchy Population: 610,000 (58% human, 12% kavraen, 8% kavbroed,
6% halfling, 16% other).
Duchy Boundaries: SpirosBlaak controls the land north to Navodys,
west along the Path of Faith to the Swamp of Woe, and south
down the Coastal Road to match the southern tip of Laervas
Island. SpirosBlaak also has a disputed claim on a great deal of
the eastern portion of the Fristian Grasslands, a claim this region’s
large kav population violently contests.
Religions: Spiros is dominant, but just about all other religions may
be found in moderation.
Imports: Technology, steel, and iron.
Exports: Art, grain, foodstuffs, weapons, and armor.
Languages: Common and Lycanthus.
Alignments: Lawful good, neutral good, neutral, lawful neutral, and
neutral evil.
The largest of all the Archduchy’s metropolises, the capitol city
extends outwards from the Whistling Cliffs, along the Coast of
Songs. As the city is sectioned haphazardly into districts by the
remains of old walls once circling the city before its growth required
new fortifications, visitors can easily get lost in the maze of streets.
Currently the city’s outermost boundary is a 50-foot (wide and tall)
curtain wall, with evenly spaced, cannon-equipped towers and a moat
guarding against trouble. Three heavily protected gates, one facing
west, north and south, allow entrance through this impressive barrier
into the city’s corridors.
SpirosBlaak is a contradiction of cultures. Some of its districts appear
more opulent than are any in the kingdom, while others are simply
common or downright dilapidated and roing. Dwarven shops nestle
between human taverns and stores, and half-orc weaponsmithies and
kavbroed social clubs sit between halfling bakeries. In SpirosBlaak
everyone is appreciated, although not all are accepted.
Whitewashed wooden buildings, their one or two upper stories
juing out above the cobbled, gas-lit streets, are the norm, and only
the oldest or most expensive buildings are made of stone or brick.
The wealthy live within the Gilded District, a restricted area atop the
expansive hill at the city’s center. Overlooking the city are the ducal
Chapter Four: Customs, Communities, and Geography
palace and Citadel of Claws, home to SpirosBlaak’s military officers
and city guard. Two smaller keep complexes, one to the north and
another to the south of the docks also serve to defend the capital.
The city teems with guilds, merchants, tradesmen, seers, soldiers,
charlatans, mercenaries, tourists, seekers of truth, gangs, adventurers,
cuhroats, commoners, con men, sailors, humanoids, and more. All
coexist within the symbiosis of necessity, proving SpirosBlaak truly is
the heart and soul of the Archduchy bearing its name.
Relations
As the capital, SpirosBlaak has been forced into many concessions
and political maneuverings it would not have otherwise made as
a free city. Affairs with Vas have been strained since before the
Archduchy’s founding, and they were worsened when the holy
city was overlooked as the newly formed nation’s capital. Vas and
Hiltaenos have also taken issue with the Duchy of SpirosBlaak’s
escalated number of legions and their subsequent deployment
since Archduchess Ailea rose to power. The two duchies claim that
SpirosBlaak’s own legions, when combined with the mixed legions
levied for the Archduchy as a whole, make for a troubling amount of
power at the capital’s command.
Kirvos, on the other hand, remains a surprisingly good ally,
despite the kav-controlled duchy’s poor dealings with just about
every other community in the realm. Even so, SpirosBlaak is a
favorite target for kavraen insurgents and orc raiders who gather
every few years in incredible numbers and burn their way through
the outlying farms and hamlets to the grand city itself, although
they’ve been unsuccessful in doing so in over a century.
Locations of Note
The following are locations of note in SpirosBlaak.
Public Docks
Able to support up to 20 large merchant vessels and a variety of
smaller cra, the public docks are contained by two towered and
walled breakwaters, between which hangs an immense iron chain
that can be lowered and raised to control the flow of vessels. A
sturdy wall separates the warehouses and other dock amenities from
the rest of the city, and a keep to the south overlooks them.
Javondis’ Cathedral
Second only to the See of Spiros in its majestic testimony to the
Shining Cavalier’s influence throughout the Archduchy, the
cathedral is named for the very first Pontiff of Spiros to enter the
Wildlands during the Era of Colonization. During this time, before
the elevation of Vas, Javondis’ Cathedral acted as the seat of the
Church’s power in the Wildlands. As such, some traditionalists
within the Church secretly (and heretically) hold this temple to be
more holy than the See of Spiros.
The Navy Yards
The navy yards sit in their own inlet north of the public docks,
protected by another pair of chain-equipped, heavily defended
breakwaters, with two armored towers resting upon islands within
the cove. The yards can hold six large ships and roughly 10 smaller
vessels. On shore rests the naval academy, barracks, and armory.
Landside, the yards are protected by the northern keep complex and
several baeries of cannon.
The Coliseum of Devotion
Located in the west end of the city, this massive, 10-tiered stadium
is made of white marble and dark basalt. Workmen and architects
of Vas erected this wondrous structure shortly before the crusade
against Kirvos in recognition of the important role SpirosBlaak plays