Port Avalossa

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Port Avalossa is a seaport on the island of Theropsid, approximately 30ºS 120ºE, at the far eastern end of the Great Southern Archipelago. It is a port of convenience for a large number of ships that sail the Archipelago, and historically had a shady reputation as a harbour for pirates, freebooters, 'salvagers' and 'itinerent trading vessels' amongst other euphimisms. Port Avalossa is led by a SeaLord (currently a retired privateer) and run by a Ruling Council made up of the heads of the five major houses, each of which run an aggressive merchant navy and salvage business.

The island of Theropsid is quite small, but is well-known for its huge and fierce reptiles (Theropsid being a type of large reptile). More details will be recorded if survivors are found and interviewed.

History

SGA Interactions

The Seagate Guild is setting up a factor and relay point on these islands to enable guild adventurers to gain hire in the surrounding lands. Guild members interested in taking some long vacations time away from the cold climates of the Western Kingdom and spending time in the far southern latitudes "Where the sun is always shining, the spirits are as fresh as the natives and locals there haven't a worry in the world" (TM PA Travel Co) then speak to Kali for reassignment to the 'staff' there.

Guild movements or involvement

Summer 810

  • The party in Theropsid Escorts visted these isles in Mid-summer 810WK and much of the information below has been provided by them.

Autumn 810

A group of guild volunteers arrive in port to staff the new guild compound set up by the last party. There are 3 functionaries, 6 guild security and a guild member Sabastian doing some guild duties for a change and to be the face of the guild until replaced. Other adventurers are expected to join him there.

Winter 810

A new guild member arrived in Port Avalossa on the 1st day of winter 810. Everan has joined the other guild functionaries as the quartermaster in which role he seems well suited.

Spring 810 to Spring 814

The guild presence has continued without any real issues or major events.

  • In Winter 813wk Silus was informed of a guild party opoerating in the area - see Red Red Wine

Summer 814

The guild house is currently staffed by a half dozen guild administrators led by Silus Eldrovian. Silus has half a dozen low level PC's in the area who are supposed to be doing works to raise the guilds profile in the area. The guild quarters are in a back street near the center of the city but are well built (and reinforced) as well as passably comfortable. Silus spends most of his time completing paperwork and attending the local sherriff on various matters

Guild Income

  • Summer 810 - 2000sp
  • Autumn 810 - 3000sp
  • Winter 810 - 5000sp
  • Spring 810 - 7000sp
  • Summer 811 - 17000sp
  • Autumn 811 to Summer 813
  • Autumn 813
  • Winter 813
  • Spring 813

Politics

The Sealord runs the town. The Merchant Council has some sway as well. The Guild has not messed with either of these august institutions, and knows little about them.

The Sealord

The Avalossa Merchant Council

Trade

Destinian ships appear to only occasionally visit Port Avalossa, presumably as part of their Far East trade. They are probably some of the few ships, along with those of the Dragon Isles of Kinlu that can safely traverse these waters.

Law & Order

To others Port Avalossa is seen as a lawless place, filled with murderers, thieves and other worse sorts. The truth is that though the port may be a bit wilder (and corruption and crime are common if not frustrating occurrences) it is a city with laws and rules that strives to maintain some semblance of order. At heart, Port Avalossa is a city that values freedom and personal liberty above all other considerations, and those who don't interfere with their fellows can find a good life in this city.

The Peace Keepers

For many years, it fell to the Sealords Guardsmen to maintain law & order in Port Avalossa but the quality of these law enforcers varied a great deal, ranging from criminals to some very zealous and brutal policemen that rounded up crooks and disposed of them in various places. Now, this task falls to the Watch, an organization created by the SeaLord to police this bustling port city while the Sealords Guard looks after the Sealords interests and patrols (mostly and to varying degrees) the Old City.

Guards

There are three sorts of guard, the Sealords Guard, the watch (night patrols mostly) and the regular Guard. The regular Guard are as you'd expect. It seems likely that the Sealords Guard come in matched sets of elves, and are probably extremely efficient.

Religion

Many religons are tolerated in the region and any found guilty of persecution are treated harshly. Any religon allowed in the isles has to act in the best interests of the isles or fail to gain a religous practises license. Religons practising without a license (and a public place of worship) are fair game when it comes to persecution.

Magic

TBA

Languages

  1. Mylae - 85%
  2. Western Kingdom Common - 15%

Geography

There are a number of major divisions in the town. They are: Old City, Scummytown, the Docks, Temple District, Warehouse District, Dregs End, Merchant District, Eastern District and the Slums. The Old City is a walled area containing the Palace, most of the larger houses, and the old-money respectable types such as the Wizards Guild; also now the Seagate Guild! The others are reasonably self-explanatory. The place is reasonably well laid-out, with some winding streets, but nothing so tricky that if you follow your nose, you won't eventually get where you are heading. The walls around the Old City should be crossed through the gates, which can be shut after dusk. Apart from the Old City, you can drift from one area to another without realising it, so they are more a way of describing which quadrant of the city things are in. Almost none of the people or establishments listed below have their location listed.

Visitor Advice

(Courtesy of Syrese)

  • Don't look like a tourist - look at your shoes; don't stare/gawp at people
  • Mind your manners
  • Keep your valuables close
  • Avoid Scummytown whores
  • Use the Old City walls and the Vault as landmarks.

Businesses and Organisations

The Avalossan Wizards Guild

This guild in the Old City has a few wizards, who are more research-focused than SAG mages, but are quite useful. They know some details about the Seagate Guild of Adventurers, including our Council structure. Members include Jurgan (a senior mage), Zotonius (Rune / Portals), Marcus (Jurgan's assistant), Lucas (Witch), Syrese (Drow Necro), Morris (Spectral Necro), and many more.

They are old money, and politically connected. They are also neutral to the guilds activities, and are working to organise a portal to Kin Lu to help connect Avalossa. They are probably more evil than good, but more interested in magic and comfort than either of those. You don't need to get a magic license from them, or anything like that; however, but if you are doing big magic, it pays to check with them first.

  • It didn't seem that there were that many members of the AWG.

The Seagate Adventurers Guild

This is a small outpost of the Western Kingdom Guild with only a few staff members and around a dozen actual guild members (who spend most of their time relaxing in the sun, carousing and sleeping around the area) so the guild only occupies one building in the city.

Kutsche's Wagons

This establishment is based in a large warehouse in the warehouse district (just behind the Vault) and has an assortment of wagons available for sale or hire. Samuel Kutsche (Human,Male, b780, well built sturdy frame, PB14) is the 6th Generation of Kutsche's running the business. The business makes wagons and carriages for the area and has a good reputation for quality. He has 12 wagons for hire or sale at present and a staff of casual drivers to drive the wagons when and as needed. Drivers: Gryme Demar, Amber Verdeville (a staunch hard female lass with an attitude), Fergus McGallen (Samuels young nephew – b792, good with wagons but shy) and others. Cost per one way wagon trip (inc Driver) 9sp loading is done by the hirer or extra cost incurred

The Avalossan Hall of Public Records

You need licenses for all sorts of odd things. You also need to register building purchases and major alterations with the bureaucracy. Reid is a senior official there, and can be charmed by young ladies. Dwarves can't own land in some areas.

The Avalossan Shipping News

A local broadsheet (written in Mylae) containing a mixture of ship departures and arrivals, news from abroad, maritime information, local events, market speculation, and gossip. This appears to be a respectable rag, in that it operates aboveground at marked premises. However, the building is locked during the day, with patrolling 'cleaners'.

The Avalossan Vault

The Vault is a large, imposing building that is exceedingly well-guarded against magical and mundane theft. The part above ground is roughly cubical, at one hundred feet in all three dimensions. This makes it an excellent landmark for navigating around town. You can store almost anything here, for a price. They do check the cargo, for security reasons. Zorak the Halfing is a shift leader, and part-owner. The Vault is owned and run by Halflings, and linked to the Wizards Guild. They have plenty of mages and thieves here, and people still think The Vault is safe, so just walk away. Zorak may be on the Merchants Council.

Real Estate

If you want to buy or rent property, you could see any of: Iris McCellan at the Matchlock (Old City), Jacques de Mere (somewhere in Scummytown), Cyris at the Cracked Pan (Docks), Azazeal the Orc at the Frog and Toad (Old City), or Selwyn the Smelly Dwarf in the Honey Pot (Docks), roughly in descending order of class and price. Don't trust any of these people.

The Guilt Club

A really swanky club where Merchant Council members and Drow Necromancers go for dinner. You have to book weeks in advance, which defeats the purpose of going there when you feel like it or for meetings, so its just a place to be seen. If you are an invited guest, wear shoes.

The Scholar's Quills

A good inn/pub where visiting scholars often stay. They are a bit unworldly, but the friendly and tolerant innkeeper Desi is happy to put up with slightly more unusual guests, if there is no violence. The food is rated 2½ shields by Lyric.

The Tawny Rose

A pub that is happy to buy magical drinks from weird foreigners. They bought the bulk supplies of Urgla (milkshakes that make humans giggly), and Jyice (child-sex-slave fruit drink). Probably linked to the worst kind of brothels. They also bought bulk Pavoni wine. The 'barkeep' is John. For all these reasons I do not recommend this place, except for a traditional inn-burning.

The Black Rose

A pub in the Old City which Samuel Coachman frequents.

The Matchlock Tavern

A pub in the Old City which Iris McCellan frequents.

The Cracked Pan

A pub in the Docks which Cyris frequents.

The Frog and Toad Tavern

A pub in the Old City which Azazeal the Orc frequents.

The Honey Pot

A drug-den, thieves-meet and smuggling divein the Docks which Selwyn the Smelly Dwarf frequents. Sailors, fences, and assassins can also be found there.

People

Brother Egril

A researcher monk at the Temple of Knowledge.

Sweet Griselda

A helpful young lady at the Temple of Knowledge.

Hubert

Hubert Von Doran is a 3'6" Halfling priest. He is the Temple of Knowledge's expert in Lycanthropy, amongst other topics. He is courteous and helpful.

Iris McCellan

The McCellans are an old, respectable landowning family. The daughter Iris is a conniving trollop and real estate agent who uses her feminine wiles to try to stultify men to buying property at inappropriate prices. Her laughter can get on your nerves. Moregarth is her boyfriend, and enjoys beating up those who take Iris's flirting and sleeping around too seriously.

Jermaine the Apothecary

An efficient man with a fine range of wares, Jermaine is based near the Wizards Guild, and is loosely associated with them. His daughter/niece/apprentice/shop assistant is a bit of all right, too. They sell Restoratives at a range of strengths from elf (+12/-6) through human (+16/-8) to ork (+26/-13), and probably beyond. They also sell all the weird ingredients, charms, herbs, stones, body parts and amulets you could ever want.

Lucas

Witch of the Wizards Guild. Human, 5'6", can cast a lot of Restoratives in a cauldron, and keep them available all day if she stirs the cauldron.

Marcus Lucias Sutonius

A crazy researcher monk, missing presumed demon-eaten.

Miles

Miles the Gnome (4'2") is a low-ranked Healer associated with the Wizard's Guild. He seems nice enough.

Moregarth

The champion gladiator. Gladiators are a big thing in Avalossa, and are neither eunuchs nor slaves. Moregarth is Iris McCellan's boyfriend.

Morgan the Armourer

Morgan is a human male smith, owner of the Turtle Shell Armourers. He bought 7 tons of iron ingot from us, to on-sell to other armourers. It wasn't hard from him to get hold of 35ksp.

Morris

Morris is a red-eyed 'elf' who is only ever seen at night. He is a necromancer of the Wizards Guild, and specialises in draining the life essence of creatures. He will 'cure' four lycanthropes for the payment of a fifth. He and Lady Syrese seem to be research associates. Morris may be one of the Necromancers responsible for the floral arrangements at the Wizard Guild reception.

Lord Roger Jeffreys

A local noble who was drugged so Mario could steal his booking at the Guilt Club.

Samuel Cooch

Samuel Cooch runs the Coach house, which rents everything from fine coaches to bulk wagons. You can rent a medium-sized wagon (will fit down side roads, but not alleys) for 7sp per trip to the waterfront.

Simon De Winter

Simon De Winter, of the extended De Winter family from the Baronies (Erisberg - Aquila), was the Sealord's spymaster. He was very very skilled. Its not that all the information about interesting strangers (read guild members) is collected and collated; its that he has all the info on any petty event involving guild members at his fingertips within hours of it occurring. Simon was found dead in late Autumn 811, the victim of an apparent mugging. He was discovered in one of the seedier parts of town in local attire rather than noble attire which suggests that he was doing his job but failed in some way. Simons replacement is already in place as no jostling for the position had been discerned by Everin of the guild at the time.

Syrese

Drow Necromancer of the Wizards Guild. She is 6'8", tall, pale, and beautiful. She is also several thousand years old. Syrese can resurrect up to three corpses in five minutes, with the help of various necromantic artifacts such as 6' thigh bones, and a glowing brooch. The resurrected people have several years of life drained from them. Simon the Orc (6'2", dangerous fighter) is her bodyguard and servant. She is estranged from her beautiful daughters. She will date charming high-class adventurers, for her own amusement.

Thaddeus Merchack

One of the journalists at The Shipping News, he modestly describe himself as a 'writer of things down'. In reality, he's a hack and gossipmonger afraid to face his public. He spreads lies and innuendo, incites mobs, and does not give honest hard-working guild adventurers the credit they are due.

High Priest Thorin

High Priest at the Temple of Knowledge. His blessings are really effective. Pacted to an aspect of Sammael.