South Seagate
Parts of the district of Seagate City; Seagate, Old Seagate, New Seagate, South Seagate, Castle Chilton.
The few houses on the south bank of the Sweet Water have rapidly developed into a new district of Seagate since the end of the Dark Circle and the Drow invasion of the Western Kingdom.
Governance
Nominally South Seagate is governed by the Lord Mayor who answers to the Duke.
Day to day, the Southport Merchants Union (SMU) governs the district.
The South Seagate Guard maintain security, they are funded by and report to the SMU.
Places
South Guard HQ
A stout and secure fortification positioned at the southern end of the Seagate bridge, it provides shelter and comfort to off-duty guards and those on duty at the bridge. The hot lunches and drinks brough to the South Guards on duty at the bridge may be a significant factor in recruitment of Seagate Guards, especially those assigned to cold wet duty on the other side of the road at the south end of the bridge.
South Shore
Rapidly growing to the size of Old and new Seagate, this district is full of new houses and a handful of manors mostly housing the Southport workers and supporting industries.
Clean Inns and Taverns have guards at the doors to turn away those who may lower the tone.
Southport
Extensive warehouses, grain silos and bustling docks.
People
South Seagate Guard
Paid and equipped better than the Seagate Guard, many of its members are former Seagate Guards or retired soldiers. Many also work as private security for one of the merchant houses.
Guards are generally competent in their weapons and skills and not hesitant in using them. They have low tolerance for the petty crime, hooligans, and hijinks that their northern colleagues have to deal with. These are not friendly corner coppers that you ask for directions, they consider this a cushy job leading to a comfortable retirement, don't give them shit and they'll leave you alone.
Condor Ana Trading Company
Sponsored by Queen Gloriana of Lilac and with the endorsement of the Duke, the Condor Ana Trading Company joins the Seagate Merchants Union at the end of 820wk.
Their discreetly fortified manor has high walls and screening foliage concealing large open grounds adjacent to a new warehouse and private dock.
The company appears to be primarily based around one ship The Condor Ana that sails up and down the Sweetwater and Gilder Rithe. They trade in high value and often exotic goods.
Apple Traders
The Apple Trading Guild of Arn's Ferry
The new office and warehouse for the Apple Trading Guild of Arn's Ferry is easily recognized by the large green apple displayed prominently outside. Three guild masters; Master Duncan, Mistress Alice and Master Cain are hands on working hard with a flow of cargo bound for the markets of Seagate. Other Guild Masters are often in town from Arn's Ferry. This complex of buildings serves as a bustling hub where approximately 70 apprentices and numerous visiting journeymen live and work, often alongside local day laborers.
Outside the warehouse complex, members of the Guild are easily distinguished from the townsfolk by their signature uniforms: a green leather tunic featuring a large apple emblazoned on the chest, paired with sturdy, high - quality boots. From this base of operations, the Guild manages the import of leather goods, bags, and preserved meats.
These supplies, along with various other foodstuffs, are transported via barge from Arn's Ferry down the Sweetwater to South Shore. Over the course of the week, a fleet of over a dozen barges accumulates at the South docks. Every Frysday morning, Kenneth a water mage - supported by a contingent of journeymen and guards - spends two hours riding "mage currents" upriver. With all the barges roped together, the procession arrives at Arn's Ferry by noon to begin the cycle anew.
For independent merchants, porting a wagon from South Docks to Arn's Ferry on a guild barge costs 24 sp, though this fee notably it excludes insurance or any guarantee of safety, overload at your own risk.
History
- Dark Circle
- When the Dark Circle cut off the usual flow of beef and grains from the south-east, some enterprising merchants started new runs into Seagate, bringing much needed goods from the Western Kingdom and further west and not profiteering from the demand. A few purchased sections of the relative cheap and underused south bank of the Sweetwater.
- In the recovery period after the circle fell, the merchants stayed leveraging the gratitude of the Duke to negotiate favourable trade licences. As the influx of aid rapidly accelerated the agrarian production of Carzala, they funded new docks and warehouses on the south bank to cope with the overflow.
- Drow Invasion
- The death and destruction of the Drow Invasion crippled some of the best farming lands of the Western Kingdom. Merchant houses traditionally only in the Western Kingdom evacuated some of their operations to the perceived safety of the Seagate Port. They, the original Southbank merchants, and some new entrepreneurs formed the Seagate Merchants Union.
- The warehouses and docks grew quickly, clearly with no qualms over employing mages and Elementals to aid the construction.
- Spring 820 wk
- The Condor Ana Trading Company joins the Seagate Merchants Union. A new manor is constructed virtually overnight.
- Summer 824 wk
- Several buildings and silos are lost to fire during the Solstice assault by Aim's Imps. Guards are accused of being complacent and unprepared for magical assault, requiring the aid of passing guild members to destroy the Imps and douse the flames.
- Subsequent levies of the merchants union raise funds to equip the guards with silvered blades and bolts.
- Allegations of union members involvement in slavery are taken seriously, investigations are ongoing. Calls for additional oversight by the Seagate Dockmaster's and Excise offices are being considered.
