Port Phoenix

Port Phoenix is a small, but bustling, port town located on the coast of Midmaer facing the Bay of Storms. This coastal city stands in between the coast and the imposing backdrop of the Sawtooth Mountains, with an exit through the mountains located at the rear of the city. This entrance leads into the dangerous underground ruins of Sawtooth Hollow, a den of evil Avatars controlled by a dangerous Lich who has become an unlikely ally of Port Phoenix over the years. The port town has a history for being the site of many fierce naval battles, and has survived a multitude of pirate and monster raids throughout the years. The port earned its name by establishing safety even in times of chaos through rebuilding itself over and over until the point that they were defensible and safe. Rising from the cataclysm and then again and again in the chaos that ensued afterwards. In recent times, Port Phoenix has enjoyed a prosperous period of growth, and this has allowed for the development of the suburban planned community of Phoenix Fields, which lies adjacent to the port. The center of the city is overlooked by a series of fortifications which the organized navy and military of Port Phoenix leverage to protect those within the walls with the center of the city a menagerie of row houses surrounding a central trading square. Outside of the walls sit several small plots perfect for agriculture. Port Phoenix is centrally located in the Bay of Storms providing a central hub of trade between Jaanaford, Storm's Reach and Etceter. Trade craft heading between these great cities embark and dock on an almost hourly basis, filling the Port with activity almost around the clock. Port Phoenix is also the point of departure on the long western trade route to Port Graff and Brittany. Port Phoenix's influence to southern Novia's trade in much the same way Port Graff serves to the north has earned Port Phoenix's nickname, "Jewel of the South". The small community may be smaller than Port Graff but it continues to expand and build on a rich history of mercantile traditions as well as trade routes to major cities in both the north and the south. Port Phoenix is ruled by a court of advisors and specialists hand chosen by Kazyn Phoenixfyre. This "Court of the Phoenix" decide on details such as economic issues, alliances and town planning activiies with the towns best interest and its citizens in mind. Baron Kazyn PhoenixFyre maintains ultimate veto power and authority in times of extremes, but he instead uses the lordly powers given to him lightly. This judicious use of his power and leadership through troubled times have created a close rapport between the citizens of Port Phoenix and the ruling authorities. PhoenixFyre founded Port Phoenix as part of an expedition by the Elder Moot, a rich merchant guild at the head of the Point Moot Trade Syndicate. The purpose of this initial expedition was to discover what remained of the lost town of Trinsic after the great cataclysm. The towns founding members suffered much in the early days due much to the towns position within the tumultuous Bay of Storms as well as the local monster population. In the earliest years of the towns founding, a bloody ongoing war with a group of Orc raiders claimed the lives of the original founders. As the town recovered and expanded it further built itself into the natural defenses of the surrounding mountains. The final battle with this Orc clan occured during a stormy winter evening when the leader of the Orc clan sent a large raiding force which beat the port's military back against the cliffsides. Only by aligning the forces of the Elder Moot and a mysterious organization known as the Society of Shadows were the ports citizens able to finally fend off the Orc attack and end the war. Since the end of the war the Elder Moot has watched over the city's walls. The nearly infinite capital provided by this trade guild has allowed Port Phoenix to grow and expand as it adapted to new challenges. The Society of Shadows still maintain a presence within the city leveraging the towns relative safety and loose laws to maintain their organized crime regime. This activity, while frowned upon, is technically legal within the city and thus the society's business affairs with local assassins and thieves guilds is condoned so long as violence is kept out of the city proper. This agreement has had the added benefit of providing the city with both an official military and a massive network of unofficial spies and assassins that aid in keeping the city safe for the citizens as well as the constant flow of migrant merchants.