Geledon

History

Geledon is an isolated town located on the Duma Idenar peninsula on the western shores of Arak, just north of the Savage Frontier. Geledon is located hundreds of miles from the nearest city, with the Great Divide to the east being too hazardous to cross, and the Rordan Then to the southeast being dense and filled with predators. The town is one of the more unique, being built on top of a massive rock jutting out from the hills overlooking the ocean. The rock was carved to the form the town's paths and platforms on which houses are built, though many live on the shores and surrounding countryside. Once an intermediary town for merchants traveling from Thalassarion to northern Arak, once the Dreaming Wastes became uninhabitable in the wake of Thalassarion's destruction, Geledon was left isolated due to their relative distance from other major cities.

Geledon has a long history of illicit trade which other members of the Synodical Republic consider a stain on their territory. Due to the magistrate's willingness to partake in illicit trades, Geledon has been cut off from military protections and financial support. They are completely on their own, as the rest of Arak officially wants nothing to do with them. There have been a number of campaigns to stop illicit goods coming from the town, placing embargos on any goods coming from Geledon, but merchants can be shrewd, and have found a number of methods to subvert these laws and evade questioning authorities. A number of groups are trying to put a stop to their trade permanently, regardless of the cost to the town's livelihood, as the town is one of the last bastions in Arak for scum and depravity. One such group, the Chell Parnath, who are comprised of a number of Letheni and Luminari, have a presence in the town, but are considered a nuisance by most of its residents. Their members also have a habit of going missing if they stick their nose too far where it doesn't belong.

Government

The current magistrate of Geledon is a shrewd Lynoxi woman named Ralis Selba, who lives in a lavish manor at the top of Geledon's rock, next to the town's lighthouse. Though her jurisdiction only extends to Geledon and a handful of surrounding villages, the way she and her predecessors have chosen to operate the town has made it the most notorious in all of Arak, even more so than Darrakeltir. In the late Upheaval period and early Reckoning period, Geledon went rogue, turning to criminal activity as a means to stimulate the economy in the wake of the destruction of Thalassarion and the Dreaming Wastes, which provided the majority of their incoming trade. Contrary to what the Luminari would like many to believe, sometimes crime does pay, and it certainly has for the residents of Geledon.

Ralis Selba has continued with tradition, making import of illicit goods legal and without oversight in Geledon. The only condition being that tariffs are placed on incoming goods according to how illegal those goods are in the rest of Arak. Nothing seems to be off the table for Ralis, who has turned a blind eye to drugs, affectives, and slavery. Being that Geledon is the sole town in all of Arak with access to a large port that allows such things, Ralis can afford to be greedy with her tariffs.

Economy

Geledon is a port town that imports a number of goods, but due to their location, other port towns like Cothunor are a much more desirable location for merchants to travel through. However, Geledon imports a number of other goods which are highly illegal all throughout Arak. Recognizing their poor economic value, the magistrates of Geledon turned to allowing merchants peddling unsavory goods to come through their ports so they can distribute their illicit goods without fear of arrest -- for a small fee. Geledon places tariffs on incoming goods, profiting off all incoming goods. Being that it is the only town that officially sanctions illegal goods, it has made the town a breeding ground for criminals.

The most profitable goods that merchants bring through Geledon are drugs and affectives; that is, items which affect mood, the mind, or suggestibility. Enchantment magic and materials which affect the mind are highly illegal all throughout Arak, except for Geledon, where they are welcomed. However, affectives, as they are called, have the highest tariffs placed upon them due to their value to those seeking them. Geledon has several shops which cater to those seeking philters to ensnare the romantic affections of someone that has caught their eye.

One of the worst enterprises which Geledon still partakes in is slavery. Though the market for such things is not widespread, it does exist, and there are plenty of organizations seeking cheap labor they can exploit for hazardous jobs. Many of the slaves being sold in Geledon are brought from other parts of the world, in particular, the Rathmore Empire of Myr, or the Scablands where the Commonwealth's exiled citizens go when they refuse military service.

Notable Locations

• Lighthouse - Geledon's lighthouse stands at 40 ft. tall and is located next to magistrate Ralis' manor at the peak of the rock. Though it serves to guide sailors to Geledon's shipyard, it also serves another purpose -- as a small tavern that caters to Ralis and wealthy clientele who pique her interest. The tavern serves the finest drinks that can be found all across Aellorah, and is invite only.
• The Grotto - Located on the underside of the town rock, the Grotto is a shipyard in a large hole underneath the rock. During storms, it can become flooded, but it provides convenient access to the rest of the town, as there are a number of passages carved through the rock that lead to the Grotto. This allows merchants to quickly unload their goods and bring them directly up to market.
• The Market - A bustling area central on the rock with a wide variety of street stalls catering to just about every illegal good you can think of. There is a dais where regular auctions are held to sell slaves to the highest bidder, stalls selling love potions, nearly every drug found in Aellorah, and weapons banned in various places throughout the world for illegal enchantments or cruel methods of killing their target.
• Besta Denath - The "laughing forest", found in a large stretch along the Great Divide south of Geledon, is anything but amusing. Even the despicable denizens of Geledon avoid it, recommending travel along the coast if you must travel to the Yzerid. It gets its name from a Wellspring anomaly that causes the trees to produce a hallucinogenic dust on their pine needles, which when blown by the wind, spreads thick clouds of the dust throughout the forest that's difficult to see. The hallucinations produced by the dust are often frightening, with many reporting hearing sinister distorted laughter all around them throughout the forest and their vision darkening, with the landscape around them distorting and moving. More than a few have lost their lives trying to navigate or study the forest. Despite its frightening effects, some brave and stupid residents of Geledon have used the dust from the Besta Denath to create a hallucinogenic beer that is popular among the less wealthy.

Culture

Geledon is home to many different professions, but is also home to a system of class inequality bred by the town's morally bankrupt way of life. This is plainly obvious by the slave trade present in the town, but one less obvious way inequality presents itself is in where residents are able to live. Many of the town's fishermen live by the shores on either side of the rock, where the waters can be turbulent. The rock provides a great deal of protection against the incoming waves during storms, allowing the wealthier residents that live atop it shelter during storms. The rock has been carved to provide channels that direct any water down below into the ocean. However, those living by the shores or further down near the base of the rock can be subject to flooding waters which can destroy their homes.

Defenses

Geledon does not have much in the way of classic defenses against military action, which begs the question why the Synodical Republic has yet to put a stop to their criminal activities over the years. This one fact has led many to question whether the Republic condones their behavior. However, Geledon is not defenseless; they are simply good at hiding it, as with everything else they do. Geledon has surrounded the town with a number of clever traps to deter large military forces from advancing on the town. The town has built up a large cache of explosives that they have buried in the countryside surrounding the town, awaiting activation. They are buried far enough away that they would not harm the town, but any army advancing on the town would be completely obliterated. This cache has taken many centuries to accumulate.

The town has no Enforcers in the traditional sense, but employs mercenaries when needed. The local mercenaries patrol the surrounding countryside to watch out for potential military action from those seeking to put an end to the town's lawless way of life. They make use of the uneven terrain and many nearby forests to sneak up on incoming travelers to watch their every movement. These mercenaries make use of trapdoors to hidden pits throughout the landscape to hide from approaching travelers and may wait until you pass before using crossbows to shoot you from behind. The local mercenaries are highly suspicious of any travelers approaching the town from land, as most visiting the town come into port and then carry goods to other areas of Arak, rather than bringing goods through Geledon. Approaching the town from the south through the Rordan Then is a bad idea, as it is such an out-of-the-way and unconventional way to get to the town that the mercenaries may assume you are attempting to sneak into Geledon. It is not unheard of for the town's mercenaries to attack incoming travelers they perceive as being wealthy and extort money from them.

Geledon also has infrastructure in place to protect the town against the violent storms they are subjected to, being practically on top of the sea. The town has grooves and channels cut into the rock to drain water off of the rock and back into the ocean. However, due to the limited amount of rock that can be safely removed, Geledon has no sewage system. Instead, they make use of communal privies which deposit waste into a small chamber below the building that magically burns it away. This unfortunately makes the area in and around them extremely unpleasant to be near, especially when the occasional prankster or even sometimes members of the Chell Parnath decide to burn off the Flow in the area around the privies, temporarily disabling the enchantments. The locals have taken to employing enchanted face masks which filter the air so they can breathe here; however, those unable to afford such luxuries simply suffer.

Crime

In a town of lawlessness, crime is a subjective word. Geledon does not observe the majority of the Synodical Republic's laws, instead employing their own code of behavior; and their own punishments for those who act out-of-line. The most important thing to know when visiting Geledon is discretion; don't put your nose where it doesn't belong, and go about your own business. Do-gooders trying to stop a mugging in an alleyway, or reporting activities they perceive as illegal in other places, will find their way to an early grave. The local mercenaries are not your friend, and are there to preserve the town's way of life. Don't expect them to lift a finger to help if you are robbed or attacked. They are bought and paid for by Ralis, and answer only to her demands.

Geledon's criminal activities are well-known throughout Arak, and many criminals consider visiting the city a pilgrimage of sorts. Geledon is the number one source of all drugs in Arak, including Dew, Wolf, and Soot. This is a large industry and its proponents will do anything to keep the trade going smoothly. You can find dealers with market stalls all over Geledon selling these drugs openly, having only to pay a small fee to Ralis to operate in the town's borders. The two most controversial trades in Geledon, however, would be affectives and slaves.

Affectives are a colloquial term used to describe items banned by the Synodical Republic for affecting the mind, emotions, or suggestibility. This can include anything from love philters, to scrolls containing forbidden spells of enchantment, and certain plants used by the Humans of Myr to enhance pleasure. Possession of these items vary in severity throughout Arak, but at best they'll land you in jail for a few months, and at worst, could result in your execution. They are a booming trade in Geledon due to the town's flagrant violation of the law in allowing their open sale; with tariffs to match.

Perhaps the most severe criminal enterprise found in Geledon is the slave trade. A relic from the Kingdom of Derunadel's past, Geledon openly not only encourages the slave trade, but participates in it as well. Mercenaries are expensive, so slaves who can perform the town's dangerous labor are far more preferable. Slaves owned by Geledon are branded with a magical mark resembling a circle with the beginning of a spiral inside that turns into a crescent, with a circle in the center, like an eye. The mark does not permit for much control, but any slave that strays more than 20 miles from the town's borders will trigger a glyph in the rune which will explode. Many of the town's slaves are imported from Myr, having been abducted from The Scablands, where The Commonwealth's exiles are dropped off to be forgotten; or from the Rathmore Empire, who happily sells Letheni slaves of their own.