City of the Fallen

If there is a misfortune that can befall a city, it has happened to this wretched place. Argesh used to be a shining metropolis that was surpassed only by the glorious capital. All manner of goods entered the port city by ship or by the Imperial Highway, the city was able to sustain itself on ample farmland, and the weather was considered the best in the entire empire. However, when the great calamities struck the empire in its twilight years, Argesh seemed to be hit harder than most.   The twilight years of the empire brought unrest and turmoil aplenty, but the western edge of the empire was wracked by a series of calamities ranging from volcanic eruptions to cyclones.  While Argesh was spared those, the city was all but destroyed in a series of earthquakes and tidal waves.  The recovery period was going to be a long one anyway, but the situation was exacerbated by the Dinar River flooding so completely that its direction changed. This couple with the tsunamis virtually turned what useful farm land the city did have into fetid marshes, salt flats and swamps.  Famine, hunger, and disease were rampant, and the city never truly recovered.   Centuries later, a new Argesh has been built on the old, but it is a pale shadow of its former self.  None of the splendor and prosperity remains.  It has been replaced by seedy criminals, greedy opportunists, and desperate people who have no other option but try to eek out a living in the ramshackle streets of New Argesh.  No matter what faction people belong to, all must pay homage to the mysterious Duke who is the self-proclaimed ruler of the city.