Prest

Prest is a large city on the north-eastern end of the Ischindar sea and the southern slopes of Mount Indon, originally founded as a trading post by the dragonborn rulers of Jeupan Cathaya in the centuries after the Breaking of Nations.  The city was later captured by the Taorminite empire, who used it as a naval base (along with Niwhaven) to control the trade entering the Emel Sea from the south. The Taorminites added a fort and naval base on a promontory to the south of the city, where the governor also had his simple headquarters, and rarely bothered to enter the city itself. Receiving a posting to Prest was dreaded by the Taorminites.  After the Taorminite empire collapsed, the city has been ruled by a combination of an Upper House council (from the High City) and a Lower House council (from the Low City). In the last decade, Prest has started to tend toward the control of Mabag Pachamel Grith, who are seeking to extend power in the region.  Prest officially retains neutral status toward the Grithi Syndicate and the Southern Array, and pro- and anti-Grithi tensions sometimes spill out into factional bloodshed.   Modern Wonder: the Pearl City Prest was built in two parts, which eventually merged together into a single city. The High City was built as a hill-fort on a large domed hill not far from the mouth of a small river running down from Mount Indon. The entire section of the city built on a large domed hill is decorated with white-glazed brick, giving it a shining white appearance from the sea and giving it the name 'The Pearl of the Ischindar Sea' (the name of the city is 'pearl' in the local Mettyan language).   The Low City was built around the mouth of the river, and consisted of a harbour, warehouses and shanty-town with winding narrow streets. Both are unfortified, as the Taorminites and Grithi both forbid the local inhabitants from fortifying the city against them.   Prest was built to exploit the native gem mines, timber reserves and silk in the local country, and smaller settlements are dotted over the southern slopes of Mount Indon. Pearl-diving is common, as is harvesting shell from the Giant Abalone. There are numerous coral reefs along the coast, which are both a curiosity to travellers and a danger to shipping. Trade from the Three Cathaya usually stops first at Prest, and a brisk trade of Rythi and Thoulian goods takes place.   The population of the High City is still mostly Cathayan, with many dragonborn, a few Grithi tieflings and humans of coastal Rythi ancestry. The Low City has a very mixed population, including many of the local Mettyans, Gyarhamers and Volerine dwarves. The old Taorminite fort is garrisoned by mercenaries (including many Rythi) under the control of the local council, who continue to exert control from the governor's palace.   The climate is subtropical and hot all year round, with a dry season and a monsoon season. Hurricanes often come in from the South, causing considerable damage.