Stormhaven

Racial Demographics
Human Population: 73%
Eladrin Population: 8%
Tabaxi Population: 5%
Other: 14%

  Economic Demographics
Impoverished: 5%
Lower Class: 12%
Lower-middle Class: 34%
Middle Class: 14%
Upper-middle Class: 25%
Upper Class: 7%
Nobility: 2.99%
Royal Family: .01%

The military runs the guard, and because of this even the lowest ranks of the guard are highly trained and effective, if a little more brutal than in other cities. The guard keeps strict watch over the docks and market districts, and patrols those areas night and day along with more troublesome parts of the city.
Taxes in the city vary depending on what district properties and residences are located in. The lowest are in the Sinking District, and the highest are in the Valiant District. Tariffs on many goods have been instituted to allow for the upkeep of most of the city's streets, sewer system, aqueduct, and other public works projects.
Laws regarding the use of magic are enforced throughout the city to maintain order. Only those with a license are allowed to practice freely. Everyone without a license must be in an area where spell casting has been approved, such as the Magister's District or a private residence. The only other exception to this is self defense, otherwise the offender will be fined, if it is the first or second offense, or arrested if repeated offenses occur. Even though the law technically applies to all magic, spells like prestidigitation, thaumaturgy, healing word, or other innocuous or strictly beneficial spells are generally ignored by the guard as long as the caster does not charge money or use them to become a nuisance.

Protection of Stormhaven has been a major concern since the city's founding. While the city is naturally defended from an attack by sea, land battles would be costly, and the city sits in an advantageous spot that tempted other countries and kingdoms to try and take it by force. To try and mitigate this, Hazra brokered a deal with the engineers of Zetia, who would build a massive wall capable of defending the inner city in return for long lasting favorable trade benefits. This strengthened the defenses of the city and built a stronger relationship with Zetia, and after the city outgrew its defenses they contracted the city to tear down and rebuild the walls at the new borders, where they still stand today. The last large wall created was at the edges of the Sinking District (originally the Palanquin District) after it was discovered that small collapses in a previously unknown cave system were causing the district to slowly sink down. At the time of completion the Sinking District was 37' lower than the rest of the city, so lifts and ramps were created to allow people and goods to travel through the area without walking over three miles extra to find a reasonable incline to climb.

Other defenses include a large metal net, much like the one at the entrance to the bay, to be raised at the end of the river, ballistae stored in warehouses on the docks that can be moved into place in under a day, and three Seashields, which are stone fortresses that rise out of the bay that hold wizards, archers, and catapults to stop invading forces.

If these defenses fail, an elite standing army of four thousand stays in the city to act as a last defense against invasion (it has over one hundred and fifty thousand fighters across the kingdom, but Stormhaven's armies never leave).

Historically, Stormhaven has acted as the largest trade hub in Arheim. What it lacks in natural resources like stone, ore, and food, it makes up in experienced tradesman, merchants, sailors, and laborers. Once the Millworks were completed the city also began to create textiles like cloth and cut lumber, using its contacts to get the raw material and then refining them into a more usable product. The large amount of freshwater the city has within its reach is sometimes shipped to other nearby Hazran cities for a profit as well.

Stormhaven is one of the oldest cities in Hazra, and so the amount of unique buildings and large projects are myriad.
The most important project the city has undertaken is the Laerin Canal, which was cut from the original river, expanded, and smoothed out so that ships could travel into the city to dock. A large lock was also added two hundred years later to allow for ships to travel from the sea to the river or vice versa using the Millworks to power the massive pumps. The canal walls are fortified with smooth sandstone, mined from the north, and dozens of smaller canals have been cut into the city since then, allowing for small barges to ship goods to the Magister's and Garden districts with relative ease while also reducing traffic on the main roads. Seven large bridges span the Laerin River, one above the falls and six below. These structures are build with large ships in mind, and can be lifted in several places to allow for barges to pass through unhindered, though this is mostly practiced at night when the bridge has less traffic.

Along with the canals and lock, the Stormhaven engineers also devised two other major water-based projects: the sewers and the twin aqueducts. The sewers, which drain out into the westernmost part of the Sinking district to be incinerated by wizards, snake throughout the city in an effort to keep the canals and bay free of contaminants, which once polluted the river so badly that it went from its natural, swift running clear blue to a sickly black sludge that barely allowed movement and caused flooding upstream. At the same time, the aqueducts were built to provide clean drinking water to the people. These aqueducts follow a slow curve over the city, beginning from the top of Laerin Falls and following the dividing lines of several districts until they pour out just past the docks. The effect of these projects vastly improved the quality of life for the city, and provided an impressive view when entering from the sea, as the most visible features of Stormhaven are the triple waterfalls separating the lower city into neat quarters and creating rainbows at certain times of day.

Roads are well maintained throughout the city, usually being made of sandstone or marble in the rich districts and cobble in the poorer ones. The streets are wide enough in every area to have a horse and buggy pass through it, with the widest ones allowing up to ten of them to ride parallel to one another with space in between. Laws prevent buildings from encroaching into the roads' space, and city planners will not hesitate to destroy a city block if a more elegant route is found.

The most ubiquitous part of the city's infrastructure is the docks, which crawl across the entire southern border of the city, along the Laerin River, and throughout the canals lining the richer districts. It is said that for every five buildings, there is a boat at the docks, and this is probably close to the truth.

Stormhaven has a multitude of wares from across Arheim and even from parts of Greater Smiltis. Any sort of weapon or armor can be made in the city, including up to +3 masterworks (though these are at a considerable mark-up). Potions and alchemical supplies can be found, along with herbs and natural remedies to assist in medical pursuits. Banks help store excess gold safely within its walls, some of which have branches in other kingdoms, allowing transfers to be made in far away lands (for a fee, of course). Beasts of burden, mounts, pets, and animal companions are also for sale in the Menagerie district. The only thing the city lacks is a large library of spells, as most of the wizards guard their collections jealously and require a steep fee to even allow someone to peek inside of them. Regular books, are of course, able to be purchased in the Market District.

Beside the royal family, who are a faction of their very own, there are hundreds of groups, guilds, factions, religions, and other collections of people that operate in the city. The most notable are the Stormkeepers who run eight churches throughout the city. They preach every four hours during the day, and can be seen walking the city in pairs giving advice to those who ask.

  The city guard is the other large presence in the city. They ensure that citizens do not break the law, but are also in charge of placing bounties and fighting fires.

  The Merchants Collective Association (MCA) ensures that no monopolies or shady business practices ruin the economy of the city, and is the most influential group in the city due to both its wealthy board members and its strong affiliation with the members of the Royal Council who often have family members in the MCA.

  The Council Magorum Academy is a large guild dedicated to the study of magic, and many of the country's battlemages train there.

  Smaller forces also inhabit the city such as the House of Roses , the Troupe of Joy , the Mistwalkers, the Hazran branch of the Artist's Guild, and the First . Other guilds and groups tend to stay quiet in the city, operating locally instead of city wide.

The city's oldest areas are made completely out of stone, as the wooden homes built there originally have been torn down and rebuilt as more wealthy tenants have moved in over the years. The buildings next to the docks are also reinforced with metal and have an outer layer of wood to act as shock absorption in case of a ship wreck or attack on the city. Newer areas of the city are wooden but well maintained.

The buildings that line many of the upper class areas of the city have colonnades to hold shops in stormy weather, and streets are lined with palms to provide some shade. In the Parade district the buildings take on a more militaristic feel because they house much of the standing army. The Valiant district buildings have flourishes on their walls and flags fly on tall poles on the roofs surrounding the palace.

The city sits at the back of the Stormhaven bay, and backs up to a cliff. The Laerin River bisects the city, flowing from the north to the south and pouring over the cliff to form the Laerin Falls, and afterwards emptying into the bay. Surrounding the city is a dense jungle, which the city has to actively fight in order to not be retaken by nature.

Wood and fresh water are in plentiful supply here, though the wood in Cirris is more valuable for building.