Al‑Majra

City • Rishama — Western Coast on the Haixing Channel / Mariners’ Gate

Quick Facts

Geography & Layout

• Twin Moles & Basin. A pair of long stone moles narrows the chop of the Haixing Channel into a calm inner basin with numbered quays. A tide gate lifts on counterweights to equalize levels in storm surges.
• Counting Quarter. Warehouses, quay granaries, and a grain elevator line the east wall; the Proof‑Exchange Hall sits across from the Customs House.
• Pilotage Yard. West quay holds the Pilot Lodge, signal‑kite mast, and a chart room that publishes cadence tables matching Lelien Empire cape beacons.
• Windcraft Pads. Two Anemoi Fanwing pads on the bluff for courier hops along the coast and out to the beacon towers.

Law & Protocols

• Neutrality Charters. Visiting warships must carry a Neutrality Charter to enter the basin; weapons sealed, crew ashore in halves.
• Pilot‑Writs. Captains bound for Lelien must file pilot‑writs and demonstrate cadence literacy; inbound Lelien grain convoys take Majrani pilots for the last mile.
• Remnant Transit. Sealed remnants allowed with warden tags; unsealed animus barred from holds.

Economy & Trade

• Inbound (Lelien → Rihsama): Grain, rare magic‑use minerals, rope hemp, and technical manuals (licensed copies).
• Outbound (Rihsama → Lelien): Desert glass (raw & worked), frankincense & myrrh, dates & almonds, scriptorium copies and charts.
• Local Industry: Glass‑cutters, resin graders, rope‑walks, ledger printers, grain milling, and the Proof‑Exchange where knowledge trades settle with abstracts and audits.

Infrastructure

• Signals. Majra‑2 beacon cadence; signal kites by day, lantern code by night; mile‑bells along the moles.
• Water & Stores. Cistern vaults under the Counting Quarter; aerated resin stores; temperature‑controlled stacks for manuscripts.
• Health & Quarantine. A red‑roofed lazaretto island at the mouth; yellow flag halts.

Culture & Life

• Ledger Fair. Each new convoy season opens with a public audit—merchants read last year’s errors aloud; fines fund the schoolhouse.
• Kite Day. Friendly competition with Lelien pilots: who can match pharos cadence best with kites alone.
• Work Rhyme. Majrani keep time to bell strokes; even taverns call last round on the two‑count before beacon shift.

Security & Protocols

• Harbor Chains. Twin chains can seal the basin in three minutes; practice monthly.
• Customs & Proof. Scales, samplers, and assay stamps; disputes escalate to Oath of Uncolored Ink in the Proof‑Exchange Hall.
• Smuggling Watch. Channel cutters patrol the mole tips; contraband lists posted in both scripts.

Sites of Note

• Proof‑Exchange Hall. A trading floor for knowledge‑for‑knowledge deals; abstracts shelved behind glass counters, audits posted weekly.
• Pilot Lodge & Chart Room. Wall‑sized current roses and cadence logs; visiting captains copy the week’s tables for a fee.
• Grain Elevator & Quay Granaries. Bucket conveyors feed vaulted bins; relief sales stabilize prices inland.

Travel & GM Tools

• Approach DCs. Fair: DC 10–12. Cross‑tide or fog +3–5; entering without a pilot is refused except for distress.