Odessus

A governor, appointed by the benefactor rules each settlement in the empire. The governor maintains a staff of consuls, and the Praetorian Guard acts as an extension of the Praetors in Casilinum.   Most Beneventum settlements are left to their own devices, though all governors are expected to maintain specific standards of education, religious observance, and public safety. When a governor fails to meet these standards, a magistrate is dispatched from Casilinum to investigate.

The wyvern-riding aethorians patrol the skies, and land-based praetorians serve as both a standing army and police force. Walls with mechanical gates and artillery towers protect the banks, and an entire squadron of Beneventum's navy patrols the Benevolent River from the Dragonspire Mountains to the Benevolent Delta.   Odessus is also the most technologically advanced city in the empire and has access to some of the most efficient armor and weaponry in the world.

Odessus provides machines and mechanisms for all of Oros. It exports whole crafts—clockwork carts, fine clocks, mechanized siege weaponry—as well as individual parts for other regions expanding on the city's innovations. Rivulets and tributaries near the delta are rich in ore and minerals and while most of this is used within the city itself, it does make a tidy sum exporting the excess.

Business is often conducted across both banks and multiple islands on the delta. As a result, bridges between close islands keep land traffic flowing, and ferries run around the clock to ensure there is always an opportunity to get from one place to another. Additionally, lanes of travel for different watercraft as well as swimming folks reduce the number of accidents and collisions.

As a port city, the governor of Odessus faces pressure from mercantile, environmental, mining, and artisan groups.   The Church of Helm is the official religion of Beneventum and its clergy is deeply influential across the empire. In Odessus, they dictate the bulk of civic affairs and oversee public holidays. While Odessus is home to more non-Helmetic temples and shrines than any other major settlement in Beneventum, its populace comprises some of the most devout followers of Helm.

When Helm snuck away from his mountain home in search of those who would help him defeat Dyrabbelech, he travelled the length of the Benevolent River. The fear of the devil was so great that he was turned away at every town; not a single person would listen to him.   When he came to the city now called Odessus, he was met with the same response. He began searching for a ship to take him across the Sea of Sinsu, and it was then he met Kithri. The young woman, a personal guard of one of Dyrabbelech's lieutenants, had secretly worshipped Donella her entire life. When Helm came to her island of Little Snag, she knew his purpose to be true and followed him. Together, they broke Dyrabbelech's infernal hold on the city and began a rebellion against him.   Hundreds of years later, Assania Calpurn sailed the same river to come to the same city. Despite its holy roots, the people had strayed from Helm's teachings and practiced magic without divine guidance, telling heretical tales of the saints and miracle workers. She fought their summoned fiends and flooded the riverbanks with faith, claiming the city for her own.   Since that day, Odessus has been the crown jewel of the empire. It developed rapidly under Calpurn control. Most of the world's greatest modern technologies are attributed to inventors and engineers from or working in Odessus.

The vast majority of Odessus tourism comes from pilgrims journeying to the city of the First Faithful. Little Snag is home to dozens of shrines and memorials to St. Kithri.   From eccentric inventors to brilliant alchemists, Odessus has a rich history of industrial progress. The Museum of Apparatus Aeternum showcases original blueprints of the Canglada ballista, the first four Gears of Gavriel, and an entire exhibit on Papiria Belletor's Perierat Machina. The Peregrinni Amphitheatre hosts symposiums and rhetorical debates year-round, while the Library of Inflamed Gauntlet is the largest repository of pre-Helmetic writings on Oros.   Odessus also attracts merchants and crafters seeking to make their fortunes in the Benevolent Delta.

The Jewel of Beneventum is an old city. Stone and mortar houses have been renovated with brick walls and metal trusses. The entire delta is a charmingly eclectic mix of traditional masonry and modern engineering. Rarely does one style completely replace the other; indeed, glass and iron frames serve as repairs and renovations to aged architecture.

The Benevolent River delta is deep, with defined banks and wide channels. Low-lying flatlands surround the area and and well-kept roads connect the city to other coastal settlements. Small farming villages take advantage of the well-irrigated soil and make for a picturesque vista.

The land nearby is poor for lumber and game, but rich in fiber, nutrients, minerals, and ore. Being on the delta, Odessans have access to fresh- and saltwater aquatic life. They specialize in vessels that are comfortable both on the river and in the ocean, making fishing an efficient endeavor.