Permatta

Life in the city is harsh and unforgiving. The wealth of the past still lingers in the form of crumbling stone buildings and abandoned jewel-cutting factories, but most of the populace now lives in squalor. Free citizens, many of whom are descendants of former miners, scrape by through trade, labor, or crime. Pharus'  convicts that arrive from the kingdoms branded and shackled, are forced to work under brutal conditions, their lives often worth less than the pickaxes they wield.

Despite this bleak reality, a strange sense of resilience persists among the people of Permatta. Underground gambling rings, illicit markets, and hidden enclaves of artisans still thrive in the shadows, keeping the spirit of the city alive. Those with enough cunning and strength may yet carve out their own fate in this dying city.

Permatta is ruled by the Permatta Coalition of Miners, a coalition of powerful mining families, an oligarchy that controls the city’s resources and laws. These families, once wealthy beyond measure, now cling desperately to their remaining influence, growing more ruthless with each passing year. They oversee mining operations, enforce strict regulations, and manage trade with the mainland kingdoms.

While the oligarchs govern with an iron grip, a new undercurrent of tension simmers beneath the surface. Corruption, smuggling, and black-market dealings are rampant, as desperate miners and prisoners alike seek ways to escape their bleak fate. Secret factions have begun to rise, some seeking revolution, others simply looking for a way out of Permatta’s desolation.

For centuries, Permatta was the beating heart of Pharus’ gemstone trade. Its mines produced the most exquisite rubies, sapphires, and emeralds in the known world, drawing merchants and nobles from across the land. The wealth from these gems built a city of industry, with grand refineries, merchant guilds, and thriving trade routes. However, in the last fifty years, the veins of precious stones have dwindled, leaving the city’s once-booming economy in decay.

Today, mining remains the backbone of Permatta, but with fewer gems to extract, the city has turned to a grim new industry—penal labor. As the mines dry up, the oligarchs of Permatta have struck deals with the kingdoms of Pharus, accepting prisoners to work in the perilous tunnels. These convicts, ranging from political dissidents to hardened criminals, toil in the collapsing mines, ensuring the city’s economy sputters on.

Permatta sits on the northern coast of the Isle of Fire, a massive volcanic island known for its dry, rugged terrain and unforgiving climate. Scorched by the relentless sun and battered by harsh coastal winds, the city is surrounded by arid hills and deep, treacherous mine shafts that extend into the island’s volcanic core. Though once a land of great wealth, the now-barren hills are a constant reminder of the city’s decline.