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Espur
Espur is a major port city on the Espira Estuary where it spills into the Ao Sea. Inhabited primarily by fishermen, farmers and merchants, the city is sometimes called "The P&P" (Port & Portal) and serves as a pit-stop for travellers across both land and sea. GeographyEspur is technically inland, built at sea level on the western, sandy banks of the Espira Estuary nearly 50 miles from the eastern shore. Covering just over 771 square miles in its entirety, Espur is home to over 125,000 people, with roughly a third of those live outside the city limits on open farmland. Espur has three protective walls: One, surrounding roughly a square mile at the political heart of the city only half a mile from the shore, once protected the original settlement but is now more of a boundary marking the Government District. The second surounds about 10 square miles of the old city; and the third, built in the last five hundred years, surrounds the current city proper at roughly 20 square miles. Each one of Espur's walls has been rebuilt in sections repeatedly, but they have served to defend the inhabitants against numerous incursions from the likes of wandering hydras, hungry krakens, and other land-based coastal predators — as well as pirates! InhabitantsEspur's government constitutes a city council made up of representatives from various guilds within the city (eg. the Espurian Merchants' Guild), as well as official departmental heads (eg. the Magistrate in charge of the Law Offices). They are all then overseen by the Steward, a mayorial figure often treated more like a king than a duly-appointed official. The populace itself is varied, and the city welcomes almost everyone with open arms. Even Zanaryans, who struggle to find a niche in Elysia, are welcome in Espur — especially Mariid and Djinn (and their Sylvan counterparts) who can help conquer the ocean and its storms. Foreign RelationsEspur, like Marport, has a major pest problem. Along with coastal predators who make fishing the estuary and Ao Sea a daily gamble, pirates roam the Espur Channel. In response, Espur has a naval fleet to rival Marport's, with about 20 galleons — all armed with at least one gunner — patrolling the Espur Straits.1 HistoryEspur was founded in circa 8,800 XA as a small fishing town near a portal on the Ao Coast. Having an abundance of fertile farmland behind them, the town slowly attracted more and more farmers as well. In turn, their desire to trade off the excess produce attracted merchants from the already well-established Alexandria, so by the time Nubia was founded in circa 9,000 XA, the town was already well on its way to becoming a vital connection for southern Daire. The settling of Dardanos some two hundred years later solidified Espur's mercantile grasp on the Ao Coast, and over the next 500 years, the town grew into a city that would rival Alexandria in terms of wealth and size. Related Pages
1 If a merchant can pay enough, Espur's ships can also be hired as escorts across the channel, though by Espurian law, there must always be at least five left behind to protect the city. ⇑ Page last modified on June 21, 2011, at 06:39 AM |
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