Harbourtown

[Tybalt]

The city of Harbourtown was New Edom's most important port city. It is protected by a rocky cove and is slightly elevated above the sea. After Lookinghaven's destruction it was one of the most important areas to be captured by the Celts and their allies during the war.

I'm trying to flesh out this city for future adventure so I'd appreciate any advice or thoughts anyone would like to contribute, or questions that might help me to direct my own thoughts.

Random thoughts so far:

1. It is occupied currently by a force of corsairs (led by the Harlaw family, a noble family of Celtic pirates), mercenaries and humanoids. (largely hobgoblins, orcs and goblins with a few larger auxiliaries)

2. It has become the main supply base for the Celtic armies and fleet.

3. It was not ruined like Lookinghaven but was rather taken in battle. This resulted in a weeklong orgy of looting which ceased after that. A number of buildings were damaged as well as grim damages to person but following this Celtic filidh judges arrived under an overlord appointed to represent the King. Important landholders would include Lord Harlaw and Duke Anderman.

[LordVreeg]

How big was it before it was taken?
What type of history?  Was it ever bigger or smaller?
what happened to the churches and priests after the takeover? (My Priests of Nebler the Shield were actually all slaughtered when Onacon was overthrown)
How did the populace take the takeover?  How are the corsairs getting long with the warf-rats?

And, as always in any city, what is the sewer system like?

[Tybalt]

The city had about 25,000 people before the conquest. I'm not sure how many it should have now...

I figured that since the clerics of gods worshipped in New Edom tend to be hand in glove with the government that at best some of them managed to flee; a good number would have been drowned as sacrifices to Dagon. Others would have been slain in battle.

Harbourtown always had a slightly more mixed population than inland cities. I imagined that it grew a little more spontaneously than Fineberg--not so deliberately planned. I figured it began as a whaling town that did some trading as well.

[LordVreeg]

oopf for the priests, though that has happenned enough for me.  

whaling is a good place to start a town...probably northern for that.  ANy magical sea beasties?

any local families of repute left that are now living under the yoke?  How about the old theives guild?

Do goblins and hobgoblins make good sailors?  orcs do in my world, but the goblinoids do not.  They hate the water, actually.

[Wensleydale]

Well, it sounds like it would still be pretty large, if not as large (in population, that is). It depends on how many of the locals the celts slaughtered and/or sacrificed, how many they took as thralls (assuming they're close to vikings, as they sound) and other such things.

[Tybalt]

Im thinking that there are two kinds of slaves--those who have a thrall/Celtic slave kind of status, basically people who have legal rights in that they are protected, fed and so on but cannot take up arms or have any kind of political freedom and those who are slaves in the sense that they are literally property without rights. I'm not sure what you'd call these but basically the average former citizen has no actual citizenship; they're all on probation. However there are people of the ruling class who remain who have by now intermarried or made various deals--the rest being dead or enslaved.

Magical sea beasts I use in my campaign include: krakens, hippocampus, water leapers, bunyips, sea serpents, dragon turtles, aquatic dragons, aboleths. (though the latter three are rather rare and certainly not heard of locally save as legends)

There is a variety of hobgoblin that is amphibious but basically humanoids in my game don't like the sea and only use small boats. This is part of their alliance with the corsairs; they need them for their ships and the corsairs need them for a strong land based force. The mercenaries I figured are mostly sellsword knights and freemen who either come of small Celtic clans or are clanless. While they are officially mercenaries they have in fact sworn service to the King's man in Harbourtown.

The old thieves' guild is being absorbed by the Yuan-Ti from Nala I decided, who act as a second mercenary force but specifically tied to the Harlaw family. The Yuan-Ti are content for now to maintain a front of traditionalism locally.

[sparkletwist]

Im thinking that there are two kinds of slaves--those who have a thrall/Celtic slave kind of status, basically people who have legal rights in that they are protected, fed and so on but cannot take up arms or have any kind of political freedom and those who are slaves in the sense that they are literally property without rights.

It seems to me like the first category would be more like serfs, the second group more like chattel slaves.

[Tybalt]

Lord Harlaw, the Admiral, is divided in his work. First of all blockading New Edom is not much fun anymore; Fineberg is too well defended and seems to be doing alright with fishing around the mouth of the Silver River, avoding sending the fishing fleet into the sea. The city and what remains free in the country is suffering for lack of whale oil and other sea products but is surviving. Certainly Harlaw and various royal captains are making a fortune from that. However it is hardly exciting or challenging work any longer, and he has been forbidden to challenge the defenses at Fineberg till more ships have been built.

His sense of division comes in part from his obsession with a strange artifact that he and his crew found almost a year ago aboard a mysterious derelict ship in the southern sea. It is a great horn, almost ten feet long, which rests upon a metallic stand. It is actually made of horn or bone of some kind and is bound in golden bands with runes that after much exhausted study a druid was able to decipher for him. It is called the Horn of the Deep, and speaks of the ancient rites to the deep gods of the sea. These are disturbing beings with little in common with humanity or those who live on land. They require sacrifices and the visions of drowned men who speak at the bidding of kelp draped mad priests. All very well--and the Horn promises invincible power to those who sail with it--but he has been unable to blow it. No sound comes forth from it. The matter drives him to distraction.

Harbourtown Follies

Lord Strang, sent in to govern the city, is also distracted--while much food is being brought in by the fishing and whaling ships, and while supplies are being brought as necessary from the home country to be sent to the armies in the field, the fact is that there simply isn't enough to feed the army and the fleet and all the people. Food prices have skyrocketed and there are angry mutterings. Mercenaries, corsairs and humanoids act lawlessly, barely restrained, and while it is a major staging area Strang is finding it difficult to police the place.