City Image - Pier Point

The city of Pier Point thrives even more then most cities on trade. The entire eastern side is devoted to the docks and to housing the poorer dockworkers, and at all hours of the day and night one or more ships are normally being unloaded. The houses are almost all of wood as it's cheaper then stone.The richer people tend to have houses of rare mahogany, walnut and pico-tree, whilst the poorer make do with the local elms. The chimneys are nowdays built of stone after the Great Fire of Pier Point that burnt down almost the entire city over four centuries ago. The markets are also located here. Most of what the city needs is brought in by ship and traded for.Without trade, Pier Point would begin to starve within weeks.

After the Great Fire pipes were laid that channeled fresh water from the nearby River Nine down channels set in the streets, and by law everyone is supposed to have a bucket in their house to use to help put out fires, and most people keep to this law, as otherwise it might one day be their house which burns down. The water also serves as their water supply so everybody has a personal intreast in keeping it clean.The gurgleing sound of the water runs through the whole city. Torches are frowned upon and instead people use globes of softly glowing mori rock to light their houses and districts, both on the tips of hand held staves for personal use and in large fixed wooden lamp poles.

There are many colours of this rock and each has a different meaning. Red is used to mark the 'red light' district of the city where prostitution is allowed. Amber is only used in a few lighthouses out at sea and serves as a danger signal.Yellow is used in most residental districts.Blue lights up the markets and the docks, whilst purple indicates the richest areas of the city.

The whole city is built on a grid system. The further west one goes, the quieter and more peaceful it is as the markets and docks are in the west, and the more expensive it is to buy a house there.

The main building of the city is the Admiralty, a fine stone building with the symbol of an anchor chiseled above it's oaken gates. Here, the Mayor has the title of Admiral, and each ward of the city has it's elected captain who is supposed to keep down crime, keep trade going, the water supply clean, and to put out any fire that endangers life and/or property.Outside is a gallows to punish any convicted murderers, pirates, or arsonists. Officaly order is kept by the blue-coated Admiral's Guards, unoffically by the secret society of the Anchors. But in fact most people are perfectly friendly with each other and serious crime is rare.

Whilst it is part of Vandersil, because it brings in a lot of money in trade, Queen Yocasta is kind to her subjects and people can normally grumble without being executed for it.