Archport -- City of Eternal Twilight

Mapped at Two Miles per Hex

Twilight reigns in Archport.  Sailing up Darkwaters Deep in broad daylight, one should notice an immense dome masking the thirty square-mile city within which sunrays fade, as if one gazed through tinted spectacles.  Stranger yet at night, an eerie glow prevails all about the city despite the absence of moonlight.  Ships sailing in and out bear navigation lamps, their red and green halos reflecting faintly upon the water.

The name, “Darkwaters Deep,” describes the part closest to Archport more than the entire bay.  The rule of night and day prevails beyond Archport’s immaterial twilight cloak.  Fort some navigators, the oddity of it all, or the crew’s ill-informed superstition prove too much, and they make for the more expensive and crowded ports of Ascopal and Charmydon across the bay. These harbors cannot truly compete with Eadrin’s capital city.  Local topography does not permit further expansion.  There, only the fees grow, as visiting ships continually compete for docking space.

Dominion Stats -- Eadrin

An updated, more appropriate design for Eadrin

At first sight, the most striking feature of Eadrin is the sheer size of Archport, its capital.  With 190,000 inhabitants, it accounts for nearly 20% of the realm's population.  Much of local economics are based on maritime trade funneling through Archport and up the Thera River.  As a result of the generally denser population in this relatively small realm, Eadrin actually stands as a net importer of food and timber.  The agricultural deficit remains minor compared to Vertiloch, and timber is needed to supplement wood harvested locally for ship-building in Archport.  Although busy, this port isn't as popular and crowded as Aasla's.  Foreign crews often see Archport's permanent twilight conditions as odd and unnatural.  Yet, for those sailing from Bellissaria, Archport's facilities are the best choice when shipping merchandise to the imperial capital.

Statistically, Eadrin's wilderness only claims 56% of the realm's lands, compared to neighboring Arogansa's 70%.  As a result of its higher degree of urbanization, Eadrin actually enjoys more revenues than its larger neighbor; about 334,000 vs. 287,000 gp/month, even though Eadrin has less population than its neighbor.  Since Randel isn't a most trustworthy neighbor, Eadrin retains a sizable defense force.  Shadow Lords and their mysterious constructs also provide significant deterrents to invasions.  The latter are curious beasties built by their masters to form part of the realm's army.  More about them and their connection with the Gray Circle will be covered in the upcoming post on Archport.  Naturally, since militaristic Randel hasn't been detailed to date, there can be no comparisons of relative army sizes--yet.  Meanwhile, Arogansa and Eadrin aren't likely to clash anytime soon.  Arogansa is more interested in running its flourishing tourism industry and safeguarding its borders, which suits Eadrin just fine.  On the other hand, both view Randel with suspicion.

The Alphatian Province of Eadrin -- Updated August 27th

Closeup of the Archport Area in Eadrin.  Scale: 8 Miles per Hex

Welcome to Eadrin, a realm yearning to compete with Arogansa’s flashy demeanor and yet shining by the eerie darkness of its unusual masters. Many an observer has wondered about this modest kingdom tucked at the corner of Arogansa, Theranderol, and war-like Randel. It basks behind the Thera and Randel Rivers, seemingly undefended and supremely confident.

Eadriners strive to present the image of a friendly nation to attract the wealthy visitors gracing the beaches of Arogansa. They succeed, to some degree, but Eadrin is no Arogansa. Its beaches are nice and peaceful, but Eadrin’s tradition and experience in the business remains no match. The greatest benefit for visiting the Corner Kingdom is its lower prices and more discreet environment. This is true of the shores of Eadrin, along the Sea of Alphas and its rivers. Its hinterland is another matter entirely.

What seems to intimidate both visitors and common Eadriners themselves are the leaders of the nation, including Queen Eadra XIII, dubbed the Queen of Dusk. Eadra is a gorgeous elven lady, were it not for her stone-gray skin and opalescent eyes, like those of her ancestors. In much earlier times, when the Eadriner dynasty was still young, its kin had hailed from the Shye-Lawr, fair-skinned and silver-haired. They’d explored the region and discovered a strange lake, which they quickly named The Well of Shadows, for dark beasts emerged from its depths during moonless nights. Cracks in the surrounding hills led to twisted passages converging toward a chasm far beneath the lake. There, a realm of shadows grew progressively more impenetrable, rebellious to the most powerful enchantments to shed light and enable normal vision. A mysterious new magic imbued the abyssal rocks themselves. It challenged the curiosity of visitors, elven or human, to proceed deeper. Over the centuries a few went on, blindly seeking to unveil the mysteries beyond. Rare were those among them who ever returned. Of these, all displayed various symptoms of dementia, mild for the more fortunate, or ravingly insane.