Ampleazzo

North of Fûrlaniya lies the bandit city of Ampleazzo, a famous meeting point for bandits, mercenaries and adventurers of all stripes. Many famous mercenary companies maintain their nominal headquarters there like the "Red Hand Ogres", the Fûrlaniyan Spider Riders known as the Terrors of Tarantella, the Neinmoll Cuirassiers of the Central Lakes and the Hurrge Lodge of Battle Wizards. 
== History ==
Ampleazzo, for the most part, had always been just a small Azaneese town overlooking the Western Dragon Lake, never larger than a couple thousand inhabitants, controlled by various families who sought power in the town, with little influence from Azan proper. It wasn't until Alistair II, Azaneese Emperor of the Eight Dynasty, became too greedy and doubled the tax on mercenaries that resided on the capital city of Essakor.
Many mercenary companies stayed within Essakor, continuing to operate illegally, some moved back to their home country, while others sought greener pastures to move their operations to. Those greener pastures came in the form of Lucius "the Unbound", a shrewd Gnome, and leader of one of the most prominent families in Ampleazzo, who also had connections in the underworld of Azan, and particularly in the narcotics and sellswords operations.
Lucius approached many of these mercenary bands, such as the Neinmoll Cuirassiers and the Red Tatters, and promised them sanctuary in the town of Ampleazzo, hidden in the Nemian hills, overlooking a grand lake, away from the prying eyes of the Emperor, and without any taxing. The only catch was that these mercenaries would help Lucius consolidate control in Ampleazzo, and so it happened. The lone family of Gnomes in the town reigned supreme, and Lucius used that newfound influence to steer wealth towards Ampleazzo (through both extortion and bribery).
This practice continued with his sons, and later on with the other "Godfathers" (an unofficial title bestowed upon the de facto leader of the town) of Ampleazzo. As such, Ampelazzo rose from a small town to a grand city within a matter of centuries, and its loose laws, taxation and little to no policing by the Empire led to it gathering outlaws, renegades, pirates and smugglers from all over the world, either looking to conduct their business or simply hiding, as well as sellsword companies, eventually becoming a haven of corruption and organized crime.
In particular, mercenary companies from Fûrlaniya were the most numerous ones, and as such Ampleazzo established a lasting friendship and alliance with those city-states, to the point where its political affiliations stand closer to them than to their overlord, the Empire of Azan. Ampleazzo has switched back and forth multiple times between Fûrlaniya and Azan during past rebellions and later conflicts between the two nations, but ultimately ended up staying in the Empire in return for a high level of autonomy, leading to their present situation.
== Government ==
Even though Ampleazzo is technically part of the Azan Empire (with very few periods in history when it wasn't), it is by all means self ruling. Even though they do have a Governor, as all other cities within the Empire do, that Governor is not appointed by the Emperor or his officials, but rather by the "Council of Shadows", which is the nickname given to the Council which presides over all matters in the city.
The Council of Shadows in reality is a council comprised of all the influential and significant mercenary groups, underground guilds and criminal organizations in the city, from merchants, the Magi, smugglers, enforcers and worse. The Council members have connections all over the west, which in turn attracts even more people to Ampleazzo, and also within the Emperor's court (as has been the case for many, many years), constantly and subtly manipulating the empire's affairs to protect its own interests. 
Even though the Council includes many guilds that are in constant competition with each other, and in turn increasing the crime and violence in Ampleazzo, the Council in its entirety is always ensuring that the delicate balance of factions is maintained, to prevent one group from becoming too dominant.
Each neighborhood within the city is overseen by a "Shadowlord," a respected and influential individual chosen by the council, representing a specific guild. The Shadowlords act as both enforcers of the council's decisions and as mediators within their respective communities, ensuring order and resolving conflicts, whenever those arise.
Apart from the city itself, Ampleazzo is also sovereign over multiple Azaneese exclaves further to the south and east.
== Economy ==
Ampleazzo is a bustling city, and perhaps the biggest cultural melting pot in the west, outside of Gvilderstaaten. It is home to craftsmen and outlaws of all kinds, and it is said that every illegal substance, spell, book or weapon that exists can be found in the underground tunnels and warrens of Ampleazzo. Not only is it a hub for these kind of bandits, but also for potential buyers, as many warlords from all over the world have visited the city in the past to contract different mercenary companies, and assess their wares.Over the last years, the Hydra's Eyes have moved in to Ampleazzo, establishing their own operations where they sell off their potent drug, the White Death, in exchange for people to experiment on.
== Religion and Culture ==
Although, as any part of Azan, Ampleazzo traditionally follows the New Azan Faith, with temples dedicated to many saints scattered around the city, its multicultural identity has led to the erection of temples belonging to more than a dozen faiths, as well as of an interesting heresy, worshipped in the shadows, created out of many aspects of many different religions. This new faith, known as the "Eternal Night" or "The Faith of St. Percival" has gained many worshippers lately, with St. Percival acting as a patron for thieves, vagabonds and outlaws of all kinds. Less than a traditional religion, it acts more as a honour code among thieves, and judging by the state of the warring factions of Ampleazzo, there's still much left to be desired. 
Ampleazzo is home to more than a dozen different races - from humans, gnomes, hobbits, joos, witchelves, ogres, orcs and more - and twice as many languages, cultures and religions. Out of all populations, people from Fûrlaniya are the most common, only after the local Azaneese, followed by Jooish mechants and Changrilese exiles.
== Geography ==
Ampleazzo is situated on a hill, overlooking the vast volcanic crater of the Western Dragon Lake. Surrounded by lush forests and rolling hills, it creates a serene and enchanting atmosphere, and before becoming a hub and haven for crime, it was a known vacation hotspot for artists and nobles.
== The City ==
The central part of Ampleazzo is reminiscent of the many picturesque traditional Azaneese towns, but the further someone strays from it, the more likely they are to come across buildings whose architecture strays away from that style, such as the characteristic Changrilese pagodas towards the eastern district, or the more exotic looking temples of the Azharnareese district in the outskirts.
Ampleazzo's lawlessness and rapid growth led to the erection of many buildings in a chaotic order, to the point where the only proper way to describe Ampleazzo would be "labyrinthian". Narrow cobblestone streets give away to dense slums built out of wooden shacks, which then lead to a warren that functions as a shelter for addicts and the homeless, which itself leads to a district full of taverns and inns stacked on top of eachother, connected by makeshift bridges and usually operated by criminal guilds.
== Foreign Relations ==
=== Azan Empire ===
Ampleazzo has switched back and forth multiple times between Fûrlaniya and Azan during past rebellions and later conflicts between the two nations, but ultimately ended up staying in the Empire in return for a high level of autonomy. Azan has little say over what goes in Ampleazzo, and tries to use the disorder in this corrupt city to its advantage, utilizing their own spies in order to gather information from their enemies (which is why sometimes they will strike a deal with members of the Council of Shadows, in exchange with valuable benefits other cities within the Empire don't get).
=== Fûrlaniya ===
Ampleazzo has strong ties to this region, with many mercenary companies of Fûrlaniyan origin residing in Ampleazzo, as well as many envoys of the Council of Shadows being present in cities such as Gurize and Manzan. By many, Ampleazzo is considered one of the Fûrlan city-states, both due to political and historical reasons.
=== Rest of the West ===
Apart from Azan and Fûrlaniya, Ampleazzo is fairly neutral towards the other western nations, providing them with mercenaries, which is what every other nation (even the Witch Elves) realises, highlighting the importance of Ampleazzo in the geopolitical climate of the west.
== People of Note ==
Ul Capitan, known by his full name as Pierri Marón Almara de Marbinna-Groff-Zlichnitsa, baron of Upper Vanda and lord of Castel Fugrón is a dashing mercenary commander cheated out of his inheritance by his vile mother in law. He now leads the Black Lances, an elite mercenary company based out of Ampleazzo. He has just returned from a successful campaign in Gurizan service against the Tetrapolis League which has allowed the Senates to annex the border town of Buragno. Ul Capitan was however once again cheated as his payment was delivered in silver instead of being awarded the hereditary Lordship of Buragno as originally promised. Pierri is currently drinking his sorrows away in the recreational districts of Ampleazzo, but rumours abound that he has been in contact with agents of House Acuile, another disgraced Gurizan dynasty.
Category:City
Category:Geographic location
Category:Giantstep