Freeport

Official flag of the city of Freeport

The city of Freeport is one of the three major city-states of the archipelago. It's known for its complete urbanization, its trade, its complete lack of a centralized government or any written laws, and the guilds and gangs that instead control its streets.

## Government

*Main article: Guilds & Gangs of Freeport*

Freeport is not ruled by any one figure or organization, although such endeavors have been attempted in the past. Instead, a myriad of gangs, guilds, and institutions all compete for power in a societal survival of the fittest. Current prominent powers include the Bazaar Guild of the Mass, a council of business owners, the Farmers' Guild of the Oldtown Cliffs, serving as the city's coroners, the Rizhearts, tenders of the Rizroot groves and a major source of the city's food, and the Temple, serving both as a source of medical services as well as facilitators of inter-gang relations. Beyond these larger groups, though, dozens of smaller alliances and associations eke out territory in between. Conflict is a given, although the amount varies over time and across the city. In 2381, reforms to gang procedure were installed requiring a rule of parley and designated neutral territories to provide alternatives to violent dispute resolutions. While this did ease tensions some and provide additional stability to civilians, the nature of the city demands its ever-constant chaos.

Previous significant powers include the Falcodisangue family (FDS) who were dominant for a time before being forced to the sea by their primary rival, the Acquafredda gang (AQF). The majority of the FDS' territory was ceded to the AQF, but following the AQF's destruction at the hands of an alliance of high-ranking guild members, territory was split between a large variety of gangs.  The FDS regained a significant portion of their power in the wake of the AQF's fall, and hold the surrounding waters around the city as their territory relatively unchallenged.

## History

Freeport’s lawless, disorganized nature makes it impossible to name a specific founding date, but even the earliest records name it as an established power in the archipelago, alongside Kairos and Kanara, and its residents often claim it was the first founded of the three.

### Looming War and the Battle for Kanara

Freeport has historically had tense relations with Kairos, which seemed to be coming to a head in early 2320, in season 2. With war looming on the horizon, King Reggie of Kanara offered to hold peace talks between the two, but the cities' differences were soon forgotten with the revelation that King Reggie had been replaced by a rakshasa imposter and the ensuing Battle for Kanara.

Following the Battle, Freeport became a haven for a number of Kanaran refugees and adventurers fleeing Kairos' ban of the profession. It was during this time as well that the Falcodisangue took to the seas, letting their territories within the city fall to the Acquafredda. A few of the guilds took advantage of the Kanaran reconstruction effort to reap new profits, and with Kairos' attention turned to Kanara, relations between Kairos and Freeport eased and improved.

### Departure of the Falcodisangue

In the 2330s, between seasons 3 and 4, the Falcodisangue returned to the high seas, abandoning the Roost to their Acquafredda rivals and regaining their control over the shipping routes. The captain of the FDS preferred to avoid overt piracy, instead demanding tolls from any merchant the fleet could catch and setting the stage for their control over Freeport’s seas.

Without the FDS to oppose them, the AQF began rapidly growing in power. Eventually, several other guilds and gangs came together to form the Alliance, with the goal of keeping the AQF from gaining complete control of the city. By 2372, though, the end of season 5, the AQF had convinced the Lighthouse and Repair guilds, two of the Alliance's key members, to switch sides and instead ally themselves with the AQF. This severely weakened the Alliance, and it dissolved soon after.

### Reign of the Acquafredda

In 2380, the start of season 6, while there remained resistant factions, the AQF held power over most of the city. Tensions began to mount again as new factions arose; small, personal rebellions bubbled up through the cracks in the AQF’s vast reach across the island and ports.

The FDS began reclaiming some of their old influence, taking a more active hand in disrupting AQF activities, though they still kept primarily to the sea. After multiple missions collaborating with the Adventurers' Guild’s forces and Kairosian government, however, they firmly established a presence in the city. In addition, an alliance known as the Crusaders was forged between the Farmers' Guild and the grove-tending Rizhearts, building back their strength following the AQF’s strong-arming. Notably, this included wiping out a portion of the undead forces in Freeport encroaching upon one of the Rizhearts’ groves of Rizroot trees, although the magnitude of this battle’s impact on the undead population under the AQF’s control remained unclear for some time.

As the struggle continued, other nations became involved, with Kairos in particular seeking to take advantage of the power vacuum. Their influence was built slowly, with the introduction of Kairosian aid stations, giving out food and basic supplies. While it was discovered by a group of investigators that they were also serving to collect surveillance on Freeporters, hired adventurers established that it was more morally prudent to dispatch the AQF enforcers who had hired them to eliminate the outpost. As such, the City of Law has continued to build their power in the archipelago, as well as through the alliances built between the Calnell House, the FDS, and the rising Spellrunners in Kairos.

Despite all these setbacks, the massive power of the AQF continued to oppress the Freeport sociopolitical arena, particularly thanks to Ersilia's political navigation. While she was forced to show at least a portion of her hand while combating the Crusaders' rebellion, most of her plans for control of the archipelago remained to be seen.

### Fall of the Acquafredda

As the Crusaders' influence and power rose within the city, the AQF moved to protect their own power there, pushing for greater and faster developments to strengthen and supplement their undead forces. Under the AQF's influence, the Repair Guild saw a brief renaissance as a medical experimentalist group, their second leading an underground laboratory performing deeply unethical procedures, though this splinter group was summarily dispatched by a group from the Adventurers' Guild when they got wind of it.

Other attempts met similar resistance, as the AQF participated in the Archipelago's Cup, hoping to make a show of strength. The boat race, however, proved to be a warning signal for the Acquafredda that their grasp on the power of Freeport was looser than they'd thought. The AQF's vessel and her crew were quickly disposed of by a small force of mercenaries led by Kuro Oni, Brigadier General of the Brazen Brigade, who promptly merged with a group from the Adventurers' Guild to begin the true competition against the Crusaders' force. However, even with the merging of their powers, the Crusaders' representatives used the environmental conditions of the race and an assortment of tremendously strong fighters to bring a resounding victory back to the shores.

Additional defeats came to the Acquafredda in the form of the dismantling of a rogue artificer who had begun releasing products of dubious quality and moral standing—during which it was learned that the Brazen Brigade's Marshal had ties to the Astral Plane and was seeking out technology for harnessing its power—and the theft of scrolls containing the power to call down comets from Ersilia’s personal cache, and as the summer of 2381 grew longer and longer, the ruling family seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

Rapidly seeking a remedy for the gang’s instability, Ersilia sought to pull together power in a truly traditional fashion: through marriage. Namely, the marriage of her daughter, Telila, to Soren, an adventurer who had risen high in her ranks and had proven exceptionally helpful in their development of power. Soren was an unwitting participant in the ceremony, however, and the discovery of Ersilia's plot became her downfall as the event descended into chaos. The Crusaders' intelligence had informed them of the event, and their four highest-ranking operatives found themselves in attendance to spring the trap. Those four—Mourn Thelostone, Shivolius Vale, Alba, and Sunniope Osterfeld—in addition to Kuro Oni disrupted the wedding. Soren, in turn, revealed he had long been planning to turn on his liege lady, and between the six fighters, they managed to fell Ersilia, sending Freeport into a wild power vacuum.

In the fallout of this, while the remaining factions struggled to piece together a new system in the city, the Brazen Brigade’s Marshal made his move. Word was caught of ships amassing in one of the ports under the Brigade’s control, along with the comet-conjuring scrolls previously turned over to the Adventurers' Guild which had been summarily handed off to the Marshal by an allied adventurer along with a bag of holding, setting alarm bells of in the already precarious sociopolitical arena fractured by the AQF’s dissolution. Discovering that the fleet was headed for Kairos, a group of adventurers was dispatched toward the harbor to stop the Marshal. They commandeered a small craft, quickly dubbed the *Sitting Duck,* and raced to catch up with the Marshal’s vessel. After defeating Kuro, who had taken his place as Oltendijis’ right hand, the party felled the leader as well—although not without damage to themselves and the boat they stood on. In a moment of quick thinking, one member of the party, Ruszara Isodurin, summoned a ship through illusory magic to rescue them—captained by the Brigade’s proper second, Master Sergeant Merona Osterfeld. Declaring that the Brigade would solely act as a mercenary group and hunters of the remaining AQF members, she returned the party to shore.

### Restructuring

In the wake of the AQF's dissolution, it was unclear whether any faction would emerge as dominant to take their place. However, with the Crusaders mutually parting ways, their mission accomplished, no single group had the sheer manpower to present themselves as a ruling gang. As such, a tenuous peace was reached between the varied guilds, reinforced by a set of checks on power instituted by the high-ranking officers of the Crusaders as the closest thing to decision-makers the city had. Those checks, including a neutral territory for debate and discussion located in the Roost and a Call for Council rule which was a hard stop to mounting violence and would require a meeting of guild representatives to occur and hear the dispute, served to retain the gangs' autonomy while stabilizing everyday relations and civilian safety.

## Geography

Freeport is founded on an atoll made up of three roughly connected landmasses, and contains many districts.

### Oldtown

The largest landmass, and the first to be settled, is Oldtown, the downtown heart of Freeport. Oldtown is controlled primarily by the Acquafredda gang (AQF), and is also home to the Gilded Lobster, a well-known bar and Freeport's only neutral territory; the Farmers' Guild headquarters, set on the northern cliffs overlooking the Groves; the Temple, an open-faith temple; and the C.L.U.B. fight ring. The Falcodisangue family (FDS) was previously headquartered in Oldtown as well, in a building called the Roost, but when they took to the seas, the Roost was transformed into the Temple and most of their former territories were claimed by the AQF. C.L.U.B. was also formerly run by the FDS but has since been taken over by Mohka, the self-styled "Queen of Freeport."

### Oldtown Inner Docks

The Oldtown docks are the safest of any in Freeport from any natural disaster, located as they are within the shelter of the atoll, and are the main hub of the city's trade and travel. The docks are and have been under the AQF's control, however, and the gang enforces (varied) docking fees.

Midtown and Edtown also have inner docks, also effectively under AQF control, though they're much smaller and are used primarily by the AQF-run intra-city ferry service.

### Groves

The Groves are a large tidal swamp that extends from the external side of Oldtown and protects the city from the harsher effects of storms. The predominant feature of the Groves are the impressive rizroot trees, capable of growing up to 80 feet in height. These trees have rust-red bark and dark green leaves. Their exposed root systems hold the main trunks above sea level, and it isn't uncommon for the larger trees to have roots descending from heavy branches to help support them.

The dead of Freeport are buried in the Groves, and the Groves' tenders, the Rizhearts, take precautions to prevent them from being raised.

The Groves are also home to one of Freeport's five lighthouses, referred to simply as "the Tree."

### Freeport Sign

Stretching across the entrance of Freeport's lagoon, between Oldtown and Edtown, this towering wooden structure is a monument of amazing practical engineering used for impractical purposes. According to urban legend, the Sign was created by the budding Repair Guild, either as a publicity stunt or a drunken practical joke, and many believe both were involved. It's the highest contested area in the atoll, as anyone can paint whatever they want on it, which naturally lasts only until it's painted over by someone else. The Sign does serve some practical purpose, however, as a rope bridge is suspended from it for foot traffic between the two islands of the atoll.

The Leaning, one of Freeport's five lighthouses, is located on the Oldtown side of the Sign.

### Sands

The Sands describes the area between Oldtown and Midtown, containing a shoal predominantly consisting of coconut trees and dune grasses. The area contains a thriving district of boardwalks and traders, as well as a surprisingly pleasant beach for swimming. It's often sought after by Freeport residents seeking open space in the crowded city. Several small footbridges span the tidal inlets to create a pedestrian route between Oldtown and Midtown.

### Midtown

Midtown is the industrial district of Freeport and a booming center of manufacturing. The Inner Docks, located on the western edge of the landmass, remains the last remnant of the Acquafreddas' territory after their fall from power. Beginning in 2395, it was repurposed into a transit hub for the Freeport Ferry Company, which serves as the public transportation network for the atoll.

### Mass

One of the oldest structures in Freeport, the Mass began as a conglomeration of ships moored together. This densely populated structure has been built up over Freeport's long history, its modular, non-uniform construction leading to maze-like lower levels. It's continually expanded upwards through the combined efforts of the Bazaar, Repair, and Lighthouse guilds, and simultaneously is continually sinking into the bottom of the lagoon. Local superstition has it that unsecured boats drift toward the Mass, as if pulled by some eldritch force.

The first airship to travel to Freeport docked at the top of the Mass as an unsubtle snub of the Acquafredda's docking fees, and the tradition has continued, the Mass now serving as the primary docking location for airships.

### Bazaar

The Bazaar, run by the guild of the same name, can be found in the topmost levels of the Mass, filled with countless shops, traders, and fine craftsmen. A large oak tree is maintained as the centerpiece of the area, grown by magic and raised every 25 to 50 years to remain at the top of the Mass.

### Under

The Under is a twisting maze of old, damp, and decrepit spaces in the Mass, beginning just above the waterline and extending further below it. Occasionally referred to as "Freeport's dungeon," it hosts unsavory people and dealings and is widely considered the most dangerous part of the city.

### Midtown Outer Docks

These docks see a fair amount of use from those transporting anything of significant weight or bulk to or from Midtown as the Sands are all but impassable by any sort of cart. They're also the primary choice of anyone trying to avoid the AQF's docking fees, though they lack any storm protection and so take considerable damage during that season. Not many leave their ships here at that time of year, choosing either to schedule long journeys just before or to pay the fees to weather the storms at one of the inner docks.

Sally's Shipping can be found in a warehouse on the Midtown docks.

### Sticks

The Sticks can be found on the opposite side of Midtown from the Sands, just before the Backwash. It's little more than a shanty town, with its structures built on stilts to keep them out of the water. For a district of Freeport, it's relatively safe, but its residents don't tend to look too kindly on strangers. The Repair Guild has their headquarters here.

### Edtown

Located on the third island of the atoll, Edtown is the quietest area of Freeport, relatively removed from guild squabbling.

### Edtown Inner Docks

The Cash House, a gambling house, or more appropriately, a gambling yacht, can be found moored at the Edtown inner docks.

### Lighthouses

The Edtown end of the Freeport Sign connects to the Lighthouse, which serves as the headquarters for the Lighthouse Guild as well as a temple to Hermes. The Lighthouse is located on a tiny bit of land that's connected to Edtown by the coral and rock jetty that protects the Pools. It sees some foot traffic of those traveling to and from Oldtown, but the intra-city ferry is generally quicker. Nearby are the Tree and the Leaning, which serve as auxiliary vantage points. In addition, two slightly smaller lighthouses survey smaller ports, shipping yards, and treacherous waters around the city. The Skull, constructed under the AQF's reign of the city atop a small island near Midtown and the Outer Docks, and the Forge, watching over the Backwash's strong currents from its place in the southern Sticks, are both also under the control of the Lighthouse Guild.

### Pools

Nestled between Edtown and the Lighthouse, the Pools are home to a number of merfolk, who are storied to have been the original inhabitants of the area, before it was Freeport.

### Backwash

Located between Edtown and the Sticks, the Backwash is generally considered the nastiest place in Freeport, though not quite the most dangerous, second only in that regard to the Under. It's been said that "all of Freeport flows out the Backwash," a saying that isn't altogether untrue. Due to the ocean currents of the area, the Backwash acts as a natural outlet for waters within the atoll, with an inward current flowing under the Sign.

## Flag

Freeport's semi-official flag depicts the atoll over a solid background, though the colors vary. This flag represents a united Freeport and is rarely seen for just that reason, as the city's inhabitants tend to identify themselves more with smaller groups than the city itself, be it one of the gangs or simply themselves alone, and those groups rarely agree to work together. The rarity of the flag's use has actually entered the common vernacular within the city in the phrase "when the atoll flies," effectively meaning something that will never happen (or is highly unlikely to), or especially in reference to some apocalyptic event, as that's the only time most can conceive of when all the guilds and gangs would actually unite.

There have only been two occasions in recent history when the atoll has flown. The more recent of these was during the Krakening, when Freeport united against the Cult of the Briny Lord. The first, however, is nearly myth: Freeport and Kairos have ever been at odds due to their clashing ideals, and once, in ages past, Kairos attempted to "bring the lawless haven of pirates to justice." Kairosian tactics, however, failed to account for the idiosyncrasies of their opponents, both in the fervency of their belief in the anarchical ideal, and in how that same belief would ultimately affect their tactics. The Kairosian navy, strong as it was, was simply unprepared for the unpredictable guerilla tactics employed by all the varied groups that made up the Freeportian fleet, and was roundly defeated—or so Freeportians tell it. Most any Kairosian, on the other hand, will disavow its happening. In Freeport, the supposed anniversary of the Kairosian navy's retreat is celebrated annually, with an unspoken truce between the guilds and gangs as the streets are filled with revelers.