Season 5 Setting Updates

## Freeport

*Main article: Freeport*

I was still a Sap when the Falcs finally left Freeport. I'll never forget the sight of their fleet, those uncountable ships, and their bloodhawk flags flying. I can still see them, little dots on the horizon, sometimes closer. If only they felt that close.

It didn't take long for the 'Fredda to claim most of the Falcs' territory. Not the Roost—that belongs to Temple, at least for now. But overnight, Acquafredda blue covered Freeport like an infestation, and their footsteps followed soon after.

In the vacuum left by the Falcs, and by the death of the 'Fredda's leader Ciriaco, Ersilia Graziella Acquafredda did what her predecessor never could: turn the family into an exceptionally organized, refined, and iron-willed gang, a central power which sits above our city like a mast upon a ship, demanding their "safety taxes" and tribute.

But this city is old, and some traditions are not so easily broken. In the lamplight of the Gilded Lobster, people shake hands in new camaraderie, for not even the might Acquafredda would break peace there. High in the Bazaar, merchants pass notes, burned before anyone else can see. In the streets, whispers of smuggled goods on the airships the 'Fredda has yet to ensnare pass to the wearers of our woven chains. And arching above, no matter how many times they paint over it, our defiance will always return to the sign in the dark green of our uneasy union.

They call us the city of chaos, the city of crime and piracy and gangs. But they're wrong. If they'd seen us, if they'd thought beyond their foolish first impressions, they would know: Freeport is the city of balance. And balance must be restored.

## Kairos

*Main article: Kairos*

> "Citizens of Kanara: Our time together here has ended, but it will never be forgotten. May the winds of change bless you, and bring you swiftly to your desired destination."
> - Lord Senator Autolykos Calnell Reppario, aboard the *Amaranthus,* above Kanara proper
> January 1st, 2370
>
>

### A Letter to the Principality

Approved for Release January 2371
An Authorized Proclamation by the Ministry of Publications

Over 20 years have passed since we have declared our duties fulfilled—to reestablish Order and Civilization in the City of Kanara and return it to its rightful glory. Now, as we celebrate our first anniversary since the Withdrawal, let us rejoice and remember what our work has accomplished. Our fleets are now burdened with goods to enrich our homes. Our armies are now the masters of both sword and chisel. And most importantly, our people now enjoy the fruits of decades' worth of labor and sacrifice. Kanara may be standing on its own again, but we as a nation will rest well, knowing that we were the ones to build the crutch.

We must not forget, however, that while we may be the rightful guardians of the Archipelago, it is crucial we continue to set the example by which all others must abide. With the retirement of our beloved Princeps Cornelius announced, we must remember that Order will remain in Kairos, no matter who ascends to the Office in a year's time, be it one of our great noble lineages, an extraordinary citizen of this nation, or even a member of our own Clergy. Together, we will ensure that no individual will take advantage of this passing of the torch. During this time of transition, we will stand strong, united, and unwavering against the whims of anarchy.

Signed,

Orator Niko Ollineas Molliorubus

## Kanara

*Main article: Kanara*

> *Long have we kept our heads low*
> *Long have we hidden our pride*
> *That bird of flame, it soon shall know*
> *The drake but slept; it hasn't died!*
> *Rise up; rise up! The dawn is near!*
> *Show them we're a force to fear!*
> *So lift your voices as you sing*
> *Beneath the wyvern's golden wings!*
>
>

Kanara, that former City of Adventurers, ravaged by fiends of the Hells, rebuilt too much in Kairos' image and all but claimed by them, has been reborn. Kanara, the City of the Steadfast, did not forget itself. No, the Kairosian merchants saw their profits failing, their goods tied up at port with too much paperwork to get them free, or else the shipment lost entirely to the hazards of the sea; the officers received their orders far too late, or found their lackeys swamped in work that seemed to spontaneously appear; nothing worked as it should, yet none could be found to blame...

Oh, the rumors swirled: the new school begun just outside the city walls, the Ozymandias Institute of Logic and Lore, did it teach its students too well to handle red tape and bureaucracy? All the key shipments delayed and orders muddled, who but someone inside the system could know which ones to target? They knew the rebels still survived, but they never understood: a bit of hope, in any form, be it demand for products you still can supply while the Kairosians grumble and bluster over their own paperwork, perhaps the restoration of the theater that's long been the cornerstone of your neighborhood, perhaps nothing more than a song...a bit of hope would wake us, one and all. The rebels were never rebels—they were *Kanarans,* and so are we.

## New Gork

*Main article: New Gork*

The city had never sounded so quiet as it did right after the explosions.

Maybe it was the silence of people searching for their loved ones. Maybe it was the silence of the hundreds we had lost. Or maybe, after the explosions that had rocked our city and the cries that followed, "quiet" was all anything could seem.

The reconstruction efforts started immediately, but even with the pounding of the hammers, the city was quiet. The resurrection efforts started soon after—but even with the near-constant chanting, the city was quiet. Brick by brick, stone by stone, person by person, we rebuilt from the ground up. But despite the houses that were remade, there were homes that never could be.

In the wake of the destruction, however, we remembered what makes us citizens of this great city: our communities, bonded ever stronger by loss and grief; our compassion, bringing outstretched arms to those in need; our determination, that we have risen before and we will rise again. We have again taken up the mantle of the City of Adventure, with our eyes set on new lands: the unexplored Continent.

With the help of the temples' Storm Prediction Initiative, and the expeditions of the Flora & Fauna Commission, we have entered a new age of exploration. From the sands of our beaches to those of the desert north of the mountains, to whatever lands lie beyond, we will continue to make new headway. And even as the Archipelago's newfound stability draws families away, we know: ours is the greatest city in this known world, for we will make more of this world known. For ourselves, for our children, for their children yet to come, we will find what we lost in the wake of the Cataclysm.

We are adventurers, and these are the adventures we choose.