Daligrad Province

An ancient, decadent city state, Daligrad has changed hands countless times throughout its history, though these days it is technically part of Azan, though extremely independent. The true rulers though are rival syndicates run by the bog witches, witchelves, and succubi.

Famous for its endless bordellos, casinos, dance halls, and drug and slave markets, everything goes in Daligrad if you have enough coin, though many find the city to be too lawless to be worth the risk.

The rural area surrounding Daligrad is a mix of coastal swamps and bogs.

Essentially lawless due to the lack of interest in Daligrad itself in protecting their outlining districts, Daligrad Province is underpopulated, though not empty.

Risk taking homesteaders drawn by dirt cheap land are scattered throughout the region, and some last generations before they get raided by ogres or hags. However, the hamlets and villages are usually clustered near the homes of local power brokers, whether it be a wealthy city dweller’s villa, a retired mercenary officer, or a crime syndicate’s rural stronghold.

## History

Daligrad’s history is murky. The oldest structures in the province are the remains of a small dwarven town with outlying farming communities, though they likely aren’t the area’s first inhabitants.

Humans later settled the area, and coexisted peacefully with the dwarves. About two thousand years ago, the area was absorbed into the Azan/Dragon Empire, though perhaps not for the first time.

As the northernmost province on the main continent, Daligrad became very important militarily. The city itself expanded as it attracted businesses catering to the northern legions, while many forts were built in the outlying regions of the province. Many campaigns against the northwestern fey were launched from Daligrad, but the fey fought back, allying themselves with darker creatures like gibberlings, harpies, and ogres, and thus the Azan Empire never expanded north along the coast past Daligrad.

As the Azan Empire began to crumble, Daligrad was one of the few outlying areas that made no real effort to rebel. As far as the nobles and other power brokers of the province were concerned, the legions garrisoning the province were simply too good a source of income. However, Daligrad’s sleazy reputation and skill at tax avoidance meant that Azan had no real reason to protect it, especially after peace was made with the northwestern fey.

After most of the legions left, Daligrad doubled down on its reputation as a free for all city where any vice is catered to. This has helped make up for some of the lost profit, though there are plenty of other places it competes with for the vice market.

These days, Daligrad finds itself in a rather precarious position, hit by frequent raids from Mutaa’s realm, occasional raids by the gibberlings and succubi, and growing tensions with the rogue province of Kalydon.

## Government

Daligrad has a governor (exarch) loyal to Azan, though his control of the legion and the bureaucracy is undermined by widespread corruption.

Real power tends to reside in the criminal gangs that run the city, and who also sometimes have holdings in the smaller towns and villages. Some examples include:

### Wharf-Side Gals

A group of exiled witch-elves that run prostitutes, bordellos, and casinos in one of the main harbor districts. They cater to almost any kink and pride themselves in recruiting from around the continent.

### The Goodly Bank

A seemingly benevolent bank run by humans and dwarves, the leader is actually a witch allied with Mutaa, and those who end up owing too much money are often forced into accepting strange geas and/or forfeiting odd body parts.

### The Red Palace

This sprawling complex is the city’s largest bordello, made up of three interlinked city blocks catering to all sorts of customers and price ranges. It is theoretically run by rogue witch-elves, but is actually run by succubi, with the help of witch-elves and others devoted to the Succubus Queen. It is also a major hub for the slave and drug trade.

### The Canal Dredgers

A not so secret branch of the Harpy/Hydra’s Eyes, the Dredgers control the distribution of White Death, and are also involved in parts of the slave trade, alchemy trade, and other parts of the drug trade.

## Economy

The city of Daligrad itself relies heavily on various vice industries to keep its economy afloat. Overall it is not a wealthy city. Once one of the larger cities in the Azan Empire, much of it has become run down, and some sections completely abandoned. But desperate folk and outlaws from all over keep coming, drawn by the dirt cheap housing and lack of effective law enforcement.

Some organizations are of course very wealthy, though they rarely flaunt it, knowing full well the city is filled with desperate thieves.

The outlying areas are much the same. Frequent raids by the bog-witches, gibberlings, and succubi have given the rural parts of Daligrad a very frontier feel. Although the legion does what it can, the longer lasting communities often have other unofficial protectors, like retired adventurers or criminal organizations. The temperate, somewhat swampy region grows a wide range of crops and livestock, including wheat, potatoes, rice, sheep, and swine, though farms tend to be small, crude, and well defended due to the risk of raids.

Daligrad doesn’t export any legal high value goods, but does import a wide range of items from basic food and drink to high end textiles. Unofficially though, Daligrad is a major hub for the import and export of illegal drugs and slavery.

## Foreign Relations

### Azan Empire

Daligrad is a part of the Azan Empire, though ties are somewhat weak. Widespread corruption and involvement in the drug and slave trade haven’t endeared Daligrad to the good folk of Azan, and none of them would miss it much if it rebelled or was conquered. However, some of the not-so-good folk of Azan have strong interests in Daligrad, and probably push for Azan to defend it if needed.

### Siuerland and Kalydon

As much as Azan doesn’t like Daligrad, it likes these two rogue provinces of unstable religious fanatics far less. Any hostile action against Daligrad by either of these two provinces would be seen as an excuse for a war Azan has long sought justification for.

As for Daligrad, it is indifferent towards Kalydon, they do keep an eye out in the border for any potential runaways that might net them valuable information against the republic, and keep a guard posted in case of any potential transgressions. When it comes to Siuverland, however, they keep an eye out in the sea at all times, keeping their distance from the dreaded land of Siuverland.

### Mutaa’s Realm

The main threat to Daligrad, Mutaa’s agents are everywhere in Daligrad Province. Like Mutaa herself, they seem to enjoy tricking folk into signing unfair contracts simply for the fun of it, though they sometimes do active raids as well.

### Succubi

Although few realize it, a small nascent succubi breach known as the Orgia Breach allows the succubi to stir up trouble in Daligrad and Kalydon. Like their on and off allies in Mutaa’s Realm, the succubi seem to prefer terror tactics, mind games, and corruption to outright violence, but raids are still not uncommon.

### Evergreen Pastures and the Baalps

The humans of the Baalps are close cousins to Daligrad’s long time inhabitants. Some of the humans and other Daligrad residents on the north side of the province are known to have an affection for the she-eep.

## Geography

A small province, it is heavily forested by temperate forest, which sometimes conceal small bogs and coastal marshes. However, there are also a decent number of meadows and farms, with the meadows often being the locations of abandoned farming communities.

## Demographics

### Humans

The main inhabitants of the province are humans. Many long time inhabitants are cousins to the people of the Baalps, Gvilderstaaten, and the nations north of the drow city-states, and therefore have paler skin and fairer hair. Others are more recent arrivals from the core regions of the Azan Empire and generally have darker skin and hair.

### Dwarves

Dwarves have long lived in this region, bolstered by more recent migrations from dwarves fleeing the fall of the kingdoms in the Baalps, and later some smaller migrations from Gautlan and the core Azan Empire.

### Witch-Elves and Half-Breeds

Daligrad’s immoral nature and cheap real estate make it a popular destination for witch-elves who oppose the succubus worshipping theocracy back home, but who see little place for themselves in places like Azan where morals are stricter. However, some of these “rogue” witch-elves are secretly still worshippers of the Succubus Queen, and follow their own dark agendas.

### Bog Witches and Succubi

Although few in number, and usually disguised, witches and succubi are well placed to cause all sorts of problems in Daligrad for their idle amusement.

### Ogres, goblins, grutzlings, kikimora, and other bog creatures

Small tribes of creatures that serve the bog-witches will sometimes migrate into Daligrad Province, though they usually limit themselves to raiding and falling back to the bogs.

### Giberlings, harpies, dryads, and will-o-wisps

These monsters also sometimes migrate into Daligrad from wilder regions, occasionally raiding in an uncoordinated fashion.

### Goblins and eel-folk

Some goblins and most eel-folk prefer to mind their own business and are often overlooked as a result. Sometimes poorly informed newcomers will mistake them for monsters and either flee or attack.

### She-eep

Adventurous She-eep are rare but not unheard of in the northern part of the province, and sometimes enter the city of Daligrad itself.

## Religion

The New Azan Faith is still moderately popular here, though many folk prefer the Triple God Faith popular in Scimitaria due to its less stringent moral restrictions. Many folk aren’t really religious at all.

Secretly some witch-elves worship the Gogotha the Succubus Queen still, while agents of the Bog Witch more or less worship her, though the nature of their religion is unclear.

Daligrad is home to a single legion of the Azanese Army, plus a few naval units. Daligrad is considered a poor posting, and many troops posted here are either incompetent or corrupt. Alternately, some were perhaps a bit too pure, but had corrupt officers.

The various criminal gangs collectively also have many fighters and spellcasters, and aren’t above hiring mercenary companies if needed.

Finally, most rural folk are a part of one of many militias, the first line of defence against all sorts of raiders.