Port Wang

**1618 Update:** Port Wang has grown to a Class II city, nearly large enough to be considered a Class I, and is a major hub of commerce in the region. It has merged politically with the other settlements in the northwest portion of the Isle of Dread under a single governing body. The enormous and stunningly lifelike statue of Wang Long still stands in the center of Port Wang's main square, lovingly cared for by the people as a symbol of their city's founder. Popular tales tell that he will return from the realms beyond in the hour of Port Wang's greatest need. There was quite the stir in the spring of 1618 when a number of people claimed to have seen someone who was the spitting image of their founding father, even carrying what appeared to be his famous lightning-fast sword, and claiming to actually be the city's founder. The man disappeared as quickly as he had arrived, however; in his wake were only various rumors, furtively whispered, about dark and deep state officials attempting to assassinate the true returned Wang Long to maintain their personal control over the city.

**1323 Entry:** Port Wang is a Class IV settlement adjacent to Fort Wang founded by the Legion of Doom. It is located on a tiny island just off the Isle of Dread. It was founded on request of the Imperial Trade Guild to serve as a useful midway stopping point for trade ships going between the Tyrian Empire and Zhistraya. The Trade Guild provided the charter and a loan of 60,000 gold pieces, which the Legion of Doom paid back in full.

Port Wang has a number of nearby neighbors on the Isle of Dread:

* The Forbidden City, a class 6 settlement on a plateau toward the center of the main island inhabited by mongrelmen, bullywugs, and bugbears, was taken over by the Legion of Doom from its previous mage ruler Horan. Unfortunately, the beastmen's lack of industry means little in the way of taxes can be collected.
* Duke Darius and his veteran legions resettled at the north of the Isle of Dread's main island after the Imperial civil war. Darius initially saw Port Wang as his rightful property and attempted to legally bring it under his control, but has since realized the value of having a nearby free city to perform plausibly deniable activities away from the eyes of his Mithran allies, and has entered into a loose alliance. Darius controls three settlements and has been aggressively exploring and settling the areas around them.
* A tribe of sea-based gnolls with a dozen ships to the south of the main island is now allied with Port Wang.
* Several settlements of island natives dot the southeast of the island; Wang Hung and Wang Long's vassal and cousin, the witch Wang Qian, has taken over the capital settlement and turned its inhabitants to Chaos worship through skillful use of religion mixed with imported opium. The natives were long a source of valuable trade goods, but now provide Port Wang with tax revenue from Wang Qian's opium profits.
* A small trading post was set up by a few agents of the Dragon King to trade with the natives. An attempt to scry on the site attracted the Dragon King's notice and nearly killed Wang Hung.
* A large Kirinese colonization fleet arrived on the western side of the island, but the resulting settlements have not yet been discovered.
* Local to Port Wang's small island are a tribe of allied ogres.

Port Wang has become one of the happiest places is the world for its populace, and its people love Wang Long, who took inspiration for his role as the Legion of Doom's figurehead leader from tales of the Golden King. The population's high morale is no doubt boosted by their ignorance both of the Legion of Doom's more nefarious actions and of the army of skeletons being secretly stored for future use in the islands caves, but the low taxes certainly help as well.

During the sudden disappearance of Wang Long and many other key Legion of Doom members after stepping through a planar portal, an enormous statue was erected of him in the center of the city to uplift the populace's spirit and to give the people a place to pray for his safe return. As the only stakeholder remaining, Thersites took leadership of the city into his capable claws, aided by the many Legion of Doom henchmen who were left behind.