Abandon

Abandon is one of the major port cities in the kingdom of Qabros. The city is under the influence of its Duke, its nobility, and the remnants of the Lawbinders, with the exception of the city's lower districts, which are the purview of the mages hidden within.

## History

The area surrounding Abandon was once the dominion of a barbarian people, though evidence suggests they were wary of entering the city proper. The hinterlands surrounding the city are no longer inhabited, however, except for a large population of bandits, roaming beasts, and otherwise. Even during those days, in the first years of the Age of Lands, the city stood in the same spot it stands now, ancient and mysterious. It finally came to be inhabited many centuries later, by conquerors from the Morinfruë Dominion. Acquiring the city was not overly difficult; keeping it proved to be a challenge.

Morinfruë ministers founded the city of Crown’s Shadow on the ruins of Abandon in 625 S.M., and the elven baron Aloth Enys claimed the city as his seat of power. In time, the baron and his forces discovered a strange material in the quarries beneath the city: a substance they called “selvenyte” (a rough translation of ‘magic stone’ in Woudesuld Elvish). The mineral-like substance had many strange properties, and efforts to mine it in the first few weeks of occupation were difficult. The substance was extremely volatile and sometimes exploded for seemingly no reason. Additionally, physical contact with selvenite was quite dangerous, and could cause serious injuries and psychological trauma. It turned out, however, that the Foth who lived directly beneath the city had already discovered ways to mine the material, though they themselves seemed uninterested in doing so. Baron Enys, eager to curry favor with the Rowlyj, engaged the Foth in a trade agreement and, using their mining techniques, requisitioned slaves to mine the material. The crown was incredibly pleased with the few samples it received and, a few months later, ordered a massive displacement of slaves northwards, to be housed in the newly acquired city.

In the modern day, Abandon still stands, the shadow of its past present in every street corner. The current population largely consists of four groups: descendants of the slaves of yesterday, who took up their position as the new nobility, the Foth, in their enclave, destitutes in the city’s lower levels, which typically include a few cults, and any extra visitors, though this final group is rarer to see every year.

## Government

Following the Slave Uprising, Abandon actually retained much of the organizational structure of its previous government, with the only major change being the abolishment of slavery and the slave trade. The city is ruled over by a Duke, who typically responds in authority only to the King of Qabros. Though the city touts itself as the City of Free Choice, it has never truly been independent in determining its own course, as many factions in and out of the city hold great influence over day-to-day governance.

The current Duke is Althem Yarrow, who replaced Duke Elrand Dumas following an uprising which occurred within the city earlier this year. The previous Duke had little in the way of true power: debts to the Lawbinders crippled his ability to act decisively, and his efforts in attempting to regain relevance with the nobility often failed. He was killed by Etuvum Illai of the Fothi Enclave during the uprising, and Adla Eyl enabled the rise of house Yarrow into a position of leadership. Still, the new Duke retains many of the same struggles as his predecessor, in spite of the near-destruction of both the Fothi Enclave, and the Lawbinders.

The term of Duke is not elective, but functions much like a monarchy. Should a Duke die without an appropriate heir, however, the noble houses of the city converge together in a moot and appoint a new line from their ranks, a process which can take weeks upon weeks of time. Besides this, however, the governance of Abandon is fairly straightforward: the Duke oversees the daily decisions, and is beholden to the city’s guards to keep the peace, while the nobility grieve amongst themselves about issues both petty and of paramount importance.