Eris, or the city of Swamphaven
Eris sprawls across an archipelago of islands stretching northward from the feet of Mount Hexvouna, its stone towers and ornate bridges rising from the waters like the bones of some ancient, drowned giant. The Crowkut River splits the city in two as it pours down from the mountain's sheer cliffs, feeding the inland swamps to the east that border the metropolis. In the south, where the Queen's palace sits framed by thundering waterfalls, the nobility looks out from their mountainside estates across a maze of canals and bridgeways connecting hundreds of islands. Some of these islands are grand enough to hold towering structures that link to their neighbors, others so tightly packed that only the slimmest boats can navigate between them. Magic built this city in a former age, though little of that power remains; what endures is the geography itself, a labyrinth of waterways and collapsible bridges that has kept Eris unconquered for decades, even as its unwalled outer districts have weathered raids and sieges. The Queen's chaotic rule is tempered by the resilience of its people, who have learned to navigate her shifting commissioners and fractured guilds as deftly as they navigate the city's labyrinthine canals.
Geography
Eris, a coastal city that most visitors and inhabitants call Swamphaven, is home to a mostly human population, though a handful of masadhi and dwarves come and go with travelling caravans. The outer districts are made up of small islands, most of which are connected by ornate, incredibly long bridges constructed in a previous age. The southern side of the city is walled by an immense mountain range, and on the lower slopes where these mountains begin, many of the wealthiest families live and look out over Swamphaven. The mountains of the Crown can be seen on the northern horizon, and smaller communities of dense townships connected to Swamphaven spread upward along the coast, on a map the dots are a blood spatter of civilization.
Most of Swamphaven's buildings are ancient stone structures, remnants of a previous age. The outskirts are newer, built from wood. Swamphaven has no outer walls; instead, the elite rely on a great river, which splits the city into northern and southern sections, for protection. The north of Swamphaven is a compact archipelago of islands, all of which are joined by bridges of various sizes and varying degrees of artistic license. Some of the buildings tower over the islands, connecting to buildings of neighboring islands through ancient bridges.
Swamphaven is divided into six districts:
Central, the largest district, covers most of the islands making up the northern archipelago despite not being the true center of the city. The Central district envelopes the majority of the city that borders the swamps to the west;
The Perch, where the city's nobility lives, a collection of buildings and castles built into the side of Mount Hexvouna hugging the southern end of the city. The nobility can look out from their mountainside estates across a maze of canals and bridgeways connecting all of the islands of the city;
Cliffport, the coast of the city's southern section and where most of the city's trade is conducted. If you're looking for a bank or a storefront, you can find it in the port under the cliff;
Rum Barrel, a "newer" section of the city where the homes are mostly simple wooden structures and where much of the city's labor force lives;
Scorpion's Tail, this small district comprises the northernmost islands of the archipelago where the city's buildings are tightly packed together, and the canals are too thin for all but the slimmest boats to pass through. It is named for an infestation of water scorpions that once plagued the city;
Statue, the section of islands just north of the Crowkut River that also serves as ports of call for the city's trade, so named for the prominent statues erected on every island. The Ghost Tower falls within the Statue district.
Economy
The shore of southern Swamphaven is the primary trading port for the city. Almost all of the city's nobles live in the southern districts, Cliffport and the Perch. The southern districts are cut off from the mainland by the sheer face of the mountain and the Crowkut River separating them from the rest of Swamphaven.
Trade, commerce, and production are all controlled and dictated by guilds and the nobility. Each island has its own guilds for every profession, and due to their territorial and competitive natures, none are willing to cooperate with similar guilds on neighboring islands. This is exactly how Queen Maliri wants it, and keeping the guilds and their attendant nobles fractured is how her family has maintained control over Swamphaven since they rose to power two centuries ago.
Warfare
Some of the bridges on these islands have stiff outer gates, making the residents capable of cutting off their island from their neighbors. Other islands have ways of collapsing their bridges entirely, and still others have no methods of protecting themselves. The complex geography of how these islands connect together makes Swamphaven a difficult city to pillage, but since the city extends onto the coast and has no outer walls, the poorer districts have fallen victim to sieges and raids. The south of Swamphaven is connected to the north by three large bridges left behind by the city founders. With so few access points to the southern districts of the city, the locals have become adept at protecting what is theirs.
Magic
Though magic was obviously used to construct parts of Swamphaven's housing and many of its bridges, magic is today a rare commodity. There are a few magicians in Swamphaven, but they either operate under a pseudonym or they are nobility and can afford to protect themselves with guards and the relative safety of a home in the Perch. Any open display of magic will likely cause awe, surprise, or fear in the common citizenry. Trying to pawn an item as magical is more likely to make a merchant assume you are a crook or a simpleton.
The Queen
Castle Coldtrail sits at the top of the Perch district and is home to Queen Maliri, a skilled fighter and rumored sorceress. The Queen's palace sits framed by thundering waterfalls. Her family owns or controls almost all of the land surrounding Swamphaven, and plenty of properties within Swamphaven itself. A parade of commissioners work under her direction and each governs their own section of the city, divided up into municipalities that seem to change and shift borders from month to month so that the commoners are never entirely sure who exactly represents their interests.
The younger sister to Queen Maliri is Princess Serella, who resides in the Blue Tower of Castle Coldtrail and commands the royal guards. Many believe she is a magician, as she frequently hires mercenaries for work outside of the city who recover trinkets and artifacts from Wuunrlaan cities. She is a collaborative patron of the arts, and her tower is often populated with artists who are also possibly her lovers. Though she never leaves the Blue Tower and has absolutely no interest in taking the regency from her sister, rumors swirl about her intrigues with the other noble families. To receive an invitation to her parties in the Blue Tower is a prestigious honor that any noble would kill for, and a few have.
Religion
The Church of Sanglorius ("the Proud Savior, the First Man, Creator of All Life") is handed down from an oral tradition. They believe Sanglorius created all of humanity and strove for perfection in all things. The tales of Sanglorius are filled with sex and violence, as he is said to have been an undefeated fighter who took many lovers. There were once temples to Sanglorius everywhere in Kosranon, and his symbol can be seen in some of the ancient architecture of Swamphaven. The Church operates out of these buildings marked with his symbol and is strongest in this part of the world. Priests are trained fighters, and many temples double as dojos for martial combat practice.
The Divine Heritage of the Three Kings has a small presence in Swamphaven and many of the locals are wary of them, even as they grow in numbers. Rumors of their church's crusades in the far west have reached Swamphaven, and nobody wants to see a holy war pour out into the streets and canals. The Divine Heritage has set up a handful of churches within the Rum Barrel district.
Cults are everywhere in Swamphaven, and though they are not technically illegal they often come to blows with Templars of the Divine Heritage or overzealous devotees of the Sanglorius Church, so most do not advertise their presence.
Crime
Openly carrying weapons is illegal throughout the city, and city guards have the authority to execute anybody they feel is hindering their duties or causing a danger to themselves or others. People who carry weapons either keep them concealed or risk being arrested. City guards, however, don't patrol all of the neighborhoods and are more common the further south in the city one goes. Nobles often carry weapons for dueling, but also never venture far without a bodyguard or two.
There are few laws in Swamphaven. Anything that obstructs trade or imposes upon the nobility can be considered a crime. There are laws to protect the common citizenry, but city guards are subject to bribery and will often look the other way if a noble is abusing one of their lessers. The harshest punishment that can be meted out by the courts is for a person to walk the Ghost Tower. Since nobody has ever returned from the Ghost Tower, this is assumed to be a death sentence.