Ibrido

Theme

Ibrido is a large, coastal metropolitan city found on the Lucain Coast.

Overview
The city of Ibrido is known as the birthplace of an artistic and technological revolution. The locals enjoy a life of splendor and frivolity, and every week, a series of lavish parties are held in the estates of the local gentry. Ibrido is considered a highly cosmopolitan city, thriving on trade that comes in from land, sea, and the air; Ibrido has one of the largest skyports on the continent, able to house sixteen airships at once.

The entirety of Ibrido is divided up by canals and bridges that connect the various islands together. The city rests in a large valley, surrounded on three sides by tall, rocky cliffs. Thin forests and some farmland cover some of this area, despite how dusty and rocky the landscape is.

City Description
Ibrido is built atop a series of tiny islands. This has causes the vast majority of the city's major thoroughfares to be canals and waterways. Gondolas, rafts, and water-based mounts are common anywhere in the city. There are no laws that regulate the use of these canals or the gondola-based transportation system, which has led to widespread abuse from many gondoliers. The Marquis di Maschera has sponsored his own group of gondoliers, however, who use bright yellow boats and standardized rates. Over the last fifteen years, these yellow gondolas have become known as the most reputable service in the city.

The architecture in the city is somewhat eclectic, and changes depending on what neighborhood one finds themselves in. Each building varies a little in its design; some have arched windows and doorways, while others have rectangular windows of elaborate stained glass. The effect is, altogether, very pleasing.

Layout
The city is not laid out like cities north of the Dawnrise Mountains; the boundaries of the different neighborhoods are not gated walls but canals and bridges. The city is strange and overwhelming to many first time visitors, but is fairly easy to navigate once one gets the idea. Additionally, there are only a few major canalways and thoroughfares from which every other smaller waterway branches, so it's fairly easy to get around once you understand how the major canals relate to each other. At the very least, there's always the gondolas.

Note that all points of interest are places visited by player characters or prominently mentioned.

Artist's Alley
One of the smallest neighborhoods of the city, encompassing only a few streets that contain many small galleries, artist workshops, novelty inns, and cheap apartment buildings. Artist's alley is known as a bohemian neighborhood, and liberal even by Ibrido's standards.

Blue Sky Bay
This area is located to the northwest of the city, where the city's skyport is located. There's little to this neighborhood apart from the skyport, and a handful of taverns and general good stores. Very few refer to this neighborhood by it's official name, usually just calling it "Blue Sky".
 * Skybound Tavern: An inn and tavern popular with airship workers. Anybody who needs crew fast, and anybody who needs work on a ship right away, often find it here. The tavern's main floor is home to deckhands and roughneckers, while the balcony is home to officers and captains only.

Cerulean District
Located within the center of the city, this district is one of two separated from the rest of the city, due to the presence of the Cerulean Palace being there. It is where the Cerulean Council meets. It is home to many noble families and houses the Cerulean Knights; an elite order of eldritch knights tasked with protecting the palace.

The Cliffs
Cliffside, often just referred to as "the Cliffs", resides on the cliffs overlooking Ibrido proper, marking it as a district outside of the city walls, but under the full protection of the city, and residents are counted as citizens of Ibrido. The Cliffs has its own garrison, known as the Cliffguard, and its own town hall. A more rural community, much of the city's food is produced here and sold to businesses or farmer's markets in the city.

Diamond Promenade
Separated from the rest of the city by a wall, the Diamond Promenade is home to the majority of the city's wealthy elite, lesser nobility, and local celebrities. It is clean, well-guarded, and posh. Nobody is granted entry without a writ, an escort from a resident or noble, et cetera. Wards on the gates prohibit anybody from gaining entry via illusion or enchantment magic.

Dust Town
Dust Town is a slum located beyond the front gates. A collection of tents, lean-to's, and makeshift huts. Some peddlers or merchants have set up shop here in an attempt to sell to wealthier travelers headed into the city. So named due to the massive clouds of dust that constantly hang in the air, kicked up by travelers into the city.

Erudite Quarter
The Blue Sun Academy, Ibrido's university, is found in this quarter. Many book shops, magical good stores, and other academically-inclined stores can be found. It is not densely populated and the roads are noticeably wider than the rest of the city. A large fountain of Usef Bern, the half-elf sorcerer who fought alongside King Azuro to liberate the city from the Black Dynasty four hundred years ago, is found here. Known as Bern's Square, it's a large park popular with students, philosophers, and artist's alike.

Front Step
The first place one encounters when first entering the city. Dozens of taverns, shops, and merchant stalls are found here. Most of the city's stables are located here, as well. Most noticeable is the large statue of Waukeen, found in the square. It is tradition to throw in a coin and make a wish when first entering the city.

Raven Court
This small area of the city is home to a number of cemeteries and catacombs, and deals with the dead. There are one or two small taverns and other things for the gravediggers and others who make their living here. A small church to the Raven Queen is found here.

Sapphire Square
The Sapphire Square serves as Ibrido's downtown, central district. The square is located across a deep blue lagoon from the docks, and is accessible only by gondola. It's lovely, paved with colorful cobblestone, and the perimeter is lined with buildings all painted in light, pastel tones. There's much to see and do in the district, which is bustling, lively, and filled with merchants, visitors, performers, and artists. A tall clock tower looked over the square, which the locals affectionately refer to "Uncle Time". It chimes every thirty minutes, and can be heard throughout the town.

Points of Interest

 * Forsythe's Antiques: A shop for oddities, knick-knacks, and antiques of every variety.
 * The Iron Strike: A blacksmithy owned by Kali Irondown.
 * The Lucky Shoe: A tavern located in the heart of downtown. Popular with locals and visitors to the city alike.

Sacred Row
While churches are spread throughout the city, a number of churches were built along the same street. This was done to accommodate visitors, and was done quite rapidly. There are few merchants or places of business along this street, which is usually packed with worshipers. The sounds of prayers and music, and the smell of incense is strong anywhere you go. The churches of Pelor, Boccob, Yondalla, Sune, Heironeous, Moradin, and Ehlonna are found here. In the middle of the square is an ever-burning bonfire, meant to symbolize the eternal hope and light of the gods.

Shoreline
The major port of the Lucian Coast region, goods bound to and from cities throughout the peninsula go through this port. Dozens of cheap inns and shady storefronts are found here. Two large breakwalls are built around the docks, and a tall lighthouse sits upon either wall. The floating church to Melora is found here, as is a hostel that serves as a church of Fharlanghn.

Silvercut District
The financial center and the heart of industry in the city, the Silvercut District is home to many well-to-do businesses and affluent residents. Many of the most famous businessmen and traders, as well as guildhalls and banks, are found here. The Church of Waukeen and the Church of St. Cuthbert are both located in the Silvercut District.
 * The Promenade Arcana: A purveyor of magical artifacts and arcane scrolls. Owned and run by Cecil Tortuga, a tortle wizard who has run the shop for decades now.

The Spears
Found on the north side of the city, near the Cerulean District, this area includes a well-guarded prison, as well as barracks, many forges, and training grounds. Every military regiment of the Army of Ibrido trains and are based here. The City Watch also has its base here in the Tower of Spears. The Azure Arena is found in the Spears, at the very edge of the district, adjacent to the temple of Kord.

Points of Interest

 * Azure Arena: A massive, domed arena where gladiator games are held daily. The stands are almost always packed. It's not too hard to compete, and the incentives to win are considerable; gold, fame, and sometimes even more. While fights aren't to the death, it still happens from time to time.
 * The Fist of Fury Tavern: An inn and tavern found on the outskirts of the district. For those wishing to compete in the arena, and for those simply wishing to spectate, it's the place to stay. The tavern is built around a small, stone arena where boxers beat the shit out of each other. Open 24 hours, and it's always lively.

Watercrest
A slum located outside the city walls, built along the shore. It is mostly sandy, rocky beaches and small, ramshackle buildings. The neighborhood regularly flood, which has driven many of the businesses and "wealthier" residents to build scaffolding and raised platforms to keep out of the water. This has created two layers to the neighborhood--Upper Watercrest, which is a series of bridges, scaffolding, walkways, and platforms built atop 15-20 foot poles and ropes; and Lower Watercrest, a muddy, damp pit where everyone else lives.

Demographics
As a cosmopolitan city and center of trade, Ibrido is rather populous, with a population of just over 200,000. The population is mostly human (68%) with a rather sizable dwarf (7%) and halfling (6%) population. Almost every sentient race can be found here, making up the remaining 19% of the population.

Customs

 * It is customary to say "go with peace" when ending a conversation of any sort.

The Festival of the Cerulean Sun
A weeklong festival in memory of the city's liberation from the Black Dynasty by King Eclesus Azuro over four hundred years ago. It's an extremely popular festival, attracting thousands to the city every year.

The fourth day of the festival is famous for the Grand Melee; a massive free-for-all of fifty warriors held in the arena amidst a constantly-changing battlefield.

Ancient History
Ibrido was once a collection of small, semi-nomadic human tribes who called themselves "Ventodan". These people once fished from the myriad waterways in the area, moving from island to island as the fish moved. They are thought to have been a relatively peaceful people. There exists a written account of these tribal peoples, evidenced from the writings of Adeva Lindeni, an elven scribe who explored the Lucain Coast with a band of elven explorers nearly 2,000 years ago. As Lindeni wrote:

''"Beyond the cliffs we found islands beyond count, connected by fast-moving canals, some as wide as lakes, and others narrow enough to step across unaided. Columns of smoke indicative of fire were seen and we descended into the valley, where the human natives came upon us using a fleet of small canoes, made and bound together from the thin trees that grew along the cliffs. They belonged to the natives, who call themselves the 'Ventodan'. We can only communicate through the magics of Lady Ura, thank the goddess. We spent the next week among them. They were a peaceful people, and kind. They seem to worship Melora, or some aspect of her. They are expert fisherman and can navigate the canals as easily as a bird can navigate the winds." ''

The City of Dread
At some point after that account was written, the valley was conquered by the Black Dynasty; a line of cruel Pharaoh Lich-Kings who covered the lands in a wave of terror and malice. For centuries they stood unopposed and ruled the majority of the Lucain Coast.

They built the center of their empire, Xhohax, the City of Dread, over the islands and canals of the Ventodan people. The city was the largest on the peninsula, with tall, jagged black walls. The dead writhed in the streets, the waters grey and filled with evils beyond reckoning. And in the center of this city, the Dread Ziggurat, where the Lich King lurked.

Then came Eclesus Azuro, the Blue Storm. A lowly slave boy born in the holy city of Auros, Azuro earned his freedom in the Arena of the Stormlord, and left Auros to become a mercenary. With time, his reputation and skill grew. He witnessed the evils of the Black Dynasty firsthand and went to the Ecclesiastic Pansophical in Auros and pleaded for their aid in his goal of slaying the Lich King, but they refused to interfere. Furthermore, they forbade him from doing so himself, for fear that any provocation would turn the Lich King's eye toward Auros.

With no other option, Azuro raised a small army of his own and marched on the city. They arrived at the gates of the city, and Azuro sent the Lich King a gift--a crate filled with the heads of his chief lieutenants; vampires who ruled over the lands directly beyond the walls. A note had been nailed into the head of the greatest of them: "You can leave now, or you can join your friends."

What followed was a week long battle past the gates and through the winding streets. Azuro's strength and courage pushes his men onward to devastate a much larger force than their own. Azuro himself entered the Ziggurat at sundown on the fifth day with a unite of his most trusted comrades. At dawn on the seventh day, the banners bearing Azuro's crest--a gleaming, blue sun--were hung from the towers. The remaining dead crumbled to dust. Azuro tore down the Ziggurat and, on its consecrated ashes, built the Cerulean Palace.

The new free city was named Ibrido, which means sacred waters. Ever since, the city has grown considerably and has enjoyed peace, prosperity, and security. The ruling family still belongs to the bloodline of the hero Azuro, and is known as the Azure Dynasty.