Chanos

Politics

Governor: Agate Blossom

The city of Chanos is dominated by two Great Houses. Being the commercial and administrative center of Chanos Prefecture, the city is in many ways under the thumb of House Ragara. However, as base of the Air Fleet of the Imperial Navy, which is the largest single employer and contributor to the economy, the city is also under significant House Peleps influence. Other Great Houses have few interests, with House Cynis having presence in slave-trading, brothels, and pit fighting, while House V’neef controls warehouses and dock space for shipping wines and produce coming out of the Pahua Basin.

The Agate clan is the most powerful patrician family in Chanos, and is not beholden to either House Ragara or House Peleps, though they rarely resist the demands of either one. Their primary source of influence is in the theatres and performing troupes under their control.

Economy

Chanos is the largest port on the northern coast of the Blessed Isle. It is known as the ‘Gateway to the North’, serving as a vital transshipment point for goods traveling between Isle and Northern Threshold. It is also vital for the bountiful crops of the Pahua Basin seeking to travel along the coast to the markets of the Realm itself.

It is home to almost fifty-thousand residents, the vast majority of whom work in packing, hauling, and shipping. This population is bolstered by the presence of the Air Fleet headquarters, with over a thousand ships based out of the port, and by Imperial Legion troops being deployed to, or returning from, operations in the North.

The presence of so many soldiers means the city is home to a vast array of taverns and taphouses. Both military types and the local people have a strong work ethic, but when they decide to drink they drink hard. There are also a number of brothels, with a House Cynis presence here and in the city slave market, though neither of these is particularly high-class: Chanos slaves and Chanos whores are meant to work hard and work cheap, not to satisfy refined Dynastic tastes. Many taverns have pit-fighting leagues run out of their basements, profiting from the gambling that surrounds such fights.

Chanos is, however, home to one notable element of high culture. It is the heartland of Black Robe Theatre, a discipline of theatre performance which uses large puppets, operated by black-robed actors, to tell its stories. There are several theatres in Chanos where such plays can be put on, including a large amphitheatre (controlled, oddly, by House Sesus) for public performances and a few smaller luxurious theatres suitable for Dynastic audiences.

Defense

Chanos lacks city walls or defensible structures at its exterior, making it vulnerable to sieges from its landward side. From the sea, the port is protected by a sea wall equipped with ballistae and onagers, plus the massive might of the Imperial Navy Air Fleet. In addition to local Black Helms, firmly in the pocket of House Ragara, the 14th Imperial Legion provides patrols for the surrounding area out of a base in the Labour District where the city streets meet the Great Coast Road.

Layout

The city of Chanos is, unlike many cities on the Isle, not arrayed according to a military grid, instead sprawling out from the massive port which sits at its northern end.

The Port District: The Port District occupies the northern edge of Chanos, a cold and windy area even in summer. The docks of the Port have the capacity to hold over 1,400 vessels at any one time, enough to dock the whole of the Air Fleet, though this is rarely done. Docking rights are directly controlled by the Imperial Navy, which operates the whole of the port including the drydocks and shipyards, though these are leased to a House Ragara concern for construction of civilian vessels.

- Utmost Pledge of Victory: Not a building but a landmark nevertheless, the Utmost Pledge of Victory is the flagship of the Imperial Navy Air Fleet. When it is in port, it occupies a central place in the docks of Chanos, its trimaran hull of organic crystal glistening below massive sails marked with the mon of the Realm and House Peleps. It is a sight to be seen by any visitor to Chanos, or so the locals will tell you.

The Seaman District: The Seaman District embraces the Port District on its southern side. It is home to a large number of massive warehouses, along with the city’s bars and brothels, its slave market, and cheap bunkhouses for sailors eager to spend some time out of hammock.

- The Plum Blossom: Brothel with a basement fighting pit that sees whores do battle with each other, patrons bidding to bed either the winner or the loser.

- Jaded Dreams: Dilapidated drug den.

- Siren’s Call: Brothel-tavern, a favourite place for Peleps officers to take their men after returning from a long voyage.

The Theatre District: The Theatre District occupies the center of Chanos, home to many patrician residences as well as buildings of the Thousand Scales and performing venues for Black Robe Theatre.

- Amphitheatre of Glorious Return: The largest performing venue in Chanos occupies a space just south of the town center. It was commissioned centuries ago by Prince Sesus, to celebrate his return from a military campaign in the North with a grand speech in praise of his victory and the Scarlet Empress. The design was ill-conceived, as without a roof the amphitheatre is not much use during Chanos Prefecture’s colder months.

Today, the Amphitheatre is rented in the summer for public functions, mostly sponsored by House Ragara, House Peleps, the Thousand Scales, or the Agate patrician clan. The rents cover the cost of maintaining the building, but nothing more, and House Sesus has been unable to find a buyer for the Amphitheatre despite long effort.

Wall District: The Wall District is located to the east of the Theatre District, named for the ruined wall of earth left over from some abortive attempt to make Chanos defensible in times long passed. Today it is filled with fine buildings housing occasional Dynastic residences along with several banks and insurance companies, dominated by House Ragara.

- Blackmere Manor: A water-aspected manse at the eastern end of the Wall District, marking the edge of Chanos city. Blackmere Manor is one of the four ancestral estates of House Ragara.

Labour District : To the south of the Theatre District, the Labour District is home to the majority of local homes, both multi-family houses and dirty tenements. The District is bounded to the south by the Great Coast Road, which marks the city limit. Fires are common in the winter, when windows are closed against the cold by heavy wooden boards fixed in place, forcing families to use candles and cooking fires for illumination.

- House of the Vigilant Buckets: The Union of Vigilant Buckets is a local business in Chanos, operated by House Ragara. The Vigilant Buckets are responsible for fighting fires that break out in the city, particularly in the Labour District. Arriving on the scene, the foreman of the Buckets negotiates with the building owner to determine the price of extinguishing the fire. If this is not paid, the building is allowed to burn, and the foreman (also a financier with a Ragara bank) negotiates terms for a loan to the owner so they can rebuild.

- Tojuun Palace: Air-aspected manse, located a half-mile west of the Labour District just outside Chanos city limits. One of the four ancestral estates of House Ragara.