Wolf Water sits on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Stars. Its name comes from the countless rocks and shoals that lay below lake's surface, making sailing treacherous. However, they also encourage the huge schools of fish that are the city's livelihood.
The Fiso family rules the city, and has since its founding. Supposedly they were the first to cast a net into these waters, and settled on the shore. They lay claim to both the pink dolphins that live in the sea, and to a share of every fisherman's catch. In return, they maintain order in the city. The streets are clean, buildings in good repair, and nights fairly safe, so the average citizen has little to complain about.
Machali Fiso is an honest man, and takes his obligations as ruler seriously. He does not tolerate bribery or corruption among his family, which is large and occupies most jobs of any importance in the city. There's only one penalty for dishonesty: you become bait.
Whatever his good qualities, Machali is brutal when it comes to nonhumans. He believes all other races to be inferior; no better than animals. Life for halflings is particularly hard in Wolf Water, with terrible contract terms offering barely enough to scrape by. The Burrowmen respond by doing dishonest trade every chance they get, behind the backs of the Lord's Guard. Catching the occasional halfling stealing or smuggling only reinforces Machali's bias, feeding a vicious cycle.
All buildings and renovations must be approved by the Assay Office, with result that the city is neat and pleasant but with a strange sameness about it. One gets the feeling that each inn looks like every other inn; each street exactly like every other street. Most buildings are of wood or fired brick.
Wolf Water has the world's largest Apothecaries Guild. This active community produces medicines, cures, droughts, poisons, and elixirs used everywhere. A large school of medicine seeks to heal wounds and diseases without the use of magic, with mixed success. Their graduates travel around the world seeking new and interesting cures, techniques, and treatments.
Wolf Water University is small, occupying a dozen brick buildings and a large, brick tower housing an observatory. They specialize in Divination, and have an active Mystic school as well. No Eldritch Society is allowed to meet at the University. The Fiso family feel the impure blood of sorcerers is distasteful. Their token is a crescent moon.
Two unique products are made in Wolf Water. One is charge, a liquor distilled from apples, herbs, and a flower bud found only in the region. It is traditionally mixed with warm milk or cream, to produce a drink called wolf's milk. If enough is consumed, it can be mildly hallucinogenic. The other product is muston, a sort of sauce. Its main gradient is fish entrails, along with garlic, onions, vinegar, salt, mushrooms, and several unknown additives. Aged for years, it has an incredibly strong flavor some find delicious, others revolting. A few families compete to produce the stuff, each with their own closely guarded recipe.
Type: City
Parent: The Empire of Stars