Vesper
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Vesper is located on the eastern coast of Britannia, the northernmost city on said coast. Its positioning almost makes it more a part of the culture of the feudal lords or Magincia, as it serves as a major trade port for the north part of the sea. Vesper is a city of shallow waterways and canals. These canals are largely man-made, but are rough-hewn and seem quasi-natural. Although the climate in this region ranges from the temperate to the cold, Vesper is a city of strong stonework and wide open spaces that serve as breezeways. The stonework is all done by local artists and artisans and has earned Vesper a reputation as a beautiful city. The building of bridges has become an art form in Vesper. Stonework is most common, with granite slabs used everywhere. Carvings and statues appear atop columns and at cornices. Vesper has the latest of everything, thanks to its position as both trading leader and as the main export center for inventions coming out of Minoc. The shops here carry gadgets from the useful to the inane.
Vesperian History
Vesper has its origins as a small shipping port, established shortly after the Cataclysm following the fall of Fawn, and over time, gradually proved to be one of the most innovative and crucial centres for exploration in the whole of Britannia. It was the Vesperians who rediscovered the lost Moon Isle's order of Magi, and it was the Vesperians who first made contact with the settlers on the rich isle of Magincia. Since its very beginnings, the township of Vesper has been associated with the shipping industry... and a desire for profits, it would seem as well.
Vesper's progress was not easy, and it has seen its fair share of hardships, especially in the early days of its origins. The hordes lead by the Ogre Yavituck and the ensuing earthquakes and floods that lead to the temporary abandonment of the city centre proved a difficult start for the fair-skinned folk who settled there. Fortune smiled upon them when Mount Kendall in neighbouring Minoc erupted, leading to the formation of the fertile river-deltas which are now the primary foundations of the city. Undeterred, and perhaps made more ruthless and vigorous by the adversity placed before them, the Vesperians quickly took to becoming artisans and merchants, and newly renewed, the merchants rapidly set about founding the ultimate maritime trading power throughout Britannia. Acquiring vast profits, as well as a reputation as shrewd and amoral traders, the Ministry of Mercantiles which reigned in Vesper prospered for some years, until Magincia closed its borders to all realms. Dependent on the commodities of others, Vesper now faced a period of political upheaval unparalleled in most other cities in Britannia. The election of Justicar Tarsen of the Ministry of Mercantiles greatly suppressed these uprisings, so great was his victory that he eventually brought about the first coinage used in Britannia. Facing another war from outside its borders, much of Vesper’s monies were depleted, and as such they were powerless to prevent Minoc from falling under loyalist jurisdiction. Subsequently, and unsurprisingly, the then Justicar of Vesper, Hellios, rejected the Treaty of Unification offered by Lord British.
Since then, Vesper has been beset upon more than once. In the period of turmoil following Lord British's departure and prior to the birth of the new regency, Xel'Naga, a court noble, set about reclaiming Vesper in its weakened state. This act spawned the Crown of Thorns wars; a vicious, brutal conflict for independence and supremacy. Shortly after that, the War of the Barbed Leash was brought about by a group of Cultists, the Outcasts of Eldamar, and a dangerous force of Drow known only in Vesper as ‘the Brotherhood’. After a brief period of occupancy in the Southern Islands, the drow and cultists were eventually ejected. During the aftermath that followed, a small tribe of orcs, known as the Clobb’d t’Death tribe, continued to harass Vesperian shores, as well as pirate guilds hailing from Buccaneer's Den and several other forces of drow.
In the present days, Vesper appears to the casual onlooker to be much the same as it always has. The picturesque small islands of the river delta and simple wooden bridges support one of the most successful trade spots in the lands (barring Britain), acquiring an influx of goods from both overland Minoc and Cove, and overseas from the major islands. Because of the multitude of trade routes, the citizenry of Vesper has become multicultural and multiracial, and as such Vesper readily accepts most races – or at least those that will not disturb the hive of trade and services that Vesper depends upon. The city streets bustle with the exchange of goods and services, some of which are more moral than others. People say that ‘anything that can be bought, can be bought in Vesper… for a price.’
On closer inspection, the artistic frippery and mindless frivolity that were once Vespers trademarks have been replaced with the air of rebellion. It seems that ever since the eruption of Kendall, the Vesperian culture has harboured a great resistance to authority, and this rebellious streak has only grown stronger as time has progressed. Vesper has become a haven for dissidents and freedom fighters, criminals and pirates, ruthless opportunists and, on occasion, intellectuals and free thinkers contemptuous of "noble" authority. It is this rebellious stance that has brought Vesper into contact with the Loyalist forces, especially those of Trinsic and the kingdom, more than once, and this situation persists even now. Rumours are abound of a group of woodsmen bandits who plague wealthy passers-by for gold, and of criminal groups and cultists sheltering in the city since the time of the Burning of the Harvest.
