Locations: Empire of Ralifon, Province of Aestus Mulie

Province of Aestus Mulie

Empire of Ralifon

Overview

     The Province of Aestus Mulie is an important coastal part of the city of Qidron of the Empire of Ralifon. Its ten Gates allow for rapid movement of cargo from the walled bay to the markets of the attached provinces. The River Saqio splits Aestus Mulie, it is crossed by the aptly named Dancing Bridge, a bridge that moves with the changing levels of the tide and river.
     The eastern side of the river has six of the Gates and the only two roads that lead from the province out into the local countryside of the southern Rhun. The locals refer to this part of the province as "dockers" as it mostly full of warehouses and flop houses for sailors. Dockers has a specially walled area for inspecting, inventorying and taxing goods coming and going to the many ships that make port here. This walled area is often referred to as the Magpie's Feast by the traders who have to move their cargoes through here.
     Along South Gate Way, which leads from the Four Gates Court to the Magpie's Feast are several drinking establishments and hostelries. There is also a barbeliotae (Barbēlō is the goddess of love, her shrines are called barbeliotae or brothels) that is popular with the sailors.
     At the end of North East Gate Way in dockers is the Temple of Sea-King Oukranos the Stormbringer. Many of the sea captains and sailors will come here to leave offerings to Oukranos. This is to grant them safe travels and good winds as they sail through his domain.
     The western side of the river has most of the residents homes. The Temple of Ralifon is on this side of the river. There are services to Ralifon performed here every day. The sacrament of Ur in the morning and the sacrament of Thumm just before moonrise.

Gates

     The ten Gates of the province connect to Astakus, Bazle, Benuo, Caesai Oculis, Danue, Erilaus, Koravie, Lunbeim, Qidron-Forum Meridianam, and Saloppidum.

Temples and Shrines

     There are only two proper temples in the province. The eastern shore of the  River Saqio has the Temple to Oukranos and the western shore has the Temple of Ralifon. As mentioned in the overview there is a shrine to Barbēlō in her aspect as the goddess of love as well as a shrine in the Magpie's Feast celebrating her aspect as the goddess of wealth. This shrine is the place where moneylenders and tax collectors conduct business. There are three shrines in the province to Berrish the Cheesebringer, Lord of Goblins. One in each of the major families compounds. Within the Aeolixan cheese caverns and the other in the Prósphaqs cheesehouse on the Saqio river. The third shrine is in the back of the public bathhouse in west Aestus Mulie.
     Below the temple of Ralifon is a secret shrine to The Dusk Lord, Faliron the Decaying God. This shrine is accessible only from a special chamber from within the temple above. Only the followers of Faliron know where it is and how to use the chamber safely.
     There is a shrine to Mellaart in the swampy waters south of the western half of the province behind the seawall to the docks. This shrine is tended by a poisonous frog-like creature and his two crocodile companions, needless to say there few people brave or foolish enough to go here without good reason.
     Lastly the Legionnaires have a shrine is the Magpie's Feast to Erron of Solitude within their barracks. There are also innumerable other personal shrines to virtually every deity or spirit imaginable in the homes of the populace.

Notable Cheesemongers

     There are two competing goblin families that produce cheese in the province, the Aeolixan and Prósphaqs. They each specialize in different styles of cheese.
     The Aeolixan family cheese is Manouri. A white soft cheese that has a clean, subtle nutty flavor with a bit of sheepiness and the barest hint of tang. This cheese is popular within the province, but has not made much headway into the other provinces of the city of Qidron. Even though they are not as wealthy or well known outside of Aestus Mulie, within it they are the preferred cheesemongers of the locals.
     The Prósphaqs family cheese is Feta. A white brine cheese that has a tangy, slightly salty, and mildly sour flavor, with a spicy finish that recalls pepper and ginger, as well as a hint of sweetness. Due to the popularity of this cheese in the other provinces, the Prósphaqs are richer and more influential in the province. Their rapid expansion into the other provinces has brought them into conflict with other families outside of the province, the most dangerous being the ruling family of Tesremos the makers of Cheddar. The Prósphaqs family is generally considered to be the sixth most powerful goblin family putting them just shy of making it to the Consilio ex Familia Quinque.

Notable Locations

     The Imperial Dock is a massive sea wall that allows the berthing of close to a hundred ships. It has two immense cranes capable of lifting well over two hundred tons and a dozen smaller mobile cranes to allow for loading and unloading of large and heavy freight. The docks are busiest during the changing of the tides, thus Harbor Master Eutocius, as an adept of Oukranos, is very skilled in reading the tides and currents of the Saqio River and Mysliveček Bay.
     Sporus' Qualis Monstra is a major supplier of animals, beasts, and dangerous monsters to the Arena of the Aerie and many of the other arenas around the empire. If someone is looking for an unusual mount they can be had from Sporus, though at a somewhat outrageous price. Sporus has the entire western shore of the river just north of the Magpie's Feast carefully warded to keep the creatures penned into the area until they are taken to the arenas. The aquatic creatures are penned into the mouth of the river just inside the seawall.

Outside the Walls

     The roads heading north and south lead to the smaller villages within the greater province of Aestus Mulie. To the north, at the border of the province, is the Saqio Fortress. This fortress is a five days march up the Via Saqio to the base of the Ruviqan Mountains. Along the Via Saqio are the villages, listed from north to south, of Zmyrn (a small community or 100 and mostly of dwarves), Liège (a community of about 300 persons that mostly grow olives and grapes in this hilly and fertile area), and Sa'rigall (a community of 20 families that mostly herd goats, sheep or water buffalo). From Sa'rigall the Via Saqio is crossed by a large stone and rebus bridge the Via Corticem goes to the east from here as well as west.
     Along the Via Corticem to the west is the town of Xoria. Xoria has a population of around 1,000 and is a major producer of lumber and cork. Beyond the town is a well worn trail that leads to the Aurum Mines. The Aurum Mines produce an average of 100 pounds of gold per year for the empire, but an astonishing 10 tons of copper.
     Going to the east along the Via Corticem leads to the Herba Fortress of Collistown. Around the Herba Fortress a large community of Hobbits have started cultivating the grassy lands. Collistown is a four days march from Sa'rigall and there is a small bridge that crosses the Fulnema Stream halfway there. The Fulnema Bridge has a small hut on the western side of it where a witch is rumored to be living.
     To the south along the Via Saqio is the Tower of Luza, at the southern tip of the province. This tower shines a bright light out into the Qadar Sea at night to warn ships of the rocky shoals nearby. The tower is a six day march south and there is a fishing village along the coast to the east another two days march. The village of Piscis is home to around 100 persons. From the tower going north to Aestus Mulie along the Via Saqio is a single town of about 1,600 persons that live in cliffside homes and make a living mostly as sea merchants. This town, known as, Praeceps is three days from either the Tower of Luza or Aestus Mulie.