Darrowmere

The city of Darrowmere was a large, heavily populated port city that sat on the borders of Arhona and Bardram, in the Grey Marches. It was situated on the coast of the Sea of Storms. It was settled in the nineteenth year of the common calendar.

The city was the largest port on the Sea of Storms, and as such was busy year round, except during the heaviest of winter storms, as seafaring those times proved lethal more times than not. Pirates were not generally a threat, as there were few places to hide on the sea, and cooperation between Arhona, Bardram, and the Stormlands to the north quickly dealt with any law breaking near the port.

Geography
The city was situated at the southern coast of the Sea of Storms, and on the border of Bardram to the west and Arhona to the east, two powerful merchant nations that used the city as a neutral meeting zone.

The citys' harbour was built with a high sea wall, to withstand the vicious storms and waves of the sea it bordered. The harbour was crescent in shape, and large enough to hold nearly thirty trade galleons and twice as many smaller vessels.

The city itself stretched several kilometres inland, and curved to follow the coastline of the sea. Like most large cities, Darrowmere was walled and patrolled.

The sea wall
The sea wall was built to withstand assault by the elements as well as invaders. Square towers were built at fifty feet intervals, housing powerful, well maintained ballista. The sea wall was built early in the city's history, to prevent major flooding of Darrowmere.

Darrowmere Harbour
Darrowmeres' harbour was large enough to hold up to thirty trade galleons at one time, and almost double the amount of smaller vessels. The city provided well armed boats to its' guard, who inspected the cargo of every ship coming into the harbour for disease, stowaways, and prohibited goods. The city guard also patrolled the docks, breaking up fights between drunken sailors or the crews of rival vessels.

City of Darrowmere
The city itself was quite large, and built by labourers from the surrounding lands, along with a small clan of dwarves from the nearby Whitetip mountains. The city had few towers or tall buildings, the largest being the manor of speaker Ebarene, near the city center. The city wall formed a crescent around the inland edge of the city, terminating with two large watch towers on either end of it.

The city had a large warehouse section near the harbour, ready to be brought out on the docks and loaded onto ships. The warehouse and dock areas of the city were where most crime in Darrowmere was committed, and frequent guard patrols swept the streets in that area to deter criminal activity.

The wealthier and more influential citizens of lived in the central part of Darrowmere, where the buildings were usually two to three stories, and built with finer craftmanship than the outlying home of the poorer citizenry. Several banks, enchanters' and alchemists shops could be found in the central and middle districts of Darrowmere.

The churches and chapels of several different gods could be found in the central districts of Darrowmere, though Joac, the god of commerce, was by far the most prominent. The knights of the Eternal Dawn had a chapter house in the southern section of the middle district. Several guildhouses could be found on the western end of the city.

History
Settled in -200 CC, the city of Darrowmere started off as a small trade hub between the burgeoning countries of Bardram and Arhona. The access to the violent waters of the Sea of Storms allowed for easy, if dangerous trade between the Grey Marches and the Stormlands. This brought a great amount of wealth to all three nations.

Eventually, the trade hub was built up into a small town as more and more people settled around it. By -184, Darrowmere had become a walled settlement, used to the occasional raiders and orcish warbands roaming through the countryside. As both Arhona and Bardram had a stake in Darrowmere's success, they both alloted soldiers to protect the town.

This would prove critical in the battle of Darrowmere, when the king of the Stormlands attempted to take the town and gain a foothold in the marches. Both nations worked together to force the invasion back, humiliating the stormlanders, and solidifying their alliance.

Several decades later, the Stormlands would enter into a prosperous trade alliance with Darrowmere and the two countries. Darrowmere gradually grew in strength and influence, becoming the largest and most influential tradeport in the region.