Coldwater

Coldwater is a major port city in The North, the northernmost duchy of Bastonia. It is a fortified city with an all-season port, up the Iglias Bay, which opens into the Northern Sea. While not the ducal seat, Coldwater is a major center of trade with the Atarlie Empire and home to the Charterhouse of the Archwhalers, a union of religious order and professional guild in the service of San Marino.

The fortified portion of the city backs directly onto the river, but a suburban population of largely famers and resource tradespeople cluster in the forests surrounding it. Like all the North, it is a cold and boreal-rainforest environment. Coldwater Road joins Coldwater to the relatively nearby city of Boischateau, home of the Duke of the North, where it joins the main road further south to Whiterock and many other intervening points.

Geography

Coldwater is built into rather a low terrain compared to the surrounding mountains - it's actually in a minor valley butting up against two other promontories, on a small promontory that pushes out into the Iglias. The city's southern side is home to both a harbour (which is presumed to be the primary direction from which it could be attacked) and a small, largely-abandoned mine now used largely as a quarry for materiel to repair the walls. It's northern side is also water-facing, but the northern walls abbut onto a ravine in the northeast and a mountain in the northwest and so it is not anticipated to be approach from that side.

The western wall contains a secondary gatehouse that leads out into the surrounding Coldwater Forest and other points beyond. Most of the fortified portion of the city is given over to guildhalls, trade, and administrative works with the primary residences of the population that makes up most of the city actually existing outside the walls due to lack of space. For this reason it is often the case that there exist informally and hastily fortified "little walls" to the west of the city to provide additional protection from Carcolie raiding parties, the primary source of martial anxiety.

Economy

Most of the economy of the Large City of Coldwater is in trade. Coldwater is the primary port by which ships from the Atarlie Empire can reach Bastonia's shores, and the closest to the empire that does not become impassible with the onset of winter. This trade is largely concerned in the import and export of Atarlie Spices and certain reagents not available within Bastonia, including magical livestock and the processed materials of such livestock.

The other principal trade of the city is in Archwhale; both the meat, which is a delicacy, and the oil, which is considered essential under Ars Magica for the production of potent magical goods. The city is home to the Charterhouse of the Archwhalers, and while the guild of Arcwhale hunters does not have the monopoly on the trade, they are certainly considered by all and sundry to be the experts in it, and even the elves defer to their expertise.

As with all cities of Bastonia there are other economic engines in construction, agriculture, and forestry - in particularly, Coldwater is one of only three ports in all Bastonia that have permanent shipyards, with the other two being Oversea and Southport.

Politics

Coldwater is the seat of the Count of Coldwater and several other country barons owe fealty to the count. Though the city would be a promising target for the Atarlie Empire's expansion into western Wisteria, the city does not mount an impressive army, and without it, the count holds surprisingly little power. Instead, power in Coldwater is mostly held by the powerful charter companies that make up the city's merchantry, and the County Court only gets involved to prevent internal conflict and keep the violence to a dull roar.