Anarea > World > Overworld > Free City of Vavistor
The Free City of Vavistor is the central of the three great
Southern Cities of the Overworld. It grew up around a desert harbour
where the canyon of the River (more usually a dried-up Wadi) Djima (also spelled
"Dima" or "Djma") reaches the sea through low cliffs.
Pirates, smugglers and poison dealers inhabited caves in the cliffs and canyon walls,
and when the great South Road reached the port in the Year 587 it expanded into a proper City
and gradually became more respectable (ostensibly at least).
Vavistor has a similar system of government to Tehmor, with
a Council composed of representatives of various influential Factions in the
City electing an Overlord. However in
Vavistor the Military have long had control, and retake it by coups if they lose
it. The Overlord is usually a General or a retired General, the approved form of
address being “General Pasha”. Behind the
scenes the Poison Dealers of the
Scorpion Cults (and in particular The Black
and Red Scorpions) pull the strings. Vavistor
ostensibly adheres to the same principles of free trade and tolerance of all
beliefs as do Tehmor and Iklaron, but the reality is that the Militant Evil
Neutrals have stacked the Council in their favour by a ruthless mix of bribery
and brute force. They allow Good Temples,
Snake Cults and other rival Factions to exist in order to present Vavistor as
open to trade with all, but keep them under a close watch and stamp down on them
if they get ideas above their station.
The Vavistorian Army and City Militia maintain order in the
City and the Secret Service carries out espionage activities abroad, including
in Tehmor (where it is based in the Vavistorian Embassy but has also infiltrated
the local Scorpion Cults and other susceptible Factions).
The Vavistorian Navy is theoretically an
independent service, but is allied with the ruling Factions and also controlled
by the Militant Evil Neutrals. Vavistorian Merchants deal in the usual full range of
goods, but the City is most famed for its Poison Trade and is the leading source
in the Overworld for higher-level Venoms (sourced from secret Oases in the
Desert controlled by the Scorpion Cults and from sources in the Underworld). The
Guild of Poison Dealers of Vavistor (colloquially known as the Poisoners' Guild)
is one of the most powerful Factions in Vavistor and its ruling Cabal is perhaps
the most influential body in the City (though prone to infighting between
Scorpion and Snake Cult members). The Vavistorian Army, Marine Corps,
Militia and Secret Service all use Blade Venoms as a matter of course and are
protected from opponents' Venoms by Protections and Antidotes.
The three Southern Cities co-operate in relations with the rest of the Overworld and in trading matters, and their respective Overlords meet regularly in a High Council, but there is an intense local rivalry between the three of them. Vavistor sees itself as the strongest of the Southern Cities and the others as being weak and degenerate. All three Cities are fanatical about horse racing, although Vavistorians are more interested in manipulating the betting than their horses winning fairly. Vavistorians will (particularly after a few drinks) speak dismissively about Tehmorians as a bunch of degenerate, in-fighting Cultists and about Iklaronians as a bunch of camel traders and lotus eaters. Tehmorians and Iklaronians, on the other hand, see Vavistorians as no more than a bunch of Scorpion Cultists and poison dealers.
The official Language of the City is Southern, but many other Languages are also spoken by the various Factions.
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