Overview
Friedport is potentially the first settlement in Horiza, and has until recently been perhaps the most important. Created under the jurisdiction and supply of the Horizan Guild Association, it serves as an essential harbour, entry and stopping point connecting the old and new world. Friedport is also the city from which most communications between the two have been sent/sent from, as it experiences somewhat fewer issues sending magic across the World Fleece than elsewhere.
The city of Friedport at night, as seen from flight over the bay to its north. 🎵Theme of Sunny Friedport 🎵Theme of Friedport at Night 🎵 Theme of a Friedport Tavern
Friedport sits on an island in the Chocolate Isles. The nearby smaller settlements such as Saint Earlybird (which itself claims to be the first settlement), Honeykiller, The Rum Hills, and Meadport all rely on support from Friedport. In turn however, Friedport is heavily reliant on these settlements to supplement its food (which it otherwise only really gets from Iduria).
The City of Friedport is unusually multicultural, though it has developed its own unique culture and tribal system to maintain social cohesion. These tribes are known as the Landcrab Tribes. The Landcrabs make up a majority population of the city, but have remained distinct from the newer generations of guildsmen and migrants to Friedport - often staying in the Portaupearl district. Famously, Portaupearl built a wall separating the Landcrabs from the centre of power and commerce in the city, though it was recently torn down in multiple places and not rebuilt.
Friedport has recently undergone the Landcrab Plot, in which a series of conspiracy, murder and rebelions prepared for an attempted overtaking of the city and declaration of independence from the HGA. It culminated in a Golem attack on the city, during which many lives were lost. In the aftermath, the Landcrabs, largely ignorant of the Golem plan, reconciled with a devastated Guild Leadership whom offered reform. The The Landcrab Plot played an essential role in ending the plot.
Famous figures include the Valfrid Veldaks, the famous “Hero of Friedport,” and his wife Ragnil Veldaks. In his honour, the Summer Games are meant to be held semi-regularly, with those who win it declared Herōes of Friedport. The adventurers Zcaldon, Varvevan, Xvavos and Maca Katja were for some time considered unofficial heroes of Friedport.
Another famous figure is the late Saint Karvi Massiri, considered the first Saint of Friedport.
Places in Friedport
Portaupearl
Portaupearl is the port district of Friedport, and serves as its capital with most of the Horizan Guild Association’s business being located there. It is famously surrounded by a wall that was once used to separate the rowdy Landcrab of the city from the business oriented guildsmen and travellers just arriving in Horiza - but it has since stopped being used and maintained.
Portaupearl makes up a part of Friedport that was founded on the ruins of Horizan Precursors. It is possible this location was important to the precursors due to its position relative to Leylines. Evidence to this is the fact that Portaupearl remains the best discovered place to send magical messages between Horiza and the Iduria (see World Fleece).
Crabraven
Crabraven is the largest district of the city, and makes up the landscape of landcrabs the city is so well known for. It is largely constructed out of wood, features heavy landcrab motifs such as colourful plank decorations and ropes and fishing nets crossed in the shapes of X. Houses are small and rickety and often built on top of eachother, so to reach higher levels of homes in these favellas one must often climb and use elevated rooftop streets and their plank-based skybridges.
Waterlogg Street
Waterlogg Street is a set of intersecting streets in Crabraven. It is largely occupied by the supporters of The Prince, a leader-figure claiming descent from Valfrid Veldaks, the late Herō of Friedport. It is also maintained by his close aide, Su Na, which uses water magic and water Elementals to keep the streets sparkling clean. The Prince has a theatre upon a grassy knoll at the centre of the street.
🎵 Theme of the Clean Streets 🎵 Theme of Subterranean Acidic Pool
Philosophian Party Streets
The Philosophian Party Streets of Crabraven are intentionally mimicking the nightlife and entertainment districts of Philosophia, and are full of games, gambling, drinking, debauchery, competitions, art, circuses and prostitution.
Shrine to New Horizons
The Shrine to New Horizons, also known as the Kingsthrone Arena, is a sort of secular temple built to honour the unique legacy of the city and unite its people. While worship of Titans is taboo in Friedport, people may freely use the place to seek guidance from its keepers (basically its priests) and to pray quietly. It is the place in which the Summer Games are began and presented from.
Amberhole
Amberhole is an area of intense labour, mostly related to its mining and quarry business, at the eastern edge of Friedport. It is named after the titular Amberhole, a quarry with roots in the early days of Friedport. It is home to a Rune Press.
Phyrraumid
Phyrraumid is a mixed agricultural and housing district on the western edge of Friedport, and is largely settled by farmers, the affluent and retired soldiers from the Starfish.
Windfall Commune
Windfall is a communal farm in the middle of Phyrraumid.
The Starfish
The cheekily named Starfish fortress is a state-of-the-art fortification built on top of Horizan Precursor ruins, once housing the largest army in Horiza. However, due to a calming of tensions between the Horizan settlements and a shift of importance over to the mainland, the Starfish has since been overtaken by Fort Shingle in importance. It was the site of the outflood of Golems during the climax of the Landcrab Plot.