skin, bone, and arrogance
S O U T H P O R T
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To flesh out Galidraan and provide historical context for the Vitalis family.
- Image Credit: Above: Dishonored 2 Trailer [x] | Below: Screenshots from Dishonored 2 [x] [x] [x] & Dishonored: Death of the Outsider [x] [x] [x]
- Canon: N/A
- Links: Galidraan [x] | Foxfield Park [x] | Thaddeus Vitalis [x] | Talbot Vitalis [x] | Natasi Fortan [x]
SETTING INFORMATION
- City Name: Southport
- Classification: Urban Center
- Location: The southern-most point of the largest continent on Galidraan, in the County and Duchy of Foxfield.
- Affiliation: Galidraani Unified Council [x] | The Sith Empire [x]
- Demographics: Although the predominant residents are human, the work associated with the city -- mining, timber, and fishing -- are as accessible as any on the planet, so the city sees its fair share of alien immigrants. About 1 third of the city's residents are aliens of some variety, while two-thirds are of native Galidraani human stock. The city tends to be stratified along class lines more than racial lines, although as with most of Galidraan, the nobility and rich tend to be native Galidraani humans, whereas immigrants (partially due to low wages and partially due to social pressures) find it difficult but not impossible to move up the social strata.
- Wealth: High - Blessed with bountiful resources in the surrounding areas, the city of Southport has made those who harnessed and harvested them wealthy. The city makes money for its nobility and upper classes, while the working classes tend to just get by, so while the city is considered wealthy, that classification only tells part of the story.
- Stability: Medium - The number of people living in a relatively small space, as well as the distinctive class differences, lead to a city that has its share of tension. One of the only cities on Galidraan with a decently temperate climate, the usual Galidraani staidness is less prevalent here. Occasionally, especially during an economic or seasonal downturn, the tension between the lower classes and upper classes spills into the streets in the form of industrial action. Rarely, a strike will turn to a riot, and though the city watch is always on hand to restore order, the order comes at a price, and the streets have run red with blood more than once in the last decade. While open violence isn't the norm, there is always a distinct us-vs-them mentality between the working classes and the wealthy in the city which makes unrest more prevalent in Southport than, say, Herevan or Calavar. Not helping matters is the extravagance with which the rich denizens of the city live; opulent homes, extravagant parties, luxurious lifestyles contrasting sharply with the simple, threadbare existence of the miners, whalers, and timber workers. A property crime problem -- a string of burglaries, mugging, and vandalism -- has created a general distrust for the poor among the wealthy (although the city watch has not indicated that the offenders come from a particular class). Beyond these property crimes and the occasional riot, the city is generally safe as the incidence of violent crime is low.
- Description: Nestled around a large bay at the southern tip of the continent and straddling the southern outlet of the Calavar River, the city benefits from a temperate climate that is slightly warmer than most of Galidraan. Situated in the County and Duchy of Foxfield, the city is surrounded by dense forests, stretching up along the mountains that form the basin in which the city sits. The mountains themselves are host to the Vitalis mines, churning out precious metals and gemstones. Meanwhile, the bay that stretches out from the city's shores provides fish, crustaceans, and whales. Hemmed in on all sides by natural bounty, the city is divided into several districts: the Waterfront District is home to the city's fishing fleets and processing facilities; the Workers' Quarter is host to most of the housing for the workers for the mines, the lumber workers, and the fishermen; the Canal District, characterized by the posh townhouses and exclusive shops flanking the large canal leading away from the bay, catering to the wealthy; the Financial District, home to the financial and other professional businesses in the city and featuring the homes and shops catering to the professional classes; and the Terrace Quarter, where the small middle class of the city lives and works. Taken as a whole, the city is a vibrant maze of narrow streets, small plazas, and tall buildings taking advantage of the limited space by building up rather than building out.
POINTS OF INTEREST
SOUTHPORT BAY HEALTH RESORT & SPA
Built on a large, rocky island in Southport Bay, the Southport Bay Health Resort & Spa began its life as a sanitorium for an infectious lung disease. Following the eradication of the disease over a century ago, the sanitorium fell into disrepair before it was purchased by a wealthy whaling magnate. He refurbished it and turned it into an exclusive resort and spa. Framing the treatments of the resort in quasi-medical terms, the "health" portion of the Health Resort & Spa is dubious at best. More realistically it serves as a luxurious hideaway for the city's rich and pampered, where they can receive luxury spa treatments and engage in recreational prescription drug usage under the supervision of one of Southport Bay Health Resort & Spa's nurses.
THE WATERFRONT DISTRICT
Built along the edge of the bay, the Waterfront District is not as pleasant as its name makes it sound. Instead of a leisurely promenade along the beach as the name might suggest, one is more likely to step into a trench of whale and fish blood than into a warm, sandy beach. The Waterfront is home to the fishing and whaling boats, as well as processing, packing, and shipping facilities for the seafood and other resources that travel through the river and across the sea from Southport. Inexpensive housing is available for those who don't have a bunk on a ship, ranging from barracks-types berths above processing warehouses to small flats. 
KARNACA RAILWAY STATION & HOTEL
A major shipping hub, Karnaca Railway Station sees a great deal of traffic, between lumber, mineral, and seafood shipments going out across the continent to passenger railway. Adjacent to the railway station is a traveler's hotel. The city feature elevated light rail on which small trams travel, allowing easy and inexpensive access to most of the city's districts. 
THE CANAL DISTRICT
A wealthy district that straddles the large canal that splits the city, the Canal District features posh townhomes, luxury flats, and exclusive boutiques, cafés, restaurants, and other businesses that cater to the noble and wealthy denizens of the Canal District. It is not unusual to see people strolling along the boardwalk on the canal, or taking small rowboats or gondolas along the canal itself during low-traffic times. This is the greenest part of the city, with greenbelts and small parks dotting the landscape. 
VITALIS SQUARE
Named for the great-great-grandfather of the current Duke of Foxfield (who is memorialized in brass and stone in a twice-life-sized statue in a fountain in the center of the square), this square is the epicenter of the Financial District, featuring the facade of the Duke & Marquis Bank (D&M Bank), the offices of the Southport Miner Gazette newspaper, and a remote office of the Calavar Stock Exchange, in addition to a few small coffee shops, food stalls, and stands set up to cater to the financier-types who work in and around Vitalis Square. 
THE SPECTOR CLUB
Situated in a plaza at the border of the Terrace District and the Canal District, this private club is the secretive refuge of the eponymous Spector Club. The building is secured and locked at all times, with only members carrying keys to the outer doors and a strict biosecurity system granting access to the inner area. And it's not just good booze that is under lock and key; rumor has it that the Spectors are a secret society. Depending on who you ask, it might be a den of debauchery, a fight club, a revolutionary group, or a knitting circle.HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The riches of the city were first discovered two hundred years ago when the canal extending the Calavar River to the southern sea was completed when a detonation in the mountain discovered a massive deposit of platinum. The Vitalis family, nobles of the region, financed the construction of the mines, thus increasing their wealth and influence in the area, and facilitated the construction of a mining outpost nestled in the bay under the platinum deposits. As the mines were excavated, the need for more workers increased, leading to an expansion in the city. Where industry and workers came, business followed, and soon the mining outpost grew into a town, then a city, then an urban center. Though mining remains the lifeblood of the city, major businesses include the sustainable production of lumber from the mountainous forests surrounding the city and fishing and whaling the bountiful waters surrounding the city. In addition, the city serves a tourist spot, as it is situated in the only temperate band of the Galidraani climate.
