White Sands
Although White Sands is just a city, it seems to have the wealth and might of a kingdom. It is thoroughly unlike any other city in Chronikos in that it is ruled by five merchant families each led by, what the locals like to call, a "Merchant Prince." The city is divided into six sectors of roughly the same size, and each section is walled off. Each family has its own militia that controls its respective area. Only the central sector, called the Arena Ward, is open territory apparently controlled by no one family. It is here that a truce is called and the feuding among the families is put on hold....at least most of the time. Slavery, smuggling, the trading of narcotic substances, the selling of contraband, kidnapping, blackmail, and all other sorts of mischief are the backbone of the city's economy. The gladiatorial games are the chief entertainment. In the Arena Ward one might also find taverns, cathouses, and gaming houses. When an occasional assassination occurs in the Arena Ward, the Merchant Princes openly frown upon such behavior, because it is bad for business. But inwardly those who were successful must rejoice. But if the Arena Ward were not relatively safe, people would not go there, and thus business would suffer. So violence is kept to a minimum. In the other wards of the city, those directly controlled by the families, violence, espionage, thievery, and assassinations are commonplace. Travelers in the city must obtain passports to enter certain wards, and they are only given out for good reason and at a high price. The favored gladiatorial warrior is a Tamari Elf, and the merchant who owns one is the envy of his peers. Slavers have been known to make raids into Tamari border towns to steal away Tamari. And since the Tamari are fierce warriors, the slavers will often hire a gang of mercenaries for the job. If twenty mercenaries die for the capture of one Tamari, the merchants consider it a profitable exchange. Tarin, a Tamari border guard, was once asked his opinion of White Sands. His response accurately sums up the city: "You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."