Guidebook to Port Town's Mainstreet

Market Square

Market Square forms the centre, with main street stretching out on either side, from the Harbour to the City Gates area. On the Northside the middle class housing, with the poorest near the harbour, while to the south the rich residents have found more space and fresh air, though not to close to where the cattle is herded. Latern poles decorated with green wreaths provide a bit of cheer in the early hours of eveningtide.

The central focus of the square is the fountain, waterworks engineering being a particular mark of the Duke Von zu Dort-Billigh. Due to the frost it is now boarded up with wooden panelling, and merrily decorated evergreen wreaths. A nearby statue of the old Baron of Shorewich, standing proudly in his kilt, is covered with snow, with icicles hanging from his overlarge nose.

The permanent market is always busy during the day, even during Yuletide. The wooden stalls sell spices, soaps, dried herbs, mulled wine, roast nuts and all the fresh produce one could hope for in a location somewhat of the beaten track. The regular presence of merchants from World's Mouth have led to the presence of coffee.

Temple of the Mother

The temple of the Mother, the largest religious institute on the small isle, is a picture of simplicity, mostly made out of wood, and very plain. However, merry everygree wreaths, interspaced with candles give the visitor a welcoming view.

The entrance is a wide open archway leading into an antechamber. The doors to the great chapel within are a wonder to behold: seemingly an infinite variety of woods and metals have been blended into an abstract, but comforting pattern decorating the two large doors, faintly resembling a similar set of doors in the capital.

Within is a large open chapel with a low ceiling. Rows of wooden benches provide seating for the large number of commoners that come here seeking the blessing and comfort of the Mother. A warm glow from several large oil lanterns provides both light and dancing shadows along the walls. Simple but well-crafted friezes depicting the various events associated with the Mother - planting, tending and harvest of the fields, fertility and childbirth, and gardening - to name a few.

Doorways lead off to the sides. The Temple is pleasantly warm within in contrast to the chill weather that seems to have gripped the city outside. All in all, it is a sober, comforting atmosphere.

Temple of Pecunia

The temple of the goddess of wealth is a sleek, simple building, standing about twenty meters high. Made of smooth, cool blue stone, the temple can only be described as businesslike. Above the gate, the name of Pecunia and the image of the goddess have been carved into the stone, the carvings filled up with gold dust. Templar guards stand watch before the gate, dressed in the finest armour and armed with the finest weaponry money can buy.

There are three important parts to this temple in the front hall: the bank (the Pecunian clerics invented the banking system and currently maintain it) , the postoffice (which, with the blessing of Pecunia, takes swift care of this essential part of the economy) and the donation box for those with specific request to the Goddess of Wealth. Each take up a wall with a priest patiently attending those that require service. Beyond the doors beside the donation box one can find the altar.

Made of pure, solid gold, this altar, a copy of the one found in the Citadel, sits in the middle of the main hall of worship. Here, the walls are adorned with scenes of important events of Pecunian myth, much like leaded windows, only here, the coloured glass has been substituted by gold, silver, and a variety of valuable gems. When the candles are lit, this whole room gains a glow, with all the light reflected from precious metals filling the room. It is in this glow that religious services are often conducted, with the faithful kneeling before the altar, and a priest of the faith leading it all.

Temple of Pan

Pan and  Dort do not have an easy co-existance, though the Duke is said to have been converted for some time in his youth. However, the wastful ways of Panlings, spreading free love, has caused its initial banning from every Dortenese shore due to his firm Pecunia faith. In contrast on this isle of Shorewich Panlings have found refuge after the War of the One, having been all but disappeared from most other isles of the Kingdom of Seven Isles.

Out of deference to Pecunia, Pan's Joy (the wild enjoyment of drink, sex and music to the abandonment of everything else) is not given much emphasize today, though trained attendants from the Red Rose guild offer services that are a bit more mundane, such as beauty treatments and counseling. Pan's Blood also leads an obscure existence within the temple. It is Pan's Arts that is the most visible aspect that the faithful come to admire, with bards regularly entertaining.

This temple is decorated with the same green themes as the temple of the Mother, with merry evergreen wreaths and candles on every corner, but over smooth white marble and nice lush tapistries that invoke a sense of luxury and enjoyment.

The Old Troll under the Bridge, Inn & Tavern

Port's Town is not very large, and so supports only one decent Inn. It is a simple building of wood and stone, painted a stark white, made friendly by green vines that grow over its exterior.

Inside there is nearly always laughter and music, and a good amount to eat and drink. Bards and rogues of all manner frequent the place, but it is equally welcome to merchants and farmers alike. A large wooden bar, with the sturdy owner, a dwarf by the name of Nashrim, or "Nash" for short,  at the tap, though he has several comely wenches to attend his costumers.

Nash's claim to fame is a story about how he once killed a troll in his youth, winning the hand of a fair maiden who has since moved on to her heavenly reward. If enticed by enough dark beer Nash will gladly share the story once again.

The Shops

On either side of the street there are shops, from the practical to the frivolous.

OOC: please feel free to add your shop description if you own one.

The Nameless Shop

The sign outside is blank, stating no name and no decorations whatsoever, yet the window says it all: outrageously colored feathers are combined with the simplest of cloth into a stunning contraption, the finest of furs are draped over designs that had best be named as... an impeccable, pitiable imitation. The eye-catcher undoubtedly is a scanty outfit made out of white goosefeathers with matching cloak, the very same replica of what once stood on the window display of a distant shop yahrens ago.

The entranceroom of the small store is empty and bare, save for two cushioned chairs intended for clients, a small center table, and a lush carpet on the floor. On a wall inside the room, almost hidden, is a worn out sign with letters almost incomplete and faded by the yahrens: "No b dy be s en or a cost me be fi ted."

In the back of the room a man clothed in the current fashion is behind his desk, his distant brown eyes is troubled as they gaze down upon a blank parchment. His right hand holding a charcoal is poised over the parchment, seemingly waiting for an inspiration that he knows will not come. The mug on the desk filled with coffee is already cold, never been touched, ignored and forgotten. On the floor are littered parchments, crumpled yet blank.

One thing is for sure: there is a hint of desperation and frustration in the yuletide air inside that small room.