Nepor

Nepor is a historic port city on the western coast of the nation of Hesjbagaaia in Munatan. It is a vital centre for trade, with goods from throughout the region flowing through its docks. Its wharves are well defended, being home to the prestigious Umber Sea Fleet of the Hesjbagaaian Navy.

Historically it was one of the chief cities of the Rubaporat, famed for its arts, culture and cuisine as well as commerce.

The modern city is a conurbation which sprawls along the bays and inlets of the Nepor Lagoon, with a hinterland of rich farmland. The lagoon is a brackish waterway surrounded by sand, mud and marsh, which protects shipping from storms and tides.

The Poets City to the south is the old city of the Poet Kings. It was built on a spit of land with a narrow neck connecting it to the mainland, making it easily defensible. The old city walls still exist along the coast but have disappeared elsewhere.

The modern city is much larger and surrounds the enormous 10th century harbour to the north. The two are connected by the strand of Fishers' Bay. The sands of the bay itself are used by fishermen to land their wares, and as an impromptu marketplace. Fishermen haul their boats in at high tide and sell fish straight from their vessels.

The first city was constructed on a spit of land linked to the mainland by a narrow causeway. The city was walled with mud bricks covered in tesselated stone of colourful designs which shone in the sun, considered so beautiful it was a wonder to sailors and travellers. In time the tiles peeled away and the mud bricks sagged, leaving only lumpen remnants today.

Under the Ennseperan Empire a new city was constructed on a promontory to the north, with a huge new harbour being constructed to accomodate the trade in peupra and other goods.

During the War of Schisms the city came under assault several times but remained loyal to the Imperium.

The city is famous for its culture from high to low. Every year the city elects a “Poet King”, a tradition dating back thousands of years to the founders of the Rubaporat. Historically the poet kings were political leaders, but today it is an artistic contest where literary artists read their works aloud and the audience selects a winner. In recent decades the competition has been extended to performance and visual art, though verbal poetry is still predominant.

Factions supporting various candidates for Poet-King were followed by the gadosjo, gangs of young men who dressed in elaborately colourful clothing and were notorious for street scuffles and petty crime. Today the gadosjo gangs still strut the city's streets but they have little to do with the artistic community.

Nepor is famed for its cuisine, particularly in preparing the wealth of seafood from the Umber Sea. Dishes range from robust spiced fish stews to delicate dishes with elaborate decoration. Neporish cuisine is noted for its light use of herbs and spices, its use of fresh ingredients, and the importance of knife skills which produce translucent slices or complex shapes on the plate.