Illyria Trade Council

Bellingsy styles itself the gateway to the Middle Kingdom, a heavily fortified city sitting at a junction of great waterways which flow down from Meilla and Norweld, and on into the Middle Kingdom. It is, the Illyria Trade Council would have one believe, the must-visit destination for anyone bringing trade goods down from the north west.

The buildings of Bepima are constructed in the Middle Kingdom style most familiar to the merchants of the Illyria Trade Council. The ships in its great harbour are of southern designs, from Tallimar and Farra Isle. In its streets are found sombre Dark Elves, haughty Lyrians, boisterous Kadu, quiet Windseekers, and more. The Trade Council has built an entirely cosmopolitan metropolis on this jungle coast.

Seeking a sheltered anchorage and defensible location, Hengbert Broadrick founded this stronghold as the Illyriad Trade Council's first foothold in he Broken Lands. With access to the ocean to the north, and a central location amongst the Yuraquncha, the Council have high hopes for this secure trade post.

The City Elders of Freeport proclaim, frequently, that the city remains, as the name suggests, a free and independent city, run by its guilds and Elder. The Illyria Trade Council has no authority here, but merely, through its generosity, provides financial support to the city, its defences, and the favoured causes of its leading citizens. The city folk nod sagely, and agree that this is so, although with a nod to the motto pressed into each of the city's coins, which reads, “Everyone Shall Keep What They Have Paid For.”

The trade post of Hope is aptly named. To think that a merchant might survive, let alone thrive, in this region, requires considerable optimism. To the north and west are the lawless lands of the Outlaws, and Undying Flame; to the south and east are the vicious Sundog Gith. But as the traders here remark, the riskier the investment, the greater the profit.

Aptly named, Hope Ridge is the Illyria Trade Council's most optimistic foray into the Broken Lands. The most southerly of their trade posts, it has no access to the sea, and so relies entirely on local trade.

The quiet city of Maplehurst is positioned as a centre for trade between the civilised lands around the Middle Kingdom and the bloody lands of the north. To the south are the Golden Fields and the Duchy of Keppen; to the north the monstrous Arakvar and an array of warlike human Factions. In the city itself, the Illyria Trade Council hopes to do brisk business.

In ancient times, a sacred horse roamed the hills here, keeping safe from harm all who lived within sight of its peak. But a proud warlord swore that none but he could keep the people safe, and so he settled on the hill, had the horse killed and stuffed, and displayed its remains in the courtyard of a magnificent castle which he ordered be built upon the ridge.<br><br>The morning after the castle was completed, guests arrived at the gates to find it completely deserted. The warlord, his people, and the remains of the horse had all vanished. Only recently has the site been settled again – now by more peaceful folk, merchants of the Illyria Trade Council, who have recognised the exceptional defensive location and founded a trade centre here.

On a high promontory overlooking the river, Persiflage was founded by the Lannigolds hundreds of years ago, to spread their influence through the north. But the family never really took to the cold climate, nor to the rough neighbours, and they soon lost interest in the place. The city's pragmatic traders, however, would not abandon this promising trade post, and so turned to the Illyria Trade Council to maintain the city when the Lannigolds left.

For hundreds of years the Council of Qal Mar preserved the independence of their trade post. They hired mercenaries to fight off raiding Sslipentin, they raised walls strong enough to hold off the expansionist Sultans of Kazim, they thwarted countless coups by would-be despots. They could resist everyone and everything, except the lure of gold. The council of Qal Mar willingly joined the Illyria Trade Council as partners, selling their independence for the promise of future profits.

Rainswinton seemed, to northern foreigners with little grasp of the Broken Lands, to be well-positioned - with good access for shipping and no competing trade centres for many miles. But the Melder-corrupted lands of Huronire and the sparsely populated Yuraquncha jungles provide few opportunities for profit, and newcomers bemoan the stifling humidity in the town itself.

Trade Council explorers from Broadrick's Landing identified this location, on a low tor, with sheer cliffs on all sides and a good harbour at its base, as an ideal adjunct to the Landing to the north. Their hope is that over-land trade between the two will allow goods to pass from the northern ocean to the central seas without the need for shipping to pass through the Straights of Huronire.

Three hundred years ago, Shelton was an unremarkable village. But the patronage of the Illyria Trade Council has seen it grow into an enviable city. Set amid fertile fields, with excellent access to the waterways of Elgea, and surrounded by a diverse range of neighbouring Factions, its location makes it a wonderful site for a trade centre – or so the Council has concluded.

Securely based in the peaceful land of Virten, Tattershill's river-side location was chosen to allow both ship access from the central seas and land access from Virten. The Illyria Trade Council hopes that it will become the the leading centre for trade between the peaceful west and the wild lands across the water to the east.