Sir Mordin's Port
Sir Mordin's Port is a town on the southern edge of the Second Lands. It is a pirate town with very little rules and plenty of illicit trade and immorality abounds. In order to maintain some sort of peace, the main rules are:
- No killing inside a place that aint your own.
- No thieven at the port's warehouse.
- No touchin another's ship in dock.
- No collectin bounties in port.
- No taking an unwillin to bed.
And those are more guidelines than hard and fast rules. Most establishments will have some security around, mostly to protect its own profits.
The town is about 1/3rd docks and dockside buildings. Beyond the warehouses and storage and the shipyard, the next row of establishments are the inns, entertainment, taverns and such. Finally, towards the edge of town, is the food businesses and general stores and living spaces for those who make Sir Mordin's Port their own.
The port first started when an expedition from Irna setup a base camp to explore The Second Lands. However, the base camp was poorly supported by Irna, and only managed to setup the governors mansion. The governor's name was Sir Mordin. Shortly after it was established and some local support was being built, a pirate group of 3 ships came into harbor, realized what an easy catch this was and took over the mansion.
From there, it quickly became an outlaw's hideout. Irna sent a vessel to see what happened to the expedition, but it was sunk when it came near the town. Irna lost interest and it has been in pirate hands since.
It is managed by a sly pirate who plays the other pirate captains against each other and keeps a small force of soldiers to maintain peace. He will plant stolen booty from one ship on another, kill a prized crew member and put the blame on another captain and so forth. All to keep his tithe of the loot they store there coming in.
Everything is for sale on Sire Mordin's Port, from weapons to foods to people to any kind of service you could want, from hired mercs, to hired killers, to hired professional seducers. If you want it, it can be found here for a price.
The Swashbuckling Saga of Sir Mordin's Port
Founding - An Ill-Fated Expedition
Once a hopeful endeavor, Sir Mordin's Port began as an expeditionary base camp of the Irna Empire. The first Governor, Sir Mordin, a Human male, envisioned it as a gateway to the mysterious Second Lands. However, his dreams were dashed due to lackluster support from Irna, leaving the port with little more than a mansion and some makeshift docks.
From Order to Outlawry
Not long after its establishment, the port was overtaken by a band of pirates led by Captain Blackscar, an Orc female. They easily captured the governor's mansion, turning it into their den of iniquity. Within weeks, the law-abiding settlement mutated into an anarchic outpost, leaving Sir Mordin to flee for his life.
Irna's Failed Reconnaissance
A single ship from Irna was sent to investigate the disappearance of the expedition but was sunk before reaching the harbor. Sensing the futility of reclaiming the port, Irna washed its hands of the area, essentially ceding it to the pirates.
Rise of the Sly Mastermind
In the subsequent centuries chaos ensued at the port, from pirate captains using force to maintain control of the town to tentative alliances to maintain control. Then emerged Wily Jack, a Halfling male adept at manipulation. He understood that balance was key to maintaining his power and income. Through cunning schemes, including planting stolen goods and instigating rivalries among the pirate captains, he kept his rule intact.
The Unwritten Rules
To maintain some semblance of peace, Wily Jack enforced a set of guidelines, mostly meant to protect the free flow of loot into his coffers. From "no killing inside places other than your own" to "no thieving at the port's warehouse," these rules acted more like suggestions but were generally respected for the sake of mutual profitability.
The Town Today
The Waterfront
About one-third of the port is dedicated to docks and shipyards, where pirate ships and illicit merchants drop anchor. It's a bustling place, with dockside taverns, inns, and entertainment joints providing respite for the weary and wicked.
The Backstreets
Behind the waterfront are the inns, taverns, and places of general merriment or debauchery. And further still, one finds food stalls, general stores, and living spaces, where the less sea-faring folk reside.
The Market of Shadows
Virtually anything can be bought here: weapons, foods, services, and even people. Wily Jack ensures that business thrives by maintaining a fragile peace among the competing interests.
Sir Mordin's Port is a town teetering on the edge of chaos, held together by greed, cunning, and the sheer will of its unscrupulous inhabitants. A place where morality is as fluid as the ever-changing tides, it's a haven for those looking to vanish into the gray areas of the world.
Profile: Wily Jack, The Cunning Mastermind of Sir Mordin's Port
## Physical Description
Wily Jack is a Halfling male in his late 40s with a roguish charm that belies his cunning nature. Standing at just 3 feet 4 inches tall, what he lacks in height he makes up for in sheer personality. His eyes are a mischievous shade of green, always twinkling as if he's in on a joke that nobody else understands. His hair is a disheveled mop of sandy brown locks, often hidden under a wide-brimmed, feather-adorned hat.He usually wears a flamboyant green coat with various mismatched buttons, each piece telling a story of a different heist or adventure. Around his waist, a belt carries an assortment of pouches containing anything from gold coins to smoke bombs. His boots are scuffed from years of navigating the dangerous docks and back alleys of the port.
Personality Traits
Wily Jack is a manipulator at heart, but his methods are more cerebral than forceful. His keen intellect allows him to read people effortlessly, making him an excellent judge of character—or more accurately, a judge of weaknesses. He's not above using deceit to achieve his ends, but he also understands the importance of keeping his word; in the underworld of Sir Mordin's Port, reputation is everything.
He has a dark sense of humor and enjoys the complex interplay of the various pirates and merchants who frequent his town. While he is capable of violence, he considers it a last resort, preferring the subtle art of psychological warfare.
Backstory
Born in a small Halfling village in Irna far from The Second Land, Wily Jack left his home at a young age to seek adventure and fortune. He worked as a cabin boy, a mercenary, and a gambler before finally stumbling upon Sir Mordin's Port. He recognized the town's potential for immense wealth and power but also saw the instability that came from unchecked greed and lawlessness.
Rising through the ranks, initially as a ship's quartermaster and then as a confidante to various pirate captains, he learned the ropes of leadership and manipulation. His decisive moment came when he subtly orchestrated the downfall of two rival pirate captains, leaving a power vacuum that he skillfully filled.
Notable Relationships
Wily Jack keeps his circle small and trusts very few. However, he has a working relationship with Captain Blackscar (the 10th), daughter of the Orc female who originally took over the port. Their interests align closely enough for a tentative alliance, one built on mutual respect and a share of the loot.
He also maintains a network of spies and informants, including Whisper, a Tiefling female skilled in gathering secrets and rumors. She often appears as a barmaid or a street performer, her true role known only to a select few.Wily Jack remains a paradoxical figure—both feared and admired, deceitful yet reliable in his own way. As long as the coins flow and the ships dock, he's content to sit back and pull the strings, a puppet master in a world of treachery and opportunity.