Freeport

The city of Freeport completely covers one of the three largest islands of the archipelago. It's known for its trade, its complete lack of a centralized government or any written laws, and the guilds and gangs that instead control its streets.

Government
Main article: Guilds & Gangs of Freeport

Freeport’s ruling guilds and gangs are constantly in flux, competing in a societal survival of the fittest. Prominent powers are the Acquafredda gang (AQF), currently in control of nearly the entirery of Freeport; the Bazaar Guild of the Mass, a council of business owners; and the Farmers' Guild of the Oldtown Cliffs, the public face of Freeport’s druids and the island’s sole coroners. Between these and the dozens of other guilds established, all of the island is under the influence of one organization or another, with only the amount of internecine conflict varying from location to location.

Previously, the Falcodisangue family (FDS) was a major power within Freeport as well, but they've since taken to the seas, the majority of their territory falling to the AQF.

Geography
Freeport is founded on an atoll made up of three roughly connected landmasses, and contains many districts.

Oldtown
The largest landmass, and the first to be settled, is Oldtown, the downtown heart of Freeport. Oldtown is controlled primarily by the Acquafredda gang (AQF), and is also home to the Gilded Lobster, a well-known bar and Freeport's only neutral territory; the Farmers' Guild headquarters, set on the northern cliffs overlooking the Groves; the Temple, an open-faith temple; and the C.L.U.B. fight ring. The Falcodisangue family (FDS) was previously headquartered in Oldtown as well, in a building called the Roost, but when they took to the seas, the Roost was transformed into the Temple and most of their former territories were claimed by the AQF. C.L.U.B. was also formerly run by the FDS but has since been taken over by Mohka, the self-styled "Queen of Freeport."

Oldtown Inner Docks
The Oldtown docks are the safest of any in Freeport from any natural disaster, located as they are within the shelter of the atoll, and are the main hub of the city's trade and travel. The docks are and have been under the AQF's control, however, and the gang enforces (varied) docking fees.

Midtown and Edtown also have inner docks, also effectively under AQF control, though they're much smaller and are used primarily by the AQF-run intra-city ferry service.

Groves
The Groves are a large tidal swamp that extends from the external side of Oldtown and protects the city from the harsher effects of storms. The predominant feature of the Groves are the impressive rizroot trees, capable of growing up to 80 feet in height. These trees have rust-red bark and dark green leaves. Their exposed root systems hold the main trunks above sea level, and it isn't uncommon for the larger trees to have roots descending from heavy branches to help support them.

The dead of Freeport are buried in the Groves, and the Groves' tenders, the Rizhearts, take precautions to prevent them from being raised.

The Groves are also home to one of Freeport's three lighthouses, referred to simply as "the Tree."

Freeport Sign
Stretching across the entrance of Freeport's lagoon, between Oldtown and Edtown, this towering wooden structure is a monument of amazing practical engineering used for impractical purposes. According to urban legend, the Sign was created by the budding Repair Guild, either as a publicity stunt or a drunken practical joke, and many believe both were involved. It's the highest contested area in the atoll, as anyone can paint whatever they want on it, which naturally lasts only until it's painted over by someone else. The Sign does serve some practical purpose, however, as a rope bridge is suspended from it for foot traffic between the two islands of the atoll.

The Leaning, one of Freeport's three lighthouses, is located on the Oldtown side of the Sign.

Sands
The Sands describes the area between Oldtown and Midtown, containing a shoal predominantly consisting of coconut trees and dune grasses. The area contains a thriving district of boardwalks and traders, as well as a surprisingly pleasant beach for swimming. It's often sought after by Freeport residents seeking open space in the crowded city. Several small footbridges span the tidal inlets to create a pedestrian route between Oldtown and Midtown.

Midtown
Midtown is the industrial district of Freeport and a booming center of manufacture.

Mass
One of the oldest structures in Freeport, the Mass began as a conglomeration of ships moored together. This densely populated structure has been built up over Freeport's long history, its modular, non-uniform construction leading to maze-like lower levels. It's continually expanded upwards through the combined efforts of the Bazaar, Repair, and Lighthouse guilds, and simultaneously is continually sinking into the bottom of the lagoon. Local superstition has it that unsecured boats drift toward the Mass, as if pulled by some eldritch force.

The first airship to travel to Freeport docked at the top of the Mass as an unsubtle snub of the Acquafredda's docking fees, and the tradition has continued, the Mass now serving as the primary docking location for airships.

Bazaar
The Bazaar, run by the guild of the same name, can be found in the topmost levels of the Mass, filled with countless shops, traders, and fine craftsmen. A large oak tree is maintained as the centerpiece of the area, grown by magic and raised every 25 to 50 years to remain at the top of the Mass.

Under
The Under is a twisting maze of old, damp, and decrepit spaces in the Mass, beginning just above the waterline and extending further below it. Occasionally referred to as "Freeport's dungeon," it hosts unsavory people and dealings and is widely considered the most dangerous part of the city.

Midtown Outer Docks
These docks see a fair amount of use from those transporting anything of significant weight or bulk to or from Midtown as the Sands are all but impassable by any sort of cart. They're also the primary choice of anyone trying to avoid the AQF's docking fees, though they lack any storm protection and so take considerable damage during that season. Not many leave their ships here at that time of year, choosing either to schedule long journeys just before or to pay the fees to weather the storms at one of the inner docks.

Sally's Shipping can be found in a warehouse on the Midtown docks.

Sticks
The Sticks can be found on the opposite side of Midtown from the Sands, just before the Backwash. It's little more than a shanty town, with its structures built on stilts to keep them out of the water. For a district of Freeport, it's relatively safe, but its residents don't tend to look too kindly on strangers. The Repair Guild has their headquarters here.

Edtown
Located on the third island of the atoll, Edtown is the quietest area of Freeport, relatively removed from guild squabbling.

Edtown Inner Docks
The Cash House, a gambling house, or more appropriately, a gambling yacht, can be found moored at the Edtown inner docks.

Lighthouse
The Edtown end of the Freeport Sign connects to the Lighthouse, which serves as the headquarters for the Lighthouse Guild as well as a temple to Hermes. The Lighthouse is located on a tiny bit of land that's connected to Edtown by the coral and rock jetty that protects the Pools. It sees some foot traffic of those traveling to and from Oldtown, but the intra-city ferry is generally quicker.

Pools
Nestled between Edtown and the Lighthouse, the Pools are home to a number of merfolk, who are storied to have been the original inhabitants of the area, before it was Freeport.

Backwash
Located between Edtown and the Sticks, the Backwash is generally considered the nastiest place in Freeport, though not quite the most dangerous, second only in that regard to the Under. It's been said that "all of Freeport flows out the Backwash," a saying that isn't altogether untrue. Due to the ocean currents of the area, the Backwash acts as a natural outlet for waters within the atoll, with an inward current flowing under the Sign.

History
Freeport’s lawless, disorganized nature makes it impossible to name a specific founding date, but even the earliest records name it as an established power in the archipelago, alongside Kairos and Kanara, and its residents often claim it was the first founded of the three.

Freeport has historically had tense relations with Kairos, which seemed to be coming to a head in early 2320, in season 2. With war looming on the horizon, King Reggie of Kanara offered to hold peace talks between the two, but the cities' differences were soon forgotten with the revelation that King Reggie had been replaced by a rakshasa imposter and the ensuing Battle for Kanara.

Following the Battle, Freeport became a haven for a number of Kanaran refugees and adventurers fleeing Kairos' ban of the profession. It was during this time as well that the Falcodisangue took to the seas, letting their territories within the city fall to the Acquafredda. A few of the guilds took advantage of the Kanaran reconstruction effort to reap new profits, and with Kairos' attention turned to Kanara, relations between Kairos and Freeport eased and improved.

Flag
Freeport's semi-official flag depicts the atoll over a solid background, though the colors vary. This flag represents a united Freeport and is rarely seen for just that reason, as the city's inhabitants tend to identify themselves more with smaller groups than the city itself, be it one of the gangs or simply themselves alone, and those groups rarely agree to work together. The rarity of the flag's use has actually entered the common vernacular within the city in the phrase "when the atoll flies," effectively meaning something that will never happen (or is highly unlikely to), or especially in reference to some apocalyptic event, as that's the only time most can conceive of when all the guilds and gangs would actually unite.

There have only been two occasions in recent history when the atoll has flown. The more recent of these was during the Krakening, when Freeport united against the Cult of the Briny Lord. The first, however, is nearly myth: Freeport and Kairos have ever been at odds due to their clashing ideals, and once, in ages past, Kairos attempted to "bring the lawless haven of pirates to justice." Kairosian tactics, however, failed to account for the idiosyncrasies of their opponents, both in the fervency of their belief in the anarchical ideal, and in how that same belief would ultimately affect their tactics. The Kairosian navy, strong as it was, was simply unprepared for the unpredictable guerilla tactics employed by all the varied groups that made up the Freeportian fleet, and was roundly defeated—or so Freeportians tell it. Most any Kairosian, on the other hand, will disavow its happening. In Freeport, the supposed anniversary of the Kairosian navy's retreat is celebrated annually, with an unspoken truce between the guilds and gangs as the streets are filled with revelers.