Caricomare
Overview
Caricomare is a district of the League city of Sarvos. In 348YE it was devastated by a terrible tempest; in 378YE it was restored and reinvigorated thanks to the generous donations of the citizens and the tireless work of its Senator.
History
Caricomare was a vibrant trading hub for the empire, famous for its miraculous quays. Ships from across the Bay of Catazar, and the wide world beyond, were regular visitors to the City of Masks and their engagement with League society often began there.
The tomb of the Empress Giselle once stood in the ruins of the Alivetti guild estates here (before being moved to Temeschwar), but the ward was better known as the site of the wondrous Caricomare Quays, a great marvel unmatched elsewhere in the world. The mechanical quays were devastated by the storms that flooded this part of the city. The repairs were considered too costly and the floods created a displaced populace, compounding the overcrowding in the city. Caricomare spent three decades as an abandoned, dangerous place, a maze of flooded streets and waterlogged buildings, but it was said that riches could still be found in the depths, for those brave enough to investigate.
Destruction
In 348YE, the city was struck by a terrible tempest that did significant damage to many coastal parts of the city and lead to the flooding and eventual sinking of the southern district of Caricomare. Reclaiming the ruined quarter of the city was deemed "too expensive" by the Senate - a move that some bitter Sarvosans believe to have been intended as a punishment for the League and the city of Sarvos in particular, in the wake of the unpopular Empress's death.
Rebirth
It seemed as if Caricomare was doomed to remain a haunted ruin forever. But in 378YE a decision by the Imperial Senate saw the beginning of a major reconstruction effort in Caricomare, to drain the flood and to appoint a Mayor to oversee the district. Thanks to these efforts, the area is once again a thriving district of Sarvos despite thirty years of neglect. Many sections had to built over, using the sunken ruins as the foundations for new structures, but great pains were taken to include as much of the original architecture as possible. The tomb of Empress Giselle in the Alivetti guild estates was one such area; painstaking raised from the waters and returned to its former glory. Other historic buildings have also been raised and restored or rebuilt in their previous image with numerous families and Cartas reclaiming lost property throughout the district.
Some of the sunken roads have been left underwater and cleared of wreckage, leaving simple water ways that serve as canals and as a memorial to those who were lost to the storm. Many of the bridges build to span the waterways are adorned with memorial plaques and mementos. The districts of the Caricomare have been redesigned to keep trade, the districts life blood, flowing smoothly. Wide roads and canals now run through the district from the quayside like the spokes of a wheel, allowing people and goods to get where they need to be quickly.
Among the many new additions is the Notturno district, the official home of the Caricomare Night Market. During the day it is another bustling market place, however as the sun sets it really comes alive. Some outrageous claims have been made that the Night Market is lit by more lights than there are stars in the sky, but it cannot be denied that the grand marketplace is an unceasing riot of colours and sounds whether it is noon or midnight. Anyone and everyone is welcome, whether they want to trade, entertain or be entertained.
The quayside is trading again, but the mechanical quays are still too badly damaged to function and whole sections had to be dismantled in the restoration process. Until the docks are fully rebuilt the Caricomare won’t be the trade hub it once was.
An obvious new addition is the gleaming white statue that adorns the quayside depicting Senator Miroslav of Sarvos, who championed the rebuilding in the Senate and now watches over the results of his hard work.
The Mystery of the Shifting Statue
Over the Winter of 378YE, the statue of Miroslav underwent a dramatic, unexpected change. The statue itself was quickly concealed behind a wall of scaffolding and dust-sheets ... but not quickly enough. Gossip initially suggested that the entire statue had warped and shifted like hot wax, changing from a depiction of the proud Senator into an effigy half-goat, half-serpent with twisted features, cloven hooves and impious horns.
Even with a few guards preventing access to the statue, any number of urchins and interested citizens have uncovered the truth - the statue has "only" changed so that the facial features reflect those of a snide naga. Rather than gazing out across the bay, the statue leans slightly forward, whispering conspiratorially behind one raised hand, forked snake-tongue protruding and an expression of malicious glee. Casual examination by magicians suggests this vandalism is not the result of a mundane attack; a weak aura of Night magic could be easily discerned around the sculpture for the first month or so.
The sculptor who was initially engaged to create the statue, Anatrice di Sarvos, has made little secret of the fact that she is not interested in returning to a finished piece and considers the fact that the statue has altered to be "not my problem." In private she has amended this to "not my problem - I've been paid."
The statue remained covered until the Grendel invasion of Spring 380YE. The orcs removed the tarpaulin, and there was allegedly some interest in removing the sculpture as a gift for one of the Salt Lords. In the end, the Grendel left the City of Masks without the statue. Then, during the celebrations following the coronation of Empress Lisabetta, the statue underwent a second marvellous transmutation.
Losing all its ophidian characteristics, the statue instead took on the mien of smiling triumph and went from whispering behind its hand to mounting a set of stairs. It now bore an oddly reflective coin in one hand and a lantern in the other. No sculptor claimed credit for the alterations, and so it has been simply chalked up as yet another miraculous occurrence by the residents of Caricomare. Rumours quickly spread - two, in particular, have proved popular with the citizens of the League.
One says that if you gaze into the surface of the metal coin by moonlight, you can gain a glimpse of your heart's desire - that goal or thing that would be the finest expression of your ambition. The other says that the statue itself measures the fortunes of the Empire (or the League, depending on who one asks) and that where it once suggested dark conspiracies and treachery, it now reflects an Empire entering a new age of ambitious destiny. Indeed, priests who preach the path of Ambition have already begun to congregate in the square on market days, and deliver sermons from the steps at the base of the statue.
A Little Doom After All
Following the curse of the Hag Queen that shattered every mirror in Sarvos, there was a great deal of worry that the city was now doomed. In particular, there were real concerns of another flood ruining Caricomare. In the end anxiety about rising sea levels turned out to be nothing more than a few high tides caused by a full moon and a conjunction of the Drowned Man
In the months following the Autumn Equinox 383YE, however, the city was plagued by a series of seemingly random fires. Several important buildings were badly damaged, but the efforts of the city's firefighters are enough to keep the blazes under control. A few weeks later, just as the final work is being completed on the new school of couture, the source of these terrible fires was revealed. Three bravos working for the Carta du Incendio were apprehended attempting to set fire to the College of the Liberated in Trivento. As the would-be arsonists were caught in the act, the college suffered only minor damage. On questioning it soon transpired that the Carta du Incendio had been deliberately setting fires in Sarvos in the hopes of ensuring that contracts for their firefighting skills would be forthcoming. All the criminals involved were quickly apprehended and tried by magistrates, both the bravos and the Carta's leaders who put them up to it.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that the Doom of Sarvos has been averted. People were finally able to relax and celebrate, especially in Caricomare. For a month all was good and then, two weeks before the Winter Solstice... a stevedore accidentally knocked a bucket of burning coals over while unloading timber on the Caricomare docks. The coals were scattered into a pile of broken packing crates that the dockworkers were planning to burn to keep warm. The fire caught,spread, and burnt for five hours before it could be brought under control. By the time that happened, half the waterfront was gone.
In the cool morning light it became clear that the damage is not as bad as it could have been. The docks still function - albeit under a pall of heavy smoke and a patina of ash. It could have been so much worse. There are a few jokes about Caricomare being the cursed district but they fall flat. This time the waterfront was damaged, but if the wind had been blowing in a different direction there's no doubt the fire would have swept inland, potentially turning Caricomare - and perhaps parts of the city proper - into a burnt wasteland.
The Mayor of Caricomare
With the restoration of the district, the Imperial title of Mayor of Caricomare has once again become available. Responsible for overseeing the district and representing its cosmopolitan citizenry, the Mayor enjoys the largesse of the people of Caricomare.
The Blood Red Quays Art Gallery
Built toward the end of 380YE the Blood Red Quays Art Gallery was commissioned by Magdelena Alanga di Sarvos and paid for by The Bloody Butchers Guild of Temeschwar. In addition to serving as a gallery to display fine works of art, it provides inspiration to, and serves as a source of Pride for, the citizens of Sarvos.