Madruga
Overview
Madruga of the Jewelled Isles is the easternmost territory of the Brass Coast, running from the Kahraman mountains down to the Bay of Catazar. Down the coast of Madruga and Feroz the corsairs and merchantmen raise their sails, running goods to Bastion and Sarvos, trading with foreign powers, and fighting off barbarian incursions.
Major Settlements
Siroc
The Sapphire, the City of a Thousand Sails, is acknowledged as the pre-eminent city of the Freeborn. It lies in Madruga close by the border with Feroz. Brightly-coloured tents extend Siroc out far beyond the small cluster of stone buildings that make up the heart of the city. Sails of all shapes and sizes fill the sheltered bay, which is guarded by a series of iron woven nets and chains bought at great expense from the forges of Wintermark.
Minor Settlements
Atalaya
Where the Brass Coast was born, the first landing of the three sisters and their families. Before the Shining Pillar, navigation to the hidden cove here was little short of miraculous. There are those on the Brass Coast who would call their founders Exemplars of Vigilance for the feat. Nowadays, the channel has been widened, and is protected by hidden obstructions that only the Freeborn pilots know well. Many ships of the Freeborn fleet count Atalaya as their home port.
Following a motion before the Senate at the first Imperial Senate session in Winter 376YE, work began to expand the docks of Atalaya. Under the guidance of Miroslav, Senator for the League city of Savos, many wains of white granite and weirwood were committed to building both a massive seawall, and a great Imperial shipyard equipped with drydocks, poweful cranes for loading and unloading, and expanded warehouses and work spaces. Completed shortly before Autumn 377YE, the shipyard provides significant benefits to the Freeborn ships based out of Madruga.
Calvos
A city of the finest wines. The slopes outside the town are rich with grapes, and its produce travels all over the Empire. Even the sommeliers of the League pay well for a Calvos vintage. The Exemplar Zemress i Ezmara i Erigo was born here towards the end of the second century YE, and her ship The Kraken's Bane is housed at a special dry dock here, a destination for many pilgrims of Prosperity - even those from as far afield as The Sumaah Republic.
Midport
Where the first corsair “raised the flame” - the iconic flag of the Freeborn corsair. It’s a harder sail from here to the sealanes where the richest prizes sail, but the corsairs here are fiercely proud of their territory, and compete with those of Feroz for the glory of Madruga, first of Freeborn lands.
Quzar
A port town of white towers and stained glass. Said to be the soul of the Brass Coast. Hakima from all across the nation gather here to share their knowledge in a great meet at midsummer.
Places of Interest
The Shining Pillar
A massive white-and-gold lighthouse on the island of Atalaya off the Madruga coast. Often adopted by Freeborn sailors as a symbol of the Brass Coast, and the sight of it to be a welcome home.
The Spider's Dream
An elegant bridge spans the river Vassa here, connecting Trivento to the Brass Coast. It is a marvellous piece of engineering that resembles a spider's web. There is a toll to pay, or you can take the long way around. Unfortunately, time has not been kind to the Spider's Dream. Resources initially used to maintain it were siphoned off in the time of Emperor Walter, and the bridge has become increasingly dangerous to cross. If it should collapses, there are likely to be unpleasant implications for the people of both Sarvos and Madruga.
The Lyceum
The Lyceum was established during the reign of Empress Aenea on an island east of Siroc. It is a centre of arcane learning in the Empire, and the Dean of the Lyceum maintains sumptuous apartments here. Approach to the island is carefully controlled by the magicians and professors, and the most promising magicians are invited to study or teach there. While it is technically in the territory of Madruga, the island is considered to be part of the Imperial Conclave rather than the nation of the Brass Coast.