Port-a-Lucine

Port-a-Lucine is the renowned capital of Dementlieu. It is an ancient city, with a history that well predates its arrival in the demiplane of dread. The famous 400-year-old ruins of Ste. Mer des Larmes are a testement to that. The city, while certainly not the largest, is revered as the hub of culture and refinement in the core. The fashions, eccess and way of life heavily influence the surrounding domains, especially Richemulot and Mordent.

Port-a-Lucine is divided up into four quarters, each one a different aspect of dementlieuse society.

Quartier Merchand

Home of most of the business in Port-a-Lucine, the merchant quarter is situated on the north-eastern side of the city, and fronts on to Pernault Bay. Close by is situated the Widdow's Walk and the docks district, which essentially is the coastal strip of land in the city's north, with the north-western docks being devoted to national and noble interests, and the eastern harbour being the key place of trade.

Here goods, wares and comodities are brought to Dementlieu via the sea of sorrows, and in turn, Dementlieuse goods are exported to the western-coastal core, and the string of islands that make up the Sea of Sorrows.

Quartier Ouvrier

The worker's quarter inhabits the south-eastern area of the city, and is home to most of the cities lower class. Some portions of the quarter are essentially slums, though the state does provide basic education and food for the needy in these areas, though it is hardly enough. The residents of this area are conveniently on the opposite side of the hill upon which Port-a-Lucine rests, out of view and therefore out of mind for those dwelling in the Quartier Savant.

Quartier Savant

The nobility of Port-a-Lucine dwell in this lavish south-western corner of the city. Dozens of estates, the city residences of Dementlieu's many nobles, dot the area, usually fenced off from the outside world by high walls or wraught-iron fences that conceal private gardens and sitting areas inside. Needless to say, some of the richest people in the entire core dwell in this area.

Quartier Publilique

The Quartier Publilique or Government Quarter is situated in the north-western corner of Port-a-Lucine and is home to the numerous government buildings of the city, including the Great Library, Winter Palace, University, and High Court among a host of smaller, though no less grand governmental buildings. The city watch is also based in this area. It is also the winter residence of the King and the Council of Brilliance.

During the greatest part of the year, the Council of Brilliance sits in session, overseen by the Lord-Regent. The young King Louis also has some say in the goings on in his Kingdom, though true power rests in the council. During nine months of the year, the council may deliberate, though often only once or twice a week, to even once a month in the slow months.

Places of Note in Port-a-Lucine

The following is a compliation of locations that can be used in Port-a-Lucine. Most of the information is non-cannon.

Sites of Interest

1. Winter Palace: The esteemed home of King Louis XVII and the residency of much of the Council of Brilliance (while they are active in their offices) sits close to the harbour where its fabulous gardens, private docks and impressibe architecture serve to please its excessive inhabitants.
   
   The palace keeps its own guard, seperate to the city's Gendarme'. Palace guards are on average 2nd level fighters finely clothed in blue, and armed with masterwork muskets, bayonets, pistols and rapiers. Depending on whether or not the King is in residence, from 20-80 guards are on duty at any one time. For every twenty men there is a lieutenant (Ftr4, same arms as guards, though armoured with a breastplate and wear a silver neckpiece (worn on a chain over the chest with the royal seal, a denotion of rank) that functions as an Amulet of Natural Armour +1). All are overseen by the captain of the guard, Gerard D'Tanion (Ftr7/Dul2, armed the same as the lieutenants, but with a golden neckpiece instead that functions as an Amulet of Natural Armour +2).
2. Palais Dirigeante: This is the main government institution of Dementlieu. It houses the meetings of the Council of Brilliance when they are in session and is physically attached to the high court of Dementlieu.
3. High Court of Dementlieu: Handling the most important cases in law, the High Court is a relatively new building, said to be only one or two centuries old. Despite its grandure, it isn't often used, as it only hears important cases. Court here is usually only in sesson one month of the year, except in extenuating circumstances.
   
4. Conservatorium of Music: The greatest musicians in Ravenloft are schooled at this conservatorium, and it is the only one of its kind. It is the only place in Ravenloft that houses a full 120-piece orchestra, including the finest strings and pipes. For an abhorrent amount of money (50gp per month) students may learn instruments from the finest Ravenloft has to offer.
   
5. Port-a-Lucine Opera House: The city's famous opera house is situated along the harbourfront of the Quartier Marchand. Here all who can afford it flock to see the star performances of Maria Diosa or Jerome Cencou, though in recent times, dissapearances and the rumours of a ghost have overshadowed the opera house.
   
6. University of Dementlieu: The prestigious University of Dementlieu is perhaps the largest in all the core, and now with the demise of Il'Aluk in Darkon, is considered the greatest in all of Ravenloft. The university has five faculties - the Faculty of Science, Faculty of the Arts, Faculty of the Arcane, Faculty of History, and Faculty of Law.
   
7. Great Library of Dementlieu: This massive building is home to perhaps the richest collection of books in Dementlieu and probably the core. Here, tomes from all across ravenloft, sometimes from even beyond it, are stored here. The general resources are open to the public, though lending is forbidden. The building contains massive desks and seats for reading, with special areas avaiable only to the most elite members of society. Beneath is said to be a library of a more arcane flair, though this is forbidden to the public completely.
   
8. The Office of Alanik Ray: Famous investigator and detective, the darkonese elf, Alanik Ray, has his personal office in the lower government quarter of Port-a-Lucine. His secretary is always in between the hours of 9am to 6pm.
   
9. Ruins of Ste. Mer des Larmes: Despite the decrepit appearance of Ste. Mere des Larmes, it houses the Dementlieu sect of the Church of Ezra. This sect arrived in Port-a-Lucine in 709 BC, when Warden Joan Secousse discovered a stained glass window in the ruined cathedral that appeared to depict the common representation of Ezra. Investigation of the site began hurriedly, and soon tunnels and cellars were uncovered beneath the foundations that contained the teachings of the cathedral's original faith, from more than 400 years ago. Startling similarities between these teachings and the texts of Yakov Dilisnya prompted Secousse to pen The Third Book of Ezra and return to Lechberg to deliver her news. The Church soon determined that Secousse had indeed discovered a new aspect of the Grand Scheme, and she was named Bastion of the Port-a-Lucine sect of the Church of Ezra.
   
10. L'Académie Des Sciences: This is a private club, a borderline secret society dedicated to seeking out, acquiring and preserving arcane knowledge and relics. They have agencies in Dementlieu, Mordent, Richemulot and Borca, and agents prowling the surrounding domains of Lamordia, Falkovnia, Darkon, Invidia, Valachan and Verbrek. The organization hires would be adventurers to retrieve artefacts, volumes and anything that attracts the interest of the society.
    The headquarters here in Port-a-Lucine is a four-story building nestled in the Merchant Quarter of the town.
    
11. The Widow's Walk: The docks district contains this famous boardwalk, a dangerous place where many have been rumoured to go missing.

Prominent Stores and Establishments

12. The Gentleman's Club: Perched in the higher regions of the government quarter is the Gentleman's Club, an elitist society of scientists, philosophers and aristocrats. Membership in the Gentleman's club requires that the applicant be male and have either a sponsor or relative who is or was an existing member.
    The wealthy club takes care of its own, and meet biweekly for hours of long philosophical debate and the enjoyment of fine wines, spirits and pipe tobacco. Membership gains great social benefits, including favours, such as getting out of trouble with the law, or getting a hold of premium services at cost price.
13. Clive's Second Hand Emporium: This business, run by the somewhat famous Clive du Mont is essentially a second hand store and curiosity shop geared towards the adventurer. Here characters may purchase adventuring items of up to masterwork quality for only 75% the set price for common items, weapons and armour and equipment, while special substances, custom equipment and masterwork items, weapons and armour are at 90% of their set prices. Clive provides a money-back guarantee, the cause of his limited fame.
14. Gunhammer Forge: This establishment, located on the hillside of the Quartier Merchand off the Rue Royale, is run by an aged but talented dwarven outlander named Luradin the Gunhammer (Ftr6/Exp4). His store sells a variety of hand-made weapons, but specialises in Wheel-lock firearms and ornate basket-hilted bladed weapons. His prices are fair, and his craftsmanship exquisite.
15. Chivalric Arms: Despite Dementlieu's general view that the usage of plate armour is backwards and inferior, an elitist brotherhood of armoursmiths toil hard at their forges to provide this store with functional but elaborate plate armour suits and heavy chivilric weapons, such as lances, broadswords and greatswords. All items sold at this store are of masterwork quality or higher, and are often crafted with exotic materials. Only breastplate, half-plate and full plate armour is sold here (or any other plate derivitives you have in your campaign) as well as a small selection of heavy melee weapons.
    The store itself is owned by one Pierre Du Pont, and all items are forged off premesis. Most items are by request only, and are completely custom fitted to the wearer.
16. The Black Candle: Yhis quaint store is nestled away in the backstreets of the Quartier Merchand in the city, a location found by reputation rather than an open address. The shop caters for all needs arcane, from magical supplies to spell scrolls, potions and a selection of magical items (up to 10,000 gp each in value).
17. The Calcinatory: Found not too far from the ruins of Ste. Mer des Larmes, the store specialises in alchemical supplies and services. Special substances, gunpowder and alchemical tools are all available from Lenoard Derier.
18. Armourer (Armour, Shields and Helms)
19. Fletcher (Bows, Crossbows, Arrows and Bolts)
20. Blacksmith (Horseshoes, metal tools, etc)
21. Provisioner (Common Adventuring Gear)
22. Tanner (Leather Goods, Whips & Armour)
    
    Inns, Taverns and Restaurants
23. Governor's Hotel (good quality rooms): The most exclusive place to stay in Port-a-Lucine, with plush, elegantly furnished rooms with four-poster beds.
24. Auberge de la Premiere (good quality rooms):
25. The Manor Retreat (good quality rooms):
26. Chez Léon (good quality food):
27. The Golden Fig (good quality food):
28. Broken Spire Inn (common quality rooms, good quality food):
29. The Mutinied Sailor (poor quality rooms, poor quality food): Situated not far from the Widdow's Walk, the Mutinied Sailor, as the name implies, is a disreputable hang out for vagrants, thugs, pirates and many a merry sailor. Here cheap rooms, food, drink and whores attract all kinds of miscreants from far and wide. Brawls are common here and the nights are always rowdy.

Novelty Stores

There exists a host of curiosity shops and mundane stores throughout the city of Port-a-Lucine that may be of interest to the casual visitor or resident, but perhaps not so much for the adventurous at heart.

A list of different types of stores and establishments to be found in Port-a-Lucine, and to a lesser extent, Chateaufaux, are listed below.

People of Note

People noted below are marked with a * if they are non-cannon.

*King Louis XVII (Juvinile monarch of Dementlieu, 14 yrs)
*Lord-Regent Marcel Guignol

Council of Brilliance (Conseil Eclat)

Jean-Pierre Theroux (Arts)
Claude LaGrange (Trade, senior member of Société de Legerdemain)
Josephine Chantreaux (Defence)
Helene duSuis (Public Services)
Dominic d'Honaire (Law & Justice)

Other Personalities

*Gerard D'Tanion (Captain of the Guard)
Serge Lamond (Leader of L'Odures)
Gaston Delapont (Stage Wizard)
Bastion Joan Secousse (Leader of Church of Ezra)
Warden Armand Pineau (Church of Ezra Successor)
Warden Leonie Caille (Church of Ezra Rival Successor)
The Living Brain
Maria Diosa (diva, Opera House)
Jerome Cencou (Famous Tenor, ladies man)
Lord Balfour de Casteelle (University Dean)
Alanik Ray (Famous Detective)
Arthur Sedgewick (Detective Assistant)
*Dr Simone Delacroux (Professor of Medicine, University, Female Academic)

Port-a-Lucine Dungeon Environments

There are a number of locations throughout the city that may be counted as dungeons or dungeon-like environments. These places will be detailed in the future as they are used in the webmaster's campaigns.

Port-a-Lucine Opera House

The foundations of the massive opera house are vast and deep, though few men are said to have returned sane from going down there. The basement breaks down into the foundations, which are completely subterranean, with some of the chambers waterlogged or simply submerged. It is said that they is even a small underground lake down there. As to what creatures might make their lair down there, rumours state that it is the home of the mysterious Phantom.

Ruins of Ste. Mer des Larmes

Beneath the impressive Ezran ruins lies a complex of tunnels and passages that form anceint catacombs. What treasures may lie beneath the ruin are unknown to the public, and even to some extent, the Ezrans that excavate it. However, societies such as L'Academie des Sciences are interested to find out, and have even gone so far as to set up agents within the church heirarchy. All that is known is that the place is riddled with traps, and perhaps worse things.

The Sewers

The city of Port-a-Lucine boasts one of the largest sewer network systems in all of Ravenloft. The sewers, home to all kinds of vermin and miscreants. At the lowest levels, D'Honaire's greatest rival has moved its lair. After a close call with the darklord's agent, the living brain instructed its followers to move it to a new and secret location - deep below the city itself.

Level 1: Upper Sewers
Filled with the city's waste and filth, the upper level of the sewers is home to vermin, for the most part rats and dire rats, but it is also used as a covert meeting place for the local thieve's guild and for other shady rendezvous'.
Level 2: Lower Sewers
Level 3: Deep Sewers
Level 4: Subsewers
The subsewers are indeed beneath the sewer system entirely. Apart from ancient access tunnels, there are few ways to get to this area, which makes it an attractive lair for the Human Brain. Here the brain can be found, guarded in the centre of the complex, the machines that sustain it giving off a faint hum in the otherwise silent passages.

Original artworks and materials are © Copyright 2003 to Ben Mowbray.
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