City Map of Anthir

City Map of Anthir by Jaques Smit

Nestled in a natural harbour shielded against the unforgiving chill of the frozen north, Anthir is the final bastion of southern civilisation on the way north. Its people are stoic and view art as a luxury confined to religious sanctums.

Ferdinand Keep is the city’s cornerstone. After the last Wartide swooped down from the north, leaving the south in ruin, Rendinian General Ferdinand Larsea constructed the fortress in 478 A.R.M. as a lookout.

When whaling emerged as a boom industry, the city expanded rapidly around the keep. Soon it grew too densely inhabited to process whale in the Harbour, so, whaling stations were moved out along the surrounding coast.

Today, Anthir is a mosaic of social extremes. To the northwest, Golden Tree Hill houses the richest nobles in opulent mansions. While the impoverished Squat on the eastern ridge gets buffeted by the relentless arctic wind.

Anthir’s grimy warehouse districts, belongs to the Black Wolves. They are a pack of extortionists, bandits, and cut throats who dabble in slavery, snatching people from the Squat and smuggling them on ships to Apour.

Rendin had outlawed slavery in 400 A.R.M. when they converted to the Cult of the Weave, but the nations of Apour still continue the practice.

Magpies Thieves' Dagger and Bird Tattoo by Romain Sureau

The only people who care to protect the poor are the Magpies and a few of the temples. The Rusty Tankard doubles as a guild front and soup kitchen. While the Magpies Code is popular all over Southern Azrea, the poor of Anthir cling to it with desperation.

Anthir’s economy primarily relies on the orillium trade, but it has plenty of other local industries — whale oil, fishing, lumber, and wool. Being the only city in Sawra with temples to all five goddesses, Anthir also benefits from extensive local religious tourism.