The Setting

Actara is a city that has been cobbled together from bits and pieces of everything. I have shamelessly stolen names, concepts and ideas from a number of fantasy and sci-fi authors and re-mixed them all up to create the political and physical climate exhibited by the city today.

Geographically, the city replaces the city known as 'Sammarash' on the official Faerun maps. Actually, I'm not even sure this part of the map is official, but it sure looks like it, so that's what we're using. You may notice that this area is also nicely within the location of an underdark domain known as 'The Serpent Depths' which, very conveniently, no one has written anything official about, which means I get to have more fun.

Actara is famous for it's gem mining trade, with all the humanoid species specialising in some part of the gem trade. Actara is thus known as the 'jewel of the south' - it is to the Shining Seas that Waterdeep is to the Sword Coast. Not only is there a very lucrative gem export trade, but there is also a huge permanent population, with 150,000 or so calling the city home, and swelling to perhaps twice this during the trading season. As such, the area is in some ways sophisticated, while another border-townlike. In some respects, it's as if a permanent cadre of nouveau-riche has installed itself in town, with the gunslingin' wild western sword fighters coming in to help beat opposing nobles into submission. In other areas though, Actara is developed and rich in history. It just depends on where you look, and who you work for. Gem miners, gem cutters, jewelers and people who do things with jewels are very very good here, and are Faerun-renowned.

The city is governed by a council of up to nine members loosely styled around the masked lords of Waterdeep, although due to one reason or another (more on this later), the current membership to this select club is a mere five - and they're not actually masked. Happily, since statute has decreed that five is the minimun required to govern the city, no replacements have had to be made as yet. The current 'War General' is Alise Stormblood, having taken over the position after the assasination of the previous War General, her father. She is joined by Ragnaros il'Adean, Yaeros Hammermight, Janya Heartseeker and Baer Amos. Four other ex-councillors of note are two fighter councillors, having been killed in battle against the invaders previously, the other two Lords Emeritus being Katharyn Urban somewhere in Calimport for a 'quieter' life, and Pharon Megani remaining in Actara, but no longer active in the politics of the city, at least on the surface.

In the past, this type of town has always attracted young, fuzzy cheeked adventurers looking to make a few bucks as bandits, guards, or jumping into the bowels of the earth to explore the underdark through a couple of the rumoured entrances in the region. However, things have changed in the last 18 months, with a mysterious army almost instantaneously materialising one day, and launching a seige that continues to this day of the city. Even after this length of time, there is very little information on the attackers, the army simply known as 'The Greens' after their uniform colours.

The war has taken its toll on Actara. Only in the months since Alise has assumed control of the army has there been a noticeable counter provided for the troops of The Greens. Beforehand, large swathes of countryside have been laid to waste, with very few of the farms continuing work in the current unrest. Those that continue to live in the area between Actara and the main Green Army (perhaps an hour's hard ride outwards of the city on most occasions) do so in small defended villages, gathering in small communities of perhaps up to 100 people. The only notable community of this type of note is the small outpost of Gallet, led by the dwarf Ghuldin Kismet, who reputedly weilds a singing two handed hammer into battle.

Finally, it has been mostly in the interests of the rulers of Halruua to keep Actara defended, in as much because The Greens are an unknown quantity to deal with, and have proved unwilling to even receive their diplomats. Instead, they have provided Actara with a group of Battle-Mages who are refreshed at regular intervals to aid in the defence of the city.