Sasserine
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the fictional city-state of Sasserine is a locale in the Amedio Jungle that serves as the starting point for the Savage Tide Adventure Path published in Dungeon Magazine.
History
Sasserine was founded in -124 CY by a group of pilgrims led by a priest of Wee Jas named Sasserine, who was inspired to found the town after receiving a vision. Not much is known about the early times of the city outside of Sasserine's death in a battle with a marauding black dragon named Zelkarune. However, after her death, the town gradually grew and expanded until it encompassed not merely the area inside the city walls, but a number of farming plantations lying on the outskirts. The success of the city made it a target for raids from pirates as well as attempts of subversion by the Scarlet Brotherhood, which the city would first encounter in 30 CY.
After a time, a family named Teraknian, descended from Sasserine's lover, began to rule predominantly over the city as lord mayors, taking advice from the clergy of Wee Jas and Kord. In 480, Orren Teraknian, the last of the lord mayors, began a reign of terror, and launched a persecution of the church of Wee Jas in the city. Orren was deposed soon after the city was conquered by the Sea Princes. The Princes kept the existence of Sasserine a secret from the rest of the Flanaess to prevent the city from being taken from them. The subjugation would last for a century, until the Sea Princes were forced to let go of Sasserine due to internal turmoil in their own lands as a result of the Greyhawk Wars. The city is still recovering from its century-long domination and isolation.
Geography and climate
The city lies on the coast of the Amedio Jungle, very close to its meeting with the Hellfurnaces mountain range, and about 200 miles north of Cauldron. Its nearest neighbor across Jeklea Bay is the Hold of the Sea Princes. Sasserine is built on a series of islands which make water travel through the town a vital link for intra-city trade, much like in the real-world city of Venice.
The climate is generally tropical, with high (but not unbearably so) temperatures and high humidity.
People
Population
As of 596 CY, The city of Sasserine totalled 15,650, with over three-quarters of the population being human. There is a small but sizable population of half-elves and halflings, with the rest of the population composed of minor amounts of dwarves, gnomes, elves, and other demi-humans.[1]
Religion
Each of the different districts in the city holds a different patron deity, in particular: Wee Jas in the Noble District, Kord in the Champion's District, St. Cuthbert in the Cudgel District, Fharlanghn in the Merchant's District, Olidammara (under an alias) in Shadowshore, and a portmanteau religion composed of the worshippers of sea gods Procan, Xerbo, and Osprem in the Azure District. Religious toleration is prevalent throughout the city, although the churches of Wee Jas and Kord are in a state of cold war that has persisted since the persecution of the Jasadin by Orrin Teraknian.[1]
Government
The city of Sasserine is a mix of oligarchy and representative democracy. Citizens are allowed to propose and vote on legislation. The decision to enact any passing legislation is left to the seven-member Dawn Council.
Administrative divisions
Legislative branch
The city of Sasserine is a mix of oligarchy and representative democracy, in which the people are allowed to originate proposals and vote on them, with passing resolutions sent to the Dawn Council, which then decides whether or not to enact them. The council itself is composed of noble representatives, one from each district in the city.[1]
Judicial branch
Law and order are for the most part relaxed in the town (partly owing to a reaction against the somewhat harsh rule of the Sea Princes), and only the more egregious crimes such as murder and theft are actively pursued. Prostitution and the sale of exotic and potentially dangerous creatures goes on more or less legally within the city limits (although the exact lassitude varies from district to district), for instance.
Notes
References
Jacobs, James, Mona, Erik, and Sutter, James. Savage Tide Player's Guide (Paizo Publishing, 2006).