Balic

From UTRPG

Balic is a city by the Silt Sea, ruled by Dictator Andropinis (usually just referred to as The Dictator). They have a powerful mercantile empire, and are famous for trading for giant hair by giants who are tall enough to stride through the silt.

Templars only hold positions for a short period of time, and are often toppled in elections. They're not exactly free and fair, since only a templar can hold these positions, but it tends to result in a competent governing style. Sometimes the Dictator "recommends" a certain templar win a position, and if another templar wins, they suffer from an unfortunate "accident" and a new election is held.

Balic can only be approached on firm land from the west. The narrow neck can be heavily guarded. Unfortunately, giants sometimes wade out of the silt to attack Balic's east side.

Balic's center holds a trading agora. Unfortunately, it is surrounded by the elven market.

Hundreds if not thousands of years ago, the Dragon of Tyr attacked Tyr for missing a hundred captives from the Dragon's Levy. It was forced to give up a hundred templars after the Dragon destroyed a quarter of the city. Since then, Balic has become particularly zealous in meeting its quota, engaging in long-distance slave raids.