City of Jimbasa
World Connections Type LOCATION Sub‑Type CITY Status UNEXPLORED Time Period The War of the Enlightened Regions The Cartas Empire Campaigns The War of the Enlightened World Period Dilatatio et Bellum
Titles: The Jewel of the Valley, The City of Trade & Travel, Gateway Between Forest & Sky
Region: Central Cartesia — perched on the narrow valley between the emerald Jimbasan Forests (west) and the cloud‑piercing Ethereal Pinches (east)
Size: Large
Origin: New‑Age City (post‑Unification mercantile enclave founded by halfling navigators)
Population: ~965 000
A riot of lantern‑lit canals, terraced spice gardens, and alabaster sky‑bridges, Jimbasa is Cartesia’s beating commercial heart. Barges laden with west‑coast cedar glide beside caravans descending from the Ethereal Pinches, while sky‑rail gondolas drift above banyan‑shaded boulevards. Meticulous civic laws keep streets immaculate, yet pockets of heady spice steam and song‑filled hawker courts ensure the city hums with exuberant life. From the vaulted halls of the Great Archives to the labyrinthine stalls of the Jimbasan Bazaar, knowledge and goods change hands at dizzying speed—often far from prying eyes.
History
Founded soon after the Great Unification by halfling merchant guilds who perfected safe routes through the lethal Jimbasan Forests, the city flourished when tiefling cartographers unlocked reliable passes across the Ethereal Pinches. Together they brokered east–west trade, forging an ethos of pragmatic multiculturalism.
- 87 A.U. — Completion of the Lantern Causeways, elevated stone viaducts threading mangrove deltas to the first inland market.
- 311 A.U. — The Tragedy of the Tides shatters coastal shipping. Jimbasan overland routes dominate trade, thrusting the city into continental pre‑eminence (an event later tied—some whisper—to the shadowy Circling Few).
- 480 A.U. — Expansion of the Sky‑Rail links temple peaks of the Ethereal Pinches to downtown spice piers, ushering in a golden era of culinary diplomacy and arcane tourism.
Politics & Government
Government: Meritocratic Council chaired by the Halfling Royal Family (House Quickmoss)
Council Seats: 7 elected Trade Guild delegates, 3 royal appointees, 1 archivist plenipotentiary
Dominant Parties: Cambiare 58 % | Modicus 42 %
Current Matron‑Regent: Queen Dahlia Quickmoss
Defense: Ivory Lantern Guard (elite urban constabulary)
Council sessions convene in the Rubicon Rotunda, a crystal‑walled forum overlooking lotus pools. Whispered rumors speak of the Rubicon Sub‑Levels—sealed vaults where an unknown entity called Atmos influences foreign policy through compromised officials.
Society & Demographics
| Race | % |
|---|---|
| Halflings | 36 % |
| Tieflings | 29 % |
| Humans | 14 % |
| Elves | 7 % |
| Dwarves | 6 % |
| Orcs | 4 % |
| Other | < 4 % |
Halfling conviviality melds with tiefling architectural flair, creating slender, sky‑piercing pagodas festooned with perpetual‑bloom orchids and cooling mist runes. A city ordinance limits surface noise after the fifth bell—yet street‑food vendors circumvent this with magical muffling fields, ensuring midnight feasts persist unheard by sleeping nobles.
Religion & Belief
Shrines to the Four Churches line the Saffron Promenade, but Jimbasa venerates Waukeen (commerce) and Shaudakul (travel) above all. The Stone Temple of Atropos, carved into a sheer Pinches spire east of town, attracts chronomancers and monks—including PCs Mera Lup and her mentor—from across Cartesia.
Commerce & Industry
Major Exports: Silk‑spun spell scrolls, rare forest spices, ethereal ore, precision navigation crystals
Core Industries: Trade brokerage, culinary innovation, astral cartography, canal engineering, sky‑rail transit
The Jimbasan Bazaar sprawls beneath woven awnings that adjust translucency with the sun. Merchants haggle in a dozen tongues, and every tenth stall hides a gambling den or black‑market relic counter.
Culinary guilds elevate street food to art; visiting chefs vie for coveted “Star Spice” ratings. Tom Collins Beetlebite—brother to PC Mimosa—runs Collins’ Cauldron, a hawker‑court stall famed for charcoal‑grilled thunder‑prawn. Adventurers can moonlight here to hone chef skills and glean under‑the‑table intel.
Key City Locations
Great Jimbasan Archives
Marble spires shelter scrolls, star‑charts, and prophetic fragments. Archivists in bronze masks offer paid access—unless you know the back corridors.
Rubicon Rotunda
Crystal‑domed council hall. Nightly reflections cast hypnotic patterns rumours claim conceal subtle sigils guiding Atmos’ agents.
Jimbasan Bazaar
Nine concentric rings of stalls grouped by moon‑phase categories; outer rings host live‑catch fishmongers, inner rings deal in clandestine antiquities.
Lantern‑Causeways
Raised walkways criss‑crossing tidal flats. At dusk, ever‑burning lotus lanterns ignite, guiding pilgrims toward the Forest Gate.
Forest Gate District
Western bastion where licensed guides prepare caravans to cross the monster‑ridden Jimbasan Forests. Contracts with the Guild of Arcana ensure daily illusion beacons mark safe paths—usually.
Pinchpass Sky‑Docks
Eastern cliff‑side platforms harness wind‑spirits to lift cargo nets over the Ethereal Pinches. A monastic cable‑line leads to the Stone Temple of Atropos.
Beetlebite Boulevard
Halfling quarter of shaded courtyards, music schools, and Mimosa’s family eatery. Local gossip circulates faster than government edicts.
Notable Factions & Defenses
- Ivory Lantern Guard — halfling‑led peacekeepers wielding crystalline tonfas that emit blinding light.
- The Circling Few — covert cabal linked to the Tragedy of the Tides; intelligence suggests branches within trade guilds and archivist circles.
- Jimbasan Culinary Consortium — sets citywide spice tariffs and hosts the annual Star Spice Trials.
Prominent Figures
| Name | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Dahlia Quickmoss | Halfling Matron‑Regent | Diplomatic mastermind who greets foreign envoys with tea ceremonies on sky‑bridges. |
| Minister Zara Colfire | Tiefling Trade Minister | Charismatic architect of sky‑rail expansion; suspected Circling Few sympathizer. |
| Archivist Inari Siam | Warden of Great Archives | Keeps braided silver cords of memory; rumored to bargain in secrets, not coin. |
| Tom Collins Beetlebite | Chef & Informant | Mimosa’s brother; his struggling stall is ground zero for culinary side‑quests. |
| Master Rheor Atropos | Abbot, Stone Temple | Oversees trials in temporal meditation |
Campaign Notes
Additional Information
Jimbasa’s strict environmental edicts mandate rooftop orchards and canal bioluminescent algae. Violations incur hefty fines—but discreet bribes in saffron or star‑silk often find receptive ears. A local proverb warns, “Mind the spice you spill; the street remembers the scent.”
Hidden Information
- Atmos cycles its influence through enchanted sigil‑jades embedded beneath the Rotunda. Destroying or repurposing them could twist the city’s political currents.
- The Circling Few meet under the guise of a midnight spice‑auction on the Bazaar’s seventh ring, trading memories instead of coin.
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- Main Arc — PCs unravel Atmos’ infiltration of the Rubicon and expose the Circling Few’s role in the Tragedy of the Tides.
- Menagerie Arc — In the Bazaar, Mera and Saoirse pursue clues about the Circling Few; Mimosa uncovers lore of Atmos and the Seventh Hero within restricted archive stacks.
- Side Threads —
- Train as chefs under Tom Collins, entering the high‑stakes Star Spice Trials.
- Curate rare beast ingredients for experimental dishes (Menagerie crossover).
- Escort scholars mapping ley‑line anomalies in the Jimbasan Forests and the Ethereal Pinches.