One of the Nine Free Cities
The Free City of Caligara
Founded on an oath.
At a Glance
| Founding House | House Caligara, whose first Karthaav swore that his line would never permit a human being to be bought or sold |
|---|---|
| Ruling House (present age) | House Caligara; the founding line still holds the seat |
| Karthaav (present age) | Enzo Caligara, merchant-prince of Caligara |
| Trade | A general trading hub: a natural bay, working docks, a fishing fleet, and merchant shipping of every kind |
| Colors | Deep blue and silver |
| Charter | The Caligara charter forbids slavery within the city |
Overview
Caligara was raised on a natural bay of the southern sea, and the harbor that gave the city its founding purpose still crowds with fishing boats and merchant hulls. Among the Free Cities it is the general trading hub, the port where a little of everything changes hands, and it has long been the proudest of the nine for a reason that has nothing to do with money. House Caligara was founded on an oath. The first Karthaav swore that his family would never permit human beings to be bought and sold like livestock, and the city's charter bans slavery to this day. In a place where the flesh trade makes fortunes, that oath is the whole point of Caligara.
Oaths are easier to keep in a rich city than in a poor one. Caligara's trade has underperformed for decades, the founding family's fortunes have thinned with it, and at the dawn of the present age the seat is held by Enzo Caligara, a merchant-prince whose power rests on commerce rather than conquest and whose house, as its dock workers will tell any stranger, has not been what it was in a long while. The charter still stands. How much of the city stands behind it is another question.