
Portown - The Leaders
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Portown has three leaders of note, two of whom contributed
to the fall of Romjibus and Isil. The first, and foremost of
these, is Aurelius, a former student of Romjibus and, back
before the rebellion, one of his most trusted advisors. The
second is Guthedig (goo-thed-ig), a powerful merchant who
runs most of the shipping in Portown, and the third and last
of the important leaders is Mistral, the daughter of Romjibus
and Isil, who is herself a sorceress of some potency.

The story goes that both Aurelius and Mistral, originally
closely linked with Romjibus and Isil, grew disillusioned
with the harsh treatment of the citizenry and conspired
together to overthrow the government. When "Admiral Blood"
turned traitor against Senex and Corina, seizing Seaton for
himself, Aurelius and Mistral seized the moment of confusion
with both hands and rallied the citizens in Portown to open
rebellion. Guthedig, while not having much to do with the
actual rebellion, gave the new government his support by
using his merchant fleet to defent the city during an
attack by the new dictatorship in Seaton.

Aurelius, though once secretly hated by many of the people,
won widespread praise after the rebellion. Many remember
him best for a speech he gave on the steps of the burnt-out
mansion/palace, where he condemned himself for his own
complicity in "moral crimes against the people" and where
he bared his chest and asked the mob to do away with him.
He has since been a major force in re-organizing and
rebuilding the city, helping to establish the "new pact"
by which the city is governed.

Guthedig, unlike Aurelius, was more led into the rebellion
than leading it. He never liked the old government, but he
supported it out of respect for what it had achieved.
Likewise with the new government. Guthedig likes to think
of himself as a realist. He has focused his efforts on
maximizing the city's shipping industry, which he feels
in essential to its future growth and prosperity. He is
also a strong advocate of incorporating Tallgrass, viewing
it as a necessary acquisition in case Seaton is ever to
launch a credible land invasion via the use of mercenaries.

Mistral is the most intriguing of the three leaders. She
was a secret provider for the poor during the years
preceding the rebellion, stealing funds from the city
treasury and distributing them among the people,
destroying tax records as often as she could get her
hands on them, and setting prisoners free whenever she
could manage to sneak someone out (the Portown dungeon
had a somewhat dubious reputation in those days). She
was finally caught, however, and was condemned to the
palace dungeon by her own parents. Fortunately, she
managed to escape (perhaps with some help) and returned
to incite the rebellion when news of the troubles in
Seaton was first reported. After the rebellion, she
left the city for a time, but returned three years ago
to see how things were going and was nominated to the
city council against her own will. When she won the
election, after no campaigning whatsoever, she decided
she had no choice but to serve.

