Mantis Lands - Gotei City Port District

[Vutall]

Gotei City Port District
Gotei City is the capital of the Islands of Spice and Silk, located just one day’s sail east of the Crane Clan’s coastline. Located within a natural inlet on the western-most island in the Mantis Clan’s archipelago, Gotei City is undoubtedly Rokugan’s busiest international trading port, thanks largely to the clan’s relative acceptance of gaijin merchants. The traders of Gotei City act as intermediaries between traders in Rokugan and those from the Ivory Kingdoms and beyond.

Culture
The Mantis Clan has an openness to trade and interaction with gaijin beyond even that of the Unicorn Clan. This is especially true in Gotei City, which is among the most multicultural locales in all of Rokugan. Gaijin religions and practices from far-off lands are incorporated into a loose series of superstitions observed informally across the city. In Gotei City, decorum is barely observed when compared to the mainlander obsession with etiquette and protocol. Scorpion Clan members joke that the behavior in Gotei City makes Khanbulak look like Otosan Uchi

What Gaijin?
Despite their many eccentricities, the Islands of Spice and Silk are part of the Emperor’s lands—if they weren’t, the Mantis could scarcely claim the status of a clan of Rokugan, and their piratical actions might be viewed as an attack on the Emerald Empire itself, and not merely economic competition between clans.

This means that the Emperor’s ban on gaijin is in full effect—in theory. In practice, enforcement of this edict within the Isles of Spice and Silk is usually applied only when it is to somebody’s advantage to expel a particularly successful foreigner.

To avoid any unfortunate perception of violations of the Empire’s laws, the Mantis take certain measures that extend to the gaijin residents of the islands. Most of these practices concern the correct responses when speaking to an Emerald Magistrate or other representative of the Imperial bureaucracy. For instance, all gaijin who remain on the islands for an extended length of time know that they should claim to be faithful vassals of the Mantis Clan—whether or not this is true.

Honorable Cutthroats
Most permanent residents of Gotei City are honorable, even if they have few social graces. The sailor’s code might not always adhere to Bushidō, but most of Gotei City’s sailors ultimately adhere to a twisted version of its tenets. That said, denizens consider the distinction between merchant and pirate to be a fluid concept. Still, Yoritomo and his ancestors hold safe harbor as an absolute. Serious and lethal crimes are punished harshly—and few occur within Gotei City—but no laws exist on the sea.

Bay of Bandits
Gotei City is split into two areas. The Palace of the Mantis serves as a fortress for the Mantis Clan samurai. To the north—separated from the palace by the Path of Thunder—is Gotei Harbor, where one can find sailors from faraway lands and the strange perfumes, clothing, and trade goods that accompany them. Gotei Harbor is rowdy, but it rarely crosses the line into dangerous. It is often said that its most violent aspect is its riotous skyline, which lacks any unifying aesthetic or city planning, though it is said its lanterns shine bright enough to be seen from half a day’s journey away.

The 750-yard-long wharf incorporates at least a half-dozen architectural styles, varying in height and construction materials. The wharf uses piers to increase capacity, and no two are quite the same. There are no harbor masters here, no one to direct ships to available berths, and no one to assess tariffs. The major players pay tribute to Yoritomo, but smaller operators have free reign, only paying tribute when they need a favor or an audience with the mighty clan champion.

Gaijin’s Path
This long street of shops, opium dens, barrooms, houses of worship, and inns contains the densest collection of foreign-run businesses in Rokugan. While Rokugani still make up the majority of the population by a narrow margin, many businesses are run by and for gaijin. An Ivory Kingdoms temple topped with the notched stone disk of an amalaka might fight for attention with a neighboring minaret and domed temple established by travelers from al-Zawira. Wares and teachings from overseas are available here in a concentration found nowhere else in Rokugan.

Sen’in Brew House (The Napping Sailor)
Sen’in Brew House, also called the Napping Sailor, is an infamous brew house in Gotei City. Sailors flock to it to celebrate a successful voyage. Its downstairs is always packed with sailors no matter the hour, sometimes five or six entire crews at a time, drinking sake or the much stronger araki, date liquor mixed with tea or honey and hot water. Upstairs, patrons lie around as if in an opium den, listening to peaceful music and enjoying straight araki or the local version, a date-based variety of shōchū. The peaceful environment and strong, sweet liquor often lead customers to fall fast asleep.

The Library of Kanidoko Itte
Located in a quiet back alley along the Path of Thunder, Chartmaster Kanidoko Itte’s offices are marked by a door with a Pavarrese compass rose. Itte is an elderly woman known to have a sharp cane and an equally sharp tongue. Despite her ill humor, she has a secret fondness for many local captains. Most experienced captains consult with Itte before undertaking important or dangerous journeys.

Rumor has it that beneath Itte’s home is a basement linked to a network of secret passages that run to the far corners of the world. Her visitors are described as anything from bloodthirsty gaijin to demons made of shadow. One thing people say is certainly true: the underground complex houses Captain Itte’s chart library. Only Itte’s most favored captains are invited downstairs, where she provides rare charts and maps to those willing to visit far-flung ports to deliver mes-sages or small cargoes on her behalf.

Brew House Hearsay
I saw Captain Fumiko with a map of secret passages between the Library of Kanidoko Itte and the Vault of Heaven. I think they’re going to rob the vault!

Did you notice that all the Ivory Kingdoms ships left port? I heard they came to pay a debt to Yoritomo, but one of their treasure ships went missing last night. It seems every captain in Gotei City is trying to find it first!

Some ambitious new Emerald Magistrates have been asking a lot of questions lately. They’re trying to enforce the Imperial laws against gaijin and shut down gaijin businesses and temples.