Taznikaport

Taznikaport, located on the Taz penninsula, is simultaneously a disorganized mess of longhouses, markets, and breweries and the most important trading city in the World of Mana. It is the largest settlement of Taznikanze.

Founding

Taznikaport is already thousands of years old. There are two different versions of the city's founding. In one version, it is Taznikaport's status as an excellent natural harbor and superlative fishery that led the nomadic Taz to settle here alongside nekos. In another version, the city was founded because of the discovery of fermentation of alcoholic beverages, in particular, beer. Oktoberfest, a holiday that celebrates the founding of the city, amply represents both versions with an enormous feast and a ton of drinking.

Originally the Taz penninsula housed ample wood for housing and ship construction as well as fertile soil. However, most of the area is now thoroughly deforested, and Taznikaport must import lumber. Foodstuffs are also imported, as most of the local soil is given over to hops and barley.

At some point the Reklar threatened to destroy the city, but Zahd killed a bunch of them and used their rocky corpses to build a huge structure, which is now the only Temple of Zahd in existence.

As Center of Trade

Taznikaport itself has a few valuable local commodities, including fish, beer, and amber. Located downriver from Serinissima Centwerp, an important trade center in its own right, links it to the rest of the trade of the Euser continent. However, Taznikaport's true wealth comes from being the linchpin of intercontinental trade. Goods from Taznikanze trading posts such as Harschkust and Waldhafen flow into Taznikaport. By far the most lucrative trade is with the Kracian continents of Woldheim, and Taznikaport to Korsyra is the best-known and fastest intercontinental sea-route. (Although only a skilled mariner would dare undertake the voyage between the New Year and Walentag).

Taznikaport has dozens of markets. Many of these are specialized in a specific commodity. Of these specialized markets the largest is the Biermarkt, ("Beer Market"), where master brewers sell tasty beer of all kinds as well as purchase the yeast, barley, and hops needed to make beer. Even the Biermarkt is dwarfed by the Weltplatz ("World Plaza"), a massive marble structure built by Hauscarl the Lionheart. Most of the stone was imported by Krace, and the structure is well-insulated enough for business to continue even during a cold winter. The walls are decorated with friezes celebrating Hauscarl's victories . If it can't be found for sale in the Weltplatz, it probably can't be found.

And then there are beer halls. Lots of beer halls. Places where skalds swap news and stories, people go to enlist in voyages, and also, to get drunk.

As Disorganized Mess

No one ever bothered to figure out a proper city layout for Taznikaport, and if they did, no one listened. The local Senate has tried to improve certain public works by undertaking projects such as paving main roads, dilineating between urban and rural areas, and even undertake some fortifications for the defense of the city. This last aspect is focused on improving the earthen wall at the north edge of the penninsula constructed by Harsdrubal the Hammer. Nonetheless, this is an attempt to compensate for centuries where everyone built their longhouse anywhere they damn well pleased. Wealthy merchants (and successful raiders) can have fairly large and elaborate homes, which tend to be on the outskirts of the city. Many of them open their doors to guests, to share their hospitality (and brag about how awesome they are).

It probably doesn't help that a significant part of the city's population is away at any particular time. An "average" Taznikanze will make his living as a fisherman or farmer most of the year, and every year or two will enlist on a voyage, either for commerce or to "go viking".

Also, the city stinks, as a more modern person might expect when you put a city full of people who don't bathe together with rotting fish. If you're a true Taznikanze, you don't care.