Coldwater Port

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Coldwater Port
Original Name	冷水港
Type	Port city
Affiliation	Kingdom of Delarion 226
Occupation / Role	Delarion’s principal west-coast trade hub with the New Continent 226 232
Status	Active
First Appearance	226

Geography & Cityscape

Coldwater Port stands on the west coast of the Old Continent, built around a harbor beside coastal cliffs, reefs, and shallow beaches. Factory chimneys, steam cargo ships, naval warships, and the city’s lights are visible from the sea cliffs outside the harbor. 226

• The city’s nearby sea is rough and storm-prone, with dark clouds, strong winds, reefs, and steep cliffs surrounding parts of the coast. 226
• Its harbor remains navigable in winter: the local water becomes cold but does not freeze, giving the city its name. 886
• The Dock Area is humid, crowded, and fish-scented, with fish stalls, freight traffic, seagulls, alley cats, and streets built for heavy carriage movement. 309
• Coldwater Port’s buildings combine older architecture with Steam Age infrastructure. Its steam and gas pipelines are less orderly and less developed than Tobesk’s, particularly in the Dock Area. 311
• The old town lies between the South District and Dock Area. It was the city’s original core before the discovery of the New Continent shifted development north toward deeper-water docks. 348
• New Denton Street is a Dock Area fish-trading street used by both local restaurants and major outside merchants. 309
• Mermaid Alley is near New Denton Street and became associated with the earlier Mermaid statue incident. 309
• Sophia Manor is a Royal Family property in the prosperous South District and serves as accommodation for visiting royals. 226
• Golden Rose Hotel, on Hogglentz Avenue in the Dock Area, accommodates travelers arriving by sea. 226 309
• Sea Cliff Lighthouse is one of the ritual lighthouses outside the city and is maintained by Mr. Edmund. 319

Economy & Trade

Coldwater Port relies primarily on maritime commerce rather than industry, though factories and steam-powered shipping are prominent around its harbor. 226 311

• It is Delarion’s main west-coast trade route to the New Continent and receives a constant flow of foreign visitors and cargo ships. 226 319
• The city hosts merchants, shipowners, factory owners, newspaper proprietors, and fleets operating between the Old and New Continents. 161
• Its port contains steam cargo ships and a Kingdom Navy garrison, while civilian docks also receive vessels carrying important figures. 226
• The humid climate is unsuitable for storing spoilage-prone goods such as spices, unlike Randall River Valley City. 1197
• Local artistic culture includes a distinctive abstract painting style that developed after merging with abstract art movements and produced several Coldwater Port masters. 349

Society & Administration

The city’s large transient population and commercially important harbor make its Dock Area difficult to police effectively. 315

• Smuggling, illegal immigration, and dangerous-goods trading are widespread in the Dock Area. 315
• City Hall’s management of the harbor is described as lax, with wealthy merchants and nobles further complicating enforcement. 315
• This permissiveness benefits people seeking passage overseas but contributes to disorder and weakens the city’s long-term development. 315
• The city has more post offices than Tobesk because its daily through-traffic exceeds that of the inland capital. 319
• Local newspapers include the Coldwater Port Evening News, which reports on city affairs, visiting royalty, and maritime rumors. 226
• The Black Market is well established; a local nine-ring Arcanist owns a tavern that can serve as a relatively secure trading channel. 316

History

Coldwater Port’s founding cannot be precisely traced, though artifacts indicate that it grew from three major fishing villages that existed roughly 1,300 years ago. 319 349

The three villages competed over nearshore fishing rights and followed different Evil Gods. Their rivalries allegedly produced bloody conflicts among their followers, but the details of their eventual fate are unknown. 349

Before the city’s rise through trade with the New Continent, it was already an important west-coast seaport. An unidentified major event in the early Sixth Epoch led the Orthodox Church and the Arcane Academy to establish twelve lighthouses around the city as components of a protective ritual. 319

Twelve-Lighthouse Ritual

• The ritual was jointly established by the Orthodox Church and Arcane Academy around a thousand years ago to protect Coldwater Port. 319
• The Sea Cliff Lighthouse is one of the twelve ritual sites. 319
• The lighthouses remain tied to the city’s ancient maritime beliefs, dangers, and protective traditions. 319 401

The Shadow Over Coldwater Port

In late summer 1853, the Orthodox Church formally designated a citywide cult crisis as “The Shadow Over Cold Water Harbor in 1853.” 354

The Scarlet Secret Society and Fishmen had infiltrated Coldwater Port’s hidden spaces for years, possibly since its establishment. Their plan centered on the Sea Burial ritual, which sought to awaken divine power in the deep sea and flood the city. 354

Event	Details
Mermaid Curse spread	The ritual’s first stage spread the Mermaid’s Song curse through Mermaid statues and affected numerous residents. 355 418
Fishbone Pirate Ship attacks	The ship abducted 123 people from a steam freighter departing for the New Continent, leaving the vessel and its pets behind. 355
Citywide search	The Church and local authorities searched the city after discovering hundreds of transformed Fishmen and cult activity in Kezhem Lane and Jude Manor. 354
Sea Burial activation	Victims marked by the curse walked into the red sea, intending to sacrifice their bodies and souls to awaken a Mermaid Giant Corpse and unleash a tsunami. 418
Ritual’s defeat	The Red Sea receded, the underwater Fishman ruins vanished, and the Mermaid Giant Corpse dissolved after being split into four pieces. 431

Although the crisis ended without the city being flooded, surviving Fishmen continued to hide in nearshore waters and occasionally came ashore for food or supplies. 431 455

Supernatural Significance

Coldwater Port attracts Ring Arcanists, cultists, scholars, and clandestine groups because of its trade routes, ancient history, Black Market, and nearby deep-sea mysteries. 316 355 402

• The city was a focal point in the search for the second Chosen One, drawing representatives of the Five Gods Church, the Three Great Arcane Academies, and the Witch Council. 355
• A giant Mermaid corpse beneath the sea was linked to the Sea Burial ritual; its awakening would have produced tsunamis and storms. 401
• An ancient Fishman city beneath the sea reportedly contained a golden pearl connected to divine power. 401 402
• The Scarlet Secret Society used a damp chapel behind a wine cellar as a ritual site during the Sea Burial operation. 410
• The city’s coast remains associated with Fishmen, Mermaids, pirate activity, ghost-ship stories, and other ocean-centered urban legends. 226 387
• A copper whistle later identified as originating from Coldwater Port may represent indirect aid from three Evil Gods connected to the region. 2381 2475

Notable Locations

• Dock Area — Commercial waterfront district marked by fish trading, hotels, shipping, Black Market activity, and weak municipal control. 309 315
• South District — Prosperous district containing Sophia Manor and bordering the abandoned old town. 226 348
• Old Town — Former city center, largely abandoned after docks and commercial activity shifted northward. 348
• Sea Cliff Lighthouse — Mr. Edmund’s lighthouse and one of twelve sites in the city-protection ritual. 319
• Seven Broomsticks Tavern — A tavern connected to local Ring Arcanist trade and information exchange. 316 455
• Pink Rose Inn — Lodging associated with reports of escaped Ring Arcanists following the Fishbone Pirate Ship incident. 387
• Kezhem Lane and Jude Manor — Scarlet Secret Society strongholds seized by the Church during the 1853 crisis. 354
• Aurora Manor — A manor whose predecessor served as a Scarlet Secret Society stronghold, with a concealed dock and sea-cliff passage below it. 417