The river is called Ticpacatl (roughly meaning "water on the earth" in the Ameyatl tongue) and is brimming with all manner of creatures along with a few cultures which thrive within the murky water.  The region is more forested than the previous location and has a higher amount of annual rainfall, but the earth is flourishing with nutrients and allows for agricultural developments to grow.

On the non-watery sides, the city is surrounded by farm-based villages spanning from near-suburbs up to 50 miles away.  These villages can be land-based or coastal, and coastal settlements are allowed to have their own small ports to supplement Verre Zon.  The villages can be anything from mixtures of migrants cultures, local nomads who settled in light of the recently-developed local economy, or microcosms of one culture.  Population size divvied between villages and city is roughly 90,000.

Birthing Verre Zon was a failed bid for Imperialism. The Theros 'Empire' (really more of a glorified kingdom) was ambitious and jealous of sharing trade with it's neighbours, so they built a merchant outpost across the sea with the aim of drawing the trade of the north and east away from their immediate neighbours. A richly fertile peninsula unclaimed by any unified power, Verre Zon was a very attractive site for settlers, having both the natural resources to support a new community and the freedom to build without opposition.

Of course, that same freedom existed for fractured tribes who saw the new community as little more than a self-replenishing store house to visit. The population of Verre Zon grew from the legions of soldiers sent to secure the land surrounding the colony and encourage trade rather than theft in their immediate neighbours.

The presence of a few thousand bored soldiers near the outpost drew the eye of further merchants down the south. Galleys were sent bringing rich food, fine cloths, and vast stores of other comforts of civilization in order to profit from the legions' needs. Those same galleys returned with timber, furs and stories of the fortunes that could be made on the northern shore.

With this news, Theros acted quickly and decisively to expand the outpost port to accommodate the sudden rush of merchant ships. In the wake of this were many builders left in the growing city, who were put to good use by the local governors to create homes, offices, guildhalls, and more permanent holdings for the wealthier merchants who made their fortunes from the region.

As the edge of Theros, exiles or nobles in disfavour made their homes here. Criminals seeking to escape their crimes, or simply grab unclaimed turf, flocked to Verre Zon in search of opportunity. Migrations from the north and west gathered in the region, and added their own contribution to population.

Accompanying this expansion was a number of raids, only this time launched from the city rather than against it. The local clans and tribes who once regarded Verre Zon as little more than a store house to take resources from (and the clans and tribes who didn't) became resources themselves, as merchants and mercenaries took slaves to sell back to Theros.

Eventually, the lands around Verre Zon became more stable, and the flow of trade was diverted to the city. Theros had succeeded in stealing the trade of it's neighbours.

Which was when things started going downhill.

Demand from Theros' neighbours increased, and the canny merchants of Verre Zon saw an opportunity. Ships that brought the luxuries of afar to Theros now brought them to it's rivals.

It did not take long for the Emperor to react, and attempt to seize control of the trade. Unfortunately, once a ship left harbour there was nothing to be done to stop it changing course. Military action was prepared in order to reassert their claim of these lands.

Taking the defensive, the merchant princes who grew rich and powerful from this city hired mercenary companies to defend their own claim. Gathering together, the Merchant Alliance was formed and an army was raised to fight against the nation which had raised their city from the dust. Pirates were hired to assist, and every resource, both legitimate and criminal, were pulled in to defend against the descending Theros' Empire.

Mercenaries were suspiciously easy to acquire, as nations unwilling to commit to open war with Theros were still more than happy to give subtler support. A significant fraction of those hired swords came from nearby lands, with past experience serving under those national armies. Warships were sold in numbers that would never happen under other circumstances.

Slowly but surely, the nation of Theros overcame the mercenary fleets after fierce clashes at sea. Slowly but surely was not good enough for Theros, which was expending massive resources to take a city that was once theirs. Attrition was solidly on the side of Theros, but they could no more win the war than they could win an earthquake. Eventually a meeting was made to discuss a treaty, with Theros planning to use their military advantage to bluster their way to a diplomatic victory.

The Merchant Alliance did not budge. Instead they threatened to throw in with another nation and become one of their colonies instead; this would gain the Merchant Alliance the protection of the nation and cut Theros off from the trade revenue flowing in. The leaders of Theros were so at a disadvantage they could only agree to allow Verre Zon independence.

While it felt a grand victory at the time, the Merchant Alliance was left reeling in the aftermath of the treaty. None of them had ever planned to be rulers of a nation. Still, the merchant princes gained great popularity in many circles from this event. Gathering their most capable supporters, the Merchant Alliance included those who knew the most about city government and formed the Conclave.

Verre Zon is not the only city of its kind, but at a mere 120 years old it is the latest and probably youngest of those that exist. It is a port city that bridges supplies trade between high magic and dead zones (and everything in between). Because the magical landscape here is middling, they can safely transport things between the two that couldn't otherwise work.

High-tech or high-magic machines still would not transfer between the two extremes, but artisans (think ceramics, cloth-makers, etc), toy-makers, custom builders, and mass manufacturing of small machines abound (such as, say, clocks or magic/tech compasses). The industry is predominantly textiles and high-end craftwork. More magically-inclined items will tend to be custom-designed; more tech-inclined items will tend to be mass-produced.

There is an active slave trade within the city. For more information on slavery within the world setting, please refer here:

Slavery on Erde

Note - There is no single worldwide currency.

The currency of Verre Zon is the therin, a circular coin with the image of a compass rose stamped onto either side which can separate into four equal parts called "bits." Each bit has the first letter of the four primary directions (N, E, S, W) in order to tell them apart.

For a basic idea of value, 1 full therin is enough for a person to eat three meals a day. Quality food would be around 3 therins.

An unskilled worker would make roughly 1 therin/day. A skilled worker would average 15-20/week.

A pound of meat or cheese costs 1 therin, bread would be 3 loaves per bit.

Verre Zon gained economic power by leasing land to surrounding regions, allowing them to build their own factories and shops to support their needs. The city, therefore, has an extremely high migrant population, and is thus multi-cultural. The city has a booming trade- and lease-based economy, but the sudden influx of workers has put a strain on agricultural production to support the higher population, and as a result the city is currently open to granting land to proposed settlement builders if used for the purpose of agricultural production. This requires paperwork through a city official, which can be any member of the Conclave.

In order to receive a land grant, the petitioner must read and sign documentation stating the following in summary form:

The government is comprised primarily of two opposing primary factions which "compete" for more seats within the Conclave. It is a res publica with at least one city representative for every village representative, appointed by the group they represent. Every village is required to have a minimum of one, maximum of three Conclave representatives who are required to spend a minimum of 1/3 of their year functioning within the Conclave as an active member.

There is a Conclave-elected mediator who functions within the Conclave to keep discussions civil and on-course. There is no comparable President or Prime Minister.

The primary Conclave factions are:

Arcanes - Those who are pre-disposed to inserting more magically-inclined practices within the city. This can range from producing more magic-based materials (such as tapestries that change color/image) to actual implements used as household products. Street name "mageites." Characters are free to make up their own slurs.

Advanced - Those who are pre-disposed to inserting more technologically-inclined practices within the city. Same sort of range; due to the relative consistency of tech-based products, this faction would likely veer towards stability and tradition. Street name "techies."

Within these factions will be smaller factions which represent more specific interests (such as, road maintenance, plumbing maintenance, or representing certain cultural interests - this will be a large and varied variety of personal interests). There is also the possibility for other factions to exist/arise as personal interests and goals change.

Decisions and policies are decided by a flat majority ruling; if the proposal is voted in favour/against by one vote, that is the decision.

Conclave members do receive a salary while active to try to coerce them to be active longer when possible, and village representatives would be granted city housing if needed within the Old City.

The high influx of immigrants as well as numerous local cultures leads to a significant language barrier among the people. The city produces and sells talismans which allow their wearers to understand the languages around them. These talismans are provided to Conclave officials by the city but must be purchased by citizens otherwise. The cost can be prohibitive for lower income families and forces a class divide among those who can afford the talismans and those who cannot.

Treatment for the sick in Verre Zon favours science over superstition. The causes of disease are recognised as mostly physical, with spiritual influences being the exception rather than the norm.

An important feature within the city are the public hospitals sponsored by the Conclave. These began as institutions for military use, and gradually expanded to include civilians as well. Health care is free and theoretically open to all the public, and the physicians genuinely seek the best for their patients, but most of the physicians are colonists meaning that the language barrier can hinder natives seeking treatment and priority care is influenced by social status, so many people turn to other sources for treatment.

Thankfully, other sources do exist. Private practises which charge for 'superior' care exist and are not regulated by the government. Additionally, some churches, temples and monasteries will provide treatment to the faithful, or even to others if they do not offend the strictures of the temple, but these temples have their own rules over who and what they will or wont treat, and their knowledge may cover less range than that of secular hospitals.

Away from the city, each governor is expected to provide at least one public health centre, but there is very little regulation outside the city and these facilities may be woefully inadequate.

Both the army and the watch of Verre Zon have their own medical facilities on bases or guardhouses, and are popular for allowing a certain level of pro bono access to their local communities. This is not required in any way, but has become a matter of pride for many units both in and outside of the city.

Magical healing is sufficiently rare that years of study to be a non-magical physician are not completely pointless, and may be accessed on an individual basis, but cannot be provided on a large scale. Instead, conventional treatments are often assisted by alchemical potions. 'Healing potions' typically have a specific effect such as restoring blood or lowering a fever rather than an all-purpose magical recovery. The most common of these is 'numbwine', a drink which acts as both a painkiller and promoting restful sleep to ease a natural recovery.

State-sponsored Conclave Schools exist throughout the city, and are open free of charge for any colonist citizen who gives the time and effort to attend. The education is not very advanced, being completed within a few years of part-time study, but covers basic literacy, maths, Conclave-approved history, common colonist language and local law. Guild members will visit these schools and run 'introductory courses' in their trade or craft as a way of discovering potential apprentices.

Guild apprenticeships are a major form of higher education, and the most common route to social advancement in the city. There are guilds for most skilled trades and crafts in the city, with merchants, armourers and gunsmiths holding considerable sway in the city.

Natives have to rely on other sources, and in many cases have organised their own telpuchcalli ('house of youth') to teach their children their own history and civic duties, customs and perhaps a trade skill. These are not forbidden by the Conclave but a lack of government support prevents the native education from thriving beyond the basic level.

Few if any natives gain entrance into guilds, and those that do are always under special circumstances. This is a deliberate policy to keep technology in the hands of the colonists.

Away from the cities there is more diversity in education, usually depending on the will of the local governor. Some governors actively suppress native teachings and education, while others will support telpuchcalli on their lands. This depends as much on the customs and practises of the particular native tribe as on the governor, since there is variation across the native people.

Another source of education are temples and monasteries. These are highly individual in what they teach and to who. Generally their tuition is freely given, since it is an excellent opportunity to preach. Instead they support themselves through rents and investments, or produce grown on their lands.

Importantly, Verre Zon does have paper and printing press, making books and paper reasonably accessable, although generally uncommon outside of scholarly circles.