Aestilon

Regarded as the most dangerous of the Seven Great Cities, Borunoa stands half-sunken among the treacherous swamps of Aestilon’s southern marshlands. Though founded by Nymea, Goddess of Illusion and Trickery, it has long since fallen under the sway of crime families, smugglers, illusionists, and desperate survivors.

Despite its chaos, Borunoa maintains surprising diplomatic skill, ensuring its survival — and influence — among the Great Cities.

Nymea was first drawn to the region for its natural affinity to illusions. Mist, reflection, shifting lights, and the constant play of water made it a perfect canvas for her ephemeral art. She delighted in fooling travelers with ghostly shapes and imagined spirits.

But only the outcasts — the unwanted, the hunted, the desperate — dared to live in such a place.

Moved by their plight, Nymea promised them fortune and safety and began shaping the early structures of Borunoa using illusions and water magic. For a brief era, the city was hopeful.

Then, one day, Nymea simply left — bored, whimsical, and without farewell.

Her absence plunged Borunoa into chaos. The clever, the ruthless, and the lucky seized power, forming the first crime families. Each claimed descent from Nymea’s original “chosen,” though most of these claims are lies.

Today, Nymea is barely worshipped. Some view her as a demon of greed; others pray to her for luck. Only the Triumvirate keeps a small shrine to her among their halls.

Borunoa is a patchwork of styles, supported by whatever can survive the swamp:

• Stilt houses rising from the muck
• Woven rope bridges spanning murky waters
• Fungal-grown structures cultivated by the Mycavino family
• Mangrove-root homes built into living trees
• Boarded districts of unstable multistory slums
• Stone strongholds magically reinforced on rare hard land (home to factions & family HQs)
• The Sinking Palace, a once-grand structure now half-swallowed by the swamp, used as both dumping ground and battlefield against undead uprisings

Abandoned structures are common; the swamp reclaims land quickly.

Borunoa is lawless, chaotic, and unpredictable — yet full of strange, charismatic life.

Daily survival depends on:

• paying the right family
• avoiding cursed waters
• navigating illusions that may or may not be real
• knowing when to run
• and knowing when to lie

Despite this, many citizens experience a rough normalcy: cramped homes, lively markets, endless gossip, cheap liquor, swamp music, and the constant hope that tomorrow won’t be worse.

Nymea herself is rarely worshipped sincerely. Her domains — Luck, Trickery, Wealth, Water — instead fuel the cultural ethos: survive through wit, profit through deception, and never trust what you see.

• Fishtival (Mid Winter): A citywide prank day. Children play illusions, tricks, and harmless sabotage. Even the Patriarch allows pranks from kids on this one day. Adults attempting pranks, however, meet swift retaliation.

• Gravebloom Ritual (Early Summer): When the rare black graveblooms open for a single day, Borunoa pauses. These flowers are harvested for powerful poisons, but their petals are laid throughout the city to honor the dead. It is the only day when killing is taboo. Even the Five Families respect this sacred time.

• Never stare too long into the water.
• Never cross a rope bridge without checking for illusions.
• Never accept a drink from someone you don’t know.
• Always pay your debts — or run far enough that you do not need to.

Borunoa is dominated by Five Families, with dozens of minor families vying for influence.

1. Malvole Family (Illusions & Influence) Led by Patriarch Garrik Malvole, the most mafia-styled of the families. Their theatrics often seem like an act, but they control the heart of Borunoa with subtlety and showmanship.

2. Mycavino Family (Poisons & Fungal Trade) Led by Fungrils. Masters of toxic flora, hallucinogens, and fungus-wines. Their feasts are infamous — and often lethal.

3. The Mirecourt Estate (Debt & Contracts) A regal, elegant family led by a female Infernis believed by some to be Nymea reborn. Masters of debt traps, legal manipulation, and extortion.

4. Mortecarre Cabal (Undead & Gravebloom Control) A flamboyant necro-mafia mixing a dark gothic Family aesthetic with bright funerary celebrations. They control undead labor, bone markets, and gravebloom harvesting.

5. Tideveil Corsairs (Pirates & Smuggling) Free spirits controlling the river docks. They smuggle, raid, and revel in chaos. Constantly crash Mycavino feasts.

Minor families attach themselves to the big five, hoping to one day usurp them.

Borunoa has no unified law, only territorial law:

• Each family enforces its own rules
• The Order of the Sages maintains fragile neutrality around the teleportation hub
• The Triumvirate protects a small sacred district
• Lanista Gladiatoria enforces strict order around their colosseum
• Shadows of Spefur act as assassins, spies, and enforcers used by all families

The Patriarch is both feared and respected. His power comes from:

• control of the largest territory
• payments to the Order
• surprising luck (rumored blessing of Nymea)
• a reputation for keeping Borunoa from collapsing entirely

His title, *Patriarch*, is self-given, but widely accepted.

• Criminal services
• Smuggling routes and illicit transport
• Poisons, hallucinogens, narcotics
• Gravebloom extracts
• Fungal materials
• Shadow contracts
• Undead labor (illicit)

Borunoa “imports” items mostly to maintain diplomatic presence:

• Food supplies
• Metals
• Wood
• Spices
• Books
• Artifacts for occult or illegal study

Most legal imports mask criminal activity underneath.

Borunoa treats all other cities as potential markets. It antagonizes no Great City directly, relying on:

• skilled diplomats
• plausible deniability
• strict “don’t touch the big cities” family rules

Still, different cities have different connections.

• Kalzendil: treated with cautious respect.
• Rudiana: source of metals; families smuggle Rudian goods constantly.
• Iaras: frequent conflict; swamp blight threatens forest borders; Iaras sends delegations with the Order.
• Piam: market for goods and smuggling operations.
• Rurua: valuable target for rare floating-island resources.
• Toru: major maritime connection for Tideveil Corsairs.

Borunoa lies deep in the southern Gurome Swamp, where:

• mists obscure vision
• illusions form naturally
• sinkholes shift daily
• waters may drag victims into the Underground
• underground waters surge up into the swamp, creating new hazards

The land is unstable; even solid ground is often magically reinforced.

• Hot
• Humid
• Mist-heavy
• Disease-ridden
• Filled with dangerous flora

Undead of all kinds can rise, depending on how the person died: drowned corpses, wraiths, bonewalkers, mushroom-infested undead, shadebound killers, and creatures of the deep.

The only safe entry point is the Neutral Center, a small cluster of stable land holding:

• the Teleportation Hub
• Order Headquarters
• Airdock site

All other travel requires:

• hiring guides
• bribing families
• or risking the swamp

Rivers are dominated by the Tideveil Corsairs. Illusions, sinkholes, and undead make travel deadly.

Despite this, Borunoa endures — a city of danger, deception, survival, and strange beauty.