Port-Au-Feu is a major city that was once among the most important cities in the world, due to its waterfront position. As a port town, it quickly established itself as a source for culture and business, and it remains a significant city today. Its tourist trade is one of the greatest contributors to the city's income, and others include a number of areas of trade such as foods, fashion, various visual and performing arts, and social venues. Port-Au-Feu is renowned for its art and culture, and most of the city shows a distinct French influence. It's perhaps easiest with the French names of its various districts, each of which bears a distinctive appearance and focus.
Few exceptionally tall buildings exist in Port-Au-Feu, and most of the city's best face shows in its traditional architecture and old-fashioned sensibilities. Sidewalk cafes are common, and open-air restaurants -- some boasting sweet music from live bands -- veritably line the streets. The city tempts with the promise of adventure, even in the most mundane of pursuits.
What few regular humans know, however, is that Port-Au-Feu is actually a nexus for the supernatural and the non-human. While Main Street is generally human-friendly and perfectly accessible by anyone, the other areas of town are more specialized. Regular humans go there all the time, and most never, ever notice anything out of the ordinary. But the truth is that the different districts keep dark secrets.
The Rue de Carmin is the vampire district, and it is maintained by the lords of the undead. With sunlight blocked from the streets, it always appears sleepy and sombre. No opportunistic criminals dare to hunt in its streets, for fear of becoming hunted themselves. The vampires of the Rue feed lightly, and only on those who are either willing, or too intoxicated from the amazing parties and clubs to make sense of it; of course, the natural power of mesmerism helps any vampire with fogging the memory. While there are some businesses open during the day, most do not do their best business until at least late afternoon. Appropriately, the Rue de Carmin truly comes alive at night.
Le Jardin is the district of all who fall under the Fae umbrella, which is a broad category indeed, even including those who are considered demons. Most of Le Jardin consists of charming places decorated whimsically, with highly imaginative aesthetics and delightful wonders. Minor glamours and enhancements help to make many locations there even more enchanting, though nothing that could compromise their secrets. Le Jardin is the center of the truly artistic communities in the city.
The Den is where the shifters call home. All types of shifters, weres, and beastmen live here, in this place of heavy Norse and Celtic influence. Family and pack dynamics dominate many aspects of life in the Den. Inns, taverns, pubs, and the like provide authentic atmosphere and a welcoming place to gather. Many aspects of the Den are social-oriented, although there are several shops, mainly providing artisanal goods from craftspeople of the area.
Points of Interest
The following locations are points of interest in Port-Au-Feu: