> [!success] Integrated > This lore drop has been processed and integrated into the vault. > See: [[District - The Docks]] **LOCATION - Gryth - Auken - Prosperia - Treston** **THE DOCKS** The Treston Docks are a sprawling, humid labyrinth of timber and stone that serves as the trading heart of Prosperia. Although the city sits far inland, the Great Lake acts as a massive aquatic crossroads, with its deep-water tributaries carving paths through the moorlands and forests to reach the distant oceans. This unique geography ensures that the horizon is always crowded with a forest of masts, ranging from sleek Elven skiffs to heavy, flat-bottomed Gnomish barges. The air here is a thick cocktail of smells: the sharp scent of pine from northern Whitemist timber hauls, the briny tang of the sea brought in by southern, Irosian trading vessels, and the earthy aroma of distant Q’shari spices and ingredients. The atmosphere is one of perpetual motion where the boundaries between different walks of life are thin. On the Northern Docks, the polished marble facades of prestigious banks and trading houses overlook the water, their gargoyles staring down at the chaos below. University students pour through the well-lit streets in the evening, trying new cuisines and enjoying the music that carries out across the lake. On the Southern Docks, the crowds teem with a diverse working-class population. Here, Half-Orc hired muscle heave massive crates alongside nimble Gnomish engineers, while human merchants bark prices over the heads of the crowd. It is a place of immense opportunity but equal danger, where the line between a legitimate family-owned inn and a front for a criminal syndicate is often blurred by the thick evening mist that rolls off the lake. As night falls, the Docks transform into a landscape of flickering lanterns and long shadows. The clinking of coins in the gambling dens echoes against the rhythmic slapping of water against the hulls of fine ships. While the banks hold the city's formal gold, the real power often shifts in the dim corners of dockside taverns or down the narrow alleyways that lead to the water’s edge. Despite the high crime rates and the grit of the shipyard, there is a resilient spirit to the area; it remains a vital gateway where any traveller can find their treasure, provided they have the coin to pay and the wit to keep their purse strings tight.