A New Ynnisi

The last day had been a whirlwind for Phaedra. She'd descended the gangplank into a whole new life. She'd found directions to an inn near the docks and paid for a week of accommodations. Others who'd travelled with her on the ship had already left the city, heading further inland to Azzaru. They'd spoken at length about how prosperous the city was, build on mines that produced some sort of mineral that powered the steam carriages. But in truth, Phaedra could hardly picture a place more prosperous than the port she'd landed in.

The inn she was staying in was a stately building, three stories tall. The outside was off white limestone, decorated with wrought iron grating over the windows. The door was a dark rich wood. It was a homey, inviting sort of place. Back where she was from she'd never have been able to afford such luxury. Here in Itona, however, her crossing stipend seemed to cover a bit of a stay. And the inn keeper had suggested she could wait some tables if she wanted to extend her time here. She'd been shocked at the easy offer of a job. Back at home there were so few jobs.

Today, however, she needed to settle a very important piece of paperwork. She needed to finalize her citizenship. She'd been told after she got off the ship that she had a couple of days to do so. There was a small square she'd been told to head towards, so she ducked out the inn's front door, and headed in the direction she'd been told. It was only a couple of blocks away, and as she got closer she could hear the recruiter's quite clearly.

Two different recruiters stood in the square, appealing to a small crowd of new arrivals. She recognized a couple from her ship, and slipped through the crowd towards them. The man gave her a quick nod, before returning his attention to the presentation at hand. It appeared that the Azzaruan was currently speaking.

"Azzaru is where the future is happening! Prosperity for all, a place for all! In Azzaru you can climb the social ladder all the way to the top. In fact, one of our most senior city representatives only arrived three years ago! In Azzaru, in three years, that could be you!" That seemed to finish his speech, and the small crowd clapped. Several of the watchers gathered around him, apparently signing their registration papers, including the couple from the ship.

Phaedra stayed put. While that all sounded lovely she didn't exactly picture herself running a city in three years. That sounded like far too much responsibility. She shifted from foot to foot as the Ynnis presenter began her pitch. "Ynnis is the cultural hub of Itona. Of course, there is wealth here, in the sense of buying power. But there's an even greater wealth - our wealth of diversity. This is a cosmopolitan city. Food, goods, trinkets from across the world land here. As do the people themselves. Nothing happens in Itona without happening in Ynnis first. It's a good place to be."

Phaedra could feel herself nodding along. It was a good place to be. She stepped forward, grinning. Ynnis would be her home.