Saprazzo
| Saprazzo | |
|---|---|
| The Coral City | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Mercadia |
| Type | Island |
| Demonym | Saprazzan |
| Part of | Outer Sea |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Saprazzo, sometimes called "the Coral City", is the island city of merfolk and humans on the plane of Mercadia.[1] It is located within a lake in the center of a volcanic caldera, far out to sea from Rishada.
Description
Located in the Outer Sea, the city of Saprazzo is built within a half-submerged volcanic caldera. Saprazzo is a vast inverted cone extending down into the caldera, with half of the city found underneath the caldera lake and the other above the surface, where most air-breathers stay. A semi-circle of basalt mountains rings one half of the metropolis, and a thick, stone seawall rings the other half. Together, mountain and wall keep the sea out. Arriving ships enter a channel bored through the mountainside and progress down a series of locks to the deep harbor at the center of Saprazzo. Crews and cargoes are off-loaded there, hundreds of feet below sea level. Though the streets of the upper city are dry, they are below sea level, and every air-filled building has its foundations in deep waters. One can walk the streets above or swim the streets below. The upper half is concentrated around the sides of the caldera shore. A marketplace lies at the city's top near the caldera's wall. Poorer citizens live in the upper areas, and richer people are nearer to the water. Saprazzan governmental structures lie toward the bottom. There are waterfalls and decorations throughout the shimmering city.[2]
Buildings and streets form concentric rings in their descent toward the docks and the bay. Terraced houses in polished stones overlook the central cone. A few of these dwellings are grand and dignified, with elaborate carvings and designs over the doors. Most are simple, with trailing plants hung over the pediments. These plants often bear bright blossoms or strangely shaped fruits. It would be difficult to imagine a greater contrast to the dry, dusty streets of Mercadia City or the narrow, fishy lanes of Rishada.[2]
Merfolk are the leaders and the main inhabitants of Saprazzo. They are dear friends with the Cho-Arrim and retain a similar version of the Ramos myth, as well as a strong sense of religion. The leader of Saprazzo is the Grand Vizier, ruler over lesser viziers and judges, in an intricate leadership system. Politics is a serious matter within the city, but living in Saprazzo is generally luxurious, and the merfolk are light-hearted.
The Saprazzans are completely at home on land or in water. Groups of them can be seen sporting cheerfully among the waves. Most Saprazzans look similar, having light blue skin and thick, flowing blue hair. The women wear their hair in cascades down their backs, save when they bind it up above the nape of the neck with exquisite silver filigrees. Saprazzan hands and feet are slightly webbed between fingers and toes, and about their necks is a suggestion of gills. They breathe water and air with equal ease and can transform their legs into fins.[2]
Locations
- The basalt mountains
- The Caldera Lake
- The channel
- The council hall
- The marketplace
- The royal palace
- The Shrine of the Matrix[2]
- The stone seawall
History
In 4205 AR, Sisay, Orim, and Hanna arrived in Saprazzo seeking the Power Matrix. There, they were drawn into a web of deception that nearly led to their downfall.
Upon arrival, their first encounter was one of violence — Sisay was grievously wounded in a Saprazzan retaliation after a sailor harpooned a Saprazzan Breaker, only to be saved by Orim, who called for peace and used her healing abilities to restore her captain. The Saprazzans, an amphibious people who lived in harmony between land and sea, welcomed the visitors with curiosity and caution. They were brought before the Grand Vizier, the city’s ruler, who agreed to discuss their request at the Shrine of the Matrix.
At the shrine, the vizier recounted the myth of Ramos, the legendary artificer-turned-god who had carried his people to a new world before shattering into five sacred artifacts — the Bones of Ramos. Saprazzo’s people believed that reuniting these relics would restore them to their original homeland. However, when Sisay requested the Power Matrix, the vizier hesitated, postponing the decision.
That night, Orim, lost in thoughts of Cho-Manno, stumbled upon a secret plot — a Mercadian noble and a Saprazzan conspirator, Oustrathmer, scheming to steal the Matrix and frame the Weatherlight crew for the crime. Before she could escape, Orim was ambushed and imprisoned, falsely accused of murder and theft.
As Sisay sought answers from the vizier, Orim endured captivity, dining with the vizier yet withholding key information about the Legacy and the Skyship Weatherlight. Her fate changes when Cho-Manno, believed dead, appears in Saprazzo with Lahaime, leader of the Ramosians, revealing their survival and their alliance against Mercadia. Through a mind meld, Cho-Manno proved Orim’s innocence, prompting the vizier to turn the deception against Mercadia.
A calculated act of subterfuge followed — Lahaime staged his own "execution" before Oustrathmer, sending false intelligence to the Mercadians that Saprazzo was loyal and the Ramosan threat had been neutralized. With the ruse in place, Orim, Sisay, Hanna, and Cho-Manno secured a safe passage back to Mercadia, now armed with both the knowledge of Ramos’s legend and newfound allies in their fight against the ruling elite.[2]
Gallery
-
Saprazzo is located in the ocean east of Mercadia City -
Mercadia fan-map by Varghedin
In-game references
- Associated cards:
- Referred to:
References
- ↑ Jess Lebow, J. Robert King, ed. (2003.) "Delraich", The Monsters of Magic, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-2983-9.
- ↑ a b c d e Francis Lebaron. (1999) Mercadian Masques, Wizards of the Coast. ISBN-13 0-7869-1188-3.