New Macridi
Where the rushing currents of Profit's Flow collide with the wide waters of the Great Goldpan, the frontier town gives way to a triumph of Kalistocrat hydraulic engineering: New Macridi. Built directly across fortified artificial islands spanning the wide confluence, this booming district represents the high-capital future of Druma's timber industry. Designed to process thousands of darkwood logs floating down from the northern camps, New Macridi transforms a treacherous natural river junction into an incredibly efficient, highly profitable industrial hub.
The primary challenge facing the city's founders was the sheer velocity of the river confluence, which frequently swept valuable timber past the shore or smashed rafts against the rocky banks. To solve this, dwarven-trained civil engineers constructed a massive timber-and-stone boom extending out into the mouth of the Great Goldpan. This artificial breakwater catches raw darkwood logs as they drift down Profit's Flow, gently deflecting them out of the main current and steering them directly into a calm, protected artificial bay on the western island.
Once logs are funneled into the sheltered western bay, they are drawn directly into the massive Sawmill Yard. Flanked by the West Waterwheel and expansive Lumber Docks, heavy industrial winches haul the timber out of the water to be squared, processed, and stacked. Power generated by the massive waterwheels runs heavy gang-saws around the clock, turning raw trunks into valuable darkwood planks destined for merchant barges docked along the eastern island.
Connected by stone arched bridges, New Macridi’s central and eastern islands house the civic and commercial heart of the district. The central island is anchored by the grand dome of the Temple of the Confluence and a bustling Market Square, guarded by fortified gatehouses and the Town Watch. Across the bridge, the eastern island hosts the Merchant Quarter, Guildmaster's Manor, and the lively Gold Spike Tavern, overlooking rows of sprawling warehouses and the eastern Barge Docks where finished goods begin their journey downriver toward Kerse.
In stark contrast to Old Macridi across the river—where independent operators like Danum Karland process timber through historic, shore-bound mills—New Macridi is a strictly regulated corporate powerhouse. Blackjacket checkpoints monitor transit across the northern approaches, ensuring that only licensed merchant guilds and accredited Kalistocrats profit from the river's yield. However, as strange black sap begins floating down from upriver, even the massive booms and waterwheels of New Macridi struggle to keep the corruption out of its pristine artificial bays.