Welcome to the Docks of RhyDin—more commonly known as "Dockside". Not only is this where RhyDin's maritime import and export primarily occurs, one will also find the Boardwalk where fish markets, tourists traps, and seafood restaurants abound. Young sailors, scurvy pirates, brawny deckhands, and salty fishermen are a common sight at the docks. The massive Lighthouse of RhyDin sits prominently in the bay, guiding ships with its beacon to their destination.
Dockside stretches from the south—where the major warehouses and massive cargo ships are moored—towards the northeast where many of the businesses, marinas, customs offices, and the Harbor Master's headquarters are situated. As the docks stretch to the east along RhyDin's shoreline, smaller local restaurants seek to attract hungry tourists. This gives way to the shops where merchants, traders and small business owners peddle their wares to curious newcomers as well as to the residents of RhyDin.
Law and order in Dockside falls under the jurisdiction of the Harbor Master and his Port Authority. These uniformed officers are responsible for maritime safety, immigration, customs and excise, and investigation of criminal acts. Gossip and innuendo amongst veteran sailors and dock-goers hints that with the right amount of gold, certain members of the Authority can be influenced. Supposed slave ships are not inspected as thoroughly as they should and, at times, certain vessels slip by customs without even a cursory examination of the cargo in their holds. So it is said.
Do not be mistaken, though Dockside is bustling with business and trade during the day, it is equally as lucrative in other forms of commerce during the nighttime hours. Local bars, brothels, gambling houses, and other dens of iniquity are a popular destination for sailors in need of shore leave. Like clockwork, a thick fog rolls in from the bay every evening. Coupled with Dockside's torch and lamplit ambiance, it lends a murky, seedy, and shadowy atmosphere. Be warned: the hours of darkness is no place for the naïve or uninformed. One can quickly find themselves between the devil and the deep blue sea.
