Where the Honor River empties into Munari Inlet stands Ismail, Avalon's window to the world. The city of perhaps 12,000 serves as the kingdom's primary port—nearly everything that enters or leaves Avalon by sea passes through Ismail's harbor.
The city sits at a natural chokepoint. The Honor River narrows as it approaches the coast, and Ismail controls both banks. Warehouses line the waterfront, storing goods moving between river barges and oceangoing vessels. The textile trade dominates—bolts of Goldwood-dyed cloth, time-touched ritual implements, and agricultural products flow outward, while metal goods, exotic materials, and foreign luxuries flow in.
Ismail's character differs from inland Avalon. The constant flow of foreigners—sailors, merchants, travelers—dilutes the theocracy's grip. The priests maintain temples and enforce the major observances, but Ismail's residents are more worldly than their rural cousins. Declarations still govern local children's lives, but visitors operate under looser rules, and the commerce-minded locals have learned to accommodate difference.
The harbor master, always a priest of high standing, balances religious duty against commercial necessity. Ships carrying forbidden goods (certain magical items, materials the Ecclesiarch has proscribed) are turned away. Ships carrying merely unusual cargo are taxed and monitored. The Ecclesiarch presumably foresees what passes through his port; the harbor master acts accordingly.