Port Charles

Port Charles is built on a series of giant piers over the swamps that serves as a foundation for the entire city.

Mosquitos are a constant problem, so braziers have been set up througout the city that burn insect-repelling plants, but create a thick smoke that obscures vision and quickly overwhelms tourists who aren't used to it. Tourists usually travel through the cities with mouths and noses covered up but the locals are used to it. However, it is bad for health to constantly be breathing in smoke, so people in Port Charles do not live as long.

The Temple District, where the Nevea Temple is built and all it's associated buildings, are built on Temple Rock, a stony outcropping that is lodged in the swamp. The rock was leveled off over the centuries and now contains the mansions of the wealthy, as well as government buildings.

The mosquitos are not a problem up on Temple Rock so there is no smoke. However, Sir Thomas Blackcastle has been denied permission to build his Chancellory of Justice on Temple Rock, so he built in the swamp like everything else.

Below the pier are wooden walled rooms for cellars. Frequently these leak and must be kept sealed with tar.

The entire city of Port Charles except Temple Rock is made of wood, and therefore subject to fire. Setting a fire, even accidentally, is a serious offense, and special police from the Office of Fire Maintenance and Prevention ("OFMP") run by gnomish engineers has jurisdiction.