Porto Aurelia

Official Name: The Sovereign City of Porto Aurelia

Common Name: Porto Aurelia

Region: Southern Europe, exact location deliberately ambiguous

Population: Approximately 8.4 million metropolitan residents

Languages: Aurelian, French, Italian, Spanish, English

Government: Parliamentary republic with a powerful elected metropolitan government

Genre: Contemporary superhero • Mediterranean noir • Political thriller • Urban fantasy

Known For: Extraordinary wealth, ancient architecture, international finance, nightlife, fashion, organized crime, political intrigue, and centuries of secrets

City Description

Porto Aurelia is a sprawling Mediterranean metropolis whose exact geographical identity has always seemed strangely difficult to define. Situated somewhere along the warmer waters of Southern Europe, the city exists culturally at the intersection of France, Italy, and Spain without belonging completely to any of them.

Its inhabitants consider themselves Aurelian first.

The city grew around an enormous natural harbor where merchants, aristocrats, sailors, artists, diplomats, and conquerors crossed paths for more than two thousand years. Roman foundations lie beneath medieval streets. Baroque palaces stand beside nineteenth-century boulevards, while immense glass-and-stone skyscrapers now rise behind cathedral domes.

Modern Porto Aurelia has become one of Europe's great megacities.

Its waterfront contains luxury marinas, commercial ports, beaches, casinos, restaurants, and some of the most expensive residences in Europe. Farther inland, dense neighborhoods climb surrounding hills before giving way to mountains and ancient estates.

The city is beautiful.

It is also profoundly complicated.

Money, politics, organized crime, old aristocratic families, international corporations, and secret societies have influenced Porto Aurelia for generations. Respectable institutions sometimes conceal decidedly less respectable histories.

In Porto Aurelia, nearly everything has two faces.