The flaw was the center. The beautiful, deep central bay had one tiny sandbar. On it sat a single, hostile Bedouin pirate outpost. It didn't block trade, but its cannons covered both narrow straits. Any ship entering or leaving the inner sanctum would be raked by fire. The Three Bridges weren't a paradise; they were a cage. Adalric played the long game. He ignored the central bay. He landed on the Western Keep first, building a lumber camp and a fishing hut. He ferried stone from a tiny neutral island outside the northern strait. He did not build a single warship.
The map was odd. It showed three massive, mountainous islands arranged in a broken horseshoe, their inner shores facing a calm, central sea. Coral reefs marked the northern and southern passages, leaving only two narrow, fortress-able straits. It was a pirate's nightmare and a merchant's wet dream. anno 1404 best map
"You found it," she said, looking at the triple skyline of cathedrals, rope yards, and minarets. "The best map." The flaw was the center
He built a chapel. Then a small market. Then a rope yard. He started importing iron ore from the Southern Spire, smelting it into tools on the Western Keep. He grew dates and herbs. He built a small monastery. It didn't block trade, but its cannons covered