Grakest Bay
Grakest is a bay on the northernmost point of Modia on the Greater Continent in Arindell. It sits behind Shield Island, and is an important settlement for the Selkie Mystical Creatures. "Grakest Bay: where there are no laws against indecent exposure, but littering is a capitol offense."
Settlement
The enormous bay and connected inland sea contain a large settlement of Selkie, as well as aqua-farms to support a population of some seven million. The region is closed to commercial human traffic, but large barges moved by electric tugs have been placed there for a variety of purposes. Some areas of the bay are open to human-powered watercraft(such as kayaks and rowboats), but a large portion of the bay is the habitat of the Selkie and thus requires permission from them to enter. Several small islands within the bay are also their domain, as is the region of the shore called Exhibition Point.
Human Settlement
A human city of the same name sits beside the bay, and provides the bulk of human/Selkie interactions. The city is renowned for its low environmental impact, and pristine beaches. It is largely a tourist destination, but is also an important economic center. Many plants produced by the Selkie are harvested here, and sold throughout the Known Worlds.
The city has a very strict "zero runoff" policy, and has devised extensive systems to ensure drainage from the human site does not enter into the bay. There also extensive facilities in place to accommodate Selkie, with some even calling the human city "home". The laws against littering are extremely strict. Thought it has never been enforced, officially dropping a single piece of trash on the beach is considered a capitol crime, and as such punishable by death. littering on the beach will still lead to harsh fines and jail sentences, while doing so within the city will mostly just mean strict fines.
The city of Grakest Bay is connected to the city of Shield Island, which is an important economic center and trade hub.
Tourism
Because of the intense efforts by the Foundation to keep Grakest Bay free from pollution, it is well-regarded for astonishingly beautiful pristine beaches. The area around the bay is also home to a micro-climate of warm winters and moderate summers. Its proximity to a GATE hub makes it a popular year-round destination for people from all over the known worlds.
Casinos
The city of Grakest Bay is famous for it's casinos, being among the few places under direct Foundation control where gambling is legal. The exact explanation for this is unclear, as the region has been under Foundation control since the Mage Wars. The casinos are owned and operated by the Foundation proper, and are generally operated in a manner more focused on providing entertainment than extracting money. The games are fair, the payouts are small, and the odds are stacked slightly more in the player's favor than the houses. The casinos are massive, larger-than life affairs, with wild themes and extravagant decorations. The whole area is configured more as an elaborate theme park than anything else, with rides as well as games.
Festivals
The city of Grakest Bay hosts the incredibly generic "Celebration Festival", a month-long event held once a year. It is badly and obviously a massive tourist-draw, but bills itself as 'a celebration of art, music, and culture'. It is largely just a party, with no over-arcing theme, but it draws both tourists and exhibitors from all over the Known Worlds.
A second, similar event, called "Life's Day" is held six months apart from "Celebration Festival" and is effectively just a re-tread of the same, with a heavier focus on dance and pleasure. This one is usually paired with a series of overlapping food festivals.
Every four years, the city also hosts a much larger event. This one is held further south than the bay-area, and includes several purpose-built structures, including a series of high-occupancy hotels that sit empty the rest of the time. Temporary housing is also constructed in the form of dozens of tent cities. The event lasts six months, usually starting at Life's Day and ending at Celebration Festival. Much like the other two, it has no religious or cultural significance, and is part of the area's tourism, but does draw in a high number of off-worlders. This even is sometimes called "The Market Festival", so named for the open-air bazaar that operates throughout the run. The bazaar contains a staggering one million shops and booths, and sells items from everywhere the Foundation has a presence.
Exhibition Point
As with all beaches within the Foundation, the shores around Grakest Bay are clothing-optional, with the exception of a peninsula and cove called Exhibition Point. Nominally this beach belongs to the Selkie, who even operate a resort catering specifically to their kind. Humans are allowed, but only if they remain nude. The selkie have no nudity taboo and do not themselves wear clothing (despite human attributes). The only exception is a belt to carry tools or pouches, such as the Selkie themselves wear. Typically, the outward side of the peninsula is the 'humans-only clothes-free beach' while the cove belongs to the selkie, with humans welcome if they abide by selkie customs.
