Sitting on the mouth of the river Vale, Arles is a major destination for those who would rather avoid the attention of the Imperial North Fleet, based in Grosse Gerade. The Comtessa de Arles understands the arrangement and is willing to look the other way1). Since her dealings are not always popular with the Imperial bureaucracy, she keeps an all-female guard, the Maid Expeditionary Forces, trained especially for siege warfare.
The comtes and comtessas d'Arles have fought several wars with the nizams of Andaluce over the years, but these days that rivalry is mostly kept to snide remarks and sharp knives at banquets.