Founded by: Amália Bermudes (1801)
Population (2015 census): 1,036
Cape Duke is a small town on Cavalry Cove that formed around the famous brothel of founder Amália Bermudes. The town grew to become a site of risqué entertainment for Meridona's small army stationed at Fort Gedna further up the cove. It included a number of successful gambling halls, saloons, and drug dens until a series of high-profile crimes lead to the collapse of the city's economy in the early 1950's.
The town stood as a symbol of Meridona's freedoms, with Bermudes spending most of her life fighting to preserve them. Thanks to her activism, Meridona is one of the few nations where one can find legalized, though highly regulated, prostitution and drug use. Together, these industries account for hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue. Governed and policed by a highly organized criminal ring, Cape Duke thrived as a sort of lawless utopia for over 150 years.
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| Cape Duke, ca. 1899 |
The fall of Cape Duke began when a series of high profile crimes of corruption and murder took place over the course of 1953-1955, which included the arrest of Isaac Trusao, a relative of the Alasdair family. As a result, the Meridonan government forced several of Cape Duke's most successful businesses to close their doors, and the town sank deep into a recession. The flamboyant remnants of it's past can still be seen throughout the town.
