Portstead
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Contents
Overview
Portstead was founded by a group of magical fishermen who discovered that the area had a plentiful amount of unusually large fish. Originally, the town was a simple fishing outpost, but the sales of fish brought in more people looking to make a good bit of money, eventually causing the small outpost to grow into a large town.
The town was once much bigger than it is now. However, it is no longer this size because of a series of events occurring a few generations ago. Since the area became famous for its giant fish, fish populations began to decline due to increased visitors looking to catch a good fishing haul. This caused a large predator to become uneasy, not being able to find enough food, and it started to terrorise the town. It took a few deaths and boats going missing before anyone came back to report what was going on. A squander, who was an experienced fisherman, spread tales of this predator, which became known as a beast called the Kraken. Consequently, people began to leave the town in fear of the creature, as it continued to strike out at the fishers, causing more deaths and more missing boats.
It did not take long for the Portstead townsfolk to realise what had to be done; they needed to wage war against the beast before the entire town vanished from maps. A few families agreed to stay no matter what, and they banded together in a plot to attack the creature. Being a fishing town, they seldom needed weapons to hunt. A deal was then made with some blacksmiths, under the agreement that, as long as the blacksmiths stayed and supplied them with weapons and assistance, they would feed and shelter them.
Thus, Portstead became unified to remove the threatening beast. Yet, all the while, fish populations continued to dwindle, and the Kraken started coming closer and closer to shore, which scared off more and more people. Some deserted homes were scrapped and used to create cheap boats. Soon, a large ship was built to fight the beast. This ship was capable of holding two dozen people and was created from both muggle technology and wizarding magic in order to be as strong as possible.
The fishermen then went out to sea to confront the creature. After eight days of no word, they returned in lifeboats, hauling a giant octopus tentacle and an anchor, which was the last remaining remnant of the ship. They told of how they had spent days tracking the Kraken, and then days more attempting to kill it. The fight concluded in a draw where they took an arm, and, in turn, the boat was destroyed. After this, the Kraken was not confirmed to be seen again. As a monument, they magically enlarged the anchor and set it in the harbour. The tentacle was also preserved in one of the town buildings to be displayed for all to see.
Though the Kraken was defeated, there were still rumours, which kept the town at a small population. Because of this, fish populations began to rise again, and the town became well off. Recently, there have been more and more sightings of the Kraken, and townsfolk are becoming fearful of its return, yet, most remain sceptical.
Moreover, the blacksmithing families stuck around and began to export their wares. Over the years, a friendly rivalry started up with the fishermen and the blacksmiths. It focused on who has a better profession, or who assisted more in the long-past hunt for the Kraken. Occasionally, the two groups will mess around with each other with minor pranks, which is most often done by leaving octopus-related objects in odd places.
Nowadays, the town is generally self-sufficient. They have shops in which they sell fish to those either passing by or staying in the town since the agreement, in which they share food with most town residents, still stands. They do get a lot of visitors who come to enjoy the town and take fishing trips or take lessons in blacksmithing.
On Potterworld’s world map, Portstead can be found along the coastal shore towards the southeast side of Great Britain. As a level 30 town, players are meant to visit and unlock its location in their Year 4 quests by flying with a broom or walking from a nearby town, most often London. From Portstead, these surrounding towns include London to the north and Edgebrook to the northwest. To view it on the map, run the /map command in-game to get a link to it, or view it on the Potterworld website.
At Portstead, visiting players can expect to find a Shady Dealer, Vendor, Crafting Centre, Fire Dust Network location, Marketplace, Bank, and Tommy Riddle. Unfortunately, there are no Minigames here. The Portstead Reputation taskboard is found outside and to the right of the Crafting Centre and across from the large anchor.
Geography & Environment
Built along the southern coast, Portstead has a predominantly mild climate. Being towards the south end of Great Britain, this town is not prone to severe weather. There will be severe winds coming from the ocean at times, which may draw in storms, but the town generally has fine weather for fishing. Despite being by the water, there is not much sand nor flora to be found in town or the surrounding area.
Notable Locations
Anchor Statue
The most recognisable monument in Portstead is the large anchor statue at the docks. As a remnant of the first battle with the Kraken, this part is the only thing that remains of the original boat. Today, the magically enlarged anchor still stands to commemorate the town’s history.
Adela's Pumpkin Juice Stand
One of the more recognisable places to visit in Portstead is Adela's Pumpkin Juice stand, which is towards the east end of the docks. At this striped blue and white awning, players can concoct Adela’s Signature Pumpkin Punch during the Fish Out of Water quest.
Shops
Currently, there are no shops with purchasable items located in Portstead.
Quests
The table below displays quest(s) located in Portstead at their specified level. To get started with these quests, head to the starting NPC’s coordinates.
| Quest Name | Level | Starting NPC & Coordinates |
|---|---|---|
| Fish Out of Water | 32 | Adela, 5717 5 10883 |
Creatures and Plants
The shore of Portstead is bordered by several mobs’ habitats. Among these are the lumbering Level 29 Ogres living in their self-made huts to the west along the shoreline and the hot-headed Level 30 Explosively-Ended Newts in the burnt forest to the north. All of these mobs will drop their respective mob drops, and, depending on the level, Year 3 or 4 broom materials and recipes on rarer occasions, along with Level 21-30 or 31-40 gear recipes.
Alongside having a variety of mobs, there are a variety of profession plant nodes to be found around Portstead. These include Gurgle Weed Lvl. 30, Wrinklefig Lvl. 20, Nightshade Lvl. 20, and Wormwood Lvl. 20. Most can be used to craft Year 3 profession items.
Hidden Chests
Throughout Portstead, there are a handful of hidden chests scattered about. To find them, one may need to look closely within houses and at nooks and crannies. A utility spell or two can help you access certain hidden chests. These hidden chests possess items from level 31-40 mobs, 31-40 gear recipes, and broom recipes on even rarer occasions. They can range from Tier 1 to Tier 2 type chests, with the higher the tier being harder to find and with rarer loot. Upon finding a hidden chest, the player will also be rewarded with gold occasionally.
Trivia
- A lone NPC stands atop the anchor monument. Some wonder why they still remain there…
- The Kraken’s tentacle hangs along the ceiling of one of Portstead’s main buildings by the docks in memory of the first battle. There are containers of Wiggleworm mucus and Troll wax extract being stored here as well, for reasons unknown…
- One can find the blacksmiths in their workshop on the west side of Portstead.
- A Pumpkin Farmer resides closely to town, towards the northwest. Unfortunately, he is not selling any pumpkins as the Explosively-Ended Newts took them.
- After completing the Fish Out of Water quest, Adela can take you back to the Flying Seahorses’ caverns.
