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When travelling from Grand City's Hinewai Harbor, Port Bariston is the first place you will come to whether by boat or airship. From the port, you can either travel to South Bariston or to the north where Bariston's city center lies. The ocean surrounding Bariston is usually full of marine life, so seafood is the number one choice for food consumption, as it is so plentiful. Port Bariston is home to a large number of fishermen, sailors and seafaring families.

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To the north is the second largest city in Aleris, ruled by Layla Victoire. In contrast to Grand City, Bariston is much more industrialized. Buildings are usually made of brick, cement or layers of sheet metal. The cobblestone roads only hold enough space for horse drawn carriages and people to walk on. Because of this, most stores are inside and no outside markets exist; it is against the law in Bariston to sell wares outside, unless you are at the port and selling seafood. Houses and buildings are tightly packed together and you usually don't see any dwelling without smoke spiraling out of a chimney. Bariston is often described a spider web; the threads being the streets and the spaces in between filled with buildings.

Layla Victoire lives at the far northern end of Bariston, her mansion standing out from the rest. Surrounding it is a twenty-five foot fortified brick wall and inside this barrier is some of the greenest grass ever seen in Elved. It is a great contrast to the rest of Bariston. Hardly anyone goes inside this mansion, but it is said within it holds some of the finest inventions in both weaponry and technology waiting to be unleashed.

Bariston is also in rivalry to Grand City. While Grand City flourishes thanks to all of its natural and abundant resources, Bariston struggles to catch up and so it has turned into a closely packed city bustling with industries. It is often said that Layla Victoire is jealous of Grand City as Bariston struggles more, so occasionally she isn't against giving Alerion a hard time, whether it be a small battle or large war.

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In comparison to its main city and port, the southern part of Bariston located across the river is much poorer in comparison. There are some finer houses right along the river, as some wealthier merchant and sailing families live there. Further in, however, most of South Bariston can be considered slums. Housing is built from cheap steel or tin and those that can't afford the tiny little shanties, sleep outside.