Guldervale

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Guldervale

Pop: 24,900 Racial Make-Up: Human 79%, Halfling 13%, Half-Elf 3%, Other 5%

Origins

Guldervale was originally founded due to the large deposits of tallite found in the nearby Thunderline mountains. Tallite is a very strong but very light stone. In the ancient days of the Kingdom techniques were developed whereby it could be worked into fantastic shapes and moulded with other blocks of tallite. Now it is used in a more conventional sense though it is still highly sought after. The nearby Guldenbrook Hills are rich in precious metals and gems as well and the city attracts a large number of prospectors willing to risk the wrath of the creatures that reside in the hills for the chance of wealth.

The southern region of the Kingdom was developed a long time after the northern region, mostly due to the dangerous nature of some of its wilderness. A concerted push by the army forced the orcs and goblins back into the mountains as well as moving the other creatures back to their homes in Reydor's Ridge and the Wasteland. The first settlement to be established in the south was Southwall, to mark the edge of the Kingdom's new territory. Guldervale and Camber followed soon after with the former being the centre for industry in the south and the latter the centre for trade and travel.

History

Guldervale grew rapidly and prospered in this time. The Southwall was completed and protected the Kingdom to the west and the orcs and goblins in the Thunderline Mountains were quiet for the most part. The biggest threat came from an aggressive tribe of plainsmen that occupied the land south of the mountains. They would frequently raid over the passes in summer, often catching the people of Guldervale by surprise. To try and counter this threat the Watchtowers were constructed. Three enormous spires were built to heights that are absolutely unthinkable in the current time. They were made of solid tallite reinforced with mithril struts and they soared to the tops of the mountains. Between the three towers the Kingdom had an unblemished view over the southern lands and plenty of advanced warning of plainsman attacks. Over time the people of the southern Kingdom turned their attention to the lands to the south of the mountains. An army headed over the hills and, after a brief but bloody battle, turfed the plainsmen out into the vast expanses of the eastern plains. Settlers from Guldervale, Southwall, Camber and Ridgeback Rise headed to the south to make a new city there in the areas now known as Calm Cove and the Sunken Lands.

When the Kingdom split and entered the dark ages Guldervale was one of the cities that tried to push for the crown. The Watchtowers were turned inwards on the Kingdom to give advance warning of approaching armies and acting as strongholds. Guldervale was intensely involved in the strife and civil war and was in a strong position until a plague struck. Leaving the defences weakened a cabal of evil arcane spell-users known as the Circle of Nine descended on the city. Using their magic and an army of fiends they took the city, murdering most of the nobility and decimating the army. The Circle installed an evil magocracy on the city, brutally enforced by their devilish captains. The three most powerful of the Circle took up residence in the Watchtowers and the other six commissioned another tower each. The numbers of slaves estimated to have been killed in the construction of the new towers numbered in the thousands.

This was a dark time for the people of Guldervale. The Circle of Nine ruled from their evil towers of magic though they were mostly content to leave the day-to-day issues to their captains. The slave trade thrived in the city and the population grew. This was mostly because any attempt to leave the city was considered high treason. The devils took great pleasure in punishing, torturing and executing any found trying to escape the city.

Throughout the dark ages the land to the south of Guldervale had stayed apart. It had enough troubles keeping the undead of the Sunken Lands and the plainsmen to the east quiet though the latter problem had been temporarily solved with a truce. Even so they were so appalled when word of what had happened to Guldervale reached them that their king of the time, a man named Cereneas, took steps to rectify the problem. He infiltrated spies into the city who smuggled small numbers of locals out of the city. He sent in the Slayers of Domiel who sought out high ranking devils for assassination. Raids by his armies kept the devils on their toes and freed large numbers of slaves. His court wizards also spent their time harrying the Circle of Nine, disrupting their vile experiments and sending celestial creatures to plague their towers.

The Circle of Nine exacted revenge. On a fateful winter's day they gathered together at the top of the tallest tower and cast an abomination of a spell, six months in the casting. A black fog of death rolled over the south side of the mountains and covered most of the land. All caught in its wake were killed. A few survived by heading below ground into a series of caves and tunnels that had been created as an emergency hideaway. The fog settled on the land and remained for a year and a day. In this time the few survivors gradually succumbed to the fog and those that didn't found they were infertile. The Circle had killed Cereneas and his people.

At this time the celestial paragons took the case before Heironeous' court. Pelor, Ehlonna and Kord all sat an attendance as well as the neutral gods; St. Cuthbert, Wee Jas, Boccob and Fharlanghn. The paragons asserted that the Circle of Nine had gone too far, employing foul magic for genocide and that they needed to intervene. The gods present all agreed. Raziel and Domiel lead an army of celestials against the devils in Guldervale and cast them all back to hell. Pelor himself descended on the Circle of Nine, sealing them in their towers for eternity.

The people of Guldervale rejoiced for they were free. After the celestials had won the day Pelor entered the city and cleansed it of the evil taint, rebuilding it as it had been before the Circle arrived. Domiel chose from among the survivors a shrewd and honourable priest named Veren to lead the city in its new age and since that day the blood of Veren has watched over Guldervale. The priest's bloodline carry the touch of Domiel.

Veren and the people of Guldervale were instrumental in forging the truce that brought the former Kingdom out of the dark ages and formed the republic it now is. Veren was offered the position of first Princeps of the Erethol but he declined on the grounds that his city needed him more.

Factions

Now the city is still a major industrial power but its importance has grown even further as it is now a major religious centre as well. Many people also consider Guldervale to be responsible for ending the dark ages and as such the governor's voice has a lot of power in the Eretholier Council. The entire gamut of good gods from Pelor down to Estanna all have temples in the city as well as the celestial paragons who each have a following. Many of the neutral gods have homes in the city too, particularly the four present at the council which decided to save Guldervale.

Ironically the city is also a beacon for evil cults and devil worship due to its connection to the infernal realms. The presence of the devils that were banished from Guldervale still lingers and many evil clerics and wizards find in it the power to summon and commune with evil fiends. A great conflict exists in the city between the crusaders of good and the secret sects and cults of evil.

The governor of the city, currently a shrewd and insightful man named Yannick, has his hands full juggling the demands of the various factions in the city. The churches of good make many demands on him to stamp out crime and devil worship in the city and are frequently upset by what they see as his lack of commitment to the cause of good. In actual fact Yannick does what he feels is best for the growth of the city and the good of the people. There is a strong criminal element in the slums of Guldervale, mostly due to the ever-changing faces of prospectors and adventurers in the city and the Thieves' Guild flourishes in certain areas. Emissaries of the good churches also abound in these areas and the two frequently conflict. As long as Yannick keeps a firm hold on the situation however the situation rarely escalates into violence and riots.

Something he is determined to clamp down on however is the devil-worshipping in the city. The blood of a celestial runs in his veins and he finds the practice abhorrent. To this end he keeps a hefty quota of secret police and crushes such activity swiftly and mercilessly.

As if this wasn't enough some of the good churches take umbrage with each other or the neutral churches from time to time and the political alliances and enmities between religions are manifold and labyrinthine. Many of the noble houses harbour a distrust between each other as well as some are suspected of colluding with the devils back in the day. As the city is so reliant on tallite quarrying the unions of dockworkers and miners are also powerful forces. The river is vital for moving large quantities of tallite and the rare occasions where the dockworkers or miners union have taken action have caused a sharp decline in the city's profits.

The orcs and goblins of the Thunderline Mountains also have a problem with the city. They still see the land and the wealth of the mountains as theirs and have recently been stepping up activity in the mountains and raiding quarries, forcing Yannick to step up security.

Laws and Restrictions

The laws of Guldervale are much as you would find in other major cities in Erethol. The exceptions are the extreme severity with which devil-worshipping is punished (always execution). It is even an average crime to mention the name of a demon, devil or evil god.

Traditions and Festivals

The events involving the Circle of Nine have led to a series of festivals and remembrances.

Liberation Day: 14th June - A public holiday to celebrate the liberation of the city by the Celestial Host. A great parade and fair mark the day and it is traditional to exchange gifts. The day is given over to the worship of Raziel and Domiel particularly who each have a procession to their temples. It is a simple (a term denoting "less than minor" crime to wear black on Liberation Day and most people were white robes or togas.

Cleansing Day: 15th June - The day after Liberation Day is also a holiday to celebrate Pelor's cleansing of the city. The morning starts with a procession to Pelor's cathedral and each person in the procession then ritually cleans the cathedral. It is traditional for everyone in the city to give their homes a really good clean. Yannick often employs extra labourers on Cleansing Day to dredge the river and sweep the streets.

Day of Mourning: 2nd January - Whilst not a public holiday everybody in the city stops what they are doing for 10 minutes at midday to remember the genocide wrought by the Circle of Nine on Cereneas' people. Most of the citizenry wear black armbands on this day.

Devil's Night: 24th November - For one night every year a curfew is imposed on the city. It is a minor crime to be outside after dark on this night of the year as it commemorates the night that the devils descended on Guldervale. Recent times have seen a trend in poor-taste for people to hold Devil's Night parties where people attend in fancy dress. Some teenagers have also taken to dressing up as devils and playing tricks on people.

Reformation Day: 31st July - A public holiday across Erethol this day represents the day that the dark ages ended and the republic of Erethol was formed. Of course it didn't happen in one day and nor did it happen in July but it's a nice time to have a holiday. Parades, parties and fairs spring up on this day. Street entertainers and bards perform and the inns are fit to bursting. The governor of the city traditionally distributes small bags of money to the populace on Reformation Day.

Government

Yannick heads a Lawful Good government of Guldervale. The succession of governors has been pure since Domiel selected Veren as the first governor of the new Guldervale. The populace have little cause to complain under their current leadership though the procedures are in place should the governor need to step down. An election for governor is held every ten years or if one dies or steps down. A representative of the Eretholier Council comes to the city to keep charge of it and oversee the election of a new governor. The head of all the noble houses, the leaders of each church, the highest ranking government officials as well as the leaders of the dockworkers and miners unions are entitled to vote for the new governor. In addition, one representative of each city block is selected by lot to have a vote representing their block. In every election since Veren became governor his descendent has been elected and remained governor until death.